Monday, December 13, 2004

Cumulative trauma in adulthood can worsen health in later years
APA press release - "Cumulative trauma during a person's lifetime can have an overall effect on health in one's later years, according to a study that examines the consequences of traumatic events on older adults' physical health. Also, traumas experienced in adulthood compared to traumas experienced in childhood appear to cause more damage to an older person's (65 and older) health, say researchers of a new study reported on in the December issue of Psychology and Aging published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Traumas are distinguished from other types of stressful life events by their seriousness, like experiencing a serious or life threatening illness, witnessing a violent crime or being in combat."  
  

Brain imaging reveals new language circuits
John Wiley & Sons press release - "The language network of the brain seemed simpler in the past. One brain area was recognized to be critical for the production of language, another for its comprehension. A dense bundle of nerve fibers connected the two. But there have always been naysayers who pointed to evidence that failed to fit this tidy picture. Now a study employing a powerful variant of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirms these suspicions. The study will be published December 13, 2004 in the online edition of Annals of Neurology." See also the full article, Perisylvian language networks of the human brain.  
  

Shire receives FDA approval of Equetro for bipolar disorder
Porter Novelli press release, which claims that Equetro "significantly reduces the manic symptoms in Bipolar patients. Additionally, in clinical trials, patients treated with the product demonstrated no clinically significant weight gain or increase in blood glucose levels, thereby creating an effective tolerability profile. The unique three-bead extended release delivery system of Equetro provides for convenient administration as well. Available in 100, 200 and 300mg dosage strengths, it is the only carbamazepine formulation proven effective for patients with Bipolar Disorder..."  
  

Anorexia Nervosa Consequences Demand Vigilant Clinical Monitoring
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "The high prevalence of hemodynamic, hematologic, endocrine, and bone density abnormalities among adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa demands intense clinical monitoring, according to a report in the December issue of Pediatrics." "med"  
  

Immigrants Enjoy Better Mental Health
Story at Ivanhoe's Medical News - "Common sense may suggest immigrating to a new country like the United States would increase stress levels and put people at risk for psychiatric disorders. But that’s not the case, report researchers in this month’s Archives of General Psychiatry. In fact, their study finds immigrants to this country are actually in much better mental health than people born in America. Researchers analyzed data from a national survey on alcohol use disorder and related conditions conducted from 2001-2002..."  
  

Mental health board voices concern about bill not reaching vote (Ohio)
Advertiser-Tribune story - "The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties is mourning the death of House Bill 225, the Mental Health Parity Law which would have benefited those whom the board serves. The bill, sponsored in the Ohio House of Representatives by Lynn Olman, R-Maumee, was designed to require heath insurance providers to grant equal coverage for treatment of the mentally ill, and had a built-in cap to prevent the cost of coverage from sky-rocketing. The bill did not go to a vote before the state senate."  
  

Officials planning Mental Health Court (Florida)
Sun-Herald story - "The closure of the only state hospital in the area has resulted in a title change for some mentally ill patients. They have become defendants. Courtrooms have become treatment centers. Judges have been left treating the ill. And the ill have been visiting the jail with increasing frequency. 'The criminal justice system is poorly equipped to deal with mental illness -- particularly since the state closed G. Pierce Wood,' said defense attorney Paul Sullivan. "  
  

Law targets mental health (Michigan)
Detroit News story on Kevin's Law, "named for a college student in Kalamazoo killed by a person who had been in and out of mental health care, will allow judges to order treatment for people who are mentally ill and not following a treatment regime recommended by a metal health professional. The Senate unanimously passed the bill, and only two members of the House voted against it. Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Granholm, said the governor will sign the bill into law. Michigan joins 24 other states in arming courts, police officers, mental health professionals and families with a means of forcing the mentally ill -- many of whom have no idea they are sick, precisely because of their condition -- into treatment rather than jail."