Clinical Psychiatry News articles from November 2003

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from November 2003

SARS crisis led to many PTSD cases: 58% PTSD rate seen in Toronto. (severe acute respiratory syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder).
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The Toronto outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome led to many cases of posttraumatic stress disorder--both in infected patients and in the health care professionals providing care for them, researchers. reported at the annual...

Few patients willing to pay higher premiums for higher quality care.(Vital Signs)
November 1, 2003... Few Patients Willing to Pay Higher Premiums For Higher Quality Care Would pay significantly more 16% Not sure 23% Would not pay 60% Note: Based on a nationwide online survey of 2,357 adults...

Female sexual abuse of boys often goes unreported: public health problem: women offenders typically use persuasion rather than force in pedophilic acts.
November 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO -- Sexual abuse by females is a public health problem that needs to be addressed, Dr. John Bradford said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. "Sexual abuse of boys by female perpetrators is...

First drug for advanced Alzheimer's approved: NMDA antagonist memantine will be available in January.
November 1, 2003... Memantine, available in Europe for more than 20 years, has been approved for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, making it the first treatment approved in this country for advanced stages of the disease. The approval last month came...

Disaster workers reported symptoms 8 years after crash: postdisaster somatization.(News)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- An exhaustive Dutch study of more than 1,500 disaster workers found that 8 years after responding to a cargo airplane crash, they still suffered from a broad range of nonspecific physical complaints, and in some cases,...

Panel ties on new indication for wakefulness drug: 4-4 split on Provigil.(News)
November 1, 2003... BETHESDA, MD -- The Food and Drug Administration's Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee last month was evenly split (44) on whether to recommend the broadest indication possible for Provigil, a drug already approved...

Medical school applications again on the rise: reversal of a 6-year decline.(News)
November 1, 2003... Medical schools are seeing the reversal of a 6-year decline in applications as the economy sags and students gravitate toward careers of service. At press time, the Association of American Medical Colleges expected this year's final number...

Hispanics may face greater psychiatric challenges: depression possibly overrepresented.(News)
November 1, 2003... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- A substantial proportion of Hispanic Americans may be at significant risk of psychiatric difficulties. Most studies suggest overall prevalence rates equivalent to those for the United States population as a whole, but...

HIPAA may undermine state "prompt pay" laws: clean claim' redefined.(News)
November 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- State "prompt pay" laws could be affected by the "transaction and code set" provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that went into effect last month, Ann Leopold Kaplan said at a forum...

Prevention, Tx: a continuum. (treatment).(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... The federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, together with states, community based service providers, and national organizations, is working to reduce the number of people who become dependent on substances of abuse, and to deter...

Is HIPAA helping in any way?(Pro & Con)
November 1, 2003... YES One of the positive things about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is that the statute outlines a set of minimum national requirements that people can follow. The statute makes it possible for...

Surviving malpractice litigation.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... Malpractice can happen to any of us, even if we practice great medicine. Consider what happened to me. Early in my medical career I had a patient who, although only in her mid-60s, was very frail owing to multiple illnesses. "Anna" had...

Practical psychopharmacology: target sleep problems in psychiatric patients.(Opinion)
November 1, 2003... Sleep disturbances are commonly encountered in psychiatric practice. They are primary symptoms of depression--affecting roughly 80% of patients--and are seen in up to half of those with anxiety disorders. They are often severe in schizophrenia...

Integrate parents into therapy.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... The traditional image of adolescent psychotherapy is the dyad--one teen and one clinician working together in a contained therapeutic space. Parents existed for just two reasons: to get the child back and forth to sessions and to pay the...

Our relationship with industry.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... Over the past few years there has been increased scrutiny of the relationship between physicians and the health care industry. Voluntary guidelines from numerous organizations promote self-regulation, but if interactions do not remain...

Defending the lodge.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... I very much appreciated Dr. Christopher J. Keats' guest editorial "Reflections on Chestnut Lodge," which concisely described some of the characteristics of the Lodge that made it such a unique and valuable treatment center (August 2003, p. 13)....

The first single-payer system.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... A group called Physicians for a National Health Program recently put forth a new plan for a single-payer system ("Physician Group Reignites Debate Over Single-Payer Plan," September 2003, p. 77). Are there initial simple steps that arise...

