Tuesday, October 28, 2003
FDA Warns of Possible Drug-Suicide Link AP story at
PsycPORT - "Some anti-depressant drugs undergoing trials in children may be associated with suicides, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. The agency said reports in the press and medical journals describe suicide attempts and suicides in children receiving antidepressants. Many such reports also have been submitted to the FDA. While the data do not clearly establish an association between the use of the drugs on trials and increased suicidal thoughts or actions by pediatric patients, FDA said it also is impossible to rule out an association."
Diagnosis of Mental Illness Hinges on Doctor As Much As Symptoms Seattle Times story at
PsycPORT - "Despite the scientific wizardry of modern medicine, diagnosing mental disorders remains a subjective exercise. Lacking genetic markers or brain scans to confirm psychiatric illnesses, doctors identify schizophrenia, phobias and other mental disorders based on a much more primitive diagnostic aid - the symptoms. The universal screening tool for clinicians in the United States is an 886-page tome called the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM contains a checklist of symptoms and the minimum number of them that must be present in order to meet the requirements for each disorder. By standardizing the classifications of symptoms, the DSM is intended to ensure uniformity in diagnoses..."
U.S. Senate Spars Over Stalled Mental Health Bill Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday unsuccessfully sought to force a vote on long-stalled legislation to require "parity" in private health insurance coverage for physical and mental ailments. But Senate Republicans said they are working on a potential compromise on the bill, which is opposed by the business community." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Ten states gather to discuss suicide prevention, high rates remain in the West Aurora Sentinel story - "As representatives of 10 states gather in suburban Denver this week to discuss suicide prevention efforts, most Western states continue facing suicide rates much higher than the national average. Western mountain states have traditionally seen higher rates of suicide than other areas of the country, but a comprehensive study offering an explanation of that trend does not exist. ... That 'well-informed speculation' includes issues surrounding social isolation, a cultural taboo against seeking help and an inaccessibility of mental health services."
HHS Announces $17.5 Million for Illinois 'Brief Interventions' To Help People at Risk of Dependence on Alcohol or Drugs
PR Newswire press release at
Yahoo - "Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a $17.5 million award to Illinois to fund early intervention services in hospitals and other general medical and community settings to reach people at risk of dependence on alcohol or drugs. Illinois is expected to receive $3,500,000 in each of the five years for a projected total of $17,500,000. This cooperative agreement is designed to expand the continuum of care available to include screening, brief interventions, referrals and brief treatment..."
Grant will fund drug program for youth (North Carolina)
Salisbury Post story - "The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a three-year, $500,000 implementation grant for the Rowan County Juvenile Drug Treatment Court. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., announced the grant to build on the pilot program initiated in May 2002 by Chief District Court Judge Charlie Brown. The grant proposes to serve 25 juveniles a year, who will receive intensive substance abuse and/or mental health treatment."
Pennsylvania Gets $3.9 Million Grant to Treat Substance Abuse, Mental Disorders PR Newswire press release at
Yahoo - "Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced that the Pennsylvania governor's office will receive $3.9 million over five years to increase the capacity of state treatment systems to provide "effective, coordinated and integrated" treatment services to persons with "co-occurring" substance abuse and mental health disorders. These grants are part of the State Incentive Grant program in HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)."
Mental health workers, police compare roles (Canada) Saskatchewan News Network story on a Regina policewoman involved in the shooting death of a mentally ill Toronto man in 1997 who "told her story Sunday to a conference held by the Canadian National Committee for Police Mental Health Liaison in the hopes that similar deaths can be prevented."
