Mental Health Weekly articles from June 2005

Mental Health Weekly archives from June 2005

House subcommittee level-funds president's fiscal 2006 proposal: advocates concerned about anti-screening amendment.
June 27, 2005... Mental health advocates are pleased there were no major cuts of mental health services and programs and that the funding proposed by the House Appropriations subcommittee was mostly level-funded with President Bush's fiscal 2006 proposed...

New York report cites inadequate MH services, treatment for inmates.(mental health)
June 27, 2005... Approximately 7,500 or 11 percent of New York inmates suffer from mental illness, with about half of these inmates suffering from a major mental health disorder, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, according to a report released this...

N.Y. advocates disappointed over parity, other unresolved issues.
June 27, 2005... Mental health advocates are disappointed that New York lawmakers have left unresolved the passage of Timothy's Law, the state's parity bill, and legislation that would end the placement of inmates with severe mental illness in special housing...

Ill. governor signs law to expand MH services for children.
June 27, 2005... Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signed legislation earlier this month that officials say puts Illinois on the cutting edge of addressing mental health needs of children in state care and reflects an ongoing commitment to improving services...

Adult antisocial syndromes common among substance abusers.(Brief Article)
June 27, 2005... Data from a recent epidemiologic survey of more than 43,000 U.S. adults show that antisocial syndromes--marked by little concern for the rights of others and violations of age-appropriate societal rules--are more common among people with...

Stephen L. Day, Executive Director of the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC) announced the appointment of John Morris as Director of TACs' Human Services Practice, effective today.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
June 27, 2005... Stephen L. Day, Executive Director of the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC) announced the appointment of John Morris as Director of TACs' Human Services Practice, effective today. "We are pleased to announce that John Morris,...

NMHA joins partnership for prescription assistance.(Resources)(National Mental Health Association)(Brief Article)
June 27, 2005... The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) announced last week its participation in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, an initiative to help people who lack access to medications get the treatments they need. A coalition of...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
June 27, 2005... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems will offer a two-hour teleconference training on "Managing Risk in Behavioral Health Care" June 30, 2-4 p.m. EST. For a registration form, visit www.naphs.org or call (202) 393-6700 ext....

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
June 27, 2005... Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are conducting a groundbreaking experiment with patients battling depression, the Boston Globe reports. Patients have agreed to be wired for up to 24 hours a day for a mobile monitoring of their...

Exclusion of anti-anxiety drug in new Medicare benefit raises concerns: CMS offers states option to share cost of benzodiazepines.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
June 20, 2005... With the new Medicare prescription drug benefit taking effect in six months, mental health advocates, consumers and other stakeholders who would like to see the successful implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act in January, are...

Texas officials press forward with MH services despite limited funding: NorthSTAR grapples with growing population.(mental health)
June 20, 2005... While the state of Texas has traditionally seen an underfunding of its public mental health system and has only seen a partial restoration of funding during its recent legislative session, state officials remain committed to providing mental...

Report urges Congress to amend the Medicare Modernization Act.(Brief Article)
June 20, 2005... Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants used for the management of acute anxiety, panic attacks, seizure disorders and muscle spasms. According to the Medicare Rights Center report: Critical Coverage: Benzodiazepines under...

Data support a key to NorthSTAR's treatment success.(Brief Article)
June 20, 2005... The NorthSTAR program provides good data so that advocates and customers can see where the funding goes, John Theiss, Ph.D., former director of NorthSTAR, told MHW. The kind of information NorthSTAR provides isn't just useful to assure local...

Michigan launches innovative Medicaid pharmacy initiative.
June 20, 2005... The Michigan Department of Community Health this month announced it has launched an innovative educational program that strives to improve the quality of care for Medicaid patients with mental illness. The Michigan Pharmacy Quality...

Group psychotherapist database launched.(Resources)(American Group Psychotherapy Association)(Brief Article)
June 20, 2005... The American Group Psychotherapy Association announced the launch of an online directory of Certified Group Psychotherapists (CGP) on the association's website (www.agpa.org). The directory will provide access to more than 1,500 group...

