Monday, November 04, 2002
Experts Debate Key Controversies in Prescribing Antipsychotics A two part special report from the Mount Sinai Conference in the
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update at
Medscape - "This report summarizes the proceedings of The Mount Sinai Conference -- a gathering of investigators who had done the background research for and developed the various clinical guidelines mentioned above. It was hoped that the group would reach a consensus about whether the evidence base concerning antipsychotic prescribing for the treatment of schizophrenia was clear enough to support establishing a particular clinical practice as a treatment standard. The conference focused on treatment issues that arise frequently in routine practice where there is practitioner disagreement, as indicated by broad variations in prescribing practice." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Antidepressants: Too Much of a Good Thing? Health Scout News story - "Now that some of the stigma of mental illness has been stripped away, more Americans than ever before are reaching out for help with depression. But the form that treatment takes is a matter of increasing debate in health-care circles. The heart of the argument: Are antidepressants being over-prescribed or under-prescribed for those struggling with depression?"
Drug court: Another weapon in the fight (North Carolina) Courier-Tribune story - "Another weapon in the fight against drugs was quietly introduced into Randolph County in March. Authorities are optimistic the program, called Drug Treatment Court, will benefit the community in the long run more than imprisoning substance abusers."
Congress OKs health safety net measures American Medical News story - "While most health care legislation got stuck in partisan gridlock this year, a bill expanding the health care safety net is one of the few to get signed into law. But communities in need of the help may have to wait a while longer, because Congress has yet to appropriate the funds needed to implement the programs."
Hospital-jail offers hope for the mentally ill (Canada) Globe and Mail story on St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre in Brockville, which "was to be Ontario's bold step toward treating mentally ill inmates and reducing their chances of committing more crimes. But months before it is slated to open, it is in 11th-hour negotiations between the province and the Ottawa psychiatrists who are to operate it. In question is the institution's status under Ontario's mental-health law...."
Presidential panel finds US mental health system 'dysfunctional' Reuters Health story - "America's system for treating and rehabilitating persons with mental illness is in financial and bureaucratic disarray and is plagued by complexities that make it nearly impossible for many patients to receive needed care, according to a report issued Friday by a presidential mental health commission."
Budget rule fuels spending (Iowa) Des Moines Register story - "Iowa counties are considering spending more on mental-health and disability services to hang on to state money under a new use-it-or-lose-it rule, a maneuver that landed Johnson County in hot water. ... The talk stems from a 2001 state rule that says counties with a certain amount of money remaining at the end of a fiscal year receive less the following year for mental-health and developmental disability services. All but 16 counties in Iowa got less money than expected in fiscal 2002 under the new guidelines, which were meant to help solve state budget problems."
