Friday, August 13, 2004

NAMI Honors Film with National Award
Announcemnt at the NAMI web site - "NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) has selected People Say I’m Crazy, scheduled to premiere on Cinemax on August 18, for its Outstanding Media Award for the best television documentary of 2004. NAMI’s national media awards are given annually in recognition of outstanding works that focus on topics involving mental illness with accuracy, fairness and compassion, and contribute to broad public education. "  
  

Low Cholesterol Linked With Suicidality in Anorexia Nervosa
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Low cholesterol levels may be associated with suicidality in patients with anorexia nervosa, according to results of a study published in the July/August issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. Dr. Paolo Santonastaso, of the University of Padua, Italy, and colleagues assessed serum cholesterol and nutritional status in 74 patients with anorexia nervosa before they started to eat again. All subjects completed a structured clinical interview and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Income influences mothers' depressive symptoms
NewsRx.com story reprinted at PsycPORT - " New research findings verify that income changes directly affect depressive symptoms in women during the first 3 years after childbirth, according to an article. The article, co-written by Eric Dearing, assistant professor in the University of Wyoming department of psychology, suggests that interventions to help increase income levels of such women could improve their mental health, which in turn can foster the social and emotional development of their children. It is published in the American Journal of Public Health..."  
  

Group Therapy Not Always Best Choice for Men
Reuters Health story at Yahoo - "For depressed men seeking support for severe grief, group therapy may not be the best choice, new research suggests. A study of men and women in group therapy found that men did not benefit as much as women. ... Overall, depression, anxiety and other symptoms improved more in women than in men, Joyce and his colleagues report in the summer issue of the journal Psychotherapy Research. In fact, men experienced virtually no change at all in several symptoms. The study also showed that men were not as committed to their group therapy as women..."  
  

Mental health unit gets state OK (North Carolina)
News-Record story - "High Point Regional Health System will renovate and expand its unit that treats patients with psychological and chemical dependency problems after the state approved that project Tuesday. The health system was seeking a certificate of need for the roughly $2.75 million project for the inpatient behavioral unit on the fifth floor of the health system's cancer center. The state's certificate-of-need process is intended to control health care costs by preventing unnecessary medical facilities or equipment..."  
  

County to File Mental Health Mandates Amicus Brief (California)
Metropolitan News-Enterprise story - "The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously directed the County Counsel’s Office yesterday to file an amicus brief supporting a Sacramento judge’s ruling that could shift as much as $36 million in annual costs of mental health services for disabled students from Los Angeles County to the state. The motion, by Supervisor Mike Antonovich, also directed county Chief Administrative Officer David E. Janssen to report back within 60 days on the potential impact of the ruling."  
  

Mental health agency adjusts to funding cuts (Texas)
Valley Morning Star story - "Money to provide outpatient mental health care is being stretched, but services will be available, a health care official told county leaders. Terry Crocker, chief executive officer for Edinburg-based Tropical Texas Center for Mental Health/Mental Retardation, told Cameron County commissioners Tuesday that his agency is dealing with state funding cuts without cutting services. "  
  

Two new mental health facilities planned in $35 million expansion (Indiana)
Brief WANE-TV story - "Madison Center of South Bend plans to build separate mental health treatment facilities for older adults and for children and adolescents. It's part of a 35 (m) million-dollar expansion project.Construction of a three-story facility to treat the elderly is expected to begin next year. Chief Executive Officer Jack Roberts says it will be the biggest construction project in the center's 54-year history and will include 60 hospital beds."  
  

Mental health group targets student depression (North Carolina)
Rocky Mountain Telegram story - "The School Mental Health Project, a program instrumental in helping to train area school nurses in spotting depression in students, has won a national award. The project was implemented in 2003 by the Eastern Area Health Education Center of Greenville, which works closely with the Area L AHEC of Rocky Mount in administering health education, said an Area L AHEC spokeswoman. ... National Area Health Education Center officials of Wexford, Pa., recently bestowed the award on the organization, saying the project should serve as a model for other Area Health Education Centers in the nation."