Monday, September 29, 2003

Measuring the Effectiveness of Community-Based Mental Health Programs (Canada)
The fall issue of Network Magazine, published by CMHA-Ontario. Articles include "The Role of Community-Based Mental Health Services," "Intensive Case Management" and "Consumer/Survivor Initiatives." The introductory editorial notes, "The Community Mental Health Evaluation Initiative (CMHEI) described in this issue of Network was designed to research a number of community mental health programs across the province to see if they produce positive outcomes for people. Given that we already believed that our services work, we are not surprised that preliminary research findings show that people do better on a variety of scientific measures when they receive community mental health services than when they do not. The surprise is how very much better they do..."  
  

A promising new treatment, and a need to set the rules
Philadelphia Inquirer story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Do a Google search on the words implant and mind control and you'll get about 100,000 hits, a virtual primer on conspiracy theories and science-fiction nightmares. So it's no surprise that when the University of Pennsylvania announced that one of its scientists was perfecting an implant that could provide a year's worth of medication for people with severe mental illness, it was met in some quarters with distrust. David Oaks, executive director of Support Coalition International, which questions the dominant view that mental illnesses are biological at base, for example, calls the device 'inherently coercive.' Aware of the concerns, the university took the unusual step last week of inviting representatives of consumer-advocacy groups to a symposium on the ethical implications of the implants well before they are ready for marketing." See also the related item posted here last week.  
  

Taking steps for mental health: Hundreds participate in fund-raiser (Oregon)
Seattle Times story on yesterday's Move for Mental Health race, featuring 600 people who "ran, walked or volunteered at the event at Sand Point Magnuson Park. Many were caseworkers, nurses and others who work with the mentally ill."  
  

V.A. closings stir fury
Story in the Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY) - "Thousands of veterans across the country are rising up in anger over the biggest overhaul of their medical care network since the end of World War II. Hundreds of motorcyclists led a caravan of about 1,000 veterans and their supporters last month through Crawford, Texas — President Bush’s home — to protest a proposal to close the Veterans Affairs hospital in nearby Waco. A similar demonstration was held in Canandaigua, where V.A. officials want to close a 70-year-old hospital that cares for severely mentally ill veterans."