Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Benefiting from Consumer/Survivor Participation (Canada)
Article in the newsletter of the Community Mental Health Evaluation Initiative, called to our attention in the CMHA-Ontario newsletter Mental Health Notes - "For the team of researchers conducting a five-year study of consumer/survivor initiatives (CSIs) in Ontario, the research method is inseparable from the aims of their study. Designed to evaluate the impact of CSIs on their members and their communities, A Longitudinal Study of the Consumer/Survivor Initiatives in Ontario involved psychiatric consumer/survivors both as research assistants and as members of the project steering committee. .."  
  

Mental health services for veterans...
Transcript of an NPR feature, reprinted at the NAMI web site, which notes that "The number of veterans who need psychiatric treatment has increased, but spending on mental health care for them has dropped almost 30 percent."  
  

How do you test on the Web? Responsibly
Article in the latest APA Monitor - "Internet-based tests work well when held to the same psychometric standards of reliability and validity as any other type of examination, says a recent report from APA's Task Force for Psychological Testing on the Internet. However, that's a difficult task given some of the challenges posed by the freedom of the Web, the report notes. APA's Board of Scientific Affairs and Board of Professional Affairs established the task force in 2001 to inform psychologists about the state of Internet testing. Its report underscores that the common standard for ethical use of all psychological tests applies in the online world..."  
  

Lawsuits could change managed-care landscape
Article in the latest APA Monitor - "Since the inception of managed health-care plans in the 1980s, controversy over issues such as accountability and patient access to care have been brewing--occasionally bubbling over into legal or regulatory battles. ... In fact, the APA Practice Directorate is fighting some of these battles and closely monitoring others that address everything from fraud to patients' rights..."  
  

Where personality goes awry
Article in the latest APA Monitor - "Over the years, few large-scale prospective studies have targeted the causes of personality disorders (PDs). But recently, a new body of research has begun to explore the potential influences of several factors, from genetics and parenting to peer influences, and even the randomness of life events. Indeed, says Patricia Hoffman Judd, PhD, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, research into the origins of PDs is just beginning to take off..." See also the page indexing a number of stories on personality disorders in this issue.  
  

NIDA Study Finds Alcohol Treatment Medication, Behavioral Therapy Effective for Treating Cocaine Addiction
PR Newswire press release at PsycPORT - "Results of a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, suggest that disulfiram, a medication used to treat alcohol addiction, is effective in combating cocaine abuse. The researchers also conclude in the same study that combining disulfiram with behavioral therapy provides more positive results in treating cocaine dependence than disulfiram in combination with another form of therapy. The research is published in the March 2004 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry."  
  

238 Atlanta Deaths Due to Drug Abuse in 2002, Feds Say
A SAMHSA press release at Yahoo focusing on data for Atlanta from the new report, Mortality Data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2002, which tracks deaths associated with drug abuse in a number of cities. You can search at Yahoo for similar summaries for other cities. See also, at the DAWN web site, the page indexing the full report by section (in Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Advocates for Mentally Ill: Train Police (Pennsylvania)
AP story at PhillyBurbs.com on a fatal Feb. 19 shooting - "the third time in six months that Philadelphia police have used deadly force to subdue an unruly person in need of psychiatric help. Advocates for the mentally ill said the shootings, and similar fatal encounters around the country, demonstrate that officers need better training to deal with people who are emotionally disturbed."  
  

Substance Use, Abuse, and Dependence Among Youth Who Have Been in a Jail or a Detention Center
A SAMHSA report released last week (February 27) which concluded that "Youths who had been in a jail or a detention center at least once in their lifetime were more likely than all other youths to have past year alcohol or any illicit drug abuse or dependence." The link above leads to a page that indexes the report in web (HTML) and Adobe Acrobat format, as well as links to related agency materials and reports.  
  

Action at last/Hope for mental health care (Minnesota)
Editorial in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune - "...the Citizens League of Minnesota and the state Department of Human Services have joined together in a most unusual venture: They've convened the Minnesota Mental Health Action Group -- a small throng of experts resolved to leap beyond lamentation toward a vision of what the state's mental-health system should become. Cochaired by Gary Cunningham, the league's former board chairman, and Human Services Commissioner Kevin Goodno, the group released its first report last week. Its details are compelling, but what's most heartening about the report is that it's just the first of many. Minnesota's mental-health network has been in a snarl for many a decade; tugging it toward rationality will take considerable time and ingenuity..." See also the progress report released last week (MS Word format), the February 12 MHAG press release (Adobe Acrobat format) and the report released the same day, Action Steps (also in Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Carteret reviews mental health plan (North Carolina)
Daily News story - "The head of the agency now providing mental health services to Carteret County said the county would be better served by keeping things the way they are. A special task force is currently reviewing information from various area agencies to see which might best administer services. Neuse Center for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services is the county's longtime provider and Director Roy Wilson said he doesn't see a better alternative..."  
  

Lawyer alleges stealth lobbying by group (West Virginia)
Charleston Gazette story - " Employees of a government-funded mental health organization lobbied state lawmakers last week and were told not to reveal who they worked for, according to a complaint filed Friday with the secretary of state’s office. West Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association staff members called legislators to oppose the bill, according to the complaint by Morgantown lawyer Bill Byrne. They were directed to do so by the nonprofit organization’s interim director, Lorie Roberts, Byrne alleges. Several phone calls to Roberts were not returned. The bill (SB315) would create a pilot project in a few counties for outpatient commitment. Judges could order people with a history of mental illness to take medication, and if they didn’t comply, they could be taken to a mental hospital for evaluation and treatment."  
  

Mental health staff ratios needed (New Zealand)
New Zealand News story - "The National Union of Public Employees supports nurses' call for limits on the number of patients they can care for at a time but says mental health workers need the limits too. The Nurses Organisation has released a Blueprint for Patient Safety, which said one nurse should be responsible for four to six patients only, depending on hospital size, in a general ward, plus one nurse in charge. This would protect the public from fatigued, overworked staff, it said."