NEW PULSE PUBLICATION: The inaugural issue of the PULSE Quarterly Briefing was published in late June and has already received a great deal of praise ("Brilliant" - Fran Silvestri, Director: International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership; "A triumphant inaugural issue" - Paul Lefkovitz, CEO: Behavioral Pathway Systems; "Very useful..." - Elaine Alfano, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law). The PQB comes bundled with two other services, the "PULSE Bulletin" (40 issues/year) and "Recent Resources" (10 issues /year) and organizational subscriptions include access to a set of Internet-based tools for distributing news and announcements. For details on subscriptions, please see the new PULSE Community Site.

 Thursday, July 28, 2005

16 National Organizations Cite Crisis in Mental Health System, Release Roadmap for Reform PR Newswire press release - "Today at the U.S. Capitol, the Campaign for Mental Health Reform released "Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis." The coalition of 16 national organizations proposed 28 action steps as a "roadmap" for Congress and the Administration to transform the country's ailing mental health care system. Speaking at the press conference in support of the Campaign's efforts were Members of Congress from both political parties and both chambers: Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Representatives Sue Myrick (R-NC), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), and Ted Strickland (D-OH)." See also the Campaign for Mental Health Reform press release, the executive summary (also available in PDF format) and the full 32-page report (in PDF format).  
  

Self-help no help in preventing PTSD Psychiatry Matters story - "Self-help information for patients attending accident and emergency departments following acute traumatic injury does not prevent the later onset of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), UK researchers have discovered. People who undergo traumatic injury often suffer adverse psychological consequences, including PTSD and other psychological symptoms, as well as socioeconomic problems. Early and time-limited interventions have, so far, failed to show significant benefits among patients. However, such secondary prevention methods remain an attractive option, says Graham Turpin, from the University of Sheffield, and colleagues..."  
  

Psychiatric disorder prevalence and comorbidity high in primary care Psychiatry Matters story - "Up to half of all patients visiting their primary care physician with a new illness complaint have a current psychiatric diagnosis, study findings show. The results, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, also reveal that a third of such patients have more than one type of psychiatric condition. To better understand the prevalence and co-occurrence of mental health disorders among patients within the primary care setting, Tomas Toft and colleagues, from Aarhus University Hospital in Demark, screened for mental and somatic symptoms, illness worry, and alcohol dependency in 1785 patients aged between 18 and 65 years who were waiting to be seen by a primary care physician for new complaints."  
  

CBT shows treatment promise for positive schizophrenic symptoms Psychiatry Matters story - "Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) appears to be an effective adjunctive treatment for the positive symptoms associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, Swiss investigators report. Despite the proven effectiveness of antipsychotic drug treatments, a substantial proportion of people still experience treatment-resistant positive symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and feelings of being controlled by outside forces, note Gregoire Zimmermann and colleagues from the University of Lausanne. To investigate whether CBT as an adjunctive treatment could help to alleviate such symptoms, the team analyzed the results of 14 studies, involving 1484 patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or delusional disorder, and at least one positive symptom, published between 1990 and 2004. The chosen studies all included at least one CBT group compared with a control group."  
  

Eating Disorders and Body Image Distress in Women at Midlife A new CME unit at Medscape - "When eating disorders or body image conflicts are mentioned, the face we imagine is one of youth. It may be a preteen, an adolescent, or a young adult woman, but seldom do we visualize the face of an aging woman. Yet, contemporary western culture consistently values women's bodies and appearance above other attributes, and sexualized images of female bodies saturate mass media, shaping the prevailing ideal. Of course, women of all ages who live in this culture are affected. Adult women are on display; they are often criticized for transgressing that ever-shifting fine line between being too sexy or not sexy enough, and they often are completely dismissed when they no longer look young. It goes without saying that older female faces are not particularly popular images in film, fashion, advertising, print media, or television, unless the reference is breast cancer, menopause, or some other medical condition that predominantly affects older women. .." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights News Coverage of State Medicaid Programs Coverage at the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report on recent Medicaid-related developments in Maryland, Mississippi, Nissouri, South Carolina and Tennessee, with links to related news stories and resources.  
  

Research shows that 5% of children in the US suffer from emotional and behavioral disorders Health News story - "According to a report by the National Institute of Mental Health, 2.7 million children, or 5%, are reported by their parents to suffer from definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties. A special feature in the report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005, shows that difficulties may persist throughout a child's development and lead to lifelong disability, including more serious illness, more difficult to treat illness, and co-occurring mental illnesses." The full report is available in PDF format (along with previous years' reports) and in web-based version by sections.  
  

Report criticizes California mental hospital Seattle Post-Intelligencer story - "Patients at a state mental hospital overdosed on illegal drugs, were improperly restrained for hours on end and were forced to spend 12 hours in soiled diapers, according to a scathing report issued by the U.S. Justice Department. The report said the problems were among 'widespread and systematic deficiencies' at Napa State Hospital, including suicide and inadequate medical care. Some patients were bathed only every two to four weeks, the report said. State officials were given until Aug. 15 to implement 'minimum remedial measures' at the mental hospital, which has about 1,100 patients."  
  

$40 Million Boon for Mental Health Producing Turmoil (California) Story at Black Enterprise - "The county has asked people with business connections to the mental health community to resign from county panels that dole out public money for mental health programs, a move that has angered some mental health advocates who say the move will keep valuable experts off the panels. The county has received about $40 million as a result of a new law, Proposition 63, which passed last year. The law imposes a 1 percent tax on California residents who make $1 million or more to help pay for mental health programs. Counties have been instructed to submit plans for the money ---- with advice from patients, family members and mental health service providers ---- to the state for approval..."  
  

Iraq Affecting Mental Health of Troops Washington Post story - "A survey of troops returning from the Iraq war found 30 percent had developed mental health problems three to four months after coming home, the Army's surgeon general said Thursday. The problems include anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger and an inability to concentrate, according to Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley and other military medical officials. A smaller group, usually with more severe cases of these symptoms, is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks to reporters Wednesday July 27, 2005 as he flies back to the U.S. from a swing through Central Asia and Iraq. Rumsfeld visited the area to meet with U.S. troops and senior U.S. and Iraqi military personnel and local governmental officials. The 30 percent figure is in contrast to the 3 percent to 5 percent diagnosed with a significant mental health issue immediately after they leave the theater..." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.] See also Military to screen returning troops (Seattle Times) and Officials Report Progress, Challenges in Treating Combat Stress (iNewswire).  
  

Mental Health Foundation calls service-user defined outcomes symposium (UK) Medical News Today story - "In response to the Healthcare Commission's publication of the final set of star ratings today, the Foundation has called a symposium on mental health service user-defined performance measures. The event in November will provide a think-tank opportunity to examine meaningful measures and how to embed them in the future of health service inspections."