Mental Health Weekly articles from October 2006

Mental Health Weekly archives from October 2006

Maine makes dramatic progress toward accountable MH system: leaders break logjam over lawsuit-driven reforms).(mental health)
October 30, 2006... Sixteen years of little progress in enacting mental health system reforms mandated in the settlement of a 1989 lawsuit have suddenly given way to a cooperative spirit among Maine state officials and advocates, along with a bold plan to...

S.F. lawsuit seeks community integration of nursing home residents with MI: plaintiffs charge discrimination, unnecessary confinement.(San Francisco)(mental illness)
October 30, 2006... Disability rights advocacy groups have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco on behalf of several nursing home residents with psychiatric disabilities, asking the court to require the city to offer...

Conn. hosts state's first electronic town meet on mental health.(Connecticut mental health services )
October 30, 2006... Connecticut officials last week used cyberspace to reach citizens across the state in its first electronic town hall meeting to address the quality and availability of mental health services. Connecticut is one of seven states to receive...

Report finds PTSD concerns of war veterans doubled.(post-traumatic stress disorder)(Report)
October 30, 2006... Over the past year, many Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Readjustment Counseling Service Centers (Vet Centers) have been forced to ration services, create waiting lists and limit individual counseling sessions due to significant increases...

CHADD urges FDA to move forward with ADHD study of drug risks.(Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)(Food and Drug Administration)(Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
October 30, 2006... Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) earlier this month raised concerns about a recent Los Angeles Times article, which indicated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may halt an ADHD safety study...

Ind. CMHC receives 2006 HIMSS Davies Award.(community mental health organization)(Healthcare Information and Management Information Systems)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The Healthcare Information and Management Information Systems Society this month announced the 2006 Nicholas E. Davies Awards in the Organizational, Ambulatory and Public Health categories. The awards annually recognize excellence in...

Preschoolers with ADHD benefit from low-dose medication.(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported (Oct. 16) on the results of the first long-term large-scale study on the efficacy and safety of stimulant treatment for very young children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder...

Seroquel approved for bipolar depression.(Briefly Noted)
October 30, 2006... AstraZeneca Plc. announced the October 20 Food and Drug Administration approval of Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) to be marketed as a treatment for bipolar depression, reported Reuters (Oct. 20). Classified as an atypical antipsychotic...

Charles L. Bowden, M.D.(awards of The National Alliance on Mental Illness )(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) awarded the 2006 Mind of America Scientific Research Award to Charles L. Bowden, M.D., for his research on bipolar disorder. The $50,000 award recognizes a scientist whose research has led to a...

George Saslow, Ph.D., M.D.(death of Oregon Health and Science University professor)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) reported the September 16 death of George Saslow, Ph.D., M.D., Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at OHSU and one of the founders of modern psychiatry. Saslow was 99. During a professional career...

Coming up...(events)(Brief article)(Calendar)
October 30, 2006... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Joint Commission on Resources will hold the 20th Annual National Conference on Quality and Patient Safety, "Decisions that Count," on November 16-18 in Chicago. The...

In case you haven't heard ...(job strain found to cause burnout)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Businesses concerned about depression on the job would do well to heed the results of a recent Finnish study, which finds that the association between job strain and depression is highly attributable to burnout. All Headline News reported...

States build competence to serve clients with co-occurring illness: provider training reaching new level of sophistication.
October 23, 2006... For years, the discussion of serving individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders appeared to be marked more by rhetoric than real progress. Most service systems acknowledged the truth behind the adage that the...

Innovative mental health treatment model embraces entire family: Mass.-based program aids parents with MH issue.(Family Options is a program for mentally ill and their families)
October 23, 2006... University of Massachusetts researchers and a local nonprofit agency have developed an innovative, strength-based program for parents with mental illness and their families, assisting them with customized support services to help them manage...

