Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Family members of people with mental illness harmed by stigma   Item in CMHA-Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Parents, spouses, siblings and children of people with mental illness all experience stigma, based on stereotypes that place blame on them for some form of failure associated with their ill relative, according to an article in the Journal of Mental Health. As a result, family members frequently suffer from social avoidance, including loss of friendships, and other harmful effects. The report is based on a review of literature about the impact of stigma on family members of people with mental illness. The authors describe the complexity of the phenomenon, and compare the public stigma toward parents, spouses, siblings and children of people with mental illness, highlighting the stereotypes each group commonly experiences."  
  

Suicide among the homeless Fact sheet, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the Centre for Suicide Prevention - "Suicide among homeless people is a known health issue. Among homeless adults, a study in Los Angeles County revealed that 22% of those surveyed had attempted suicide during their lifetime and 25% reported suicidal ideation during that year (Gelberg et al., 1988). Researchers noted that of shelter users in Boston, 13% of those surveyed reported having suicidal ideation in the past month (Schutt et al., 1994). In a Canadian study by Eynan et al., (2002), 61% of those surveyed reported suicidal thoughts, and 34% a suicide attempt during their lifetime."  
  

Managed Care Laws Did Not Favor Provider Interests, Study Finds   Medscape Medical News - "The flurry of patient protection laws passed by states during the managed care backlash of the late 1990s did not, contrary to popular opinion, favor the interest of physicians and hospitals over that of consumers, a new study finds. Instead, these laws, which often include provisions that require health plans to accept all providers into a network; mandate that notice be given when providers are 'deselected' from a network; and call for direct access to certain specialists, represented a 'convenient alignment of interests among providers, patients, and lawmakers,' according to the study. It was published in the Dec. 15, 2004, issue of the American Journal of Medicine." "med"  
  

$70 Million Available for 2005 Drug Free Communities Support Program Coalition Grants   SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) today announced the availability of FY 2005 funds for Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP) grants to improve community efforts to plan, promote and deliver effective substance abuse prevention strategies. $70 million will be available for approximately 700 awards open to new applicants and those competing for renewal awards. The annual award amount will be up to $100,000 for up to five years. The actual award amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds in subsequent years. The grants will be administered by SAMHSA from money provided by ONDCP under the Drug Free Communities Support Program. An announcement is expected later this winter on the availability of mentoring grants under this program..."  
  

New experiment: mental health court (Maine)   Kennebec Journal story - "... An unusual coalition of judicial officials, advocates for the mentally ill, police and prosecutors are looking to give judges new alternatives to jail for defendants suffering from mental illness. ... The chairman of the state's influential Sentencing Commission, Donald Allen, says finding better ways to handle the mentally ill in Maine prisons has become his panel's top priority."  
  

New Advisory Group on Mental Health Bill Appointed (UK)Medical News Today story - "UK Health Minister Rosie Winterton today announced the membership of a new advisory group responsible for advising the Government on how the new draft Mental Health Bill should be implemented. ... The Advisory Group will bring together a wide range of experience including people with backgrounds in health and social care professions, service use and caring, the police, and legal representation. Part of the Group's role will be to work with the Government developing a Code of Practice and Regulations which will support the implementation of the draft Mental Health Bill. The group will also act as a channel of communication and contact with the members' wider networks."  
  

Initiatives on mental health win plaudits (New Jersey)   Courier-Post story - "Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey used his State of the State address to continue his focus on mental health, calling for a $200 million plan to build housing for the mentally ill and disabled and easing student loans for social workers. He also proposed a campaign to help mothers who suffer depression after giving birth. ...  Codey's housing plan would create 10,000 affordable housing units for the mentally ill and disabled over the next 10 years, he said. He also proposed relieving up to $20,000 in student loans for college graduates who take jobs in mental health or social service facilities that work with the state, counties or state contractors. Advocates for the mentally ill and disabled praised both proposals, which come from recommendations of the Mental Health Task Force Codey created in November. "  
  

Move to end race bias in mental health care (UK)   Story in The Guardian - "Ministers committed the government yesterday to a five-year plan to halt racial discrimination in NHS mental health services in England, which was exposed last year by an inquiry into the death of David Rocky' Bennett. Rosie Winterton, the health minister, said people from black and minority ethnic communities were less likely to come forward voluntarily for mental health treatment, more likely to stay longer as in-patients in psychiatric wards, and more likely to be prescribed medication or electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) instead of psychological treatment. Young black men were six times more likely than their white contemporaries to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act for compulsory treatment, although international studies showed they were not genetically more susceptible to serious mental illness..."  
  

Indonesia tackles tsunami mental health crisis   Reuters story - "In the wake of the tsunami disaster, Indonesia is launching its biggest ever mental health drive for traumatised survivors -- many of whom have never heard of psychological counselling before. While the physical toll of the catastrophe is clear in the devastated towns of Aceh province, the invisible costs are more difficult to define in a country where people shun treatment for mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. ... Indonesian psychologists said the unprecedented scale of the tsunami tragedy, which has left coastal swathes of Aceh virtually wiped clean of human habitation, meant a huge challenge for the country's mental health experts. Many of the worst hit areas are remote, and traditional community support structures for mental health -- ranging from extended family to religious institutions -- have been badly damaged by the disaster. Aid workers in Aceh report rising numbers of survivors exhibiting what Western psychologists would call post-traumatic stress disorder with symptoms ranging from sleeplessness to depression, rage and despair."