Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Report: Mental Health System Lacking
New York Times story on the report by the National Council on Disability noted here yesterday - "The U.S. mental health system is in crisis, unable to provide even the most basic services and supports to people with psychiatric disabilities, according to a federal report released Monday. The fundamental problem: emphasizing medicating people over fostering ways to help them lead productive lives." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Study results offer new hope for people with manic depression
Shire Health International press release - "Results from a clinical trial presented for the first time today at Europe's largest Conference on Bipolar Disorder, reveal that Seroquel (quetiapine), a medication currently used to treat patients with schizophrenia, could offer a more effective therapy for the millions of people worldwide suffering from bipolar disorder."  
  

Depictions of mental illness in print media: a prospective national sample (New Zealand)
Blackwell Publishing abstract of an article in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry of a study designed "to prospectively collect and analyse a near complete New Zealand sample of print media."  
  

State Is Failing Mentally Ill, Study Says (New York)
New York Times story - "A new Pataki administration study acknowledges widespread failings at New York's adult homes for the mentally ill, concluding that the state is allowing some of its most vulnerable citizens to be exploited in a system plagued by inept, wasteful and fraudulent services. The study calls the care given at the state-regulated, privately run homes "fundamentally flawed," and recommends that the state move residents to other housing." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Arcane Laws Hinder ER Interventions for Alcohol, Other Drugs
Feature story at Join Together - "America's emergency rooms fill up each day with people who injure themselves while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, yet few are ever referred to addiction treatment or counseling. The result: hundreds of millions of dollars in added health costs arising from the leading cause of injuries."  
  

Affluent youth prone to high distress, substance abuse
Center for the Advancement of Health press release on a study by researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University which found that "affluent, suburban middle-school students may face certain pressures that make them susceptible to depression and more likely to smoke or use drugs and alcohol."  
  

Using naltrexone to treat alcoholics with a 'Mediterranean drinking pattern'
Press release on a study in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research that is "among the first to examine the effectiveness and safety of naltrexone for the treatment of alcoholism among Spanish patients with a Mediterranean drinking pattern."  
  

Children’s mental health care studied (Missouri)
Columbia Daily Tribune story on a report by the Citizens for Missouri’s Children advocacy group which says that "a fragmented approach to mental health care for Missouri children keeps many of them from getting the help and treatment they need" and "blames shortcomings in the Medicaid system, inadequate spending and a confusing maze of state agencies" resulting from Medicaid contracts with HMO's and subcontracts with behavioral health organizations.  
  

County considers using Mental Health Court (Nevada)
Las Vegas Sun story on Clark County considering the implementation of mental health courts based on the successes of such courts in Seattle and nearby Washoe County.  
  

Mental health law fears played down (UK)
BBC story - "The rights of mentally ill people will not be undermined by proposed legislation being published in Scotland, the health minister has promised."