Mental Health Weekly articles from May 2006

Mental Health Weekly archives from May 2006

Studies point to mental health needs of children following hurricanes.
May 29, 2006... With a new hurricane season right around the corner, three unrelated studies that have recently been published or presented shed light on the immediate and long-term mental health effects and needs for children in the aftermath of Hurricanes...

Shortage of child psychiatrists continues to be vexing problem.(Clinical report)
May 29, 2006... New research shows that while the number of child psychiatrists has increased, it still falls short of estimated numbers needed to adequately serve children and adolescents with mental health needs. The new research, to be published in...

Resignation letter from Charles G. Curie to President Bush.
May 29, 2006... May 22, 2006 (released May 25, 2006) Dear Mr. President: It has been the highest privilege and honor to serve you and this Nation as Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I am...

Michigan lawmakers introduce legislation to reform mental health system.
May 29, 2006... Michigan lawmakers this month introduced a series of bills aimed at reforming the state's mental health system, seeking to advance the recommendations of a gubernatorially appointed mental health commission for changes in both the delivery of...

NAMI disputes NIMH budget cuts.(National Alliance on Mental Illness)(National Institute of Mental Health)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... At a Senate hearing on May 19, the president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Suzanne Vogel-Scibilia spoke out against President Bush's proposed $9 million cut in funding for the National Institute of Mental Health NIMH),...

Journal issue dedicated to MH issues.(Mental Health)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The May/June issue of the journal Health Affairs focuses on mental health issues, with reports on mental health financing, spending and costs, substance use, children's mental health, services for those with low income, and mental health...

Netsmart signs with five behavioral health agencies.(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Netsmart Technologies, a leading provider of enterprise-wide software for health and human services organizations, announced (May 18) it has entered into software and service contracts with five behavioral health agencies: Coastal Horizons...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 29, 2006... The United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) will hold its 2006 annual conference in Phoenix on June 5-8, to feature over 100 workshops and 40 institutes, including tracks for CEOs and senior level management and for staff...

The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to removing barriers to treatment of severe mental illness.(Names in the news)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The Treatment Advocacy Center TAC), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to removing barriers to treatment of severe mental illness, announced the honorees of its annual Torrey Advocacy Commendation, reported U.S. Newswire May 22):...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 29, 2006... Although it's unlikely that Botox will replace antidepressant treatment any time soon, newly published research suggests that paralyzing the corrugator supercilii muscles could reduce depressive symptoms. In preliminary research,...

Advocates warn field to stay vigilant on insurance reform.
May 22, 2006... Despite this month's U.S. Senate defeat of a health insurance deregulation bill that mental health advocates say would have eroded critical provider and consumer protections, the discussion of insurance reform could return to Capitol Hill...

California plans to build supportive housing for persons with mental illness: housing initiative involves Proposition 63 funding.
May 22, 2006... California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this month released plans to leverage up to $75 million per year in funding from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)--also known as Proposition 63--to build supportive housing for homeless state...

GAO: few troops receiving MH referrals following PTSD screening.(mental health referrals for post traumatic stress disorder)
May 22, 2006... Military officials need to identify the factors that its health care providers use in issuing referrals for mental health services of troops fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), according to a report...

APF presents awards for advancing minority mental health.(American Psychiatric Foundation awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health)
May 22, 2006... The American Psychiatric Foundation (APF) last week announced the selection of four nonprofit organizations as the recipients of the third annual APF awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health. The APF Awards for Advancing Minority...

Advocates urge Congress to renew funding for health programs.
May 22, 2006... Advocacy and disability groups, including Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), last week met with U.S. House of Representative members and urged them to continue funding programs aimed at promoting health...

Bill would eliminate Medicare late enrollment penalty.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... A bill introduced last week by Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and a bipartisan group of senators would eliminate the late enrollment penalty for Medicare beneficiaries who missed the May 15 deadline. The Chicago...

Series examines mental health of service members in Iraq.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... A Hartford Courant investigation led to a series of articles (May 14 and 15) that examined mental health and suicide among service members deployed in Iraq. The investigation found that although a congressional order requires service members...

SAMHSA sponsors summit on disaster preparedness.(Briefly Noted)
May 22, 2006... This week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is sponsoring a national summit to address the state of the nation's disaster behavioral health preparedness. On May 22-24, 54 states and U.S. territories are...

Canadian alcohol tax would subsidize mental health fund.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... In a recent report a Canadian Senate committee called for a new excise tax on beer, wine and hard alcohol, in an effort to subsidize a fund that would transition individuals with mental illness from hospitals and jails back into the...

Teleconference: Latinos in recovery.(Resources)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has announced that on Wednesday, May 24 the STAR Center will sponsor a teleconference entitled "Latinos in Recovery," to discuss how consumer operated programs might better serve Latino...

Online: Medicare Rights and Protections.(Resources)
May 22, 2006... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an electronic version of its guide, "Your Medicare Rights and Protections." The guide includes information about patients' rights to file a complaint, how to obtain health care...

