Thursday, May 29, 2003
Britain Launches New SSRI Safety Probe May 23
Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "Britain's Department of Health said on Friday a new expert group had met for the first time to review the safety of antidepressant drugs following the dissolution of the first group amid concerns that some members had industry ties." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Conference Highlights: Completion of the Human Genome Project Article in
Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery on the April conference marking the completion of the Human Genome Project - "for the 2 days of this conference, staid and sober scientists, normally given to understatement, could be forgiven for sounding a little giddy as they celebrated this achievement, in the manner of scientists, by talking to each other. Dozens of Nobel laureates, many of the world's greatest geneticists, and virtually all of the scientists responsible for sequencing the human genome gathered in an ordinary auditorium at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to remember, to reflect, and to marvel at the leap of progress during the past 50 years." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Perspectives in Serious Mental Illness Article in
Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health - "The term "serious and persistent mental illness," or SPMI, is the currently accepted term for a variety of mental health problems that lead to tremendous disability. Although commonly associated with the illness schizophrenia, the severely and persistently mentally ill include people with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses. More than just a difference of diagnoses, there is a difference in culture when people speak of SPMI...." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
A Proposal for Health System Redesign An article at
Health Leaders - "With escalating health insurance premiums, a growing number of Americans without healthcare coverage, widespread evidence of the proliferation of avoidable medical errors and skyrocketing medical liability costs for certain physician specialties, the time is again ripe for calls to reform and redesign our nation's healthcare financing and delivery systems. In this four-part series,
HealthLeaders member Brad Stephan shares his views on what it will take to make things right."
Best Practices in Four Cities in Southwestern Ontario: The Interface between People with Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice Sytem A paper (in
Adobe Acrobat format) from the Canadian Mental Health Association - Ontario Division that includes "detailed descriptions of protocols and practices, background information, and key informant contact information covering such issues as the need for a mental health court in Southwestern Ontario, court diversion, police response to mentally ill persons, charge diversion, fitness assessments, forensic assessment, probation and police training. While much of the information is specific to the region, the author hopes this document will enable those working in the field to examine creative ways of addressing similar issues. "
Association Between Antidepressant Prescribing and Suicide in Australia, 1991-2000: Trend Analysis
Article (in
Adobe Acrobat format) from the
British Medical Journal available at the
Open Minds web site - "We examined the association between changes in antidepressant prescribing in Australia for 1991-2000 and changes in rates of suicide. We analyzed differences in suicide trends between men and women in different age groups to assess whether age and sex rates in suicide were related to differences between age and sex groups in exposure to antidepressant medication. We also examined any differences between age and sex groups in rates of antidepressant prescribing and whether these were related to trends in suicide rates in these age and sex groups."
Onex seeking to buy control of Magellan Baltimore Sun story - "Toronto-based investment company Onex Corp. said yesterday that it plans to purchase a controlling interest in Magellan Health Services Inc., the nation's largest mental health care company, which voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in March. Onex would make a $200 million investment in Columbia-based Magellan. Some of that money would l go to pay creditors, and the rest would fund company growth once the reorganization is complete."
