Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Public opinion on the uninsured
The latest Health Poll Report from the Kaiser Family Foundation - "The debate over how to expand health insurance coverage to the 41 million Americans without it continues to be one of the most challenging issues facing policy makers. In conjunction with Cover the Uninsured Week, May 10-16 2004, this Featured Topic examines the public’s opinion on the importance of expanding health coverage for the uninsured, personal concern about their own ability to access and pay for health insurance, knowledge and perceptions about the uninsured, as well as views on different policy options for expanding access to health care for more Americans."  
  

Studying substance abuse treatment in the field
Article in the May APA Monitor - "Several members of APA's Div. 28 (Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse) have helped initiate a multisite national research project that will give clinicians a real-world look at the effectiveness of such promising substance abuse treatments as motivational interviewing and motivational incentives. Six Div. 28 researchers are serving as principal investigators on the project, the Clinical Trials Network (CTN)--a group of ongoing clinical research protocols that the National Institute on Drug Abuse established in 1999 to take substance abuse treatment research beyond the walls of the research clinic. Network researchers test behavioral and pharmacological treatment methods in a range of community-based settings with socioeconomically and ethnically diverse populations..."  
  

New research on support for family caregivers of people with serious mental illness
Item in CMHA-Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Two recent studies looked at the challenges of developing new education and support services for family caregivers of people with serious mental illness, and the benefits of and barriers to participating in family support groups. An American study published in the Community Mental Health Journal looked at the factors that help or hinder lower-income African-American and Caucasian family caregivers in accessing support groups. The study compared 65 caregivers who were current members of a support group with 80 family members who were aware of support groups but who had never attended them. ... The second study, which took place in London, England, examined a brief intervention service offered to caregivers, most often family members, of people experiencing their first episode of psychosis. The service was designed to address caregivers’ complaints about the lack of information and support they received from psychiatric services..."  
  

Forensic Psychiatric Services (Canada - British Columbia)
A 35 page information guide (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society. As noted in CMHA/Ontario's newsletter Mental Health Notes, the guide is intended "to help families of people with serious mental disorders better understand forensic psychiatric services. The guide discusses how people with serious mental illness are at increased risk of coming into conflict with the law, explains how they may be assessed to see if treatment in the forensic psychiatric system is appropriate, and describes the inpatient and community based forensic treatment system in British Columbia. Tips are included for family members, based on the personal experiences of other family members in dealing with the forensic system and treatment providers. The booklet also provides a brief description of the major mental disorders and links to provincial mental health resources."  
  

Women's mental health: Psychiatric Medication and Weight Gain
Page of information at the CMHA/Ontario web site - " Weight gain related to the use of psychiatric medications is a matter of concern for many women, but there are strategies to help cope with this distressing side-effect..."  
  

Residents, Faculty Unaware of Impact of Drug Industry Interaction
Medscape Medical News story - "Despite studies in leading medical journals warning of the ethical conflicts and high rates of prescribing that occur when physicians accept gifts from the pharmaceutical industry, many physicians and medical residents remain unaware of the impact of the drug industry's interaction with physicians, according to a new study. For example, only 9% of internal medicine residents at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and 18% of its faculty members surveyed as part of the study said they were knowledgeable about the American Medical Association's 2001 'Ethical Guidelines for Gifts to Physicians from Industry,' while 20% of residents and 67% of faculty said they were aware of industry-sponsored research at academic centers. The study was published in the May issue of Academic Medicine.." "med"  
  

McLean Study Reveals Discrepancies in Care for Medicaid Recipients With Carve-Out Insurance
Ascribe Newswire press release reprinted at PsycPORT - "Health insurers commonly hire subcontractors to manage their mental and behavioral health benefits for them, but a study headed by a researcher at McLean Hospital suggests Medicaid patients with schizophrenia whose treatment is managed under a so-called "carve-out" arrangement are less likely to receive some treatments associated with improved outcomes. The study, in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, is led by Alisa B. Busch, M.D., M.S., and utilizes a large database from a single state to illustrate the effect of a carve-out on evidence-based treatments for patients with schizophrenia in a publicly funded insurance program. It found that patients with schizophrenia enrolled in the carve-out were significantly less likely to receive some evidence-based outpatient treatments, compared to those enrolled in the traditional state Medicaid program. Notably, in this Medicaid program the carve-out and associated clinical programs had a financial incentive to limit hospital and outpatient services."