Friday, September 20, 2002

Other states see spike in abuse of methadone (Oregon)
Portland Press Herald story - "Several areas of the country have experienced a surge in methadone overdoses much like Portland has seen this year, part of what drug policy officials say is an increasing problem with the illegal use of prescription drugs."  
  

Early Discontinuation of Antidepressants
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Ineffective patient-physician communication may be largely responsible for patients' discontinuation or switching of antidepressants before completion of the recommended treatment period, according to newly published study findings." The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Olanzapine Better Than Lithium for Bipolar I Maintenance
Medscape Medical News story - "The first randomized double-blind comparison of olanzapine (Zyprexa) and lithium found the former to be superior for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder, according to a presentation at the Third European Stanley Foundation Conference on Bipolar Disorder held in Freiberg, Germany." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Psychiatric ER a 'godsend' for ill (Indiana)
Indianapolis Star story on Midtown Mental Health Center, which this week opened a psychiatric emergency services unit at Wishard Memorial Hospital, "the first of its kind in Indiana and part of a $1.5 million renovation at the hospital."  
  

Review of deadly force deaths needed (Canada)
Canadian Press story - "Ontario's auditor should formally review inquests into the use of lethal force by police to determine whether they are worth the cost to taxpayers, a coalition of race relations and mental health groups says in a report released Thursday."  
  

Mental health coalition challenges Milburn on bill (UK)
Nursing Standard story - "Health secretary Alan Milburn has been told in no uncertain terms that his draft Mental Health Bill is fundamentally ‘flawed, unworkable and unethical’. In a letter to the minister, Mental Health Alliance (MHA) chair Paul Farmer called on the government to recognise the ‘deep worry and concern’ generated by the bill."  
  

The global response to mental illness
Editorial in the British Medical Journal on "the scale of the global challenge posed by mental illness" and "the inadequacy of our international response."