Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Editor's note
New items will not be published here on Thursday, February 26, or Friday, February 27. PULSE will resume publishing on Monday, March 1, and will include news stories and reports that have appeared in the interim.   
  

States ask drug firms to report gifts to individual physicians
Story at American Medical News - "...state legislators across the country are putting the doctor-detailer relationship under the microscope in hopes that this scrutiny will eventually lower prescription drug costs. The first step state lawmakers are taking is requiring companies to report how much sales representatives are spending and what they're spending it on. Sponsors of these bills acknowledge that they may not immediately lower costs, but new laws could cause a budget shift with less spent on marketing and more spent on samples, medical education support and research and development."  
  

Challenges and Choices: Finding mental health services in Ontario
This links to a table of contents for CAMH's "new guide to finding mental health services in Ontario. Written for clients and families, the guide provides information in plain language on common mental health problems, the different types of help available, and how to find help. Sections include information on choosing a therapist, natural healing, medication, suicide and other crises, and getting well and staying well." The entire booklet is also available online in Adobe Acrobat format.  
  

Dual Diagnosis in Provincial Psychiatric Hospitals: A Population-Based Study Year 1 Summary June 2003
A report in Adobe Acrobat format at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health web site. CMHA's Mental Health Notes newsletter indicates that the study "...finds that as many as 13 percent of the patients in provincial psychiatric hospitals (PPH) have a dual diagnosis — both a developmental disability and a psychiatric disorder — and that, while these individuals require more intensive levels of care than other patients, they are less likely to receive the needed level of care." Please note that the term "dual diagnosis" has a different meaning in Canada than in the US, where it refers to co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.  
  

Business of Medicine Briefing: February 15, 2004
A new feature in Medscape Money & Medicine, the "Business of Medicine Briefing" is "a biweekly summary of major health and medical articles that appear in the lay and professional press" and replaces the "Money & Medicine Journal Scan." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Safety and Tolerability in Psychiatric Medications: An Expert Interview With Eduard Vieta, MD, PhD
An interview in Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health with Eduard Vieta of the University of Barcelona, Spain, at the International Congress of Biological Psychiatry last year. [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Antipsychotic drugs raise obesity, diabetes, heart disease risks
Health & Medicine Week story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "People who take antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of a variety of mental illnesses may be at increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol - all of which can lead to heart disease. Because of this, a joint panel of the American Diabetes Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity has issued a consensus statement asking doctors to carefully screen and monitor patients on these medications for signs of rapid weight gain or other problems that could lead to diabetes, obesity and heart disease and refer them to specialists if necessary..."  
  

Supportive Housing Financing Source Guide
A guide (with special emphasis on programs in Arizona, California and Nevada), in Adobe Acrobat format, from the Corporation for Supportive Housing - "The purpose of the Supportive Housing Financing Sources Guide is to help supportive housing sponsors identify potential financing and funding sources for supportive housing projects and programs. By providing both general information on categories of funding sources (what they are, how they flow, how to access them) and detailed information on more than 40 sources and initiatives with the greatest potential for providing significant project funding, it is hoped that the guide will serve as a resource for organizations seeking to expand the supply of supportive housing."  
  

NMHA Awards Honor Outstanding Efforts in Mental Health Movement
Fenruary 5 National Mental Health Association press release - "The National Mental Health Association invites nominations for several awards recognizing outstanding individual and organizational contributions to the mental health movement. ... The deadline for award nominations is March 10, 2004. Recipients will be honored during NMHA’s Annual Conference, June 9-12, 2004 in Washington, D.C." Further information and application forms are available at the NMHA web site.  
  

SAMHSA extends deadlines for network NOFAs
SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for Fiscal Year 2004, published four Standard Grant announcements, which established mandatory formatting requirements for all applications that would be processed in accordance with the terms of those standing announcements. The Standard Grant announcements did not directly solicit any applications. Rather, they are to be used in conjunction with Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs), which solicit applications for specific opportunities pursuant to the Standard Announcements. Upon further consideration, SAMHSA believes the formatting requirements common to those announcements, and motivated by SAMHSA’s desire to assure equitable opportunity and a "level playing field" to all applicants, will not best serve the public until we revise and republish them. Accordingly, we will quickly revise the identical formatting discussions of all four standing grant program announcements and republish them in their entirety for ease of the users." The immediately effected announcements are SM 04-003: Statewide Consumer Network Grants, and SM 04-004: Statewide Family Network Grants.  
  

Lilly Warns Of Zyprexa Risk For Elderly
AP story at InteliHealth - "Eli Lilly and Co. said it had warned doctors and psychiatrists that elderly patients suffering from dementia face a higher risk of stroke if they use the company's top-selling drug, the anti-psychotic Zyprexa. Lilly made the warning in a letter sent nationwide on Jan. 15 based on findings from recent clinical trials of Zyprexa, Lilly spokesman Dan Collins said Friday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not require the warning, he said..."  
  

Study shows women's medication use higher than expected
University of Minnesota press release at EurekAlert - "Women's use of all medications--including herbal supplements--is higher than anticipated, and they're unlikely to tell their health care providers about the medications they take, according to a University of Minnesota researcher. A study being published in the Feb. 24 issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology determined that that health care providers need to spend more time asking about medication usage. ... Researchers also found that nearly 25 percent of patients took medications for anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. Of patients who used oral contraception, 2.3 percent took St. John's wort, which can reduce the efficacy of the birth control pill. The study also found several women taking prescription antidepressants also self-medicated with St. John's wort, an herbal supplement commonly used to treat depression, which has been shown to have potentially harmful interactions with prescription antidepressants."  
  

Bill tackles disparity in health insurance (Washington)
Seattle Times story - "... In Washington, as in 16 other states, it's legal for health insurers to limit treatments and require higher co-payments and out-of-pocket expenses for mental-health care than for other types of medical coverage. For the seventh consecutive year, a bill that would eliminate the insurance disparity is pending in Olympia. The House passed the bill Feb. 13 on a 64-33 vote. But unless the bill gets a hearing before the Senate Ways and Means Committee by Monday, the legislation will die once again..."  
  

Agency to use technology in effort to help mentally ill (Illinois)
Chicago Sun-Times story - "A Chicago-based mental health agency wants to break new ground by using computer technology to help the mentally ill lead richer lives. Trilogy, a 30-year fixture in Rogers Park and Evanston, will use innovative software to try to help people with severe mental illnesses with memory, concentration and social skill problems that can result from their illnesses.."  
  

Family Services report work overload (Minnesota)
Mankato Free Press story - "Family Services Department staffers told the Brown County Board of Commissioners Tuesday that the department has too much work and too few employees since several positions were cut in 2003. Across-the-board budget cuts, resulting from a 39 percent decrease in county property tax aid this year, resulted in the loss of five employees to the department..."  
  

Legislature passes mental health bill for children (Missouri)
AP story at the Kansas City Star - "Legislation allowing parents to retain custody of children who receive mental health care from the state cleared the House on Tuesday and went to Gov. Bob Holden. The bill, passed without House dissent, is intended to help parents who lack the money or insurance to provide long-term mental health care for their chlidren..."