Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Ending Discrimination Against People with Alcohol and Drug Problems
This report (in Adobe Acrobat format) was published last year but remains noteworthy - "People with alcohol or other drug disease face public and private policies that restrict their access to appropriate health care, employment, and public benefits, discouraging them from seeking treatment, robbing them of hope for recovery, and costing society millions of dollars. Join Together, a project of Boston University School of Public Health, formed a national policy panel in the spring of 2002 to address this discrimination. The panelists developed the two principles and ten recommendations contained in this report, relying principally upon the written and oral testimony which they received." See also the Join Together web site, which is excellent.  
  

Stressed but Coping: Nonprofit Organizations and the Current Fiscal Crisis
A report (in Adobe Acrobat format) published by the Center for Civil Society Studies at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies and available for download at the Open Minds web site - " A key group of U.S. nonprofit organizations experienced significant fiscal stress during 2003, but managed to cope with it successfully. As a result, the vast majority of these organizations boosted their revenues in the face of often-difficult economic pressures and expanded their activities in the process. These results emerge from a new survey just completed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies as part of our Listening Post Project. Focusing on a nationwide sample of nonprofit organizations that belong to national umbrella groups in five fields—children and family services, elderly services and housing, community and economic development, museums, and theaters—this survey is the most comprehensive effort to date to document the actual effects of recent economic weakness and government budget cuts on a significant group of the nation’s charitable organizations and those they serve, and to assess how the organizations have responded."  
  

Maternal SSRI Use During Pregnancy May Disrupt Newborn Neurobehavior
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Maternal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy can lead to disrupted neurobehavior of their offspring, according to the results of a small prospective study reported in the February issue of Pediatrics. Previous studies have demonstrated the lack of SSRI-induced birth defects, the authors explain, but only a few studies have investigated the potential neurobehavioral effects of these medications on newborns."  
  

Parents urge FDA to warn of antidepressant suicide risk
USA Today story - "Parents and doctors need more explicit warnings that some widely used antidepressants are suspected of sometimes causing suicidal behavior in children and teenagers, scientific advisers told the government. That doesn't mean the drugs shouldn't ever be used in children, nor is there actual proof yet that the suicide risk is real, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration cautioned Monday as the agency opened public hearings on a controversy sparked when Britain last year declared most newer antidepressants unsuitable for use by depressed minors."  
  

County will sue state on unfunded programs (California)
Story in the San Diego Union-Tribune - "San Diego County plans to file two lawsuits against the state today to try to recoup $31 million spent on social services required by the state, and to ask to be relieved from having to provide mental health services for students. The first lawsuit, which seeks reimbursement for what the county has paid since 1996, will be filed in San Diego Superior Court. The second will be filed in Sacramento Superior Court. The suits allege that the state has violated its constitution by failing to fund state-mandated programs. The suits are expected to have statewide implications, with other counties likely to join."  
  

Mental health watchdog bares its teeth (Virginia)
Story in the Virginian-Pilot - "For years, mental health advocates fought to give teeth to the watchdog agency that monitors state services. Finally, a year and a half ago, the late, unlamented Department for Rights of Virginians with Disabilities closed shop. A new oversight agency, the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, opened its doors. Now, many of the old conflicts of interests and barriers, inherent when a cash-starved government polices itself, are gone. An independent board, rather than the governor, appoints VOPA’s director. In-house lawyers, rather than the same attorney general’s office that represents the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation & Substance Abuse, oversee legal decisions. And instead of begging and cajoling state officials to supply information, VOPA officials are insisting — in court — that the state live up to its legal responsibilities to the mentally challenged..."  
  

Governor tells sheriffs he backs changes in mental health law (Florida)
AP story at the Miami Herald - "Gov. Jeb Bush told Florida sheriffs and deputies on Monday that he backs legislation to change mental health laws and allow for more court-ordered outpatient treatment. The reform, led by the Florida Sheriffs Association, would give judges authority to order outpatient treatment for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia."  
  

Bill would help mental health care (Washington)
Seattle Post Intelligencer story - "Counterintuitive as it may seem, health care insurance often stops short of covering disorders and diseases of one of the human body's larger and certainly its most important organ: the brain. The Legislature is again being asked to see the moral and fiscal light on parity for mental health care..."  
  

Racial Differences in Mental Health Care
Ivanhoe Newswire item based on a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry - "A new study finds racial differences exist in the way mental illness is treated. Researchers say the study shows much improvement is needed. Mental illness is a common problem for the elderly. Around 20 percent of the adult population will experience some mental disorder including depression, anxiety, and age-related cognitive impairment. While treating mental illness in the elderly is complicated, recent studies show a disparity based on race. Researchers from the University of Minnesota conducted a study to examine the quality of mental health care received by elderly patients enrolled in Medicare+ Choice plans."  
  

Mental health: full-time work
Star News editorial - "The mentally ill, their families and their communities have gotten more bad news, as if they needed any. The man North Carolina hired two years ago to reform its mental health services has started doing substantial work on the side, has applied for yet another job in another state, and has put his North Carolina house up for sale. His wife has already left the state. Between a quarter and a half of Richard J. Visingari's working time will be spent on the consulting work. Yet we'll still pay him his full salary..."  
  

Child psychiatrist doubts drug safety
Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont) story - "A prominent Vermont psychiatrist is calling for more funding and research into the effects of antidepressants such as Prozac on children, amidst a growing national debate on the safety and ethical concerns of prescribing such drugs for youth. Dr. David Fassler, a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Burlington and a clinical associate professor at University of Vermont's College of Medicine, testified before the Food and Drug Administration in Bethesda, Md., on Monday. At the hearing, Fassler, a trustee of the American Psychological Association, called for increased research into the use of antidepressants on children, adding that 'the biggest risk for a child with depression is to be left untreated.'"  
  

Lawmakers to press for changes in transporting mental health patients (Vermont)
Times Argus story - "In the wake of a report critical of the state's use of police officers for transporting mental health patients to the Vermont State Hospital and other places, a lawmaker is suggesting reforms to the system. Rep. Ann Donahue, R-Northfield, who is a mental health advocate, said state law should be changed to permit ambulances to transport patients who are involuntarily committed to the hospital or a community hospital's mental health ward..."