Monday, November 04, 2002

Experts Debate Key Controversies in Prescribing Antipsychotics
A two part special report from the Mount Sinai Conference in the The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update at Medscape - "This report summarizes the proceedings of The Mount Sinai Conference -- a gathering of investigators who had done the background research for and developed the various clinical guidelines mentioned above. It was hoped that the group would reach a consensus about whether the evidence base concerning antipsychotic prescribing for the treatment of schizophrenia was clear enough to support establishing a particular clinical practice as a treatment standard. The conference focused on treatment issues that arise frequently in routine practice where there is practitioner disagreement, as indicated by broad variations in prescribing practice." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Antidepressants: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Health Scout News story - "Now that some of the stigma of mental illness has been stripped away, more Americans than ever before are reaching out for help with depression. But the form that treatment takes is a matter of increasing debate in health-care circles. The heart of the argument: Are antidepressants being over-prescribed or under-prescribed for those struggling with depression?"  
  

Presidential panel finds US mental health system 'dysfunctional'
Reuters Health story - "America's system for treating and rehabilitating persons with mental illness is in financial and bureaucratic disarray and is plagued by complexities that make it nearly impossible for many patients to receive needed care, according to a report issued Friday by a presidential mental health commission."