Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Study questions benefits of costly schizophrenia drug
VA Research Communications Service press release - "A study at 17 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals comparing an older, pennies-a-day schizophrenia drug with a newer, far more expensive one found little advantage to the high-ticket drug. The researchers, who report their findings in the November 26 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association, say this is the first long-term, rigorously designed experimental study of the newer drug, which boasts U.S. sales of $2 billion annually. The researchers compared haloperidol, one of an older class of schizophrenia drugs called typical antipsychotics, to olanzapine, the most expensive among the newer atypical antipsychotics. Used alone, the older medications are more likely to cause troubling side effects such as tremors and twitches. But the study had doctors prescribe haloperidol as they would ideally in actual practice-accompanied from the outset by another drug, benztropine, to minimize side effects."
Suicidal Minority Teens Lack Adult Support Center for the Advancement of Health press release at InteliHealth - "Low-income black and Latino teens who report suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts also say they have few adults in their lives with whom they can discuss personal problems, according to a new study. Those who attempted suicide were more than twice as likely as non-attempters 'to feel that they had no one to count on,' say Lydia O'Donnell, Ed.D., and colleagues of the Education Development Center Inc. Their findings appear in the
American Journal of Health Behavior."
The Delicate Balance of Pain and Addiction New York Times story - "Over the past two decades, conflicting medical ideas have surfaced about narcotic painkillers, the drugs that Rush Limbaugh blames for his addiction while being treated for chronic back pain. And both of them, not surprisingly, have centered on the bottom-line question: just how great a risk of abuse and addiction do narcotics pose to pain patients? Throughout much of the last century, doctors believed that large numbers of patients who used these drugs would become addicted to them. That incorrect view meant that cancer sufferers and other patients with serious pain were denied drugs that could have brought them relief. But over the past decade, a very different viewpoint has emerged, one championed by doctors specializing in pain treatment and drug companies eager to broaden the market for such drugs. It held that these medications posed scant risk to pain patients, and some experts now believe that it also had unfortunate consequences because it caused, among other things, physicians to develop a false sense of security about these drugs..."
State pours money into mental health center targeted for closing (Nebraska)Sioux City Journal story - "Even as state leaders consider closing two centers as part of an overhaul of Nebraska's mental health system, it continues to pump money into at least one of the centers. As recently as Friday, the state continued a $350,000 generator project at the Hastings Regional Center."
Drug, mental health courts get new financial help (Illinois)
Daily Herald story - " Drug and mental health courts aimed at treatment instead of prison time will get more money and more oversight next year. DuPage County Board officials this week earmarked close to a quarter-million dollars for each court next year. They also accepted a $300,000 federal grant for use in the drug court. Both programs aim to use counseling and medication for behavior modification, ideally keeping people from becoming repeat offenders and returning to overcrowded jails."
Mental Health Bill back on the agenda (UK)
Story in
The Independent - " MPs have been told that the controversial draft Mental Health Bill is likely to be announced in the Queen's Speech this week. It is understood that ministers have privately indicated that the Bill, which increases the powers of psychiatrists to lock up the mentally ill, will be included in a reworked form. However, mental health campaigners are still at odds with the Government over the fact that the Bill is expected to focus on public protection and not on the rights of people with mental health problems."
Recent killings raise questions about court (South Carolina) Story in
The State - "Local officials want to re-evaluate the county's Mental Health Court following two incidents in which offenders released from jail for treatment met with tragic consequences. The court, the first of its kind in South Carolina, started in January and allows people with mental disorders who are charged with nonviolent crimes to get treatment and avoid prison. ...The process, which can take two to six weeks, is coming into question following two cases in which the system failed...."
Mental health court studied (Washington) Story in
The Olympian - "In the future, Thurston County's mentally ill offenders could face a different type of judicial process intended to keep them from repeatedly breaking the law. A program known as mental health court has captured the attention of some elected officials. Those officials want to explore whether the concept could reduce the number of frequent offenders by focusing on treatment and other social services rather than jail time. .."
Harvard Mental Health Letter Cites Lack of Testing as Reason for Caution on Antidepressants For Children PR Newswire press release at
Yahoo - "As the number of children taking antidepressants continues to grow, so does the international debate regarding the effects these drugs have on children. In the December issue of
Harvard Mental Health Letter, the editors summarize the findings of leading reports and examine the real issues behind the topic of children and antidepressants. The subject remains controversial. Parents and physicians should take into account certain concerns. According to Harvard Mental Health Letter, most psychiatric drugs have not been adequately tested in children."
