Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Study Finds Long-Term Ecstasy Use Leads to Memory Loss Story at About Mental Health - "Long-term users of "ecstasy,' the street name for the drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), tend to experience memory loss or impairment, according to a study reported in the April 10 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Over the period of one year the test scores either declined or kept static, but did not improve. The main finding of the study is that continued use of MDMA is associated with different aspects of memory decline, including retrospective memory (i.e. the ability to recall a short passage of prose being read out immediately and after a delay)."  
  

Effective Suicide Prevention Program Health Central story - "A broad-based suicide prevention program implemented by the United States Air Force is having the intended effect. According to a report in the Dec. 13 issue of British Medical Journal, suicides are down 33 percent since the program was put into place in 1997. ... The key components of the ongoing program are to provide support for soldiers facing mental health or psychosocial problems, with an emphasis on removing the stigma associated with seeking help for such problems. The program consists of multiple community prevention efforts involving agencies inside and outside the health care sector."