Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Living With Schizophrenia: A Family Perspective Article in
Online Journal of Issues in Nursing at
Medscape - "The lifetime emotional, social, and financial consequences experienced by individuals with schizophrenia have significant effects on their families. Family responses to having a family member with schizophrenia include: care burden, fear and embarrassment about illness signs and symptoms, uncertainty about course of the disease, lack of social support, and stigma. Study findings about families in which parents are hostile, critical, or overly involved are equivocal about whether this negative environment contributes to patient relapse. This review summarizes the studies related to the family responses and emotional environment of families who have a member with schizophrenia."
Public have prejudiced attitude toward ECT Brief article at
Psychiatry Matters based on a study published in
Psychiatry Research - "Having a prejudice toward electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) appears to be a 'uniform attitude' among the general population, probably as a result of misconceptions about the technique, survey findings show. 'Although its efficacy and safety have been demonstrated for many psychiatric conditions, and most patients are enduringly satisfied with the results, ECT has a negative image in the media,' observe Christoph Lauber and colleagues from the Psychiatric University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland."
Millionaires And Mental Health: Proposition 63 In California Article in
Health Affairs - "In November 2004 California passed Proposition 63, a landmark piece of mental health and fiscal legislation. This initiative places a 1 percent tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million, affecting about 30,000 taxpayers and raising $1.8 billion (a 31 percent increase) in new revenues over the first three years to support county-operated mental health systems. Our analysis suggests that Proposition 63 passed with strong support from Democrats, urban dwellers, and social workers and in counties with high rates of homelessness. Proposition 63 faces challenges in implementation and provides unprecedented opportunities for transformation and change. California passed Proposition 63, a landmark piece of mental health and fiscal legislation, in the November 2004 election. California has a long history of using the initiative process to pass laws that are often controversial and influence the rest of the nation." Also available in
Acrobat format (PDF).
Neighborhood Residence and Mental Health Problems of 5- to 11-Year-Olds Abstract of a study in
Archives of General Psychiatry - "The percentages of children above the clinical threshold were 21.5%, 18.3%, and 11.5% in neighborhoods of low, medium, and high socioeconomic status, respectively. A substantial proportion of variance in children’s total internalizing scores (intraclass correlation, 11.1%) was attributable to between-neighborhood differences. Concentrated disadvantage was associated with more mental health problems and a higher number of children in the clinical range, after accounting for family demographic characteristics, maternal depression, and earlier child mental health scores. Neighborhood collective efficacy and organizational participation were associated with better mental health, after accounting for neighborhood concentrated disadvantage. Collective efficacy mediated the effect of concentrated disadvantage. "
Sponsors of mental health bill to testify (Ohio) Advertiser Tribune story - "The push for a mental health parity law in the state of Ohio begins in earnest today as the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 116, Sen. Bob Spada (R-Pepper Pike), and the sponsor of House Bill 180, its companion legislation, Rep. Jon Peterson (R-Delaware), are scheduled to begin testimony today in front of the Senate Insurance Committee. These two bills are nearly exact copies of the legislation put forth by former representative Lynn Olman in 2004, as House Bill 225. HB 225 passed through the House of Representatives in February 2004, but was blocked from reaching the Senate floor for a vote in December 2004. The new legislation, SB 116, was initiated April 1 by Senator Spada, while its companion, HB 180, was initiated by Peterson on April 5 in the midst of a massive support rally held by mental health advocates in Columbus."
Mental health clinic closing (Maine) Portland Press Herald story - "About 400 of Portland's most troubled and vulnerable residents will lose their psychiatric services if a financially strapped clinic closes next month as planned. The state expects other agencies will take on clients of the Portland Help Center, many of whom are homeless and impoverished. But officials of the Spurwink agency, which operates the mental health clinic, worry that other organizations also don't have enough state funding to manage such a demanding population."
Serious Psychiatric Impact of Marijuana Use Evident in Growing Body of Research PR Newswire press release - "The Nation's Drug Czar, John P. Walters, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator, Charles G. Curie, joined with scientists and experts from the leading mental health organizations today to alert parents about the danger marijuana poses to their teens' mental health. ... A number of prominent studies have recently identified a direct link between marijuana use and increased risk of mental health problems. Recent research makes a stronger case that cannabis smoking itself is a causal agent in psychiatric symptoms, particularly schizophrenia. During the past three years, these studies have strengthened that association and further found that the age when marijuana is first smoked is a crucial risk factor in later development of mental health problems."
New Brunswick government to hire more mental health workers following suicide report (Canada) Canadian Press story - "The New Brunswick government says it will hire more mental health workers as a result of a study into the incidence of suicide in the province. The government study, conducted by Quebec suicide specialist Dr. Monique Seguin, looked at 102 cases of suicide in the province during 2002 and 2003 to see what the individual factors were in each death. The results, released Tuesday, paint a picture of inadequate mental health and addiction services, especially for people addicted to alcohol and drugs. The study found that chronic substance abuse, often combined with depression, was identified in more than two-thirds of the suicides. "
