Thursday, February 24, 2005

Yale Researchers to Study Soldiers, Stress  AP story at Yahoo - "Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division will help Yale University researchers who are studying how prolonged periods of stress affect the brain. The study will help scientists understand the underlying biology of post-traumatic stress disorder, said Maj. Paul Morrissey, chief of the behavioral health department at Fort Drum, located 90 miles north of Syracuse near the U.S.-Canadian border. Researchers will use magnetic resonance imaging to obtain detailed images of the brain as they study soldiers who were in combat and who have developed PTSD, combat veterans who did not develop the disorder and soldiers who have not yet deployed, said Deane Aikins, a professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. "  
  

Bipolar Disorder More Common Among Urban Poor  Reuters story at Yahoo - "Bipolar disorder may often go undiagnosed and untreated in the urban poor, with one in 10 found to have the mental illness in a study of one New York clinic published on Tuesday. The 13-month study at the clinic serving low-income patients found that few reported being diagnosed or treated for the illness. Bipolar disorder is normally treated with a mood stabilizer such as lithium as well as anti-depressants to counteract the swings from dark moods to mania and associated irritability, racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, talkativeness, and excessive involvement in risky activities..."  
  

New Treatment Guidelines for Bipolar Children WebMD story - "New guidelines have been issued for treating bipolar disorders in children. 'Clinicians who treat children and adolescents with bipolar disorder desperately need current treatment guidelines,' write the guidelines' authors, who included Robert Kowatch, MD, of the psychiatry department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Kowatch and colleagues don't claim to have all the answers. Their report says the guidelines aren't intended as an 'absolute standard,' and they call for more studies on bipolar disorders -- and their treatments -- in children. The guidelines appear in the March edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. "  
  

Nation's Leading Mental Health Groups Warn Against Relying Solely on Effectiveness Research NMHA press release - "The American Psychiatric Association, NAMI and the National Mental Health Association welcome the dialogue on 'effectiveness research' and its impact on consumers at AARP's 'Rx Watchdog Forum' today. However, we warn against using only these research reviews, such as those promoted by the Oregon Center for Evidence-based Policy, in developing public policies that drive access to treatments, including medications. Research is an important component of any evidence-based approach to treating chronic illnesses, such as mental disorders. However, true evidence-based approaches marry all available and appropriate scientific research with clinical experience to ensure treatments lead to the best possible outcomes. Implementing public polices based on only one of these elements without the other is not an evidence-based approach. Moreover, using a narrow definition of evidence-base simply to rationalize budgetary objectives not only threatens patient health, but will ultimately cost taxpayers more..."