Clinical Psychiatry News articles from February 2007

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from February 2007

Inpatient suicide: respond quickly.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2007... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- A little more than a year ago, a young psychiatric patient scaled an 8-foot barrier on the seventh floor to jump to his death in a crowded atrium after a holiday gathering at the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center in...

Split decision on off-label drug use.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Split Decision on Off-Label Drug Use Doctors should be allowed to prescribe drugs to treat diseases or conditions other than those for which the drugs have been approved. Agree strongly (16%) Agree (29%) Disagree...

Better coordination of mental, physical health care urged: report cites early deaths of mentally ill.(News)
February 1, 2007... Psychiatrists and other members of the mental health community are working on ways to improve coordination of mental health and primary care in an effort to decrease early death among people with serious mental illness. People being...

ALS drug appears to ease resistant depression.(News)(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... NEW YORK -- Riluzole, a drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that targets glutamate cycling in the brain, can markedly improve depression in some patients who remain highly symptomatic despite treatment with other antidepressants, Dr. Steven...

FDA panel wants more data on TMS.(News)(Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)
February 1, 2007... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- A noninvasive device that delivers magnetic stimulation to the brain as a patient sits in a chair alert and awake appears to be safe, but has not been proven to be an effective treatment for depression, a federal advisory...

Switching to a cash practice.(ADVISER'S VIEWPOINT)
February 1, 2007... I have been in solo psychiatric private practice for 33 years and continue to truly enjoy my work. But the stress level was building because of reimbursement realities and administrative hassles, so in the fall of 2005, after a lot of thought,...

Girls with ADHD deserve attention.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
February 1, 2007... Too often, girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are overlooked. As mental health professionals, we must not allow this lack of attention to continue. Certainly, boys are diagnosed with ADHD far more often than are girls....

What is the best way to reform the U.S. health care system?(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)
February 1, 2007... Single payer is the way to go. The health care financing organ in the United States is failing. It has all the manifestations of a patient with heart failure. We have poor output, where we can't circulate health insurance to cover the...

Prazosin for PTSD.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... "Fink! Still at Large" is an oasis of cogent, integrated topical discussion. But in reading Dr. Paul J. Fink's recommendations about treating patients with sleep problems, I was surprised to find that in the three paragraphs devoted to...

What about children and insomnia?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I enjoy Dr. Paul J. Fink's columns very much and generally agree with his point of view. Regarding one recent column ("Helping Patients Conquer Sleep Problems," Fink! Still at Large, December 2006, p. 11), I would be interested to hear Dr....

Cognitive therapy focus is good.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I very much enjoyed Dr. Robert T. London's column on Dr. Aaron T. Beck ("Cognitive Therapy Reaches a Milestone," The Psychiatrist's Toolbox, November 2006, p. 21). The piece did a great job of highlighting Dr. Beck's seminal contributions...

Sometimes boundaries are too thick.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... In the wake of Dr. Wayne S. Fenton's death allegedly at the hands of a patient, Dr. H. Steven Moffic raised the issue of Dr. Fenton's boundaries and our duty to colleagues in discussing boundary issues ("Dr. Fenton and Boundary Issues,"...

Enlist the media in 'war on STDs'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Although it is good to see that syphilis rates fell 37% among African Americans and 60% among women overall from 1999 to 2004, and that we saved $5 billion in direct medical expenses due to declines in syphilis and gonorrhea between 1990 and...

Psych emergencies belong in the ED.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Thank you for publishing Dr. H. Steven Moffic's letter raising ethical questions surrounding the death of Dr. Wayne S. Fenton ("Dr. Fenton and Boundary Issues," Letters, December 2006, p. 12). The many ways in which he appears to have been...

Caution needed with CFS diagnosis.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... The term "chronic fatigue syndrome" is best seen as a starting point rather than a diagnosis ("CDC Campaign Targets Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," December 2006, p. 52). Congestive heart failure has a combination of clinical features but...

Is social phobia a disorder or not?(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)
February 1, 2007... A bright young attorney was referred to me a few years ago by his primary care physician. The attorney had passed the bar exam and had had no problems securing and scheduling job interviews, but for more than 6 months after passing the bar, he...

