Monday, November 25, 2002
Patients released with no care plan (UK) Story in
The Independent on admissions by the government that "one in seven mental health patients is not getting the necessary help and support because they do not have a written care plan," which details "the patient's condition and future needs once they are released into the community, tell them where they can get help, keep them in contact with mental health professionals to review their progress, and give advice about what they should do in an emergency."
Crisis of mentally ill tackled (New York) Rochester Democrat & Chronicle story - "The state plans to announce this week that it will evaluate each of thousands of mentally ill New Yorkers living in adult homes as part of its response to a scandal over poor care, advocacy groups said."
Mentally ill children unable to get into treatment centers (Connecticut) Story at
ctnow.com - "Children diagnosed with serious psychiatric problems face a shortage of state beds, and often are housed in emergency rooms while waiting for space at an appropriate facility, The
Hartford Courant reported Sunday. The problem has grown worse in the past two years, and children are waiting longer for admission to psychiatric care centers..."
Mental health workers dislike planned merger (North Carolina) Story in the
Fayetteville Observer on plans to consolidate Dorothea Dix and John Umstead psychiatric hospitals, have mental health centers cease providing services in areas with qualified private providers and instead contract with private providers and change the scope of treatment. The story notes that local mental health officials are concerned that many "working poor who are unable to pay for treatment will be left out.... [and] many of these people will end up homeless or in prison."
Use of drug soars despite controversy Boston Globe story on the "aggressive marketing" of Neurontin and "skyrocketing use of the drug ... even as doubts were growing about its effectiveness for some uses also makes the Neurontin story a case study in why prescription drug costs have overwhelmed state Medicaid programs
Psychologists see rural areas as entry point to prescribing (Nebraska) American Medical News story - "With less than a dozen psychiatrists to serve the rural communities in the western part of the state, officials with both the Nebraska Medical Assn. and Nebraska Psychiatric Society acknowledge that the state is in the midst of a mental health crisis -- in both rural and urban areas. But they don't think that allowing psychologists to have prescribing authority is the way to solve the problem."
Time to put stigma to bed for good Column in the
Toronto Star by Phil Upshall, a consumer advocate who is the president of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada and chair of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.
Patient deaths raise debate over physical restraint Houston Chronicle story on fatalities that occur during or after the use of physical restraint at mental health and treatment facilities and as a result raise questions about the physical restraint of patients or residents who become violent - "Proponents say restraint is a necessity in the clinical and institutional world where some confrontations can be handled no other way. Critics say the practice is barbaric and should be banned."