Ga., Md. telepsychiatry initiatives finding success.(Georgia, Maryland)
October 23, 2006... Telemedicine, the health care delivery system that applies high-speed phone lines, computer equipment, and specialized medical cameras enabling physician specialists to consult with patients in remote areas, is gaining even more momentum in...

University of Michigan launches psychiatry research center.
October 23, 2006... University of Michigan (U-M) officials last week announced the opening of a new psychiatry and substance abuse research and care center aimed at helping people with addiction, depression, bipolar disorder and other psychiatric illnesses. It...

NJ faith-based initiative aims to educate African-American religious leaders.(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... A New Jersey-based program is helping to erase the stigma of mental illness and educate religious leaders about mental illness. The Programs in Emotional Wellness and Spirituality (PEWS) aims to help educate the African-American religious...

Groundbreaking schizophrenia study draws on human genome.(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... The University of California at Los Angeles reported (Sept. 28) that an assistant professor of human genetics at its David Geffen School of Medicine, Roel A. Ophoff, Ph.D., has been awarded a $3.8 million National Institute of Mental Health...

New Jersey enacts postpartum screening law.(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... Last Tuesday marked the launch of a pioneering New Jersey law (bill S 213 passed in April), requiring health care providers to screen all women for signs of postpartum depression after giving birth, reported the Bergen Record (Oct. 11). The...

NIH funds consortium for new Alzheimer's trials.(National Institute of Health gives funds to Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study )
October 23, 2006... The National Institute of Health (NIH) announced last week it will award the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) $52 million in funding over six years to conduct trials on novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD), estimated to...

Partners Healthcare.(Partners HealthCare System Inc. appoints Scott L. Rauch)(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... Partners Healthcare announced on October 16 the appointment of Scott L. Rauch, M.D., a Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist and administrator, to the posts of president and psychiatrist in chief of McLean Hospital in Belmont and chair...

NAPHS 2007 Membership Directory.(National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems)(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) has announced the availability of its 2007 Membership Directory, a comprehensive referral resource including the names, address, phone/fax, and officers of each behavioral health...

NAMI's improved Legislative Action Center.(National Alliance on Mental Illness launches new website, www.nami.org/advocacy)(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched a "new and improved" Legislative Action Center," to help the public understand current legislation affecting those with mental illness and particularly to encourage people to take...

Coming up ...(conferences and meetings)(Calendar)
October 23, 2006... The New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc. (NJMHI) will hold the third conference in a series on November 3, as part of the "Changing Minds, Advancing Mental Illness for Hispanics" program. The conference, entitled, "Improving Treatment...

In case you haven't heard ...(psychiatric service dogs )(Brief article)
October 23, 2006... Most dog owners would attest to the emotional support their pets offer. This is just one reason for the growing popularity of Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs)--dogs trained to work with individuals living with severe mental illness. The...

Calif. county request explores boundaries of Prop. 63 funding: state approves county plans at steady pace.
October 16, 2006... California's pioneering initiative that is raising billions of dollars to transform adult mental health services into a system steeped in prevention and aggressive outreach stands to become a national model of success in mental health...

Report: Medicaid spending growth declining, revenues increasing: states focusing on more program investments.(Survey)
October 16, 2006... State revenues increased faster than Medicaid spending for the first time since 1998, according to a new survey of the 50 states and the District of Columbia released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the...

Research center, university, launch first national autism registry.
October 16, 2006... A leading national research center and a state center for autism disorders last week announced a partnership to launch a new national registry to help families and researchers share ideas and support and learn more about the causes and...

Cambodian refugees in California seek help for psychiatric illness.
October 16, 2006... Nearly 70 percent of Cambodian refugees in California with mental health disorders sought medical help for emotional or psychological problems in the previous year, contradicting the common belief that Asians are less likely to seek mental...

SPAN forms council to advance suicide prevention policy.(Suicide Prevention Action Network)(National Scientific Advisory Council)
October 16, 2006... The Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA) this month announced the formation of a National Scientific Advisory Council (NSAC), a committee of leading scientists and researchers who will inform SPAN USA's advocacy and public policy...