Undergrads' words after trauma can predict PTSD.(Adult Psychiatry)(post-traumatic stress disorder)
February 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Language use in the immediate aftermath of a trauma can predict who will develop lasting symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, according to a poster presentation by Wendy D'Andrea-Merrins at the annual meeting of the...

Amygdala, prefrontal cortex are keys to anxiety: bringing that knowledge to neuroimaging should help pinpoint diagnosis, treatment response.(Adult Psychiatry)(Disease/Disorder overview)
February 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- A complex interaction of genetics, childhood stress, neurocircuits, the amygdala, and prefrontal cortex structures determines how a person develops and copes with anxiety, according to a presentation at a psychopharmacology congress...

Exposure therapy can prove effective in complex PTSD.(Adult Psychiatry)(posttraumatic stress disorder)
February 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Exposure therapy is a proven treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder, and it's even effective in complex cases, Barbara O. Rothbaum, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress...

Data on veterans point to risk, resiliency in marriages.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Veterans with severe posttraumatic stress disorder who live with a spouse or partner are more likely to engage in some high-risk behaviors and less likely to engage in others, compared with those who live alone, Kent...

Treating rapid-cycling bipolar disorder: mood chart covering 6 months or a year provides a view of the illness that can clarify drug choice.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
February 1, 2007... Bipolar disorder is a disease of variation, and one important variable is cycle frequency. At any time, a significant proportion of patients are rapid cyclers--20% in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder study--who...

Patient apathy linked to poor glycemic control in diabetes.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- Apathy is not recognized as a psychiatric disorder, but treating it may improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine....

The art of Lanham Bundy.(VISIONARY ART)
February 1, 2007... Lanham Bundy says some people think of her paintings as examples of surrealism. But she doesn't see her work that way. "It's hard to label things, but I consider myself a contemporary artist--with some definite influences from different...

Line of research could advance schizophrenia Tx.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... NEW YORK -- Overexpression of cannabinoid receptors and hyperactivity of the brain's endogenous endocannabinoid system may be responsible for the delusions and aberrant associations characteristic of schizophrenia, Steven Laviolette, Ph.D.,...

Small study: olanzapine effective against trichotillomania.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... PARIS -- Trichotillomania was highly responsive to olanzapine in a small, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that suggests repetitive hair pulling may be closer to tics and Tourette's syndrome than to other obsessive-compulsive disorders. ...

Have you treated patients with gambling problems that would be considered pathological? what medications have you used to help these patients manage their problems?(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)
February 1, 2007... Pathological gambling, also known as gambling addiction, is quite prevalent. Using the term "addiction" gives us some clues to the kind of psychopathology found in someone who cannot stop gambling. It has also been referred to as compulsive...

Veterans with PTSD require tailored approach: some military organizations have implemented programs aimed at spotting problems in early stages.(Adult Psychiatry)(post-traumatic stress disorder)
February 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder can be especially difficult to treat, Mark Creamer, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. "The very first...

Prolonged exposure is best Tx for women with PTSD.(Adult Psychiatry)(posttraumatic stress disorder)
February 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Results from the largest randomized controlled trial ever comparing two types of psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder indicate that for women, therapy involving prolonged exposure to the original trauma is...

Preschoolers tolerate methylphenidate.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Adverse events were well tolerated in a majority of 3- to 5-year-olds who took methylphenidate for ADHD, based on data from 183 children, said Tim Wigal, Ph.D., of the University of California, Irvine, and his colleagues. Although...

ADHD and Tourette's: all in the family.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Tourette's disorder and ADHD may not have the same genetic cause, but cases in which the two conditions occur comorbidly tend to run in families, said Dr. S. Evelyn Stewart of Harvard University, Boston, and her associates. To determine...

Externalization in daytime wetters.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Children aged 7-9 years who wet their pants during the day have significantly more parent-reported psychological problems than do children with no daytime wetting, based on data collected from 8,213 children as part of a longitudinal study. ...

Intensive use of stimulants at start often beneficial in ADHD.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Start with a long-acting stimulant for treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder for most patients, increase the dose before adding a short-acting drug, and monitor response with a rating scale, Dr. Peter S. Jensen...

