Mental Health Weekly articles from August 2005

Mental Health Weekly archives from August 2005

Medicare drug benefit could disrupt care for consumers with mental illness: national consumer report urges safety net for 'dual eligibles'.
August 29, 2005... Impoverished psychiatric patients face an abrupt loss of existing drug coverage, and many others face abrupt changes in their medicine and dangerous side-effects because of the new Medicare drug benefit, according to a report released this...

Georgia officials award APS Healthcare disease management contract: officials say program will improve outcomes, reduce costs.
August 29, 2005... APS Healthcare, Inc. announced this month that the organization has been selected by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCM) to provide population and disease management services for Medicaid recipients in 53 counties in the state....

Survey: better knowledge of depression helps treatment goals.
August 29, 2005... People with depression who are well informed about their illness stand a much better chance of achieving the treatment goals of having little or no symptoms, according to a new national survey released last week by the National Alliance for...

Study suggests link between SSRIs and suicide attempts.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
August 29, 2005... The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been connected to an increased level of suicide attempts, according to a study in the August 22nd online journal BMC Medicine. Researchers in Norway examined 16 studies in...

APA launches college mental health public awareness campaign.(American Psychiatric Association)
August 29, 2005... Michelle Riba, M.D., former president of the American Psychiatric (APA) Association, last year wrote a column in an association publication about the need for awareness and resources for college mental health. The response from APA...

Ala. lacks adequate mental health capacity for community programs.(Briefly Noted)(Alabama mental health treatment policy)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... Like many states in recent years, Alabama has transitioned much of its mental health treatment to less costly community-based programs, such as group homes and adult day care. The Associated Press reported that over the past four years the...

InfoMC goes live with eCura Info System.(Business News)(contract with Pitt County Mental Health)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... InfoMC, a leading provider of care management technology for behavioral health, EAP/work-life and human services organizations, has announced that Pitt County Mental Health (Pitt) is the first to initiate live operation of InfoMC's eCura[R]...

Netsmart announces second quarter earnings.(Business News)(Netsmart Technologies, Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... Netsmart Technologies, Inc. has reported its 28th consecutive quarter of profitability. Revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 was up eight percent from the same quarter last year, and the gross profit margin was 50 percent, up from 48....

Family-to-Family program for mental illness.(Resources)(National Association for the Mentally Ill )(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... The National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) offers a Family-to-Family program designed to help individuals learn to cope with mental illness within the family. The free 12-week course focuses on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,...

Tele-workshop on local coverage determinations.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) will offer an intensive 2-hour interactive teleconference training on "Getting paid for inpatient psychiatric Medicare days: Complying with local coverage determinations," on...

Audio conference on motivational interviewing.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... The U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association's (USPRA) fourth audio conference, "Introduction to Motivational Interviewing," will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. EST. The live, interactive conference is geared toward...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 29, 2005... The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) will hold its 2005 conference for families and professionals, "Partners in Progress," on Sept. 9-10 in Denver. Visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org for more information. The Michigan...

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... Suzanne Vogel-Scibilia, M.D. has been named the new board president of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). Vogel-Scibilia, who has had bipolar disorder since she was a teenager, is a clinical psychiatrist and operates an...

In case you haven't heard ...(bibliotherapy to treat mild depression)(Brief Article)
August 29, 2005... Feeling blue? Your doctor may send you to the self-help section. British doctors have initiated a new "bibliotherapy" program in several U.K. counties, saving the state-run healthcare system both money and time, reported PsycPORT.com....

Oregon gov. signs MH parity law: state joins 35 others to require MH insurance parity.(mental health)
August 22, 2005... Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski last week signed into law mental health parity legislation that would require group health insurers to provide coverage of mental illnesses the way they would physical illnesses. The move positions Oregon as the...

Study: health plans struggle to identify, treat employee depression.
August 22, 2005... Health plans are doing a poor job of identifying and treating employees diagnosed with depression, according to research conducted for a national business coalition on health and released earlier this month. Although approximately 9 percent...

Dual-diagnosis recovery program reduces costs, decreases hospitalization, emergency psychiatric visits.(CHANGES)
August 22, 2005... A comprehensive recovery-based program in California which serves individuals who are dually diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance abuse problems has been credited with reducing psychiatric hospitalizations and emergency...

Research suggests certain fruits and vegetables can cut risk of Alzheimer's.
August 22, 2005... A new observational study could get more baby boomers seriously interested in eating right. Older adults who ate at least the recommended dietary allowance (400 micrograms) of folates had a 55 percent reduction in risk of developing...

