Friday, November 12, 2004

Common antidepressant may affect youth bone development
Indiana University press release reprinted at EurekAlert - " common class of drugs prescribed to children with depression may have an adverse effect on bone growth, according to a study published online in the journal Endocrinology by researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Researchers looked at the effect of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on bone accrual in growing mice. The findings showed a reduction in bone mass and size in the mice administered an SSRI...."  
  

Study shows inadequate psychiatric care in assisted living facilities
Blackwell Publishing press release at EurekAlert - "Research conducted among elderly persons residing in assisted living (AL) facilities in Maryland reveal high prevalence of dementia and other psychiatric disorders, but a lack of recognition and treatment by caregivers. According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, dementia is a mental disorder affecting an individual's ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move. Many types of this disorder exist, with the most common cause being Alzheimer's Disease. Of the 198 randomly selected AL residents surveyed in the study, 134 (67.7%) were diagnosed with dementia. While family or caregivers recognized 78 – 80% of the cases, only about half had been adequately evaluated and treated. The study also found that 26.3% of residents were suffering from other psychiatric disorders, most commonly depression and anxiety, with similarly low rates of treatment."  
  

Medicaid and Women: What's at Stake
New resources from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured - "Despite its critical importance as a health care safety net for nearly one in ten women, Medicaid is not typically viewed as a women's health program. This briefing addresses how the program works for women; examines its role for women across the different stages of their lives; provides data on women's coverage; highlights recent state initiatives of importance to women, and discusses what women have at stake in federal and state efforts to restructure the Medicaid program." The link above leads to a page indexing facts sheets on Women's Health Insurance Coverage and Health Insurance Coverage of Women Ages 18 to 64, by State, 2002-2003, as well as an issue briefing on Medicaid and women.  
  

Tennessee to end expanded Medicaid coverage
Star-Ledger story - "The governor announced plans yesterday to dissolve Tennessee's expanded Medicaid system and drop 430,000 poor and disabled people from the rolls of the health care program that has been devouring a large chunk of the state budget. Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen said Tennessee will instead return to a cheaper, more basic Medicaid program. The move followed months of legal wrangling over the TennCare program, whose $7.8billion price tag was projected to mushroom in coming years..."  
  

When the mentally ill refuse help (Pennsylvania)
Philadelphia Inquirer story reprinted at PsycPORT on involuntary treatment - "In the last five years, 15 states, including New York, California and Florida, have made involuntary commitment - the forcing of a mentally ill person into treatment - easier, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, which promotes such changes. Prompted by complaints from constituents such as Hill, lawmakers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are also proposing changes. As is the case in about half the states, Pennsylvania and New Jersey permit forced treatment only when psychiatric patients are in imminent danger of hurting themselves or others. Passed in the 1970s, Pennsylvania's Mental Health Procedures Act has frustrated parents, psychiatrists, and others who deal with the mentally ill. But many recognize that making it easier to force someone into treatment conflicts with the deeply held American belief in individual freedom..."  
  

Integrated Health Care: Improving Client Care While Providing Opportunities for Mental Health Counselors
Article at Red Nova - "Integrated health care, the co-location of mental health and medical professionals within primary care settings, is an emerging trend. In essence, integrated care eases the access such that underserved primary care clients with mental health needs can receive treatment. Current models of integrated care are described, and strategies for mental health counselors' involvement within primary care settings are discussed. Of clients waiting to see primary care physicians, 60% to 70% need mental health services. ... Reliance upon PCPs for mental health concerns continues despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that those who receive counseling and other mental health services experience physical as well as mental health benefits. "  
  

Drug-Free Communities Support Program
A new web site from SAMHSA - "The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) directs the Drug-Free Communities Support Program in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This anti-drug program provides grants of up to $100,000 to community coalitions that mobilize their communities to prevent youth alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug, and inhalant abuse. ... The Office of Drug Control Policy has transferred DFC grant administration to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, effective Oct. 1. SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) will distribute program, evaluation, and technical assistance services to the 700+ Drug Free Community Grantees."  
  

Court ruling creates problem for Royal Ottawa Hospital (Canada)
CBC Ottawa story - "The Royal Ottawa Hospital says it will need more resources if it's to obey a court ruling handed down Wednesday, when a superior court judge ruled it's illegal for people awaiting psychiatric exams to be held in jail just because there are no beds available at the hospital. But fixing the system could cost the province millions of dollars. Every day, judges order people to undergo psychiatric assessments to determine if they are fit to stand trial. The problem in Ottawa is that the courts are ordering more assessments than the Royal Ottawa Hospital can handle..." See the related item posted yesterday.  
  

Suicide Is the Leading Cause of U.K. Maternal Death, Study Says
Story at Bloomberg.com - "Suicide after giving birth is the leading cause of maternal death in the U.K., according to a study funded by the National Institutes for Clinical Excellence, which advises the government on drug spending. ... 'This report highlights the significance of issues of mental health, ethnicity, poverty and social inclusion to the health and well being of childbearing women,' Karlene Davis, General Secretary of Royal College of Midwives, said in the statement. The report recommended that women who have a history of serious psychiatric disorder should be assessed by a psychiatrist during pregnancy..."  
  

Mental health disaster looms (New Zealand)
Story at Stuff - "Seriously ill schizophrenics are being denied proper medical care and getting into trouble with the law because the mental health unit at Auckland City Hospital is using a flawed theory to treat them, a senior psychiatrist says. The treatment of schizophrenics at the Te Whetu Tawera unit is a 'disaster in the making', says psychiatrist Ian Goodwin, who runs the acute section of the Mason Clinic in Auckland."