Monday, January 19, 2004

The Effectiveness of Telepsychiatry: A Review
Article in the latest Bulletin of the Canadian Psychiatric Association - "Effectiveness must be determined for each new technology because it may have advantages and disadvantages over what is currently offered. We reviewed the literature to synthesize information on whether telepsychiatry is effective. Based on the literature, we suggest that the effectiveness of telepsychiatry be evaluated on access to care, quality of care (that is, outcomes, reliability, satisfaction and comparison with in-person care), costs and empowerment. Further, we discuss other factors that influence effectiveness (for example, technology, administrative coordination and financial support). Telepsychiatry appears effective, and recommendations are offered for further evaluation of its effectiveness."  
  

Working with marginalized communities to define and measure local strengths and capabilities (Canada)
Item in the most recent issue of Mental Health News from CMHA/Ontario - "Community agencies can do much to help communities act in their own best interests, according to a new study focusing on four Toronto neighbourhoods. Health promotion academics worked with marginalized communities from four neighbourhoods in Toronto, including people with mental health problems living in Parkdale, to develop definitions of community capacity and outcome measurements, according to a report in Health Promotion International..."  
  

Riluzole Therapy Effective in Treatment-Resistant Depression
Medscape Medical News story - "Riluzole is associated with antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, according to results of an open-label study reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Riluzole is a glutamate-modulating agent currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." "med"  
  

The Grief Industry
A thought-provoking feature article in the current New Yorker on grief counseling - "...In fact, only in the past few years has debriefing undergone serious scrutiny. Brett Litz, a research psychologist at Boston Veterans Affairs Medical Center who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder, recently completed a randomized clinical trial of group debriefing of soldiers who were stationed in Kosovo. ... He summarized the academic verdict on debriefing as follows: 'The techniques practiced by most American grief counsellors to prevent P.T.S.D. are inert.' Clinical trials of individual psychological debriefings versus no intervention after a major trauma, such as a fire or a motor-vehicle accident, have had discouraging results. Some researchers have claimed that debriefing can actually impede recovery."  
  

Child crisis team gearing up (New Jersey)
Courier-Post story - "One of the state's largest health resources for children soon will be fully implemented in Camden County. The Partnership for Children, a division of the state Department of Human Services, is responsible for providing immediate resources for children with mild to severe mental and behavioral problems. By the end of January, the system's final phase - its Care Management Organization - will be in place. It will develop individualized support plans for children with the most serious mental health needs..."  
  

Fairbanks group works to get alcoholics into treatment (Alaska)
Anchorage Daily News story - "A Fairbanks group is turning to the courts to try to force alcoholics into treatment as part of an effort to reduce the city's population of chronic inebriates. A group of social service and legal professionals began working about a year ago to revive a court process called involuntary commitment. While there have been some complications, people involved say involuntary commitment can be an effective tool in the community's push to treat its high population of severe alcoholics. Involuntary commitment is a process outlined in state law that allows spouses, guardians, relatives, health workers or treatment center leaders to petition courts to commit people to treatment if the petitioners can prove the individuals are a danger to themselves or others, or are incapacitated because of drug or alcohol use..."  
  

Advocacy group gains access to juvenile detention center (Texas)
AP story in the Star-Telegram (Dallas/Fort Worth) - "Kerr County officials have agreed to allow a mental health advocacy group to enter its juvenile detention center to investigate complaints of abuse and neglect. Advocacy Inc. had threatened to file a lawsuit after center administrators repeatedly denied it access to the facility. Friday's decision came just a half-hour before Advocacy intended to file the suit..."  
  

AMHI receiver new to job, seasoned to work (Maine)
Kennebec Journal story on Elizabeth Jones, the new court appointed receiver over Augusta Mental Health Institute operations - "...This is Jones' first job as a court receiver. Her continued hold on that position is in the hands of the Maine Supreme Court, which must decide an appeal by the state attorney general who claims her appointment unconstitutionally infringes on the authority of the governor and Legislature."  
  

Mental health services targeted (California)
Story in the Davis Enterprise - " campaign to make sweeping changes in services for the state's mentally ill is under way and proponents are looking to California's wealthiest residents to pay the tab. The Mental Health Services Act aims to serves the state's most severely mentally ill, focusing particularly on the poor and homeless. If passed, the initiative would be funded by imposing a 1 percent tax on net income in excess of $1 million..."  
  

Mental health services widened (Massachusetts)
Boston Globe story - " As President Bush continues to push plans to improve access to mental health services nationwide, several hospitals in Boston's northern suburbs are taking steps to enhance their care of people with behavioral or mental health needs.  In recent months, hospitals from Lynn to Newburyport have invested tens of thousands of dollars in programs that seek to improve medical treatment for those who suffer from problems ranging from depression and anxiety to psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia..."