Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Smith says human services 'under a lot of stress' (Vermont)Times Argus profile of Charlie Smith, secretary of the state's Agency of Human Services - "... And the challenges have been many during Smith's first year on the job. Vermont's prison population continues to boom, growing by about 15 inmates a month. The Department of Corrections this year opened a new prison in Springfield and converted the prison in Windsor to a women's facility. It was also hit with a spate of inmate suicides and drug-overdose deaths. The Department of Developmental and Mental Health Services was rocked by a series of highly critical federal inspection reports about the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury, and in September lost the hospital's federal Medicaid funding. The department is working to correct staff, program and other deficiencies. "  
  

Study Finds Long-Term Ecstasy Use Leads to Memory Loss Story at About Mental Health - "Long-term users of "ecstasy,' the street name for the drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), tend to experience memory loss or impairment, according to a study reported in the April 10 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Over the period of one year the test scores either declined or kept static, but did not improve. The main finding of the study is that continued use of MDMA is associated with different aspects of memory decline, including retrospective memory (i.e. the ability to recall a short passage of prose being read out immediately and after a delay)."  
  

Effective Suicide Prevention Program Health Central story - "A broad-based suicide prevention program implemented by the United States Air Force is having the intended effect. According to a report in the Dec. 13 issue of British Medical Journal, suicides are down 33 percent since the program was put into place in 1997. ... The key components of the ongoing program are to provide support for soldiers facing mental health or psychosocial problems, with an emphasis on removing the stigma associated with seeking help for such problems. The program consists of multiple community prevention efforts involving agencies inside and outside the health care sector."  
  

Taft vetoes bill on mental health care (Ohio)December 13 story in the Plain Dealer - "Gov. Bob Taft followed through on his threat yesterday to strike down a bill restricting his ability to close state institutions for the mentally retarded. It was the first substantive veto of a full bill by the Republican governor, and one likely to be met by opposition in the General Assembly. Leaders in both chambers are considering a veto override, since the provision opposed by the governor is contained in a sweeping reform bill that lays out new protections aimed at improving state care for those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.  
  

Layoff reveals larger problem, those with mental health needs suffer (Florida)Sun Herald story - "The sole nonprofit responsible for giving no-cost mental health and substance abuse services to Charlotte County residents has just had a major layoff -- and more are expected. In the last three weeks, Charlotte Community Mental Health Services has laid off a dozen employees, bringing its total staff to fewer than 200. The layoff comes roughly one year after the state officially closed the G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital in Arcadia and made CCMHS the go-to agency for area services."  
  

Talk about mental health: Smitherman (Canada)Toronto Star story - "It's time people started talking more openly about mental health problems to eliminate the stigma many sufferers face, said Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman as he released a series of regional reports recommending more community-based mental health services..."  
  

Despite growing demand, mental health care costly (Tennessee)Leaf Chronicle story - " Local providers say Middle Tennessee's mental health care system is saturated, which is not surprising with 20 percent of men and women nationwide seeking treatment. 'We're in kind of snowball care,' said Bob Benning, CEO of Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital and Center in Oak Ridge. 'What happens is that as people are forced to wait, or people aren't seeking treatment, and their symptoms worsen. They're not going to come to the attention of a care giver until they're looking at the most expensive level of care.' "  
  

Mental Health advocates urge actionNational Post story - "A Quebec association bringing together 35 different mental health advocacy groups, want Health Minister, Philippe Couillard, to act. The group, L'Association des groupes d'intervention en défense de droits en santé mentale du Quebec, gave the minister a list of urgent measures which could be integrated into a reform of the mental health care system. It also wants to volunteer the group's expertise in the drafting of an action plan which would be ready by spring 2004. "  
  

Medical schools will play role in mental health overhaulSioux City Journal story - "Nebraska's two medical schools will play an integral role in the sweeping overhaul of the state's mental health system, Gov. Mike Johanns said Monday. The medical centers at the University of Nebraska and Creighton University will help fill voids created by the planned closing of two state mental health centers and become part of a network to expand mental health services across the state."  
  

Spotlight on mental healthBBC story - "One in six people in Northern Ireland suffers mental health problems, according to a report. The study also suggests that many mentally capable patients are being forced to have treatment such as electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) against their will. The report, entitled Mental Health and Human Rights, was published on Tuesday by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission."