Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Addressing Challenges and Opportunities for Better Outcomes Article in the March
Psychiatric Times - "The field of schizophrenia recently has seen remarkable progress in the understanding and treatment of this disabling condition. Dr. Peter F. Buckley provides highlights of this special report."
Housing Concerns Loom Large for Patients Article in the March
Psychiatric Times - "As part of its task to conduct a comprehensive study of the U.S. mental health care system, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health held its second meeting last November to focus on the critical role that housing plays for people with mental illness. Most discussions about housing focus on the public sector, where the majority of people with serious mental illness receive treatment and where the supply of safe and affordable housing is in short supply. Housing is also a concern for the private sector...."
Suicide prevention the focus of 36th conference of American Association of Suicidology April 22-26 Press release from the AAS - "Still a social taboo despite being identified as a significant public health risk by the federal government and major health organizations worldwide, suicide, its causes and prevention, will be the focus of the 36th Conference of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). Slated for Tuesday, April 22 through Saturday, April 26, 2003 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the annual conference will bring together hundreds of researchers, clinicians, suicide prevention specialists plus 'survivors of suicide' - those who have endured the suicide of a loved one."
Shifting to a Recovery-Based Continuum of Community Care Report of the Subcommittee on Consumer Issues at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health web site - "Mental health research shows that people can and do fully recover, even from the most severe forms of mental illness. Most fundamentally, recovery means having hope for the future, living a self-determined life, maintaining self-esteem, and achieving meaningful roles in society. Most consumers report they want the same things other people want: a sense of belonging, an adequate income, a way to get around, and a decent place to live. They aspire to build an acceptable identity for themselves and in the community at large. These are the essential ingredients of recovery from mental illness."
Ecstasy 'link to depression' BBC story - "Researchers at London Metropolitan University have found that people who take ecstasy are more likely to suffer depression compared to non-users and even people who use other drugs. Their study also indicates that heavy users of the drug are at risk of becoming clinically depressed. The researchers believe ecstasy has a long-lasting impact on key chemicals in the brain, which regulate mood."
Innovative Drug Treatment Alternative To Prison Program Reduces Crime, Prison Costs Press release from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) - "Drug-addicted, non-violent felony offenders with five prior drug arrests and an average of four years behind bars achieved significantly lower recidivism rates and higher employment rates through a drug treatment program than comparable offenders who were sent to prison, according to findings published in the White Paper, Crossing the Bridge: An Evaluation of the Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison (DTAP) Program, released today by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. These results were achieved at about half the cost of incarceration, the CASA evaluation found. The five-year evaluation was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse." See also the
full report, available in
Adobe Acrobat format.