Talk back online.(Opinion)
November 1, 2003... Have you used the multifamily group therapy approach in any aspect of your practice? (October 2003, p. 34) Yes 33% No 67% To Talk Back, visit www.eclinicalpsychiatrynews.com Note: Table made from pie chart.

Many problems, one solution.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... It looks like critics of a single-payer plan have it backward ("Physician Group Reignites Debate Over Single-Payer Plan," September 2003, p. 77). We would not "be trading one problem for a whole set of others," as American Medical...

Working for health care.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... The September 2003 articles "Employers Wary of Consumer-Driven Health Plans" (p. 76) and "Small-Business Health Bill Causes Controversy" (p. 77) highlighted the current shifting of financial responsibility from employers to patients, as well as...

'Simple and complex'.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Dr. Paul J. Fink is certainly correct that the United States is becoming less and less homogeneous ("Cultural Considerations in Treating Anxiety," Fink! Still at Large, September 2003, p. 12). Given that a patient's cultural background can...

When patients are chronically ill.(Fink! Still At Large)
November 1, 2003... One of the biggest challenges for psychotherapists is helping patients who are suffering from chronic illnesses. After all, given the reality of the illness, there is only so much that we can do. How do we empower these patients so that they...

Dancer in the dark.(Reel Life)(Movie Review)
November 1, 2003... Lars von Trier, a highly successful Danish television producer, filmmaker, and cinema rebel, is full of psychological contradictions. The life story he tells journalists could have been written for the movies and is only slightly less...

Program specializes in treating borderline patients: intensive, supportive therapy.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... Call her "Betty." Her symptoms began when she was 8 years old, as a reaction to an abusive mother. "Basically, she didn't like me," Betty recalls. Betty learned to dissociate from the constant scoldings by "envisioning putting my inner self in...

Depression may double mortality in CABG patients: first large study. (coronary artery bypass graft).(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- Coronary artery bypass graft patients were twice as likely to die if they had moderate to severe depression at the time of surgery or if they had any degree of depression that persisted during the first 6 months after...

Transdermal selegiline can prevent depression relapse: one-year follow-up.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- A selegiline transdermal patch safely and effectively prevented relapse in patients with major depressive disorder, according to a double-blind study. "The take-home message is that in this drug-versus-placebo study,...

Psychiatric care at end of life can make a difference: sleep patterns important.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Mental disorders can be difficult to diagnose in terminal patients, but not impossible, said Dr. Steve Taylor at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Often, the symptoms overlap and the patient...

Suicide risk with divalproex.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Treatment with divalproex is associated with a higher risk of suicide attempt or death than treatment with lithium, reported Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin of George Washington University, Washington, and his colleagues. In an observational...

Gambling, suicide attempts.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Pathologic gamblers with a history of drug, but not alcohol, dependence appear to attempt suicide significantly more often than gamblers with no history of substance dependence, reported Dr. Otto Kausch of Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical...

Statins and depression.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The use of statins to lower serum cholesterol level is associated with a decreased risk of depression, contrary to the opposite view developed in earlier reports, said Dr. Chen-Chang Yang of National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, and...

Maternal depression.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Cognitive-behavioral therapy for maternal depression does not appear to be more effective than a support group for mothers in improving behavior problems that arise in their children, reported Chrissie Verduyn, Ph.D., of Central Manchester and...

Trial eligibility requirements.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The results of antidepressant trials might not be applicable to the overall population of patients who seek care in normal clinical practice because of strict eligibility criteria, reported Dr. Gabor I. Keitner and his colleagues at Brown...

Olanzapine helps to delay bipolar recurrence: more effective than lithium.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC -- Olanzapine delays recurrence of extreme bipolar mood swings longer than lithium and placebo and is more effective than lithium as a long-term maintenance therapy for the condition, researchers reported at the annual...

Risperidone soothes teens' externalizing behavior: compared with olanzapine.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- In a study of children and adolescents with schizophrenia, risperidone significantly improved externalizing behavior, as measured with the Child Behavior Checklist, at 90 days, compared with baseline, and olanzapine did not....

