Wednesday, October 01, 2003
APA Public Policy Update: Reaching the underserved From the new
APA Monitor - "Although the economy remains sluggish and national security is still the top priority, many policy-makers are diligently setting time aside to address the needs of those who are most vulnerable in difficult times--children and older adults. APA's Public Policy Office (PPO) has been working closely in recent months with congressional champions, who, despite it all, remain committed to reaching out to their oldest and youngest constituents by introducing new, exciting legislation.
Psychology on the cutting edge
One of the articles in the
October APA Monitor based on presentations at the APA Annual Convention - "Three new National Institutes of Health directors shared their visions of research directions and roles for psychology in behavioral research at APA's 2003 Annual Convention. The directors--Thomas Insel, MD, of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); T.K. Li, MD, of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); and Nora D. Volkow, PhD, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)--focused on increased opportunities for behavioral researchers and the importance of working in multidisciplinary teams to address today's health problems..."
Pediatric Psychopharmacology Update A CME unit offered through
Psychiatric Times - "Children and adolescents are one of the largest groups of psychiatric patients who do not have many pharmacological treatment options available to them. This update discusses the new drugs available and how they perform in clinical trials."
Antipsychotic Tested in 'Prodromal Syndrome' Article in
Psychiatric Times - "Can olanzapine (Zyprexa) delay or even prevent psychosis in patients with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia? A new study being conducted in four research centers in North America is attempting to answer that question. Prevention Through Risk Identification Management and Education (PRIME) uses several new scales developed specifically for this study to identify and rate symptoms of prodromal symptoms to assist in early intervention research."
Senate Passes Funding Bill; No Treatment-Voucher Program
Story at
Join Together - "The U.S. Senate has passed the 2004 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, but did not provide funding for President Bush's Access to Recovery treatment-voucher program, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly reported Sept. 22..."
"Voices For Recovery" Muffled Without Congressional Action, Presidential Support
Commentary piece by William C. Moyers at Join Together - "From California and Oregon to Minnesota and New York, state legislatures across the country have slashed treatment dollars as they struggle with gaping budget deficits. Partisan political rancor over vouchers for so-called faith based drug treatment programs deflects federal funds from treatment programs that work. Our county jails and state prisons are filled with addicts whose only treatment is punishment. Among working families, private health care insurance benefits for addiction treatment are steadily eroding. ... Yet today's reality is obscured by our nation's persistent belief that addiction is somehow different than other illnesses, if it is even considered an illness at all. This summer, a blue-ribbon panel established by President Bush to examine how to deal with the burgeoning problem of the mentally ill all but ignored alcoholism and drug addiction in laying out its recommendations. ... The Administration's 2004 budget does include millions of additional dollars for drug treatment programs. Yet the disproportionate bulk of the Administration's annual $20 billion drug budget still goes where every administration's has for decades -- to fighting a war America cannot win primarily through international interdiction and tough law enforcement at home..."
National Depression Screening Day October 9
American College of Physicians press release reprinted at InteliHealth - "The American College of Physicians (ACP) and Screening for Mental Health (SMH) are partnering to provide 3,100 randomly selected ACP internist members with outreach kits as part of National Depression Screening Day, October 9, 2003, an initiative that encourages communication and education about depression among primary care physicians and their patients."
