Friday, March 07, 2003
New drug for ADHD offers hope to kids and adults Story in the
Miami Herald - "Adults who have a condition most often identified with hyperactive children have a new drug to add to their arsenal. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly recently released Strattera, a nonaddictive alternative to some of the drugs now prescribed to adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a condition that until recently was largely undiagnosed in grown-ups."
NAMI and NMHA Raise Serious Concerns Over Multi-State Restrictions on Medications in Medicaid NMHA press release - " Fiscal crisis continues to lead states toward penny-wise but pound-foolish policy choices. A handful of states are considering pooling their purchasing power to negotiate lower prices from pharmaceutical companies for medications in Medicaid. While our organizations understand that states must make tough decisions in the face of the current budget crisis, these programs may jeopardize consumer health if they restrict access to needed medications."
Hundreds protest mental health cuts (Oklahoma) NewsOK.com story - "Nearly 500 Oklahomans on Tuesday went to the state Capitol to lobby legislators to protect the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Department from further budget cuts."
Mental Health considers worker furloughs to deal with possible budget cuts (South Carolina) WISTV story - "The Mental Health Commission is trying to figure out how to deal with a potential $15 million dollar budget cut. Commission chief of staff Geoff Mason says officials are considering furloughs for non-essential administrative workers. Mason says the Mental Health Department is trying to minimize cuts in services. He says there will be no cuts in acute-care beds."
Opening of mental health building is delayed again (Oregon) Story in the
Bend Bulletin - "Construction of a $1.9 million Bend building to treat severely mentally ill patients — part of a mental health treatment campus for the tri-county area — has been pushed back again. The move could cost the Deschutes County Mental Health Department tens of thousands more dollars at a time it's already reeling from state budget cuts, according county officials."
Mental health advisory panel is mothballed (Canada) Canoe story - "A committee that was supposed to advise the province on forcing mentally ill people to take medication has been scrapped - indefinitely. A year ago, a committee at the Alberta Mental Health Board was looking into laws in four provinces that allow authorities to compel the mentally ill to undergo treatment. But when the Alberta government decided to transfer the board's authority over mental health services to the regional health authorities, effective April 1, the committee was left in limbo."
Moving beyond single and dual diagnosis in general practice Editorial in the
British Medical Journal - "The awkward phrase 'multiple morbidity' describes the common predicament of the many patients who have more than one health problem. Such patients are disproportionately represented among populations that are socioeconomically deprived and elderly. ... Examples from mental health show that provision of service in this field has been slow to move from single diagnosis to dual diagnosis.4 Dual diagnosis applies to patients who have a mental health problem and problematic substance or alcohol use. A recent report on dual diagnosis from the Department of Health highlighted the role that primary care had in ensuring adequate care pathways for patients with mental health problems, drug problems, and related physical problems such as infection with hepatitis B or C virus or HIV."
A Welfare-to-Work Study Finds No Harm to Children New York Times story - "Poor children suffer no psychological damage when their mothers move from welfare to work, as millions of women have in recent years, a major new study says. Among adolescents in such families, the researchers say, mental health may actually have improved." [Viewing
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Court says juveniles must have lawyers when faced with residential commitment (Florida) Herald Tribune story - "Juveniles must be provided with a hearing and a lawyer before they can be committed to a residential facility for mental-health treatment, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The court adopted a new rule of juvenile procedure, providing for the legal representation in cases in which a child objects to the commitment."
Mental health care switch is imminent (Virginia) Daily Press story - "For some time, state officials have described the future of Virginia's mental health system: It will rely less on state-run mental hospitals and more on community-based care, such as local hospitals. They'll be the first to admit that the future hasn't arrived."