Behavioral problems could be key in diabetes: academic performance.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Lower academic performance in children with type 1 diabetes may have more to do with socioeconomic status and behavioral problems than with medical variables such as poor metabolic control, said Ann Marie McCarthy, Ph.D., and her associates at...

Siblings don't affect disabled kids' behavior: ADHD and social skill deficits. (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Having a sibling apparently has little or no impact on the behavior or social skills of children with disabilities, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to results of a new study. "We know that children...

Atomoxetine helps comorbid ADHD patients: chronic tics do not worsen. (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... MIAMI -- Atomoxetine improved symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and did not worsen tics in a study of comorbid children and adolescents presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent...

Nonstimulant does not affect sleep onset in ADHD: compared with methylphenidate. (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... MIAMI -- Twice daily atomoxetine had virtually no effect on time to onset of sleep, compared with methylphenidate administered three times daily in a study of children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. ...

Goals differ among teens, parents, therapists: youth anxiety disorder an exception.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PITTSBURGH -- The mental health treatment goals of adolescents are often different from those of their parents and therapists, Caroline Lewczyk-Boxmeyer reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics....

MRI provides insights into adolescent self-control: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activated.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... PITTSBURGH -- The impulsivity, risk-taking, and poor decision-making of adolescence may reflect processes that optimize the brain to work at its best in adulthood, the results of studies comparing the behavior of adolescents and adults suggest....

Aggression less common in girls, but follows same arc as boys when present: long-term negative consequences.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Girls are significantly less likely than boys to engage in aggressive behavior, but when problem behavior is present in girls, it follows the same trajectory as it does in aggressive boys, Tracy W. Harachi, Ph.D., said at the...

Parental abuse hurts child's ego.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Children who are physically abused by parents are significantly more impaired in ego functions. That damage may put them at increased risk for personality disorders later in life, said Ricky Fenzi, Ph.D., of Geha Mental Health Center, Petah...

Age and psychopathology.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In any given school year, children in the youngest third of a class are more likely to have psychiatric problems than older children in the same grade, said Dr. Robert Goodman, King's College, London, and his associates. In a study of 10,438...

Local violence, hostile kids.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Children who witnessed more community violence were more likely to act aggressively years later, compared with children who witnessed less local violence, said Nancy G. Guerra, Ph.D., of the University of California, Riverside, and her...

Impact of parental depression.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Children whose parents have early-onset depression are at increased risk for behavioral and emotional problems, compared with children whose parents have late-onset depression, said Timothy J. Petersen, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital,...

CBT works across ethnicities. (cognitive-behavioral therapy).(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Hispanic children aged 6-16 years with phobias and anxiety disorders responded as well to cognitive-behavioral therapy as did European-American children in the same age range, said Armando Pina of Florida International University, Miami, and...

Groups seek to raise awareness on depression: high school students targeted.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... Since 1987, Sallie Mink had been visiting Maryland high schools to speak about a disease few students were learning about in their health classes: depression. "I saw this real need," says Ms. Mink, a nurse and director of education for the...

Highly monitored teens less likely to drink: parental engagement matters.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Parental monitoring has a significant, long-term protective effect against teen drinking, Jennifer R. Boyle said at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research. Ms. Boyle and her associates studied a group of 406...

Parental involvement in school cuts substance use: monitoring the future study.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The prevalence of substance use is lower at schools with higher levels of parental involvement, Revathy Kumar, Ph.D., and colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research. Using 1998-2002 data...

EEG 'indispensable' in dementia differential Dx: high specificity in early Alzheimer's. (diagnosis).(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... HOUSTON -- Conventional EEG can be indispensable in the differential diagnosis of dementia, despite guidelines discouraging its use, Dr. Oliver Pogarell said at the annual conference of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society. Dr....

Women with Alzheimer's more likely to survive into late stages: predicting mortality.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Most dementia patients die before they reach the final stage of the illness, but those who do survive into late-stage dementia are most likely to be women with Alzheimer's disease, a Dutch study has found. These results should...

Levetiracetam controls seizures in refractory and elderly patients: two postmarketing studies.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- Levetiracetam substantially reduces seizures in both treatment-refractory and elderly populations, according to two postmarketing studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. A retrospective...

