https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764017716697 International Journal of Social Psychiatry 1–7 © The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0020764017716697 journals.sagepub.com/home/isp E CAMDEN SCHIZOPH Introduction Several different mental disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depressive disorder and other psychotic disorders) are grouped together under the term Severe Mental Illness. Those who suffer from them may experi- ence very diverse symptoms, and share the same diagnosis, even though they are quite different from each other. The only common denominator seems to be a significant effect on functioning and social adaptation (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). Some authors have proposed using this criterion to understand severe mental illness bet- ter by developing instruments able to relate behaviour vari- ables observed to social functioning (Carpenter & Strauss, 1991). Two main approaches have derived from this crite- rion, one concentrating on social functioning (Birchwood, Smith, Cochrane, Wetton, & Copestake, 1990) and the other related to behaviour problems that interfere with social integration (Wykes & Sturt, 1986). Individuals who suffer from a severe mental disorder require intense use of mental health resources to be able to function well socially and reduce their limitations due to their behaviour problems as far as possible (Knapp, Mangalore, & Simon, 2004), thereby increasing the cost of their care above other types of mental disorders (Andrews, Issakidis, Sanderson, Corry, & Lapsley, 2004; Carr et al., 2003; Somaiya, Grover, Avasthi, & Chakrabarti, 2014). Previous studies have attempted to determine what var- iables influence the extent to which mental health resources are used by persons with mental disorders. These studies have mainly explored socioeconomic variables such as age (Jin et al., 2003), gender (Lindamer et al., 2003; Usall et al., 2012), ethnic group (Lee, Laiewski, & Choi, 2014; Mann, Fisher, & Johnson, 2014), socioeconomic status (Kilian, Matschinger, Becker, & Angermeyer, 2003; Tello Predictors in use of mental health resources: The role of behaviour problems in patients with severe mental illness Gloria Bellido-Zanin 1 , Antonio J. Vázquez-Morejón 1 , Agustín Martín-Rodríguez 2 and Maria Ángeles Pérez-San-Gregorio 2 Abstract Background: In recent years, more variables are being included in the use of mental health resource prediction models. Some studies have shown that how well the patient can function is important for this prediction. However, the relevance of a variable as important as behaviour problems has scarcely been explored. Aim: This study attempted to evaluate the effect of behaviour problems in patients with severe mental illness on the use of mental health resources. Method: A total of 185 patients at a Community Mental Health Unit were evaluated using the Behaviour Problem Inventory. Later, a bivariate logistic regression was done to identify what behaviour problems could be specific predictors of use of mental health resources. Results: The results showed that the general index of behaviour problems predicts both use of hospitalization resources and outpatient attention. Underactivity/social withdrawal is the best predictor of all the different areas. Conclusion: These results confirm the role of behaviour problems as predictors of the use of mental health resources in individuals with a severe mental illness. Keywords Schizophrenic disorders, bipolar disorder, behaviour problems, hospital admissions, community services 1 Mental Health Service, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Seville, Spain 2 Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment, Faculty of Psychology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain Corresponding author: Gloria Bellido-Zanin, Community Mental Health Unit Guadalquivir, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Avda. Manuel Siurot s/n , 41013 Seville, Spain. Email: bellido.gloria@gmail.com 716697ISP 0 0 10.1177/0020764017716697International Journal of Social PsychiatryBellido-Zanin et al. research-article 2017 Original Article