Wednesday, September 01, 2004

People in recovery from depression return to pre-depression functioning over time: study
Item in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes = "Depression does not have a lasting effect on one’s ability to function once recovery begins, according to a study in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. The findings suggest that doctors should treat depression (and anxiety) aggressively even in patients who have been ill for a long time. The study examined how the length and severity of depression and the length of time in recovery are associated with inability to perform daily activities, go to work, function without problems at work, and interact socially."  
  

Olanzapine Superior to Fluoxetine for Borderline Personality Disorder
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Olanzapine and fluoxetine appear to be safe and effective agents for treating women with borderline personality disorder, study findings suggest. Olanzapine as monotherapy or combined with fluoxetine seems to be better for treating the chronic dysphoria and impulsive aggression associated with this disorder. There are no recent studies comparing the efficacy of one class of psychotropic medication to another for borderline patients, Dr. Mary C. Zanarini, at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and her team note in their paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry for July. Their 8-week study compared olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, and fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor." "med"  
  

Ziprasidone Associated With Increased Risk of Hyperglycemia, Diabetes
Medscape Medical News Alert - "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pfizer have notified healthcare professionals by letter of revisions to the warnings section of drug labeling for ziprasidone (Geodon), according to an alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting system. The warning refers to the increased risk of hyperglycemia and diabetes in patients treated with ziprasidone and other atypical antipsychotics. The FDA has received reports of hyperglycemia, in some cases extreme and associated with ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma, or death in patients treated with these medications. Some cases of hyperglycemia have resolved upon discontinuation of the atypical antipsychotic while others have required continued antidiabetic treatment." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Push to Medicate ADHD Children Ignores Successes of Behavioral Treatments
University of Buffalo press release at Newswise - "Teachers nationwide say about five percent of children in their classrooms have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and they estimate another 5 percent have ADHD but are undiagnosed, according to a survey conducted by University at Buffalo graduate student Gregory Fabiano and William Pelham, Jr., UB distinguished professor of psychology, pediatrics and psychiatry. Many of these children likely will be placed on psychoactive medication by their family physician, often prompted by their child's school. For parents of children who will be diagnosed with ADHD during the upcoming school year, Pelham, a national authority on ADHD treatment, has this important message: There is an effective alternative to medication for treating ADHD."  
  

Alternatives pushed to aid troubled kids
Newsday story - "Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy yesterday proposed a new program aimed at keeping troubled youths out of institutions and group homes. By coordinating counseling services immediately after a crisis prompts parents to seek help for a child they believe is out of control, Levy said, he hopes to reduce the number of youths ending up in costly residential care. Levy said it would provide 'more effective and caring service, and it will also be more efficient and save money.'"  
  

Rare Deficit Maps Thinking Circuitry
National Institute of Health press release - "Using brain imaging, neuroscientists at the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have pinpointed the site of a defect in a brain circuit associated with a specific thinking deficit. Their study demonstrates how a rare genetic disorder, Williams Syndrome, can offer clues as to how genetic flaws may translate into cognitive symptoms in more common and complex major mental disorders. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, M.D., Karen Berman, M.D., and colleagues, traced the thinking deficit to a circuit at the back of the brain that processes locations of objects in the visual field. The researchers report on their Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study in the September 2, 2004 Neuron."  
  

Culture may affect dyslexia
Reuters story in the Boston Globe - "Dyslexia, a common reading and learning disorder, could be influenced by culture, researchers said Wednesday. They discovered that a different area of the brain is affected in dyslexic Chinese children who read the character-based language than in western youngsters who use an alphabet language. ... The scientists used brain imaging techniques to look at areas of the brain in Chinese children with impaired reading. Most studies of dyslexic Western children have focused on the left temporoparietal brain region, but the research by Li Hai Tan and his colleagues reported in the science journal Nature implicates different areas of the brain."  
  

Substance abuse grant is awarded (Texas)
Brownwood Bulletin story - "The Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse has awarded the Center for Life Resources a grant for $293,618 to provide substance abuse services to Brown, Coleman, Comanche, and Eastland counties. Dr. Bill Gustavus, director of the Outpatient Substance Abuse Program for the center, said the funds allow the center to expand its Co-Occurring Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders (COPSD), and provides resources to operate outpatient treatment to youth and adults in these counties."  
  

MHC under review for alleged abuses (Missouri)
Story in the Marshall Democarat-News - "Due to a high incidence of abuse and neglect reports at the Marshall Habilitation Center, the Missouri Department of Mental Health will begin a review of safety and quality at the center Thursday, Sept. 2. Linda Roebuck, deputy director of the Department of Mental Health, will head the review, scheduled to look into adequacy of the facility's reporting on abuse and neglect allegations, staffing and professional support, involvement of parents and guardians in care, medical care and other aspects of care for the developmentally disabled residents of MHC..."