Monitoring technology predicts changes in suicidal ideation.(Briefly Noted)
June 20, 2005... At a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) scientific conference, Aspect Medical Systems reported that its brain monitoring technology was able to predict changes in suicidal ideation, or thoughts of suicide, during selective serotonin...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
June 20, 2005... The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill will hold its 2005 Annual Convention,"NAMI: On the Frontier of Recovery," June 18-21 in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.nami.org/convention. The National Association of...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
June 20, 2005... A library in Akron, Ohio is doing its part to promote mental health. The Akron-Summit County Public Library has launched a series of mid-day lunch presentations on mental health, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The library's "Mid-Day Mind...

Landmark MH studies address early onset, prevalence, treatment delay.(mental health)
June 13, 2005... Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and despite effective treatments, there are long delays--sometimes decades--between first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment, according to a landmark...

Recent court, federal rulings pave way for TennCare disenrollment: advocates declare small victory with funding for SPMI population.(Severe and Persistent Mental Illness)
June 13, 2005... Tennessee state officials last week received approval from the federal government for the second phase of requested changes to the TennCare program, the state's Medicaid managed care program. The state is in the process of reducing enrollment...

Study finds troubled youth at higher risk of death: girls are increasingly at risk.
June 13, 2005... Plagued by a high rate of homicides, youth in the juvenile justice system, a group largely composed of poor racial and ethnic minorities, are four times more likely to die--and if they are girls, eight times more likely--than youth in the...

Rogers receives prestigious Heinz Award for the Human Condition.(Joseph Rogers)
June 13, 2005... Longtime mental health advocate Joseph Rogers last month received the Heinz Award for the Human Condition for his pioneering reforms in mental health care that have empowered consumers of mental health services and helped abate the stigma...

N.J. mental health advocates pleased with housing legislation.
June 13, 2005... The New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, Inc. (NJAMHA) praised the introduction of legislation introduced last month by Acting Governor and Senate President Richard J. Codey. The bill would establish a $200 million Housing Trust...

Study: gene may increase susceptibility to depression, anxiety.
June 13, 2005... A brain scan study suggests that a suspect gene may increase susceptibility to anxiety and depression by weakening a circuit for processing negative emotion. People with the depression-linked gene variant showed less gray matter and...

NMHA joins partnership for prescription assistance.(Resources)(National Mental Health Association )(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) announced last week its participation in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, an initiative to help people who lack access to medications get the treatments they need. A coalition of...

Trauma a frequent experience on American Indian reservations.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... American Indians living on reservations are at high risk for being exposed to such trauma as witnessing a loved one's death or being the victim of a physical attack, according to a study comparing trauma on two American Indian reservations to...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
June 13, 2005... The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill will hold its 2005 Annual Convention,"NAMI: On the Frontier of Recovery," June 18-21 in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.nami.org/convention. The National Association of...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Given a misleading cue, adults over age 64 were 10 times more likely than younger adults to falsely remember wrong as right. Psychologists at Washington University report that the memory function of people in their mid-60s and up is easily...

Field moves forward with core measures for inpatient psychiatric care.
June 6, 2005... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), in a collaborative effort with three other organizations, is moving forward with plans to identify a core set of performance measures for its Hospital-Based, Inpatient...

JCAHO announces new BH standards to support recovery, resiliency.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
June 6, 2005... In an effort to demonstrate alignment with the goals set forth in the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's final report, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) this month announced new...

Joint Commission adds patient safety goals for BHOs.(behavioral healthcare organizations)
June 6, 2005... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) last week announced its 2006 National Patient Safety Goals and related Requirements that will apply specifically to accredited behavioral healthcare organizations...

Survey shows people with depression delaying treatment.
June 6, 2005... Findings from an international survey released last month showed that people with major depressive disorder, on average, waited more than 11 months to see a doctor and were only diagnosed with depression after five visits to the doctor. ...

N.Y. agency releases comprehensive report on suicide prevention.
June 6, 2005... Report calls for public health approach Suicide is a significant public health problem that is little recognized and often misunderstood, according to a comprehensive, data-driven report on suicide, its risks and prevention, released last...

Coming up ...
June 6, 2005... The National Mental Health Association holds its 2005 annual conference, "Justice for All," on June 9-11 in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nmha.org. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 13th Annual Medicaid...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Gardening and the arts may help people with mental health problems, the London Times reports. A Dundee University study found that gardening and arts projects provide a useful form of therapy and helped people integrate more successfully into...