New grants offered to allow community providers to conduct MI research.(mental illness)
August 22, 2005... It's time to let community providers show the researchers what they know, or what they would like to find out, about good practice, a grant program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates. The National Institute on Drug...

Reconsidering adult antidepressant use.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 22, 2005... Prescribing of antidepressants has increased 253 percent over the last 10 years, according to the authors of a paper published in the July 16 issue of British Medical Journal. Mental health experts Joanna Moncrieff and Irving Kirsch suggest a...

Illinois insurance plans to cover PTSD.(Briefly Noted)(post traumatic stress disorder )(Brief Article)
August 22, 2005... Illinois insurance companies whose plans are required to cover treatment services for the mentally ill will soon have to include post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the Wall Street Journal reported as Gov. Rod Blagojevich recently signed a...

Boston Scientific brain stent approved.(Business Notes)
August 22, 2005... Boston Scientific, Corp., based in Natick, Mass., saw its share value jump 45 cents upon announcing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its Wingspan brain stent a humanitarian device exemption (HDE) approval. Such HDE...

Recruiting for cognitive therapy study.(Resources)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
August 22, 2005... The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center is one of two sites recruiting over 500 individuals to participate in a study of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The study is led...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 22, 2005... America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will hold Medicare and Medicaid Conferences on Sept. 11-15 in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www.ahip.org. The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Services (CARF) will present...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
August 22, 2005... According to theories put forward in a new book by Harvard psychologist. Susan Clancy, Ph.D., those who believe that they've been abducted by aliens deserve to be taken as seriously as anyone else harboring similarly unconventional beliefs....

National study: increasing numbers of patients with MI visiting communicating health centers.(Mental illness)
August 15, 2005... Federally funded health centers are offering services that go beyond traditional primary care and visits by people seeking mental health treatment at community centers have nearly tripled in recent years compared to people seeking regular...

N.J. governor signs landmark housing bill for people with MI: state is one of the most expensive housing regions the nation.(New Jersey Mental illness)
August 15, 2005... New Jersey mental health advocates are applauding landmark legislation signed by Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey to establish a $200 million Special Needs Housing Trust Fund to create 10,000 new affordable housing opportunities for persons with...

Cognitive therapy found to cut attempted suicide risk in half.
August 15, 2005... A specially created form of cognitive therapy has apparently cut in half the risk of suicide attempters trying to kill themselves again, according to a study in the August 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). ...

SAMHSA awards Conn. $5 million grants to treat co-occurring disorders.(The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Connecticut)
August 15, 2005... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced over $5 million in new federal grants to Connecticut to help improve the services provided for adolescents and adults with co-occurring substance use and mental...

University of Rochester gets funds for geriatric MH research training.(Mental Health)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) this month awarded $984,000 for training of researchers in geriatric mental health, to the University of Rochester Medical Center. Jeffrey M. Lyness, M.D., director of the medical center's...

Fellowships support mental health journalism to reduce stigma.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... The ninth annual Rosalyn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health were awarded to 10 journalists in the amount of $10,000 each for one year of study and reporting on a specific mental health issue. The honorees will meet at the Carter Center in...

New understanding of denial syndrome in stroke patients.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... A study published in the July issue of the journal Science calls into question the nature of self-awareness, which researchers explain lies not in one particular brain structure but is spread throughout various parts of the brain, based on...

Lobbyists advance pharmaceutical interests.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... An investigation launched by the Center for Public Integrity alleges that the pharmaceutical industry hires thousands of lobbyists to advance their interests before the House, Senate, Food and Drug Administration and other government...

Study touts Risperdal Consta for schizophrenia.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Patients suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders may benefit from a medication switch to Risperdal Consta (risperidone long-acting injection), according to a PR Newswire report. A study funded by Janssen L.P. and presented...

Program dedicated to therapists of color.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... A study published in the September issue of the journal Family Process found that a program created to actively recruit and support family therapists of color was successful in enacting a "slow but steady diversification" in populations of...

Toxin key to Alzheimer's could lead to treatment.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Researchers have identified a toxin called quinolinic acid, which destroys nerve cells in the brain and likely is a key contributor to the degeneration that occurs in Alzheimer's disease. The Australian scientists who made this discovery...

