Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Ten-Years Later, Greater Access to Treatment Did Not Increase Cost of Depression
Business Wire story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Although the number of patients treated for depression increased significantly during the economic boom of the 1990s, the overall financial impact of the disease remained relatively stable, while quality of care often was inadequate. According to a ten-year follow-up study published in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, in 2000, the annual cost of depression (including major depression, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia) was $83 billion, up only 7% in inflation-adjusted terms, despite a more than 50% increase in the treatment rate since 1990..."  
  

Treat the Parents of ADHD Children, Too: University of Maryland Study
Ascribe Newswire story at PsycPORT - "Treatment for many young children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) should also include treatment for their parents, according to new research from the University of Maryland's ADHD Program. In one of the first systematic studies of pre-school children with ADHD, the research team found that parents of children with the condition are 24 times more likely to have the disorder themselves, as compared to the parents of children without ADHD. The study also showed that when ADHD preschoolers also suffer from other serious behavioral problems, the parents are two to five times more likely to suffer from a wide range of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and drug addictions. Since treatments for children with ADHD rely heavily on parental support, parents' problems can interfere with a child's improvement."  
  

New Drug Treats Bipolar Disorder
December 30 Health Day News story reprinted at Yahoo - "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) has approved the Eli Lilly medication Symbyax to treat depression associated with bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic depression. The new drug is a combination of active ingredients found in two other drugs used to treat mental health problems -- the anti-depressant Prozac and the anti-psychotic Zyprexa, the company says..."  
  

Court: Drugs Can't Be Forced on Inmates (California)
AP story reprinted at Yahoo - "Mentally ill inmates cannot be forced to take anti-psychotic drugs, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that affects hundreds of prisoners across the state. The 6-1 decision concerns California inmates who have done their time for their convictions but have been found to be mentally unfit for release to the community. Those inmates are housed at state mental institutions until they are deemed fit for return to the community. If they refuse anti-psychotic medication, the state cannot force them to take the drugs unless a judge authorizes it, the court ruled. A judge must find that the inmate is incompetent to refuse treatment and is immediate danger to himself or others..."  
  

Brain mapping may guide treatment for depression
Boston Globe story - " For the first time, researchers have mapped what happens in the brain when a patient recovers from depression using cognitive behavioral therapy, a common form of psychological treatment aimed at breaking the bad habits of thought that bring people low. The changes in the pattern of brain activity are quite different from those observed when patients recover with antidepressant drugs, and in some areas, even opposite, according to findings reported yesterday...."  
  

Britain Launches New Antidepressant-Suicide Probe
BBC story reprinted at Yahoo - "Britain's medicines' agency announced on Tuesday a new study to find out if people taking antidepressant drugs are at increased risk of suicide. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said the study would estimate the risk of suicide, suicidal thoughts, non-fatal overdose and self-laceration in patients taking selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)..."  
  

What Is the Role of Psychotherapy in Bipolar Disorder?
Part one of a guest column in Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health - "Bipolar disorder is normally viewed as an episodic illness in which interepisode functioning returns to normal. As pharmacologic treatments for bipolar disorder have become more successful, many individuals with manic depressive illness lead lives that are not only creative and productive, but stable as well. Pharmacology is the bedrock of treatment. With our greatly expanded pharmacologic armamentarium, we know well what medication can do -- but we also know what it cannot do. There are patients who do not respond completely to even the most aggressive and complex psychopharmacologic management, whose disease is virulent, resistant, or atypical, or whose ability to manage a chronic illness like bipolar disorder is limited. For these patients, psychotherapy is a necessary and invaluable adjunctive treatment...." See also part two.  
  

Rebuttal to Gatekeepers to Pharmaceuticals
Guest column in Medscape Psychopharmacology Today by Jane Feldman - " The issue of access to medication and the role of the consumer are crucial to the present and future of medical treatment in general and psychopharmacology in particular. There are many problems in the current system that need to be acknowledged, approached, and solved. Making more medications, particularly psychotropics such as antidepressants, available over the counter is not the solution and would almost certainly create more problems than it would solve." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Understanding the Effect Size of ADHD Medications: Implications for Clinical Care
Article in Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health - " For decades, the stimulant medications methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, and mixed amphetamine salts have been the mainline pharmacotherapy of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder that, due to its high prevalence around the world, is a serious public health problem. Studies demonstrate robust effects in both children and adults, and meta-analyses of the most frequently studied stimulant, methylphenidate, show consistent efficacy across studies in children, adolescents, and adults." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Mobile Mental Health Care (New York)
Newsday story on "...an ambitious new program in Suffolk and Nassau counties to take mental health services to patients. ... [T]he mobile psychiatric clinic, available 24 hours a day, employs psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and occupational therapists who meet patients at their homes, in coffee shops and on the street. The doctors are able to prescribe medication and change follow-up treatment plans."  
  

Legislator Opposes Mental Health Closures (Nebraska)
Press-Dakotan story - "With the 2004 unicameral session starting this week, a northeast Nebraska lawmaker said Monday he will oppose legislation which would close regional mental health centers in Norfolk and Hastings in 2005. State Sen. Doug Cunningham of Wausa said he remains 'very adamantly against' the legislation, proposed by Sen. Jim Jensen of Omaha. Jensen chairs the Health and Human Services (HHS) committee..."