Psychological impact of diabetes less intense on children.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... COPENHAGEN -- Parents of children with type 1 diabetes intensely experience the psychological impact of the disease, according to new study findings. "Both parents and children may need counseling to help them cope with worries associated...

Children more resilient than adults in absorbing severe events.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- Children of parents who lost their jobs in the past 3-5 months were more likely to develop psychopathology if they reported three or more moderate to severely stressful life events in the past year than children who reported fewer...

Impaired nonverbal behaviors may portend autism.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- Early identification and intervention are crucial to a good long-term outcome in children with autism, experts agreed at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The disorder can be tricky to diagnose; when in...

Web survey predicts risk of adolescent depression.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... SAN ANTONIO -- Physicians may be able to quickly and accurately assess and stratify an adolescent's 1-year risk of developing new-onset major depression using a 20-item checklist, Dr. Benjamin W. Van Voorhees said at the annual meeting of the...

Biofeedback eases recurrent abdominal pain.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... ORLAND -- Therapeutic biofeedback reduces pain intensity, pain frequency, and health care utilization among children with recurrent abdominal pain, according to two posters presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for...

Customize treatment to needs of adolescent with depression.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... MENDOZA, ARGENTINA -- When it comes to adolescents with depression, psychiatrists would do well to tailor treatment to the individual needs of each patient, Dr. Harold I. Eist said at the 6th World Congress on Depressive Disorders. ...

Remission rate of 66% seen after 12 weeks of fluoxetine.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- More than two-thirds of children and adolescents with major depressive disorder who were treated with fluoxetine were in remission by week 12 of treatment, yet almost half of remitters had at least one residual symptom by week 12....

Loss and grief can lead to 'bereavement overload'.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... PHILADELPHIA -- Loss is inevitable for the elderly, and with loss comes grief. Losses are not just the deaths of loved ones, friends, and acquaintances. The elderly also experience loss and grief with their diminished ability to do things....

Ask elderly patients about religious, spiritual beliefs.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... PHILADELPHIA -- Religious and spiritual beliefs often play an important role in the lives of the elderly and should be taken into account by health care workers who care for geriatric patients. Physicians and others who care for the elderly...

Folic acid may improve cognitive performance.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... Older adults who took 800 mcg of folic acid daily for 3 years showed significantly less cognitive decline than those who took placebo, according to a randomized, double-blind trial. Three years of folic acid supplementation gave an...

High folate intake may lower AD risk.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... High intake of folate decreased the risk of Alzheimer's disease in a predominantly Hispanic and African American cohort of elderly people, according to a recently published study. There was a statistically significant association between AD...

Psych services benefit emergency departments.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- Dementia may be overdiagnosed and delirium overlooked when geriatric patients with vague symptoms are brought to emergency departments, Dr. Lesley Wiesenfeld suggested at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic...

Screening tool may help identify alcohol use.(Addiction Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- It is a good idea to routinely ask patients--particularly those with risk factors for dependence--about their alcohol use, George F. Koob, Ph.D., said at a psychopharmacology congress sponsored by the Neuroscience Education...

Motivations of opioid and stimulant abusers differ.(Addiction Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... BOSTON -- College students who abuse opioids do so for different reasons than students who abuse stimulants, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. Opioid users were more likely to...

Perspective.(Community Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... Few psychiatrists are focused on the public health maxim of "prevention, prevention, prevention." In fact, psychiatrists typically focus only on helping sick people, not preventing people from getting sick, so conversations about prevention...

Nurturing mental health in children.(PREVENTION IN ACTION)
February 1, 2007... Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. This observation from a study by Harvard University's Ronald C. Kessler, Ph.D., and his colleagues, in addition to findings that early identification can prevent years of...

When can incompetent defendants be restored?(Forensic Psychiatry)
February 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- The first evidence-based support for clinical factors that may help to predict when a criminal defendant who is incompetent to stand trial can be restored to competence was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Research into seizure prediction devices advances: no adverse events have been reported in the two ongoing phase III implanted device studies.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Ongoing clinical trials for two implanted devices designed to interrupt or predict seizures herald an area of clinical research that has quickly gained ground during the last 5 years, Dr. Brian Litt said at the annual meeting of the...