Kaiser offers Consumer Guide to disputes with health plans.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... The Kaiser Family Foundation has announced the availability of the Consumer Guide to Handling Disputes with your Employer or Private Health Plan, 2005 Update. All health plans have internal and external review processes, an understanding of...

Ed Knight, Ph.D., vice president of recovery, rehabilitation and mutual support for ValueOptions, has received the 2005 Chairperson's Award from the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA).(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Ed Knight, Ph.D., vice president of recovery, rehabilitation and mutual support for ValueOptions, has received the 2005 Chairperson's Award from the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA). A ValueOptions release explains...

In his new role as chief medical officer, strategy and innovation, David Whitehouse, M.D., will be United Behavioral Health's (UBH) lead clinical officer, spearheading the company's product strategy for medical, behavioral and pharmacy integration and innovation, according to a UBH release.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... In his new role as chief medical officer, strategy and innovation, David Whitehouse, M.D., will be United Behavioral Health's (UBH) lead clinical officer, spearheading the company's product strategy for medical, behavioral and pharmacy...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 15, 2005... The American Psychological Association will hold its 113th Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 18-21. For more information and to view the program, visit www.apa.org. Foundations Associates will sponsor "Critical Connections in...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Seeing isn't always believing. According to the lead author of a study published in the online edition of Biological Psychiatry, sometimes seeing is actually believing what the group tells you to believe. When researchers used M.R.I....

Bill seeks to improve access to acute care services for adults with SMI: legislation removes unfunded mandate to private MH treatment centers.(serious mental illness, mental health)
August 8, 2005... Mental health advocacy and consumer groups have embraced bipartisan legislation that would help people with serious mental illness (SMI) gain access to acute psychiatric inpatient services. Advocates and lawmakers say the legislation...

Advocates oppose federal legislation that would affect MH parity laws.(mental health)
August 8, 2005... As Congress begins its summer recess this month, mental health advocates have concerns about association health plan legislation passed by the House last month that advocates say would exempt certain health plans from state insurance laws,...

Innovative S.C. employment initiative helps people with MI join workforce.(South Carolina, mental illness)
August 8, 2005... Two South Carolina-based departments last month won recognition for participating in a community mental health program to help people with serious mental illness join the workforce through the use of evidence-based supported employment. ...

Study cites increase in prescribing multiple psychiatric medications for children.
August 8, 2005... Three doctors in Rhode Island recently did a review of the medical literature on children taking multiple medications and they found what they had expected. The six studies, appearing in this month's issue of Psychiatry 2005, and...

Surgeon general's "call to action" on disabilities has a focus on MH.(mental health)
August 8, 2005... The health care system pays insufficient attention to prevention of the secondary conditions that affect the estimated 87 percent of persons with disabilities, according to the new Surgeon General's "Call to Action to Improve the Health and...

2006 veterans budget highlights MH.(Briefly Noted)(mental health)
August 8, 2005... The House Appropriations Committee has set aside a record $2.2 billion in the Department of Veterans Affairs budget for specialty mental healthcare. The defense appropriations bill has allowed a fiscal year 2006 budget of $31.8 billion (a one...

WHO invites forum participation.(Briefly Noted)(World Health Organization)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the launch of the first ever-global forum on community-based psychosocial rehabilitation services. During the forum's first phase, running through Sept. 30, the WHO invites individuals and...

NIH panel considers chronic insomnia.(Briefly Noted)(National Institutes of Health )
August 8, 2005... An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently reported on the need for rigorous research toward better treatments for chronic insomnia. According to panel chair Alan Leshner, Ph.D., chief executive of the...

FDA expands indications for mixed salt amphetamines.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... The FDA has approved an expanded indication for ADDERALL XR (mixed salts of a single-entity amphetamine) as a once-daily treatment for adolescents aged 13-17 with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The drug is already approved...

Antidepressant patch under FDA review.(review of antidepressant skin patch, Emsam by U.S. Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Somerset Pharmaceuticals, a joint venture of Mylan Laboratories, Inc. and Watson Pharmaceuticals, has announced that its new antidepressant skin patch, Emsam, is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Somerset expects the...

GAO reports on states' Medicaid tactics.(Briefly Noted)(Government Accountability Office )(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... A report issued by congressional investigators with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that two thirds of U.S. states employ consultants to assist in maximizing federal Medicaid money. As of 2004, reported the New York Times,...

SAMHSA grant supports Joint Commission.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded the first portion of a three-year grant to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The first year's award of $650,000 will...