Name change for N.Y. agency.(Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies, Inc. changes its name to Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc.)(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... The Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies, Inc. in New York has changed its name to the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc. The new web address is www.coalitionny.org. The coalition is the umbrella advocacy organization of...

Study highlights gender differences in depression care.(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... Because older men experience higher rates of successful suicide than any other age or gender group, there is a significant need to understand the gender disparities surrounding depression treatment, wrote researchers with the University of...

New SAMHSA grants target co-occurring disorders, homeless.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced it will award a total of $7.45 million over five years to Minnesota and South Carolina, enabling the states to bolster "accessible, effective,...

Non-medical use of ADHD drugs poses health risks.(attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder)(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) suggests that the non-medical use of medications to treat attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) puts teens ages 12 to 17 at significant risk...

CHADD Educator's Manual on AD/HD: 2nd edition.(Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) has announced that the 2nd edition of its Educators Manual on AD/HD is now available for purchase on CHADD's website (www.chadd.org). The manual content is geared...

Coming up ...(conferences)(Brief article)(Calendar)
October 16, 2006... Joint Commission Resources (JCR), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the American Red Cross are coming together to sponsor the 2nd Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference: Disaster Readiness on the Home Front. The...

In case you haven't heard...(fear of flying)(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... It's estimated that at least 20 million Americans suffer from aviaphobia. Although a Boeing Company survey of Americans found that only 6 percent thought that traveling on an airplane was actually dangerous, one in three adults reported they...

NAMI analyzes new schizophrenia study; calls for more research.(National Alliance on Mental Illness)(Clinical report)
October 9, 2006... The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has called for more comprehensive studies on mental illness research and the need for improved medications following the release last week of a British study questioning the relative...

North Carolina begins to address MH services in adult care homes.
October 9, 2006... Pervasive problems at adult care homes have prompted North Carolina officials to draw up plans to house certain residents with mental illness in a separate, more secure facility. In the last two months, two residents of an adult care home in...

N.Y. advocates encouraged by Senate passage of MH parity.(New York mental health advocates)
October 9, 2006... Following several years of intense advocacy, New York mental health advocates may be getting one step closer to achieving parity in insurance coverage for mental illnesses, after last month's unanimous Senate passage of the parity bill known...

Advocates, lawmakers seek movement on federal parity bill.(Mental Health Parity Act updates and Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act)
October 9, 2006... With congressional elections pending and lawmakers not slated for return until later this year, mental health advocates still retain hope that long-awaited comprehensive mental health parity will soon become law. Parity sponsors have filed a...

Study examines public perception of SMI and treatment options.(mental health and substance use disorders survey)(Survey)
October 9, 2006... The way the public perceives mental health and substance use disorders has important implications for the types of treatment they may seek, according to results from a survey published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public...

Americans considers MH equally as important as physical health.(mental health issues)(Survey)
October 9, 2006... While nearly nine out of 10 (89 percent) Americans say mental health is as important as physical health, only one-fourth (24 percent) believe physical and mental health are treated with equal importance in the U.S. health care system. Nearly...

Canada launches program to tackle stigma.(Briefly noted)(Mental Health First Aid Canada initiative)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Coinciding with Mental Illness Awareness Week in Alberta, Canada last week, the Alberta Mental Health Board (AMHB) has announced the launch of the first-ever Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Canada initiative, with the goal of expanding public...

Suicide rates dropping in all age groups.(Briefly noted)
October 9, 2006... While a study published in the Journal of Public Health suggests that suicide rates are on the decline in four distinct age groups (15-24 years, 25-44 years, 45-64 years, 65 years and older), the report comes to no certain conclusions about...