Variant of MET gene linked to increased risk of autism.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2007... Researchers have discovered that a common genetic variant of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase on chromosome 7q31 is associated with a 2.27-fold risk of having autism. This new finding corroborates other works in autism which "indicate...

Early treatment may promote medication-overuse headache.(Pan Medicine)
February 1, 2007... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Early treatment of migraine can contribute to development of medication-overuse headaches in pain-adverse patients, Dr. James R. Couch warned at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society. These patients...

Better patient interviews may aid migraine treatment.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2007... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Open-ended questions during patient interviews elicit the best information for guiding the management of patients with migraine headache, Dr. Richard B. Lipton said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society....

Personality trait can worsen rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2007... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- A psychological trait associated with heightened awareness of bodily distress may help to explain why some rheumatoid arthritis patients suffer more from achiness, malaise, and fatigue than do others with similar disease...

For best results, consider migraine complex.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2007... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Acute migraine cannot be managed effectively without a therapeutic partnership between doctor and patient, and a full understanding of the disabling features of each patient's headache episodes, Dr. Lawrence C. Newman said....

CPAP may lower stroke risk for apnea patients.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
February 1, 2007... SALT LAKE CITY -- Studies consistently show a link between obstructive sleep apnea and stroke, with the most recent data showing that sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for stroke and death. The cumulative data in regard to sleep...

Ramelteon is effective for some insomnia patients.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
February 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Ramelteon is effective for a subset of patients with insomnia, according to a presentation at a psychopharmacology congress sponsored by the Neuroscience Education Institute. In addition, because the agent works on melatonin...

Sleep study demonstrates poor CPAP compliance.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... SALT LAKE CITY -- Continuous positive airway pressure adherence rates are suboptimal, findings from a study of sleep clinic patients suggest. Of 528 adults diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and followed for a mean of 5 months, 63% had...

Post-MI anxiety more common among women: be sure to start patients on anxiolytics quickly after anxiety is diagnosed post myocardial infarction.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
February 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- The high anxiety that many women have after an acute myocardial infarction may explain their high complication rate, compared with men, and it may offer a new way to improve patient outcomes. "Early recognition and effective...

Biopsychosocial model effective for patients with comorbid pain.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
February 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- A biopsychosocial approach may offer the most effective way to manage chronic pain in patients with a comorbid mood or substance use disorder without compromising recovery processes, Martin D. Cheatle, Ph.D., said at the Southeastern...

Meditation helps breast cancer patients after Tx.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
February 1, 2007... SAN ANTONIO -- The mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed by Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., appears to be beneficial to patients with early-stage breast cancer in the immediate posttreatment period as they transition to survivorship,...

Tamoxifen benefit lasts 10 years, new data show: the relative risk of breast cancer was reduced by a highly significant 29%, compared with placebo.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... SAN ANTONIO -- A new 10-year follow-up from a landmark clinical trial of tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention indicates that the benefit continues strongly throughout the next half decade following completion of the standard 5 years of...

Low-fat diet may prevent some recurrent breast cancers.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... SAN ANTONIO -- A low-fat diet that achieved modest weight loss in women with early-stage breast cancer resulted in a striking 54% reduction in cancer relapse or death among those with hormone receptor-negative tumors, according to a second...

Groups unite to prevent heart disease in diabetes.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... Diabetologists and cardiologists are joining forces to address the issue of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. In North America, new joint guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Diabetes...

Review gives nod to PDE-5 inhibitors in men with diabetes.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors should be considered a primary treatment for erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes mellitus, according to a meta-analysis published recently in the online issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic...

Diabetes rates among U.S. adults by age group, 1988-1994 vs. 2001-2004.(DATA WATCH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Diabetes Rates Among U.S. Adults by Age Group, 1988-1994 vs. 2001-2004 1988-1994 2001-2004 20-39 years 1.6% 2.3% 40-59 years 8.9%...

Two Parkinson's drugs linked with valve damage.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... Patients with Parkinson's disease who received the drugs pergolide or cabergoline had profoundly higher rates of clinically significant valvular heart disease than did those taking other dopamine agonists, in two European studies. An...

