Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Emergency Department Trends From the Drug Abuse Warning Network, Final Estimates 1995–2002
Report (in Adobe Acrobat format) available through the Open Minds web site - "This issue of Emergency Department Trends From DAWN presents final estimates for 2002, with comparisons to 1995, 2000, and 2001. The revised estimates in the ED Trends From DAWN publication series supersede the estimates published previously for 1995 through 2001. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) relies on a sample of hospitals operating 24-hour emergency departments (EDs) to capture data on ED visits induced by, or related to substance abuse. DAWN data do not measure prevalence of drug use in the population, but the probability sample of hospitals is designed to produce representative estimates of ED drug episodes and drug mentions for the coterminous3 United States and for 21 metropolitan areas."  
  

Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism: Research Concerns and Emerging Foci
Current Opinion in Psychiatry article at Medscape - "This review focuses on papers that pertain to recent work on Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism. We noted areas in which there was a preponderance of research published over the last year, including: social communication, sensory characteristics, eye gaze, neurocognitive aspects, comorbidity, and treatment and intervention studies." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Public Atlas of the Brain in the Works
New York Times story - "Backed by millions of dollars in financial support from Paul G. Allen, a founder of Microsoft, a team of scientists has set out to pinpoint the roughly 20,000 genes responsible for building and operating the human brain. From there, the scientists will put together a highly detailed atlas of the mammalian brain and make it available to the public through an online database. To accomplish that goal, they are relying heavily on the genome of the common mouse, which genetically bears remarkable similarities to humans..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Fellowship honors Menninger psychologist (Kansas)
Story in the Capitol Journal - "Even though Menninger left for Houston three months ago, its spirit still is alive in Topeka. Heritage Mental Health Clinic has established a fellowship to honor psychologist Irwin Rosen, Ph.D., who embodies the values and principles of Menninger's approach toward treatment of the mentally ill. Rosen, the first post-doctoral fellow at Menninger in 1952, worked at the clinic for nearly five decades." The story notes that "those who received training at Menninger in its post-doctoral program were taught a way of thinking toward patients. ... It is a systematic, humane approach to trying to understand what a person is about. It is fostering a relationship rather than seeing a patient as an object of study."  
  

Lawyer: New facility won't change consent decree (Maine)
Portland Press Herald story - "With a new, $33 million state psychiatric hospital due to open within months, a judge has placed the existing state hospital in receivership because of a failure to improve conditions for patients. But opening the 92-bed Riverview Psychiatric Center on a lot adjacent to the 163-year-old Augusta Mental Health Institute will not free the state from a court decree demanding improvements, a lawyer representing patients said Monday."  
  

Romney to lay off 100 DSS workers, close beds (Massachusetts)
Story in the Berkshire Eagle - "The Romney administration is moving forward with plans to lay off 100 Department of Social Services employees, including social workers and attorneys who represent abused and neglected children. Without legislative approval for additional funding, the administration says it also must close 85 residential beds for juvenile of-fenders and 82 beds for mentally ill homeless adults."  
  

Police unions to fight prison privatization (Florida)
News-Press story - "Florida’s police officers and prison guards are fighting off advances by the for-profit prison industry, seeking a constitutional amendment that would keep government in control of state penitentiaries and county jails. ... The Florida Police Benevolent Association...launched a petition drive for the amendment after privatization lobbyists convinced Gov. Jeb Bush’s office last month to propose a privately built prison in Northwest Florida. ...The union’s efforts come as two private prison companies, Wackenhut and Corrections Corp. of America, renegotiate their existing Florida prison contracts." The story also notes that "Wackenhut, based in Boca Raton, operates prisons in Moore Haven and South Bay. The company, which has 21 percent of the nation’s corrections market, is expanding into holding centers for illegal immigrants and mental health institutions."  
  

State probe finds town social worker lacks license (Connecticut)
Story in the Greenwich Time - "Draft findings of a state investigation appear to support allegations that at least one town Department of Social Services employee is practicing clinical social work without a license. ... The public health department is expected to issue an official ruling in a couple of weeks after meeting with town social service officials..."  
  

Long-ignored mental health issues get hearing this week (Michigan)
Story at mLive.com - "Michigan is taking the first steps toward reworking a system to care for people who now often end up jailed, homeless or tied to their overburdened families, simply because they are mentally ill. The state has never denied responsibility for these people, but decades of trying to do the right thing -- often as inexpensively as possible, critics charge -- have created a system that still doesn't reach the most vulnerable. On that much, state officials and advocates agree..."  
  

Round table addresses mental health issues (Canada)
Canada Newswire story - "People with mental illness, their families and mental health care providers, including representatives from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario and London Branch, gathered in London today to discuss the crisis in Ontario's mental health care system. Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and local candidates were on hand to listen to their concerns..."  
  

Overlooking racism may lead to undiagnosed mental health disorders
Vanderbilt University press release at EurekAlert - "Mental health professionals may be missing at least five novel mental health problems because the impact of racism is not considered when determining mental health, a new report suggests. Tony N. Brown, Vanderbilt University assistant professor of sociology, asserts in the report that standard mental health criteria may fail to capture a true picture of problems across racial groups. That failure in turn, leads to some psychological problems going unclassified and undiagnosed."  
  

Elderly mental health 'timebomb' (UK)
BBC story - " Elderly people face a 'lottery of care' The number of elderly people with dementia is set to soar - but social services will be unable to cope, a charity has warned. Friends of the Elderly looked at existing provision in South East England - which has a particularly high concentration of people aged over 65. The charity found many authorities do not have the necessary information about future need in their areas."