Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Adherence to Maintenance-Phase Antidepressant Medication as a Function of Patient Beliefs About Medication Annals of Family Medicine article at Medscape - "Patients given maintenance anti depressants vary widely in adherence. This variation is primarily explained by the balance between their perceptions of need and harmfulness of antidepressant medication, in that adherence is lowest when perceived harm exceeds perceived need, and highest when perceived need exceeds perceived harm.We speculate on ways to tailor adherence strategies to patient beliefs.Subsequent research should determine whether patients' perceptions about medication predict depression outcomes, can be used to improve clinical management, and respond to behavioral intervention." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

FDA Again Turns Down Lexapro for Panic Disorder Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Drug maker Forest Laboratories Inc. said on Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has turned down for a second time its bid to sell the antidepressant Lexapro as a treatment for panic disorder. The company said it is reviewing the FDA's response in order to determine how to proceed regarding the drug, which is now used to help treat depressive and anxiety disorders in adults." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Governors and Officials Step Up Talks on Medicaid New York Times story - "Governors and the Bush administration agreed on Tuesday to intensify negotiations on ways to clamp down on Medicaid costs after four days of talks sputtered to an inconclusive end. Michael O. Leavitt, the secretary of health and human services, said he saw 8 to 10 'areas of potential common ground' with the governors. Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat who is chairman of the National Governors Association, said, 'We have a growing consensus on some principles,' but no agreement on details. The sentiment of most governors is, 'Let's plunge ahead' with further negotiations, he said." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Antidepressant labels start this month  USA Today story - " 'Black box' labels warning that antidepressants can increase suicidal behavior in children should be on the drugs most widely prescribed to kids by mid-March, five months after the Food and Drug Administration ordered them, according to FDA documents. 'It's unfortunate that it's taken this long,' says Joel Gurin, executive vice president of Consumers Union, a consumer advocacy group. 'It was really important for parents to have had this information. Getting it out quickly was important for transparency and trust.' "  
  

Electrical brain implants target deep depression Toronto Globe and Mail story on a study to be published this week in the journal Neuron - "Unlike electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which shocks the entire brain with electricity to induce brain seizures as a treatment for severe depression, DBS is designed to electrically stimulate only the brain region known to be overactive in people with the condition. It is part of an expanding field known as "brain pacemakers," in which doctors implant devices that electrically alter neural circuits to treat disorders such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and even obsessive-compulsive behaviour. DBS is also less painful than ECT, with patients unable to feel the presence of the electrodes, or even whether they are turned on. As well, in stark contrast to other external, electrical therapies, the beneficial effects of DBS appear, so far, to be long lasting..."  
  

Drug 'doubles mental health risk'  BBC story - "Smoking cannabis virtually doubles the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, researchers say. The New Zealand scientists said their study suggested this was probably due to chemical changes in the brain which resulted from smoking the drug. The study, published in the journal Addiction, followed over 1,000 people born in 1977 for 25 years."  
  

House approves scaled-back mental health measure (Iowa) Cedar Rapids Gazette story - "The House has approved a scaled-back plan requiring health insurance policies to include coverage for some mental health treatment. Supporters described the measure as 'a very careful and delicate balance' that expands insurance coverage for the mentally ill, while critics dismissed it as almost meaningless and excluding up to 95 percent of those suffering from mental illnesses."  
  

Suicides Outnumber Homicides AP story at CBS News - "Suicides outnumber homicides in the United States, and some 90 percent of people who kill themselves suffer from a diagnosable and preventable problem such as depression, a top mental health official said Monday. Charles Curie, who heads the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said suicides in the United States run at about 80 a day or more than 29,000 a year, three for each two homicides. He addressed the opening of a three-day suicide prevention conference for mental health and social workers from eight Western States. .."  
  

State signs mental-health contract in Umatilla County (Oregon) Story at Bend.com - "As a result of Umatilla County Commissioners' decision to turn over community mental health services to the state, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) has signed a four-year contract with a private nonprofit organization to deliver services beginning April 1. The new contract is with Lifeways, an Ontario-based nonprofit behavioral health services provider that for the past seven years has delivered mental health services in Malheur County..."  
  

Mental health advocate dies (California) Fresno Bee story - "Mary Evelyn McGehee, called by some the Mother Teresa of Fresno mental health, will be laid to rest Thursday. Mrs. McGehee helped the mentally ill for more than 30 years, doing everything from offering meals to running boarding homes for people suffering from schizophrenia, paranoia and bipolar disorder...."