Friday, February 18, 2005
Breakthrough in study of schizophrenia announced AFP story at
Yahoo - "Australian researchers announced a breakthrough in the search for the cause of schizophrenia, linking the impaired thought processes involved with the disorder to thinning grey matter in the brain. Vaughan Carr of the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders said the discovery could provide a better understanding of the genetic causes of the illness and eventually lead to improved treatments."
Chief Nursing Officer announces plans for new framework for mental health nursing (UK) UK Department of Health February 8 press release - "Chief Nursing Officer Chris Beasley today announced a major review of mental health nursing. The review comes in the context of major government reforms such as "Choosing Health", "Delivering Race Equality" and the draft Mental Health Bill. As the largest professional group in mental health services, mental health nurses play an important role in delivering these reforms."
Self-help agencies are significant source of care for people involved with criminal justice system Item in CMHA/Ontario's
Mental Health Notes - "Alternative service providers such as self-help agencies appear to serve a comparable proportion of clients who have had contact with the criminal justice system as their counterparts in traditional community mental health agencies, according to a study published recently in
Psychiatric Services. The authors looked at the characteristics, service needs and involvement with the criminal justice system of new clients at 11 self-help agencies and 10 community mental health centres..."
Muslim clergy report more counselling for mental health issues: study Story in CMHA/Ontario's
Mental Health Notes - "A study published recently in
Psychiatric Services looked at the nature and extent of the counselling role of imams — Islamic clergy — in response to their congregations’ needs across the United States, especially since September 11, 2001. The authors conducted a cross-sectional nationwide survey, mailing questionnaires to 730 mosques across the United States. From the 62 responses, the authors gathered data about the education and counselling skills training of the imams, the reasons imams were approached for counselling, and the ethnicities of the imams and their congregations."
Discussions on local governance of mental health services underway (Canada) Northern Life story - "The next step in transferring mental health services from regional to local control took place Wednesday in Greater Sudbury. Ken White met with a 20-member local advisory committee, which includes health care leaders Dr. Rayudu Koka, Vickie Kaminski, Gerry Lougheed Jr., Jean Trimnell and Ursula Sauve, to develop a 'piece by piece' plan. He also met with a similar committee in North Bay on Thursday. White, who is the president and CEO of the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga, is moving local and district programs now governed by the Northeast Mental Health Centre (NEMHC), to Sudbury Regional Hospital (SRH) and the North Bay General Hospital (NBGH). "
Children's mental health services still in crisis mode across province (Canada) Mountain News story - "Providers of children's mental health services in Ontario are concerned they will have to look at cutting services and expand waiting lists to survive. Heather Elbard, a director with Children's Mental Health Ontario, noted while the agencies were thankful for the three per cent increase in base funding in 2004 (their first increase in more than a decade), there is no additional funding this year to cover rising cost of staffing, utilities, insurance and other costs."
Mental health funding cuts could devastate some (Missouri) St. Joseph News-Press story - "
Numbers never cry. And they don’t feel. Their job is to impassively state the facts. And these are the facts. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt’s budget proposal calls for more than $40 million in cuts from the Missouri Department of Mental Health. If this proposal becomes fact, thousands of Missourians who rely on psychiatric services and alcohol and drug treatment programs would be stranded without treatment. Many trapped on an island between incarceration and death."
Mental health parity bill advances (Iowa) Des Moines Register story - "Legislation is advancing to require that insurance companies provide the same kind of coverage for mental illness as physical ailments, giving hope to supporters that this may finally be the year for progress on the issue. A House committee on Thursday endorsed such legislation, which leaders say could have enough traction to make it into law. The bill goes to the full chamber for debate."
