Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Issues in Dual Diagnosis: Diagnosis, Treatment and New ResearchPsychiatric Times resources (with CME credit available) by Cynthia M. A. Geppert and Kenneth Minkoff - "The treatment of patients with dual diagnoses is one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of modern psychiatric practice. Long a neglected area of investigation, new research has led to evidence-based principles and practice standards in the areas of assessment, psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatments, and health services delivery."
International Consensus Group on Bipolar I Depression Treatment Guidelines: Synopsis and DiscussionMedscape General Medicine article - " This group of international experts in the treatment of bipolar disorder was convened in New York in December 2003. As a departure point for their discussions, it was noted that the treatment of mania is fairly standardized throughout the world, but the treatment of bipolar depression varies substantially regionally. This group took as its mission to look at the available clinical evidence only. They did not take into account expert opinion, although other published treatment guidelines often do." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
New measures to better protect clinical trial patients (UK)Press release at the Department of Health web site - "New regulations which will better protect the rights, safety and well-being of patients taking part in clinical trials of medicines were welcomed today by Health Minister, Lord Warner. The measures are part of the 2001 EC Clinical Trials Directive, and will ensure that across the EU the danger to patients from poor clinical practice, research misconduct and fraud is reduced. Whilst most clinical trials conducted in the UK already meet internationally agreed standards of safety and quality, there are isolated cases of bad practice, such as patients taking part in trials who should have been excluded from doing so on medical grounds. The new regulations, which come into effect from 1st May, will strengthen the safeguards for patients. Under the Directive, all European clinical trials will have to be designed, conducted and reported in accordance with the principles of good clinical practice..."
SAMHSA Unveils Strategic Prevention FrameworkSAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the availability of funding to implement a new Strategic Prevention Framework to advance community-based programs for substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion, and align them with the HHS HealthierUS initiative. SAMHSA will provide $45 million in cooperative agreements with states to launch this effort. The idea is to use public health research findings and apply this knowledge, along with evidence-based prevention programs that promote mental health and prevent substance abuse, to create healthier communities..." See also the
HealthierUS web site.
Updated Directory of Drug, Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs Available SAMHSA press release - " The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) updated guide to finding local substance abuse treatment programs is now available. The guide, National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2004, provides information on thousands of alcohol and drug treatment programs located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and four U.S. territories. The new directory includes public and private facilities that are licensed, certified, or otherwise approved by substance abuse agencies in each of the states. The directory is a nationwide inventory of substance abuse and alcoholism treatment programs and facilities that is organized and presented in a state-by-state format for quick-reference by health care providers, social workers, managed care organizations, and the general public..." See also SAMHSA
Substance Abuse Facility Locator web page, a clickable map of the United States.
MHMR develops model program (Texas)Kerrville Daily Times story - "A financial crisis at the Hill Country Community Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center has brought sweeping changes to the entire Texas mental health system. ... Hill Country MHMR has developed ... a new model of how to do business and treat patients — what they call a disease management approach to the delivery of mental health services. On the business side, the center focused on efficiency, mandating five and a half hours every day for patients and allowing workers to spend the remaining two and a half hours on paperwork and meetings. On the clinical side, they developed a therapy-based program for clients that assessed how much help MHMR clients needed to help them function. That therapy includes medicine, behavioral therapy and helping a patient take control of his own wellness. ... All of this change attracted the attention of State Rep. John Davis, R-Houston, who filed a bill last spring that mandated the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to implement the Hill Country’s disease management program in all of its centers."
Study links childhood stress to adult anxiety, depressionBrief
WIStv story based on a study published in the
Archives of General Psychiatry - "A childhood filled with stress may lead to an adulthood filled with anxiety and depression, according to a new study. The study finds young adults who were exposed to repeated stressful events, like a parent losing a job, during childhood had a higher risk of suffering depression or anxiety later in life compared to those who had less stressful childhoods..."
Hamilton hospital gets $16M for mental health care (Canada)Toronto Star story - "The Ontario government is spending $16 million to upgrade a Hamilton hospital's mental health centre, Health Minister George Smitherman announced today. The money will fund the redevelopment of the Centre for Mountain Health Services, a division of the St. Joseph's Healthcare's Centre, Smitherman said in a release. ... The refurbished Mountain Health Services will provide an expanded range of mental health-care services at one location, the release said. The announcement was made as part of Mental Health Week, dedicated to promoting good mental health and raising awareness about mental disorders."
Families may be billed when kin are sent to mental hospitalOmaha World-Herald story - "Unlike prison, the cost of confinement in a state mental hospital isn't totally covered by the state in Texas. The state pays for the poor, but it requires other patients or their families to pay what they can, based on insurance, income, benefits and property. Wisconsin and North Carolina also charge criminally confined patients. ... Courts in various states are split on the issue, said Michael Perlin, a professor at New York Law School who has written about the matter. Some reason that patients should pay because the overriding purpose of their hospital stay is treatment. Others believe patients shouldn't have to pay because the state has ordered them to the hospital, largely to protect the public..."
Malice in mental health (District of Columbia)Washington Post editorial on the aftermath of two tragic incidents - "The desire to put a good face on a bad situation is not peculiar to the D.C. Department of Mental Health. But it is especially distressing when the reassuring words of the city's mental health leadership are quickly contradicted by unpleasant facts or by others in a position to know..."
