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PULSE ANNUAL No. 2
January 2003
Recent
Trends, Challenges and Issues in Funding Public Mental Health Services
in the US
March 2002
PULSE ANNUAL No. 1
October 2001
PULSE is powered by
Radio Userland.
© Bill Davis, 2000-2003.
Federal Agencies Could Play a Stronger Role in Helping States Reduce the Number of Children Placed Solely to Obtain Mental Health Services
GAO report (in Adobe Acrobat format). CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News notes that "Child welfare directors in 19 states and juvenile justice officials in 30 counties estimated that in fiscal year 2001 parents placed over 12,700 children into the child welfare or juvenile justice systems so that these children could receive mental health services. Nationwide, this number is likely higher because many state child welfare directors did not provide data and GAO had limited coverage of county juvenile justice officials."
Cutbacks Imperil Health Coverage for States' Poor
New York Times article - "Millions of low-income Americans face the loss of health insurance or sharp cuts in benefits, like coverage for prescription drugs and dental care, under proposals now moving through state legislatures around the country. State officials and health policy experts say the cuts will increase the number of uninsured, threaten recent progress in covering children and impose severe strains on hospitals, doctors and nursing homes." See also the state-by-state graphic Budget Woes May Force Further Cuts in Medicaid and the story Connecticut's Cuts Facing Legal Battle. [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].
New mental health service model for culturally diverse society (Canada)
Item in Mental Health Notes (CMHA - Ontario Division) - "A cultural consultation model is effective in improving diagnostic assessment and treatment for mental disorders within a diverse urban population, according to a Montreal study published in the April issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry." See also the study, Cultural Consultation: A Model of Mental Health Service for Multicultural Societies (Adobe Acrobat format).
The Rorschach Test
New York Times article - "Last month, a quartet of academics published ''What's Wrong With the Rorschach?' -- attacking a test administered to more than a million people worldwide each year. According to recent surveys by the American Psychological Association, 82 percent of its members 'occasionally' and 43 percent 'frequently' use the test, in which subjects speculate about five colored and five black-and-white inkblots." Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].
Struggles with mental illness need not be silent crusades (Pennsylvania)
Express-Times story focusing on a 12-week class in Bethlehem to help families tackle brain disorders that has been revived by the Lehigh Valley education coordinator for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
Detox beds trimmed by half (Massachusetts)
Boston Globe story - "Less than a month after the state cut health coverage for 36,000 of its poorest residents and slashed nearly 50 percent of the beds at detox facilities throughout Massachusetts, those suffering the worst addictions to alcohol and drugs already see the difference: It's getting harder for them to sober up. Before the budget cuts took effect on April 1, the state subsidized 997 beds, which last fiscal year helped some 45,000 patients get sober -- at least for a little while. Now, only about 500 beds remain, and by the end of the fiscal year, the number will drop to 420."
WRAL.com - News - Advocates Want Dollars Behind Mental Health Reforms (North Carolina)
Story at WRAL - "About 200 people behind the Legislative Building on Thursday urged lawmakers to pay for reforms aimed at moving the mentally ill from state institutions to community services. Those attending the rally, organized by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, also called on the General Assembly to stop efforts to close Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh."
Jury sides with mental health center (New Hampshire)
Story in the Concord Monitor - "A Merrimack County jury dismissed a claim of professional negligence yesterday against Genesis, a community mental health center in Laconia. The parents of 'Jimmy Doe,' a 37-year-old from Laconia who suffers from severe mental illnesses, had sued both Genesis and New Hampshire Hospital over an October 1997 suicide attempt..." The story notes that "Doe's story shows the challenge that mental health workers face every day to provide freedom without compromising safety, according to Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards, who represented the state in the case."
Mental Illness: The future of mental health care (Texas)
Story at News 8 Austin - "Mental health advocates say proposed cuts to mental health care, mental retardation services, and reductions in Medicaid and CHIP coverage will effect every community in Texas. The loss in support would leave many treatable patients facing relapses in their disorders, putting them into hospitals and possibly jails."
Mental health funding is vital for Montana
Guest Editorial in the Billings Gazette co-authored by a Montana consumer and the president of NAMI-Montana - "For our sake and everyone elses, we hope legislators will find the money required to properly care for Montanans who suffer from mental illness. Our view may be colored by painful experiences, but we know what were talking about. Gary has been advocating for the mentally ill for over 12 years, and Mark knows from the inside how bipolar disorder can derail a highly productive life of traditional 'success.' "
Mental health researchers focus on youths
Story in the News-Journal - "Most research on depression, bipolar disorder and other mental-health illnesses is based on diagnosing and treating adults, not children or teenagers. That's because someone looking for classic signs of adult depression - lethargy, irritability and overt expressions of sadness - may misdiagnose the angst-filled and moody adolescent. The National Institute for Mental Health, a government research organization, has called for more research on diagnosing and treating mental illnesses in children...."![]()