Thursday, April 24, 2003
Prevention of Depression in Medically Ill Elderly Article in the
Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update at
Medscape based on a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
NCADI: Alcoholism Far More Than Just A 'Bad Habit' NCADI press release - "The recent ABC Television special titled "Help Me! I Can't Help Myself" which aired on Tuesday, April 21, 2003, was woefully one-sided, misleading, and factually incorrect. To suggest that alcoholism is nothing more than a "matter of choice" dangerously oversimplifies what is one of America's primary public health issues: alcoholism..... Unfortunately, programs like the ABC-TV special reinforce the stereotypical perception of alcoholism as a moral failing and help prop up barriers to effective treatment."
Options for Financing Health Coverage Expansion The fourth paper (in
Adobe Acrobat format) in the "Issues in Coverage Expansion Design Series" from the
Economic and Social Research Institute "discusses issues to be considered when policymakers decide how to finance new coverage programs, including the differences between budgetary and social costs, criteria for choosing a financing source, and various sources for funding."
Drug Makers Expand Their Medicaid Role This
New York Times article doesn't specifically reference mental health treatment, yet it identifies an important trend in the role of pharmaceutical companies in the American health care system - "A growing number of pharmaceutical companies are offering to take on prominent public health roles in helping to care for the sickest poor patients in some states. Under the agreements, the drug companies create guidelines for treating Medicaid patients with chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes. ....The drug companies say the programs save taxpayers millions of dollars by keeping Medicaid patients out of the hospital. But critics of the programs say the drug companies are sponsoring them to persuade state governments to drop efforts to demand lower drug prices." [Viewing
New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].
School-based psychotherapy (Maine) Courier Gazette story on the work of school-based therapists - "experienced, licensed Master's level clinicians affiliated with a mental health agency and working several days a week in an elementary, middle or high school. School based therapists work closely with a variety of school professionals, abide by school policy and procedure and follow specific federal and state regulations having to do with the rights of mental health recipients. They are also bound by the rules of their agency and the limits and guidelines of their licensing board and professional association. It is their charge to care specifically for childrens' mental health and well-being, by providing assessment, diagnosis, a treatment plan, collaboration and consistent parameters of therapy."
New Schizophrenia Program Targets Teens (Canada) Canada Newswire story - "The Schizophrenia Society of Canada and its Provincial Societies announced today the national launch of Reaching Out, a new teen-oriented educational program designed to raise the awareness and understanding about schizophrenia, a brain disease that first presents itself in young men and women between the ages of 15-25. Through a substantial contribution from Health Canada, the Schizophrenia Society is offering the complete Reaching Out resource kit free of charge to educators as a way of communicating key information that will help promote early diagnosis and treatment." See also the
Reaching Out resources at the Schizophrenia Society of Canada's web site, which include a
fact sheet, a
teachers manual and a
"Family Helping Families" brochure, all in
Adobe Acrobat format.
Study: Michigan mental health care fails Story at
The State News - "After Michigan was the only state to receive all failing grades in a recent national study of mental health care, state officials are saying improvements are in the works. The National Mental Health Association report, which was released Wednesday, examined parity in services provided by private insurance plans and government programs, access to medications and protection against declining services that may result from managed care. Michigan's services were reported inadequate in all three categories." The story notes that the National Mental Health Association is scheduled to release an executive summary of its report next month.
