Behavioral Health Management articles from September 2005

Behavioral Health Management archives from September 2005

Wanted: leadership for change: we have the technology to change the delivery of behavioral healthcare, but do we have the leaders to make it happen?(EDITORIAL)
September 1, 2005... I just can't be as negative as Andrew Grove, the former Intel chairman and CEO. Grove has taken an interest in healthcare in recent years. He apparently thinks "new technologies will always win," and U.S. industries (including "knowledge"...

Ron Paul vs. the New Freedom Commission: by discrediting the commission's work, some lawmakers are compromising the same parental rights they are purporting to protect.(WASHINGTON INSIGHTS)
September 1, 2005... Rachel had been a model student, receiving straight As, volunteering for class projects, and never causing grief for her teachers. Her behavior gradually changed in the fifth grade. Although her test scores remained high, homework completion...

Emergency preparedness.(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... Out-of-the-blue tragedy is a part of life. Whether it's a killer tornado in a small Kansas town, a monstrous hurricane striking the Gulf Coast, or the destruction of skyscrapers in New York City, just about everyone experiences a traumatic...

Preparing for the worst to provide the best response.(EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... The events of September 11, 2001, were the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. At the time, CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) had 15 EAP clients based in the World Trade Center and many more in the surrounding area. Within 24 hours of the...

Shoring up a mental health system.(EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... When I awoke on the morning of December 26, 2004, I was filled with the excitement that accompanies anyone beginning a long-awaited vacation. The crystal-clear blue skies and warm breezes that swept across Sri Lanka that morning brought a smile...

Rebuilding after Katrina and Rita.(EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... Hurricanes Katrina's and Rita's widespread destruction--both physical and psychological--presents many challenges for the behavioral health community. Behavioral Health Management asked several leaders in the field to offer their thoughts in...

The heavy weight of exercise addiction: treating this often-overlooked disorder can save patients' lives.(ADDICTIONS)
September 1, 2005... Exercise addiction (EA) is a compulsion to exercise. By exercising, EA patients reduce anxiety about being or becoming overweight, body dissatisfaction, or appearance concerns. EA has addiction features because, like drugs, EA raises endorphin...

Gambling: the hidden addiction: cases of this psychiatric disorder are on the rise as more Americans fall under the spell of "Lady Luck".(ADDICTIONS)
September 1, 2005... It has never been easier for people to gamble legally, comfortably, and conveniently on a variety of games and events. Gambling is a growing and popular form of recreation in the United States. For most people, going to a casino, racetrack, or...

Understanding the 'methedemic': an overview of methamphetamine--its history, manufacture, abuse, and treatment.(ADDICTIONS)
September 1, 2005... A disheveled man sits in my office. He appears very tired. His eyes are bloodshot. He is thin. He is unable to remember a lot of the details of the past several days. He feels very anxious and is unaware that his legs are constantly shaking....

Recognizing reactive attachment disorder: early intervention is essential to prevent lifelong consequences.(CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH)
September 1, 2005... Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) a complex childhood psychiatric illness that begins in infancy or early childhood. While the exact cause is unknown, RAD is thought to stem from a disruption of the exclusive and unique relationship between a...

Maine's latest psychiatric hospital: the stalwart has stood for 164 years, but changes in treatment philosophies and technology necessitated a new structure.(FACILITY DESIGN)
September 1, 2005... It was 1840 when the doors opened to the Maine Insane Hospital, later renamed the Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI). Nearly ten years passed from the time the state legislature appropriated $20,000 for the construction to the day the first...

Burrell Center for Child and Adolescent Development: Springfield, Missouri.(FACILITY DESIGN SHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... Burrell Behavioral Health's 46,500-sq.-ft. Center for Child and Adolescent Development is an example of the interface of mission, form, and function. This new structure, which opened in November 2004, features extensive use of glass, basic...

Making software procurement easier: before you get into the nitty-gritty details, take these five steps to weed out products that won't work for you.(VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... I can't stand this new program! Who decided to buy this system? Can I go back to using our old software? These are just a few of the comments that make an administrator or program manager cringe during a new software application's...

Medicare Part D guide.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2005... Medicare Part D: Prescription Benefit--Practical Solutions for Community Behavioral Health (available from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare) helps community-based mental health and substance abuse treatment providers...

Netsmart Technologies acquires CMHC Systems.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2005... Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a supplier of enterprise-wide software solutions for health and human services providers through its wholly owned subsidiary Creative Socio-Medics Corp., has acquired CMHC Systems, Inc., a behavioral health IT...

Information System.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2005... InfoMC's eCura[R] Product Line is used by behavioral health and human services care management organizations in more than 15 states, including two state-run programs, county entities/ authorities in seven states, and regional and national...

Pathological Gambling book.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2005... Written by leading gambling researchers, Pathological Gambling." A Clinical Guide to Treatment (edited by Jon E. Grant, JD, MD, MPH, and Marc N. Potenza, MD, PhD) discusses how to diagnose pathological gambling and provides the tools to do so....

Criminal Justice Treatment Protocol.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2005... SAMHSA has released Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 44, Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System. TIP 44 provides information to enable treatment providers to be more effective with offender and ex-offender...

A strong system needs strong leadership: to meet the New Freedom Commission's goals, we need to think about how we are training tomorrow's behavioral health managers.(VIEWS FROM THE TRENCHES)
September 1, 2005... Seldom, if ever, do I thoroughly read a government report on the behavioral health field because most of them seem so fraught with doom and gloom. However, the 2003 final report by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was...