Tuesday, September 10, 2002
Depressive Disorders in Adolescents: Challenges in Diagnosis Article by Jerry Rushton in the September
Psychiatric Times - "Many adolescents experience depressive symptoms and some have episodes that go beyond transient feelings. Risk factors and predictive strategies are thwarted by the power of individual differences. Communicating with patient families; using the available innovative pharmacological, diagnostic and behavioral tools; and individualizing treatment approaches can improve outcomes."
Effects Of Current And Future Information Technologies On The Health Care Workforce Article in the September/October
Health Affairs - "Information technologies have the potential to affect the types and distribution of jobs in the health care workforce. Against a background of an explosively growing body of knowledge in the health sciences, current models of clinical decision making by autonomous practitioners, relying upon their memory and personal experience, will be inadequate for effective twenty-first-century health care delivery. The growth of consumerism and the proliferation of Internet-accessible sources of health-related information will modify the traditional roles of provider and patient and will provide opportunities for new kinds of employment in health-related professions."
US Steps Up Scrutiny of Health Insurers Reuters story on comments by a Justice Department official that U.S. antitrust regulators "are stepping up scrutiny of health insurers, concerned that competition in the industry may have been crimped by a recent wave of mergers," and that health insurance companies have become an "area of primary concern" to the department's antitrust division.
Moving Consumers to the Head of the Class Managed Care article - "Creating a customer base that's aware of the link between cost and services has become the next big challenge in managed care. It's a daunting task.... The idea has gotten more play lately for several reasons: reports that health benefit premiums may rise 20 percent in 2003, a turn away from capitation, and a recent ruling by the IRS that makes it financially more advantageous for employees to enroll in defined-contribution systems."
Preparing For Sept. 11 Memories And Reactions A
Hartford Courant story on the anticipated impact of media attention to the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, which notes that in Connecticut, "state mental health officials are preparing to handle calls about psychological reactions including sleeplessness, anger and difficulty handling day-to-day activities. Several state agencies are working together to handle a possible influx of calls this week, and officials said citizens of varying age groups should be counseled differently." For a sampling of the many related stories, see
Sept. 11: US changed psychologically (UPI),
Mental health experts wary of anniversary (
Daily Press, California),
Schools' plans to observe 9/11 spark debate (
Boston Globe),
How Brain, and Spirit, Adapt to a 9/11 World (
New York Times - registration required, but free) and the special section of this month's
APA Monitor,
Sept. 11: A year later, first noted
here last Friday.
Insurer limits children's drugs (California) Fresnbo Bee story on Blue Cross of California - "For nearly a year, one of California's largest health plans, concerned about the growing use of psychiatric drugs in preschoolers, has been informing pediatricians that it will block their youngest patients' access to anti-psychotics without a visit to a specialist."
Budget ax expected to strike (California) Mercury News story - "More spending cuts are expected today in Santa Clara County, where supervisors will vote to slash an additional $17.4 million from the county budget....", including job cuts for social workers serving the mentally ill and abused and neglected children.
Urgent care for mental health takes pressure off hospital (Minnesota) Minnesota Star Tribune story on the Diagnostic Evaluation Center, an urgent care program designed by Behavioral Healthcare Providers that provides an immediate psychological evaluation at the Fairview-University Medical Center ER in Minneapolis and also helps those who need outpatient care "navigate a disjointed mental health system."