Nathan S. Kline Institute.(Names in the news)(Harold S. Koplewicz appointed)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., has been named executive director of the Nathan S. Kline Institute in Orangeburg, New York. He replaces Jerome Levine, M.D., interim director since the death of Robert Cancro, M.D. in July. Koplewicz, a renowned...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 22, 2006... The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) will bring together mental health advocates, consumers and policy makers for its annual conference on June 7-10 in Washington, D.C. "Building the Movement" is the theme this year. Six workshop...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 22, 2006... Sometimes, practice doesn't quite make perfect. This is particularly so for individuals with perfectionist personalities. The APA Online reported on a study that suggested perfectionism qualified by a high degree of...

Kentucky approved for innovative, redesigned Medicaid reform plan: state first to offer comprehensive Medicaid reform package.
May 15, 2006... Following federal approval earlier this month of Kentucky's redesigned Medicaid reform plan by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the state becomes the first to have benefits customized to meet the need of beneficiaries based...

NMHA taps Shern, leading MH researcher, as new president, chief executive.(National Mental Health Association)(David L. Shern)
May 15, 2006... The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) has selected David L. Shern, Ph.D., a researcher and administrator with 30 years of experience in the mental health field, as the organization's new president and chief executive. Shern, 55,...

Lawsuit: VA services unconstitutionally endorse religion.(U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs incorporates spiritual base into care)
May 15, 2006... Unlike the addiction field, where faith-based services make up a critical part of the history and remain a source of constant discussion, mental health professionals rarely seem to talk about a spiritual element in their care. But one health...

DAWN report examines reasons behind emergency room visits.
May 15, 2006... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last week released results from its Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report, highlighting emergency department visits involving adolescent suicide attempts, and adult...

Maine makes CIT a priority.(Briefly Noted)(Crisis Intervention Team Training )(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... The Kennebec Journal reported (May 8) that Maine's Kennebec Valley Organization (KVO) has made mental-health crisis response a priority, asking the Kennebec and Somerset county sheriffs' departments to commit to ongoing Crisis Intervention...

Spike in antipsychotic use among children.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... Although antipsychotic drug use in individuals under the age of 19 comprises a relatively small portion of use among the total population, a recent Medco Health Solutions report suggests that use among children and adolescents climbed by 73...

Study says authors of DSM vested in pharmaceuticals.(Briefly Noted)(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual)(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... A new study suggests that a majority of the professionals who worked on the most recent edition (1994) of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) had financial ties to the pharmaceutical...

Researchers concerned about NIH budget cuts.(Briefly Noted)(National Institutes of Health)(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that the National Institutes for Health NIH) budget is expected to drop 3.8 percent next year, after adjusting for inflation. Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D., physician-in-chief and...

Brown conference series: future of behavioral health.(Resources)(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... On Monday, June 5, a one-day conference entitled "Imagining the Future of Behavioral Health" will take place at Brown University, in Providence, R.I., from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Salomon Hall. This is the third in the annual Frontiers of...

Workplace options acquires HelpHorizons.com.(Business)(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... Workplace Options, the country's largest provider of work-life employee benefits, announced in April its acquisition of HelpHorizons. com, Inc., a leading provider of practice management and connectivity solutions for mental health...

Former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Lester M. Crawford is under criminal investigation, reported the New York Times April 29), due to charges that in 2004, during his tenure, he or his wife sold shares in companies regulated by the FDA.(Names in the News)
May 15, 2006... Former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Lester M. Crawford is under criminal investigation, reported the New York Times April 29), due to charges that in 2004, during his tenure, he or his wife sold shares in companies...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 15, 2006... The United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) will hold its 2006 annual conference in Phoenix on June 5-8, to feature over 100 workshops and 40 institutes, including tracks for CEOs and senior level management and for staff...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 15, 2006... The quote," It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has," attributed to Hippocrates, could serve as an aphorism for the field of psychosomatic medicine, wrote Barron H. Lerner,...

Advocates decry warehousing of Ill. clients in nursing homes: individual lawsuit now filed as class action.
May 8, 2006... A complaint that last year started as an action on behalf of two Illinois individuals with serious mental illness has now been filed as a class action on behalf of thousands of residents housed in intermediate-care nursing homes. The lawsuit...

Conn. moves forward with plans for recovery-oriented MH system: state agencies collaborate on development of MH plan.(mental health system)
May 8, 2006... Following the receipt of a federal grant to transform its mental health system into a recovery-oriented model, Connecticut officials through state agency partnerships, town meetings and statewide reports plan to develop a comprehensive state...

New Medicare rule provides payment increase for facilities.
May 8, 2006... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) will receive an average 4 percent increase in Medicare payments, beginning in July. The higher payments, for discharges...

S.D. center aims to improve outcomes, enhance patient safety.
May 8, 2006... South Dakota behavioral health officials last month announced the launch of a new health center designed specifically for behavioral health inpatient services, to improve patient outcomes and ensure patient confidentiality and security. ...