Obesity no hurdle to combination HCV therapy.(Across Specialties)(hepatitis C virus)
February 1, 2007... BOSTON -- Combination therapy with peginterferon [alpha]-2b and weight-based ribavirin produces consistent rates of sustained virologic response in obese patients with chronic hepatitis C virus, according to data from the largest hepatitis C...

Mood and stress may influence HIV progression.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Depression and stress appear to be important considerations in the treatment of HIV-infected patients, Dr. Frederick Hecht said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. ...

Risky sex, drug behaviors persist in young people after HIV counseling.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The findings of a large survey reinforce the ongoing prevalence of risky sexual and substance abuse behavior among young people that could promote the spread of HIV infection, Angulique W. Outlaw, Ph.D., said in a poster at the...

Increased testing of anus and throat warranted as gonorrhea incidence rises.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- As the incidence of gonorrhea continues to increase, physicians need to be doing more testing for the venereal disease in the anus and the throat, particularly in gay men, said the chief of the sexually transmitted diseases...

Guidance offered on police access to patients.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- What should a physician do when a police officer walks into the emergency department and seeks permission to interview a patient? This scenario occurs daily in hospitals across the country, yet law enforcement access to patients...

'Huffing' causing methanol toxicity.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... NEW ORLEANS -- The intentional inhalation of products containing methanol, such as carburetor cleaner and windshield washer fluid, can cause significant toxicity--and emergency physicians must keep that in mind when a suspected inhaler, or...

Young patients with chest pain may be cocaine users.(Across Specialties)
February 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Consider cocaine use as a cause of chest pain, especially in young patients, Dr. Priscilla Hsue said at a meeting sponsored by the California chapter of the American College of Cardiology. In 2004, 2 million Americans were...

Electronic prescribing may lower error rates.(Practice Trends)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... SEATTLE -- Electronic prescribing may be a way to significantly reduce medication errors, according to a study that reviewed records involving 749 private-practice patients and more than 1,000 prescriptions. The study found an error rate...

Generic drugs keep health cost spiral in check.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2007... Overall health spending growth for 2005 hit the lowest level since 1999, largely because of a continuing slowdown in retail prescription drug sales and an increased use of generic drugs, according to a report issued by the Centers for Medicare...

Wider-ranging plans urged for nursing homes: evacuation arrangements for major disasters need to involve local police and emergency units.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2007... After reviewing nursing homes' emergency plans and outcomes of evacuations and sheltering for the last two hurricane seasons, the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Inspector General is suggesting that the Centers for Medicare and...

Medicare Part D doughnut hole may not be worth filling.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Rhetoric aside, it's not clear whether lifting restrictions on the government's ability to negotiate pharmaceutical prices for the Part D benefit will have any real impact, experts said at a forum on the future of Medicare...

Physicians encouraged to sign up soon for an NPI.(Practice Trends)(National Provider Identifier)
February 1, 2007... The clock is ticking for physicians to sign up for a National Provider Identifier, the new 10-digit number that will be used by Medicare, Medicaid, and many private health plans to process claims. The deadline for registering for an NPI...

Low literacy limits label comprehension.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Patients who read at or below the 6th-grade level had a low level of comprehension of instructions on the labels of five commonly used medications, according to a study led by Terry Davis, Ph.D., of the Louisiana State University....

Off-label use of atypicals.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Evidence is limited in many cases to support the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics, according to an analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). However, these drugs may pose an increased risk of adverse events,...

More states pass parity laws.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... New York and Ohio recently became the latest two states to enact mental health parity laws. Forty-two states now have enacted some form of mental health parity law, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. At the end of last year,...

Alcohol, drug screening coverage.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Physicians may have an easier time getting paid for screening and treating patients for alcohol and drug abuse thanks to a new Medicaid coverage policy. Starting Jan. 1, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have added two...

Lilly reaches Zyprexa settlement.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co. has agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle approximately 18,000 claims related to its atypical antipsychotic Zyprexa (olanzapine). Most of the claims stated that, before September 2003, the Zyprexa package...