Thursday, August 07, 2003
Social services deals with budget cuts, director resignation (Maryland) Story at
Gazette.net - "There are more concerns with the Frederick County Department of Social Services than just the sudden resignation Monday of its director James A. Hart. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s (R) $11.7 million cuts last week to the state's Department of Human Resources, the agency that oversees social services, just compounds problems at the local agency. Without leadership, state officials know it will be difficult for social services to address the recent reductions."
Debate Resumes on the Safety of Depression's Wonder Drugs Front page feature article in today's
New York Times - "Warnings by drug regulators about the safety of Paxil, one of the world's most prescribed antidepressants, are reopening seemingly settled questions about a whole class of drugs that also includes Prozac and Zoloft. Doctors are just beginning to react to the finding — reported first by British drug authorities in June and then endorsed the next week by the Food and Drug Administration — that unpublished studies about Paxil show that it carries a substantial risk of prompting teenagers and children to consider suicide." [Viewing
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Antidepressants Grow New Brain Cells Reuters story at
Yahoo - "Antidepressants may help stimulate the growth of new brain cells, U.S.-based scientists said on Thursday in releasing research that may lead to the development of better drugs to fight depression. Research on rats shows that two different classes of antidepressants can help brain cells regenerate -- and not in areas normally thought of as being involved in depression..." See also
Creation of new neurons critical to antidepressant action in mice, a National Institute of Mental Health press release at
EurekAlert - "Blocking the formation of neurons in the hippocampus blocks the behavioral effects of antidepressants in mice, say researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their finding lends new credence to the proposed role of such neurogenesis in lifting mood. It also helps to explain why antidepressants typically take a few weeks to work, note Rene Hen, Ph.D., Columbia University, and colleagues, who report on their study in the August 8th
Science. "
Tax increase considered to boost mental health budget (Iowa) Newton Daily News story - "Although all three members of the Jasper County Board of Supervisors have indicated that they are very opposed to raising taxes, Central Point Coordinator Julie Bak gave them some reason to believe that they may have no choice. The county's mental health levy has been lowered each of the last six years and is now too low to maintain the mental health budget, Bak contends."
US Immigrants Face Obstacles When Dealing with Mental Health Issues Voice of America story, focusing on a Mexican-American neighborhood in Chicago - "...Although one in six people will experience a major episode of depression in their lifetime, fewer than half will seek treatment. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, stigma prevents many from seeking care. But among American immigrants, poverty and language barriers also stand in the way.... "
Mental health reform plan needs more participation (Washington) Story at the
Star-News - "As the state reforms its mental health system, it needs interested citizens to evaluate the plan, provide guidance and generally ride herd on the process. The aim of the reform, as I understand it, is to give consumers – that's the word for people who get help with mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems – more say in how they're treated. We'll try to see them as whole, real people, not just a cluster of interesting symptoms. As much as possible, consumers will be moved from large state mental hospitals to smaller, more flexible facilities in the towns they came from..."
Mental health crisis Opinion column by Jenelle Wilson in
The Battalion, the newspaper of Texas A&M University on the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's report - "The report could have remarkable and extensive effects on how the mentally ill are treated in the United States, if the national government follows through and applies the changes. Mental illness is too serious a problem and the system is too damaged to let the opportunity this report represents slip by..."
Mental health scheme offers one-on-one help (New Zealand) Story at
Stuff - "A new Maori mental health scheme has been introduced in Lower Hutt in a bid to meet urgent patient needs. Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia opened the Te PaePae Trust service yesterday. Trust clinical operations manager Peta Ruha said the scheme was the first non-government based Maori service to be opened in Hutt Valley. ... The trust would run a specialised programme to identify and help youth with problems and get them back into education."