Complete Medicare information online.(Resources)
August 8, 2005... The Medicare Rights Center website has published a guide titled "Medicare Drug Coverage 101: Everything you need to know about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit." The guide is available at http://www.medicarerights.org/101 .html and...

Mental health screen for detainees.(Resources)
August 8, 2005... The National GAINS Center, funded by SAMHSA, has announced the release of the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen, a free tool which the center claims can identify the need for further assessment of mental health in detainees. The format of eight...

Report of juvenile delinquency cases from 2000.(Resources)
August 8, 2005... The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has announced that its "Juvenile Court Statistics 2000" report is available. This reference for policy makers, researchers and clinicians profiles over a million of the delinquency...

Richard K. Lambert, M.D., senior psychiatrist of community support services for the Providence Center, was honored with a 2005 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) at their annual meeting in Providence, RI.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Richard K. Lambert, M.D., senior psychiatrist of community support services for the Providence Center, was honored with a 2005 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) at their annual meeting in...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 8, 2005... September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month and hundreds of events are taking place across the nation. For a full list of celebrations, lectures, roundtables and fundraisers, visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov/. The...

In case you haven't heard ...
August 8, 2005... Intelligence does not guarantee happiness, according to a recent study in the British Medical Journal. Study subjects were 550 Scots born in 1921. The researchers looked at the subjects' cognitive abilities, which were tested at age 11 and...

National advocacy coalition releases landmark report to reform MH: release marks second anniversary of New Freedom Commission report.(mental health)
August 1, 2005... The Campaign for Mental Health Reform, a coalition of 16 national mental health organizations, has released a landmark report proposing specific actions that Congress and the Administration should take to address the critical issues...

Magellan officials report strong second-quarter earnings.
August 1, 2005... Magellan Health Services Inc. last week announced its second-quarter earnings for 2005. Citing streamlined administrative costs and effective management of overall costs, Magellan officials said they were pleased with another strong and...

Comprehensive Behavioral Care extends services for Medicare members.
August 1, 2005... Comprehensive Behavioral Care, Inc. (CompCare) last month announced that it will provide managed behavioral health and substance abuse services for members of Medicare plans in several states. CompCare officials say changes brought about by...

New research addresses psychological reactions to terrorist attacks.
August 1, 2005... The research community and disaster response communities should work together to allow research to proceed on the effects of terrorism and to improve preparedness, according to researchers in the July issue of Neuropsychopharmacology. ...

Hawaii plans to improve mental health care.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Following reports of inadequate mental health care for its 9,000 mentally ill residents, the Adult Mental Health Division of the Hawaii Department of Health has announced that it will implement a community mental health plan, reported the...

Report cites pregabalin withdrawal effects.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A paper published in the August issue of Annals of Neurology reported a case of cerebral edema in an 80-year-old woman following abrupt withdrawal from pregabalin (Lyrica), an antiepileptic drug made by Pfizer with expected release this fall....

NAPHS joins prescription assistance programs.(Business)(National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, Partnership for Prescription Assistance)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2005... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) has announced its plans to participate in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), whose goal is to bring together the country's pharmaceutical companies, healthcare...

Roundtables will address workplace depression.(Resources)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2005... Aetna Inc. and GlaxoSmith-Kline have announced the joint sponsorship of a series of roundtable discussions to focus on depression in the workplace. Depression is one of the top five health issues to impact productivity at work, according to...

Arthritis fact sheet for Hispanics.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Responding to the prevalence of arthritis among adults 65 and older, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has announced the availability of a free fact sheet for Hispanic seniors, which includes information on warning signs, ways to manage...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... The Performance Institute will hold the 2005 National Summit on Recruitment and Retention of Social Services Professionals on Aug. 8-9 in Arlington, Va. To register, visit www.PerformanceWeb.org. Foundations Associates will sponsor...

Strategic Planning and Service Innovation.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Kevin Campbell has been named Vice President of Strategic Planning and Service Innovation for EMQ Children and Family Services, a leading nonprofit agency "dedicated to transforming the lives of children who have been or are at risk of being...

APS Healthcare, Inc.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Eileen O'Shea Auen has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of APS Healthcare, Inc., a leading specialty healthcare company. She replaces Kenneth Kessler, who founded APS in 1992 and will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board.

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Roses are red and violets can take away the blues. A series of studies conducted by Rutgers University researchers investigated the impact that receiving flowers have on a person's mood. Three unique studies looked at women, men and the...