Monday, May 12, 2003
Management of Opioid Dependence From
Current Opinion in Psychiatry at
Medscape - "The present review provides an overview of the most recent developments in the treatment of opioid-dependent patients, using a chronic disease model as a starting point, and taking crisis intervention, cure (detoxification, relapse prevention), care (stabilization and harm reduction) and palliation as the major treatment goals."
Physical Complications of Substance Abuse Current Opinion in Psychiatry review at
Medscape that examines the recent literature on physical complications of substance abuse - "There is an essential, ongoing and background updating of our knowledge of the social determinants and public health issues related to substance abuse. It is also vital that psychiatrists remain aware of the medical and surgical problems that patients with substance use disorders may develop." [Viewing
Medscape rsopurces requires registration, which is free].
Mental Health Issues In Teens Who Were Born At Low Birthweight American Academy of Pediatrics press release reprinted at
InteliHealth - "Parents of teens whose birth weight was extremely low were more likely to report that their child had Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or depression compared to other children in the study, 'Psychopathology and Social Competencies of Adolescents Who Were Extremely Low Birthweight.' "
Inside Drug Court (Florida) Feature article in the Sunday
St. Augustine Record - "Touted nationwide for saving tax dollars and breaking addiction patterns, the program started locally in November .... [Participants] work one-on-one with counselors, law enforcement, a probation officer, a prosecutor, defense attorneys, a mental health analyst, a program coordinator, a circuit judge and more. The program lasts 12 to 18 months. Participants proceed through four phases: Phase I lasts at least one month, II lasts at least four months, III lasts at least five months, and IV lasts at least two months."
No program's immune from state budget ax: potentially unprecedented cuts especially tough on lean counties (California) SF Gate story - "Bay Area school districts, county governments and other organizations that rely on state funds are bracing this week for what could be the deepest budget cuts ever -- affecting everyone from kindergartners to elderly Alzheimer's patients. The state's fiscal crisis will eclipse the economic downturn of a decade ago and even the drastic property tax rollback under Proposition 13 in 1978, officials predict. Some counties in the region already are shuttering medical and mental health clinics and expecting layoffs that will mean fewer workers for critical jobs, from rescuing abused children to helping welfare recipients find work."
Behavioral Health Unit opens (New Hampshire) Portsmouth Herald Business News story - "Portsmouth Regional Hospital this past week unveiled its new Behavioral Health Unit, symbolizing not only a new direction for the hospital, but how mental health care is changing across the country. The unit held an open house on Thursday and opens officially to patients tomorrow. ... Current programs include addiction recovery; an intensive outpatient treatment program for adults; an in-patient assessment program for 'impaired professionals'; an intensive behavioral health program; and services for some adolescents and senior citizens."
New facility for mentally ill proposed (Montana) Story in the
Missoulian - "A recently closed wing of the psychiatric unit at the Billings Deaconess Clinic is being eyed by some in Montana as the site for a new, government-funded inpatient facility for the mentally ill. Deaconess Billings Clinic Psychiatric Services closed 11 beds this past October. That wing could be reopened to accommodate about 14 beds, said Joan Daly, the manager of the psychiatric center."
Mental health service growth 'stalled' (New Zealand) Story at
Stuff = "A stagnant growth rate in mental health services is not cause for doom, the Mental Health Commission said yesterday. The commission yesterday released its Report on Progress 2001-2002, which confirmed that although mental health funding increased by 5.5 per cent or $38 million, access to services remained unchanged."