Substance abuse harder to detect in older adults: two-item questionnaire helps.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Ageism and poor screening tools make it difficult for clinicians to identify substance abuse in older adults. "Ageism--preconceived ideas about drinking and drug use in older people--is very common among clinicians," Cheryl...

Suicide red flags in elderly need attention: few see psychiatrists.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Primary care physicians may be the only ones to see the red flags associated with suicide in elderly patients, because most elderly suicide victims never come to the attention of psychiatrists. Primary care physicians should be...

Depression hits many elderly with hip fractures: rehab becomes less likely.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- New-onset depression appears to be common in elderly patients after they experience a hip fracture and is a risk factor for a poorer outcome, Dr. Eric Lenze reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Academy...

Brief test offers quick screen for Alzheimer's: takes 1-3 minutes.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Researchers at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, reportedly have developed an effective, initial 1- to 3-minute screening test for Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Marta S. Mendiondo and her colleagues at the university's...

Older adults report fewer gambling problems: data from gambling help line.(Addiction Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... ALBUQUERQUE -- Older adults have fewer problem behaviors associated with gambling than do younger adults, according to data from a help line maintained by the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling. Older adults reported significantly...

High-normal GGT suggests alcohol problem: possible detection tool. (gamma-glutamyl-transferase).(Addiction Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- A serum gamma-glutamyl-transferase level in the high-normal range may indicate hazardous alcohol use, Dr. Isabelle Chossis reported at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. Her study opens up a...

Air force therapists high over suicide therapy: faster symptom resolution.(Community Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... SANTA FE, N.M., -- Air Force psychotherapists are excited about an innovative approach to outpatient suicidality assessment and treatment, which they think results in faster resolution of suicidal symptoms and decreased medical use and costs in...

Suicide prevention twist: make acts less dangerous: unplanned acts often completed.(Community Psychiatry)
November 1, 2003... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Preventing unplanned, impulsive suicidal acts calls for a very different strategy than that used in suicide prevention campaigns to date, Kenneth R. Conner, Psy.D., said at the annual conference of the American Association of...

MRI quickly clinches multiple sclerosis diagnosis: new diagnostic guideline. (magnetic resonance imaging).(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
November 1, 2003... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- Magnetic resonance imaging can be used to diagnose suspected multiple sclerosis more quickly than current diagnostic standards, according to a new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology. Studies have shown...

Polio-like paralysis reported in some cases of West Nile virus: autopsy findings.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
November 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- Muscle weakness and acute flaccid paralysis can be features of infection with West Nile virus, Dr. Jonathan Fratkin reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Fratkin and his colleagues at the...

OTC product beats sumatriptan for early migraine: acetaminophen/aspirin/caffeine. (over-the-counter).(Pain Medicine)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The first prospective trial pitting an over-the-counter product against a prescription medication gave the edge to the OTC product for early treatment of migraine headache. Results of a multicenter trial showed that acetaminophen...

Migraines quickly relieved with sumatriptan gel: experimental formulation.(Pain Medicine)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Transdermal sumatriptan provides fast, effective relief from headache pain and associated migraine symptoms, Dr. Ronald Aung-Din reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society. Within 30...

Methadone: long-acting, less costly option for chronic pain: physician awareness an issue.(Pain Medicine)
November 1, 2003... Case: A 30-year-old white man with manic type bipolar disorder and chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis is forced to leave a pain clinic. "He got into trouble at the pain clinic with use of OxyContin--he bit into the long-acting pill to...

CBT, exercise offer effective alternative for low back pain: avoiding surgery. (cognitive-behavioral therapy).(Pain Medicine)
November 1, 2003... LISBON -- The combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and exercise was as effective as lumbar fusion surgery in patients with chronic low back pain and disk degeneration, a randomized controlled trial has shown. Additionally, patients...

Trauma, slow-healing wounds: a connection? German study offers insights.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- A very small but well-designed German study raises intriguing questions about the potential long-term effects of emotional trauma on the body's ability to heal. Dr. Rupert Conrad and his associates at the University of...

Stress self-report values vary by culture: blood pressure study.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- Many studies of psychological stress rely on subjects to report whether they are anxious, and to quantify their level of distress. However, a multicultural study conducted by researchers at the University of Hawaii suggests...

