Thursday, March 24, 2005

Trauma stress under-recognised BBC story - "Continued stress and anxiety after traumatic experiences is far more common than realised, say experts. Five in 100 men and 10 in 100 women will get post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetime, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence says. It says PTSD is under-recognised in the NHS and is urging better screening and treatment by issuing new guidelines. Symptoms, including flashbacks, anger, anxiety and depression, can occur soon after a traumatic event or years later..." See also another, related story at the BBC site and new guidelines (in Adobe Acroabt format) published by the UK's National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the treatment of PTSD.  
  

A Shared State of Mind: Finding Common Solutions for Funding of Mental Health Services in Tennessee A report (in Adobe Acrobat format) from NAMI Tennessee and NAMI's Campaign for the Mind of America - "In response to the pressing challenges facing TennCare, NAMI Tennessee and NAMI’s Campaign for the Mind of America offer recommendations for cost-effective systems solutions to ensure services and supports for people living with mental illness in Tennessee. The economic cost of failing to provide adequate care and supports for people with mental illness is devastating for individuals, families, communities and the state’s economy. In a time of tough choices for Tennessee, this report offers economically sound recommendations for immediate solutions to protect services for the state’s most vulnerable citizens. Specific solutions are based upon research and the experiences of other states facing similar pressures to balance the budget while offering a system of care for individuals with mental illness..."  
  

Senate, House Could Be Willing To Compromise on Medicaid Cuts Item in the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "Senate and House members might compromise on the extent of Medicaid cuts, though they are proposing "vastly different" fiscal year 2006 budget resolutions, CongressDaily reports. The Senate budget proposal includes no Medicaid reductions, and the House version includes up to $20 billion in cuts..."  
  

Antidepressants Don't Raise Heart Attack Risk Health Day News story at Yahoo - "Underlying depression, not antidepressants themselves, may be responsible for the increased risk of heart attack associated with taking antidepressants, according to a new study. Researchers reporting in the current issue of Heart analyzed data on 60,000 British patients diagnosed with a first heart attack between 1998 and 2001, comparing their use of antidepressants with that of 360,000 randomly selected individuals without a history of heart attack."  
  

Massachusetts considers new rules regarding mental health patients Brief WSCH story - "The state is considering new rules that would reduce how and when psychiatric patients can be restrained. The new rules would require mental health facilities to train staff to intervene before a patients' behavior becomes dangerous. But the proposals would allow patients to be restrained or secluded only in emergencies..."  
  

ECT report does not acknowledge risk, says Commission (New Zealand) New Zealand Herald story - "The Mental Health Commission has said a report into electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) does not go far enough to protect the rights of mental health service users or acknowledge the level of risk as a treatment. The independent report -- released yesterday -- recommended the continued use of ECT as a safe and effective treatment for severe depression, although it says there should be some regulatory changes. The report was welcomed by Dr Jeremy Skipworth, the Health Ministry's deputy director of mental health..."  
  

A Study Ties Loss of a Child to Mental Ills New York Times story based on a study in the New England Journal of Medicine - "The death of a child not only alters a family forever but also sharply increases the risk that parents will later be hospitalized for a mental illness, researchers are reporting in the largest study to date of parent bereavement and mental health. The risk is greatest during the first year after the child's death but remains elevated even five years afterward, the researchers found, and includes higher rates of schizophrenia, depression and abuse of drugs and alcohol." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free]. See also the NEJM abstract.  
  

NHS mental health choice demanded (UK) BBC story - "Mental health patients should be given more choice about their treatment, a leading think-tank says. The Institute for Public Policy Research study said patients should not miss out on the wider NHS drive to offer options for treatment. Researchers called on the government to give patients their own budgets to spend on a range of therapies, medications and support when possible. And they said GPs should not be the only access point to services." See also the full IPPR study, A Good Choice for Mental Health (Adobe Acrobat format).