Wednesday, April 20, 2005

NMHA Lauds Bill to Meet War Vets' Mental Health Needs  NMHA press release - "At a time when the government has not mobilized sufficiently to properly address the mental health needs of war veterans, the National Mental Health Association applauds Representative Lane Evans (D-Ill.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, for introducing comprehensive legislation to meet the mental health needs of our returning war veterans. As our country learned after past wars, and is seeing again today, a significant percentage of those exposed to combat develop mental health problems. Fortunately, effective treatments are now available, and early intervention can relieve -- and even eradicate -- these problems. This legislation sets a critical marker for congressional action..."  
  

Assessing the Promise A 63 page report (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the Kentucky Center for Mental Health Studies - "The Kentucky Center for Mental Health Studies (KCMHS) conducted the first evaluation of the consumer and consumer supporter TACs in 2001. This evaluation was voluntary on the part of the centers. All centers participated. A copy of that evaluation is available for downloading at the following link http://www.tecathsri.org/consult/tacs-2001-report.pdf. KCMHS also conducted this second voluntary evaluation of the TACs in 2002 in which all centers participated. KCMHS is a consumer-governed and independently funded research institute. KCMHS completed its work under the guidance of The Evaluation Center, a technical assistance center in Cambridge, Massachusetts funded by CMHS..."  
  

FDA Urges Review of Epilepsy Drugs in Suicides New York Times story reprinted at PsycPORT - "The Food and Drug Administration has asked the makers of epilepsy drugs, which are the fifth best-selling group of medications and are taken by millions of Americans, to reexamine their data to determine if the drugs increase patients' risk of suicide. The agency has requested an analysis similar to the one it commissioned to evaluate whether antidepressants pose a similar risk to children and teenagers. That sweeping reexamination of clinical trial data found that antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in young people, and last year the FDA required manufacturers to include a stronger, more prominent warning, known as a "black box," on the drugs' labels. The agency, which has been the target of growing criticism from members of Congress over how it monitors drug safety, is under pressure to more carefully scrutinize anticonvulsants, particularly Neurontin, which is made by Pfizer Inc. and is the market leader..."  
  

Magellan Health's procedures attacked Philadelphia Inquirer story - "The Pennsylvania Psychological Association blasted Magellan Health Services yesterday for what it called inefficient rules and bureaucratic roadblocks that it said keep Southeastern Pennsylvania patients from getting care and therapists from getting paid. Therapists have been dropped temporarily from Magellan's rolls for no apparent reason, and communication with the company is so slow it's sometimes impossible to meet deadlines, the association said in a report released to the public. Magellan assigns each patient a 26-digit code, which is difficult to type properly and has caused many bills to be rejected, psychologists said"  
  

Two Mental Health Clinics To Be Privatized (California) 10News.com story - "The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday agreed to turn over operation of two North County mental health clinics to a private company in an effort to reduce costs. The move will result in the loss of about 68 positions, county staff told supervisors. However, the county anticipates being able to place all but five of the impacted employees in other areas. Any layoffs would be effective June 9. The panel voted unanimously to contract the operation of the county's North Coastal and North Inland adult outpatient clinics to Mental Health Systems. Operation of the East, North Central and Southeast adult outpatient clinics, the children's outpatient clinic and the adult case management program will continue to be county-run. According to a staff report, the move is expected to save the county about $7.6 million, while not impacting the level of care."