Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Leading Drugs for Psychosis Come Under New Scrutiny
Front page feature article in today's New York Times - "They were billed as near wonder drugs, much safer and more effective in treating schizophrenia than anything that had come before. For many years, it seemed that the excitement was fully warranted. There were remarkable stories of recovery. And the new generation of antipsychotic drugs, called atypicals, seemed to have few of the side effects commonly seen with high doses of older medications for psychosis. ... But 14 years after the first of the drugs entered the market, researchers are questioning whether they are quite as miraculous — or benign — as originally advertised." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Public Reporting on Quality in The United States and The UK
Health Affairs article at Medscape - "...Problems, challenges, obstacles, and innovations mark the trail, but there is incremental progress toward widespread use of quality report cards in the United States and the United Kingdom.... In the United States a strong emphasis on informing consumer choice and controlling costs has guided reporting. Different traditions and incentives are at work across the Atlantic. The two countries have much to learn from each other as they move toward greater accountability and quality in health care." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

President`s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health: Reports
The "Outline of the Final Report to the President," posted in April, is available for download in MS Word format from this page, as well as previous reports (in a variety of formats), including an Adobe Acrobat version available of the Report on the Public Comments Submitted to the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.