Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Recovery Month 2004
SAMHSA/CSAT web site for 2004 -"The Recovery Month effort aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible."  
  

Study Examines Inappropriate Drug Prescribing For Elderly Patients
AMA press release at InteliHealth - "Prescribing of inappropriate medications for elderly patients appears relatively common, according to an article in the August 9/23 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to information in the article, persons 65 years or older make up less than 15 percent of the population, but make up nearly one-third of prescription drug users. Elderly persons are also more likely to take several drugs concurrently, the article states. ... Amitriptyline and doxepin (drugs used for treatment of depression) accounted for 23 percent of claims for Beers list drugs, and 51 percent of those claims were for drugs with potentially harmful effects. .." See also the full journal article, which is available at no cost online.  
  

She turns her pen on drug makers
Los Angeles Times interview with Marcia Angell, former executive editor and editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, now a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School and author of "a scathing critique of the pharmaceutical industry," The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It. [Viewing Los Angeles Times stories requires registration, which is free].  
  

Secret US report surfaces on antidepressants in children
British Medical Journal news story - "Internal memos and a secret government report about the negative effects of antidepressants in children—suppressed by the US Food and Drug Administration—have surfaced publicly. The Alliance for Human Research Protection, a national network dedicated to ensuring ethical standards in medical research, published the documents on 26 July. The published documents confirm earlier news accounts that a government expert with the FDA's Office of Drug Safety, Dr Andrew Mosholder, found that children taking antidepressants were twice as likely to become suicidal as children taking placebo. He reportedly urged the agency to follow the lead of British health authorities by warning doctors that the risks of the newer antidepressants, except fluoxetine, might outweigh the benefits when used in children..."  
  

Eastpointe diversification plans change (North Carolina)
Kinston Free Press story - "The Eastpointe Board of Directors will not contract with a nonprofit agency that only exists in name to help with administrative services. The four-county mental health and substance abuse agency will continue to be responsible for its own administrative services and not contract with Upper Cape Fear Human Services Inc. ..."  
  

Women warned over antidepressants (Canada)
Story in the Globe and Mail - " Pregnant women should avoid taking a broad range of antidepressants and smoking-cessation medications because the drugs may cause their newborn babies to suffer serious side effects, ranging from respiratory problems to constant crying, Health Canada is warning. In an advisory posted yesterday on its website, Health Canada said the danger is greatest when women take the drugs, in particular a newer class of antidepressants known as SSRIs, during the third trimester of pregnancy." See also the advisory at the Health Canada web site.  
  

Mentally ill losing services because of Los Angeles cuts
Brief story at KESQ-TV - "Thousands of mentally ill people are losing treatment and medication because of a 28-point-six (m) million dollar cut in Los Angeles County's mental health services.The cuts affect all sectors of the county's public mental health system, including outpatient clinics that treat walk-in clients and psychiatric units at state hospitals."  
  

Survey: Soldiers Suffer Stress Disorder
AP story at FortWayne.com (and many other newspapers) - "Fort Bragg paratroopers coming back from serving in Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder at almost the same rate as Vietnam War veterans, according to a military survey. The survey of about 1,300 paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division 2nd Brigade that have returned from a year of service found 17.4 percent of soldiers have post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. The 3,000 soldier brigade was part of the invasion force and spent most of its time in Baghdad. The numbers are similar to those published in a New England Journal of Medicine study that found that 16 percent of Iraq veterans reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression or severe anxiety..."