Tuesday, September 21, 2004

What's next for depressed kids?
Boston Globe story - "Last week's finding by a government advisory panel that the newest generation of antidepressants is linked to suicidal behavior in a small percentage of children has left parents and care givers in a quandary as they weigh the drugs' risks against possible benefits and search for other options. The nine medications, which the Food and Drug Administration panel said should be labeled with the agency's sternest "black box" warning, already presented doctors with a confusing array of treatment choices..."  
  

When Are People Too Mentally Ill to Vote?
HealthDayNews story at Yahoo - "When should people with Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairments lose the right to vote? A new report suggests it's when they can't pass a standardized competency test. A panel of doctors and attorneys, which floated the proposal this month, cautions that mental illness itself isn't good enough of a reason to deny access to the voting booth. But the caveat hasn't quieted critics who say a test spells trouble..."  
  

SSRIs Can Impair Adolescents' Sexual Function
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may commonly lead to sexual dysfunction in adolescents as in adults, but doctors aren't asking, according to psychiatrists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Pediatric Antidepressant Use Has Declined, According to Medco Prescription Data
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "The number of children and teenagers prescribed antidepressants has fallen more than 20% this year after U.S. warnings that the drugs may increase suicidal tendencies among young people, pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc. said on Tuesday. Medco, which acts as an intermediary between employers, health plans and drugmakers, said its research indicates an 18% decrease in the number of patients under age 18 who took an antidepressant in the first quarter of 2004. An additional 5% decrease was seen in the second quarter, it said..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Should the Unpublished Results of Clinical Trials Be Available to Other Researchers and Physicians?
A Medscape "Webcast Video Editorial" by George Lundberg, Editor of MedGenMed, that requires QuickTime - "The controlled clinical trial, ethically conducted with sufficient numbers of participants, randomization, blinding, and statistical power, is the gold standard for such testing. If trial results of an intervention are favorable, they are written as an article and efforts are made to get it published in a proper, peer-reviewed medical journal. No problem. But if the results are equivocal or negative, what then? ... Shouldn't you have a way of finding that so you don't begin an unnecessary, even potentially harmful trial? What if voluminous relevant data apply to a patient you are caring for and you can't find those data? Is that not a wasteful or even harmful situation? Many individuals and organizations are asking these questions, and a groundswell is developing to require the posting of clinical trials in progress and their results as an international registry..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Bush, Kerry Take Stand On Key Mental Health Issues
Psychiatric News story - "Presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry acknowledge that several facets of the U.S. health care system are in dire need of reform. Their reform plans, however, show they often take divergent paths. ... During the 2000 presidential race, the Bush campaign told Psychiatric News that if Bush was elected, he would create a national commission on mental health services, reauthorize the 1996 parity law, and double the NIH budget. A review of his four years in office shows a record that has garnered praise from mental health care advocates in some areas and drawn criticism in others. ... Kerry supports full parity and ... has vowed to fight the 'social stigma' that accompanies mental illness and 'to end discrimination against those with mental illness.' Kerry also supports an end to discrimination against Medicare beneficiaries with mental illness ... and has pledged to protect the Medicaid program..."  
  

Mental health changes go too far (New Zealand)
Story at Scoop - "The de-institutionalisation of mental health services has gone too far when at-risk people are likely to be put into independent living to fend for themselves, National's Health spokeswoman, Judith Collins, says. She is commenting on a report highlighting Health Ministry plans to abolish existing residential care levels, which range from those requiring least support to those requiring intensive support. Existing residential care contracts are not being renewed, and the ministry is quoted as saying it has no definitive replacement plans for them..."  
  

Mental health officials lobby for funding (Oklahoma)
News Record story - "Mental health care providers lobbied elected officials and candidates Friday at Integris Baptist Regional Health Center in Miami for increased funding that would allow them to offer greater outpatient services to clients diagnosed with psychiatric conditions. ... Integris Baptist Regional Health Center and Grand Lake Mental Health Center sponsored the two-hour forum in an attempt to educate legislators and potential legislators about mental health issues in Oklahoma. ... "  
  

State to focus on mental health (Michigan)
Detroit Free Press story - "Nearly nine months of public testimony and information gathering is being compiled into recommendations by the Michigan Mental Health Commission today and will be presented to the governor in coming weeks. The 33-member commission, appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, has held meetings across the state at least once a month since February to determine the most pressing issues and needed changes for the state's beleaguered mental health system. Granholm had pledged to tackle the issue, which has been highlighted by national reports criticizing the state's care for people with mental illness and public outcry for more funding, services and accessibility."  
  

Educators to discuss mental health funding options (California)
North County Times story - "Several North County school district superintendents will meet Wednesday to begin mapping out a plan to deal with San Diego County's decision to abandon mental health services for special education students, officials said Monday. Educators have lined up to oppose the county's bid to drop the $10 million program. In abandoning the services, county officials placed the blame on Sacramento, saying the state has failed for years to fund the pricey program."  
  

Mental health plan (Maine)
Kennebec Journal story - "State mental-health officials told a judge they hope to boost spending by nearly $10 million a year and change the way services are delivered in an attempt to avoid a court takeover of most community mental health treatment programs... State Superior Court Justice Nancy D. Mills already imposed a court-appointed official known as a 'receiver' last September to oversee services at the Augusta Mental Health Institute and its successor, Riverview Psychiatric Center. Mills rejected the state's original plan in June..."