Women's marital stress, cardiac events correlated: pressure to be superhuman takes toll.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- Women with highly stressful marriages had three times the risk of recurrent coronary disease events and measurable atherosclerosis progression on coronary angiography. Happily married women appeared to be protected from...

Presence of depression leads patients to put off MI treatment: twice the delay.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2003... PHOENIX, ARIZ. -- Patients with depression delay treatment twice as long as those without depression after experiencing the symptoms of myocardial infarction, James Bunde said at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. ...

Chronic fatigue syndrome prevalence declined after Sept. 11: 'counting your blessings' theory.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- The profound stress of Sept. 11, 2001, may have made Americans feel uneasy, but it didn't make them tired, according to results of a national prevalence study that just happened to be underway when terrorist attacks struck...

For OSA patients, depressive symptoms are key: sleep apnea.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Depressive symptoms are more predictive of fatigue than is severity of obstructive sleep apnea, reported Wayne A. Bardwell, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego. A study of 52 obstructive sleep apnea patients led the...

Spirituality diminishes symptom distress in lung cancer: less breathlessness, better appearance.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2003... WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- Spirituality appears to buffer lung cancer patients from anxiety related to some of the most distressing symptoms of the disease, including breathlessness and profound changes in physical appearance, researchers from the...

Long-term drug holidays may help HIV patients: 20-month trial.(Across Specialities)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Planned antiretroviral drug holidays are a highly attractive strategy in the management of HIV infection, Dr. Franco Maggiolo said at the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. These structured...

Rising obesity fuels demand for bariatric surgery: preoperative psychological testing done.(Across Specialities)
November 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- The demand for bariatric surgery is so great that the next open slot in Dr. Noel Williams' appointment book is March of 2004. "The demand is unbelievable," said Dr Williams, director of the bariatric surgery program for the...

Antidepressants, sex dysfunction may be linked: some female patients.(Across Specialities)
November 1, 2003... MIAMI BEACH -- Antidepressant treatment is associated with a very high incidence of sexual dysfunction in women who do not exhibit global sexual dysfunction, Dr. Anita Clayton reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the North...

Vacuum constriction can benefit erectile dysfunction: alternative to viagra.(Across Speciliaties)
November 1, 2003... RENO, NEV. -- Viagra is not the only treatment for erectile dysfunction, and a vacuum constriction device can be highly effective, Antonette M. Zeiss, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy. ...

St. John's wort may hold risks for OC users: oral contraceptives.(Across Specialities)
November 1, 2003... LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- Taking St. John's wort with oral contraceptives causes significantly more breakthrough bleeding, as well as a trend toward less ovarian suppression, the development of more preovulatory follicles, and an increased tendency...

Anxiety may predict hot flashes: premenopausal women.(Across Specialities)
November 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Premenopausal women who reported high anxiety at enrollment in a a-year study were up to 3.5 times as likely to experience hot flashes as their less anxious counterparts. The significant correlation between anxiety and...

Bupropion appears safe for use in pregnant women: smoking cessation.(Across Specialities)
November 1, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Bupropion does not appear to increase the risk for major fetal malformation and seems effective in decreasing smoking in pregnant women, according to interim results of an ongoing trial. "There is always a question of...

Menninger clinic's move is symbol of new era: are patients being served?(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2003... After weathering years of financial pressure, huge layoffs, and a staggering drain on resources, the Menninger Clinic is literally not in Kansas anymore. In June, the world-renowned psychotherapy clinic that drew movie stars and Saudi...

Psychiatry research training pushed.(Policy & Practice)
November 1, 2003... Psychiatry residents need to spend more time becoming literate in psychiatry research and performing their own research projects, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine. Psychiatry residency requirements "should be modified to...

Magellan bankruptcy plan approved.(Policy & Practice)
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Bankruptcy Court has approved Magellan Health Services' Chapter 11 reorganization plan, the company announced last month. The mental health services provider declared bankruptcy in March. Magellan had gone heavily into debt when it...

Cultural competence aids depression therapy.(Policy & Practice)
November 1, 2003... Depressed African American and Hispanic patients respond better to therapy if it is given in a culturally competent environment and includes translation services, according to a study. Jeanne Miranda and her colleagues randomly assigned 398...