NCCBH awards congressional, media leaders for BH efforts.
May 8, 2006... The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare last week honored congressional and media leaders for their efforts to advance the availability and quality of treatments for mental illnesses and addictions disorders. Senators...

MHW editor wins media award from New Jersey association.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Mental Health Weekly is pleased to announce that managing editor Valerie A. Canady last week received the Truth in Media Award from the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, Inc. (NJAMHA). According to NJAMHA, the award is...

NYC health officials say depression prevalent among residents.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is calling on the city's primary care providers to incorporate a screen for depression into its routine tests, and will provide practitioners with a screening tool called the...

University seminar teaches cultural competency.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... A specialist at Jackson County Mental Health in Oregon, Alejandra Moreno said she has seen Hispanic clients misdiagnosed due to a breakdown in communication or a cultural misunderstanding, reported the Mail Tribune (April 24). The National...

Adaptis partners with American Behavioral.(Business)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... In a strategic move to expand its portfolio with mental health services, Adaptis has announced a partnership with American Behavioral Benefits Managers, Inc. (American Behavioral). PR Newswire reported (May 1) that Adaptis, a leading single...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 8, 2006... The American Psychiatric Association (APA) will hold its 159th Annual Meeting, "From Science to Public Policy: Advocacy for Patients and the Profession," on May 20-25 in Toronto, Canada. Visit www.psych.org for more information. The...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 8, 2006... May is Better Sleep Month. And if this isn't motivation enough to get better shut eye, the Better Sleep Council and National Mental Health Association (NMHA) have joined forces to promote the links between sleep and mental health. The groups...

MH advocates seek judicial relief on scope of insanity defense: states still inclined toward narrow definition.(Mental Health)
May 1, 2006... For mental health advocates, it is probably one of the steepest uphill climbs in a profession where success often is incremental to begin with. Persuading policy-makers to consider expanding the circumstances under which criminal defendants...

Utah set to implement outcome tracking measure: instrument will improve care, promote recovery, say officials.
May 1, 2006... The Utah State Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health last month announced plans to implement a new computerized outcome tracking instrument statewide to evaluate the progress of behavioral health therapy, assist clinicians with...

APA survey finds consumers mental illlack knowledge of ness.(American Psychiatric Association)(Clinical report)
May 1, 2006... Nearly half of American adults, 44 percent, report knowing only a little or almost nothing at all about mental illnesses, according to a new national survey released last week, which also found that most consumers agree that knowing warnings...

Younger women more likely to suffer depression after heart attack.
May 1, 2006... Younger women had a higher rate of depression following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack than older women and men in general, according to a study published in the April 24th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. ...

Maine center finds progress with computerized outcome tool.
May 1, 2006... The Kennebec Valley Mental Health Center in Augusta, Maine, has a mission to more efficiently and effectively serve its clients and officials say they are achieving that goal through the use of a new computerized tool to track patient...

Doctors request more manageable drug info.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued 112 drug-related safety alerts, up from just 33 in 2003, reported the Baltimore Sun (April 7). The increase reflects the agency's response to accusations that it was not up front...

Brain development differs in highly intelligent children.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... In an effort to understand what goes wrong in the brains of children with schizophrenia or attention deficits, investigators with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) set out to map the brain's "normal" development. In the process,...

NMHA offers Mental Health Month campaign materials.(Resources)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) is launching its annual campaign to promote mental wellness and overall health. The 50-year tradition helps improve the lives of millions of Americans every May, according to NMHA. The theme for...

National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS).(Names in the News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... On March 20, the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) honored Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) for his "commitment to a fair and comprehensive system of care for those with serious mental illnesses." Rep. Murphy chairs the House...

NAPHS also honored Diane Kiddy and William Sexton with its 2006 Grassroots Leadership Award for demonstrating "their strong commitment to improving the lives of individuals who face mental and substance use disorders.".(Names in the News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... NAPHS also honored Diane Kiddy and William Sexton with its 2006 Grassroots Leadership Award for demonstrating "their strong commitment to improving the lives of individuals who face mental and substance use disorders." Kiddy is director of...

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) National Conference, which will take place September 25-27 in Orlando, Florida, has posted a call for research-based conference presentations and experiential reports.(Call for presentations)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) National Conference, which will take place September 25-27 in Orlando, Florida, has posted a call for research-based conference presentations and experiential reports. Presentations should "reflect diverse...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... The Consumer Organization & Networking Technical Assistance Center (CONTAC) will host the "Providing Trauma-Informed Peer Support: Peer Programs to Peer Specialists" conference on Apr. 28-May 1 in Charleston, W. Va. For more information,...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 1, 2006... An elderly person suffering from an unhappy marriage or bereavement may weaken the effectiveness of a flu vaccine. In the May issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity, British researchers gave blood tests to 184 people over 65 to establish...