Johnson & Johnson to launch new schizophrenia drug.(Business)(paliperidone)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. announced (Sept. 29) that it has received an approvable letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its new drug formulation paliperidone extended release (ER)...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
October 9, 2006... CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) will hold its 18th Annual International Conference on AD/HD on October 26-28 in Chicago. "State of the Art: Science and Research in Practice" will include educational...

In case you haven't heard ...(compulsive buying defined as mental disorder)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Individuals who lightheartedly refer to themselves as "shopaholics" are probably not aware that the diagnosis of "compulsive buying" is being considered for the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The...

New JCAHO safety goal gives further attention to suicide risk: identification requirement takes effect Jan. 1.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' National Patient Safety Goals)
October 2, 2006... The widespread attention that suicide risk assessment has received in the behavioral health community has been reinforced with the official announcement that identification of clients at risk of suicide will be part of the Joint Commission on...

Wash. state addresses MH workforce safety via summit, legislation: action comes in response to death of mental health worker.
October 2, 2006... Washington State officials and lawmakers have responded to workplace violence against mental health professionals thorough a variety of efforts, including legislation, and two recent state summits, following the death of a mental health...

Mo. advocates establish coalition to address MH funding crisis.(mental health policy in Missouri)
October 2, 2006... Faced with a growing budget crisis affecting many of the state's mental health programs and services, Missouri mental health advocates, court attorneys, government officials and others have partnered together to educate lawmakers and the...

Wash. state union releases report on MH worker safety.(The Risk of Violence in Mental Health Work report)
October 2, 2006... Staff safety training, reduced caseload size, and legislative funding for community mental health emerged as prominent themes and recommendations following the release last month of a report on mental health workplace violence in Washington...

Pa. pilot program integrates mental health and primary care.
October 2, 2006... A pilot program designed for advanced practice nurses to use cognitive therapy to treat primary care patients with psychiatric symptoms resulted in improved depressive symptoms and better adherence to treatment in patients. The nurses...

SAMHSA supports mental health care for HIV/AIDS.(Briefly noted)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced (Sept. 25) the award of 16 cooperative agreements totaling $42 million to enhance and expand the provision of effective, culturally competent...

Study links ADHD with lead and tobacco exposure.(Briefly noted)(attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... New research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that about one-third of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cases in the United States could be attributable to neonatal tobacco exposure or to lead...

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 2, 2006... In the September 18 issue on page 5, MHW should have indicated that the Johnson County Kansas Mental Health Center in Metropolitan Kansas City provides services to offenders with mental illness in the county jail, which has 800 beds, instead...

JCI opens Middle East office.(Joint Commission International)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Joint Commission International (JCI) announced on September 19 the opening of its Middle East office in Dubai's Healthcare City. JCI writes that in addition to facilitating better support for its Middle East clients, the new center will...

Odyssey House to offer housing assistance.(Briefly noted)
October 2, 2006... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded $200,000 to New York's Odyssey House, allowing this comprehensive treatment provider to offer housing placement assistance to residents. Odyssey House...

Shelley E. Taylor, Ph.D.(achievements)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Professor Shelley E. Taylor, Ph.D., with the Department of Psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles, will be awarded an inaugural cash prize at a gala during The Gallup Organization's International Positive Psychology Summit....

Charles L. Bowden, M.D.(achievements)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... The professor, researcher and doctor Charles L. Bowden, M.D., will be awarded the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Mind of America Scientific Research Award for his seminal research on bipolar disorder and mood stabilizing drugs....

Coming up ...
October 2, 2006... The Gallup Organization will hold its International Positive Psychology Summit in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 5 to Oct.7. The Summit brings together the world's leading authorities on Positive Psychology and showcases best practices and...

In case you haven't heard ...(diagnosis of hysteria)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Some doctors call it "the diagnosis that dare not speak its name," reported the New York Times (Sept. 26). In fact, a diagnosis of "hysteria" has seldom been given over the past 50 years, in part due to the term's misogynistic roots. And yet...