Monday, January 19, 2004

The Effectiveness of Telepsychiatry: A Review
Article in the latest Bulletin of the Canadian Psychiatric Association - "Effectiveness must be determined for each new technology because it may have advantages and disadvantages over what is currently offered. We reviewed the literature to synthesize information on whether telepsychiatry is effective. Based on the literature, we suggest that the effectiveness of telepsychiatry be evaluated on access to care, quality of care (that is, outcomes, reliability, satisfaction and comparison with in-person care), costs and empowerment. Further, we discuss other factors that influence effectiveness (for example, technology, administrative coordination and financial support). Telepsychiatry appears effective, and recommendations are offered for further evaluation of its effectiveness."  
  

Working with marginalized communities to define and measure local strengths and capabilities (Canada)
Item in the most recent issue of Mental Health News from CMHA/Ontario - "Community agencies can do much to help communities act in their own best interests, according to a new study focusing on four Toronto neighbourhoods. Health promotion academics worked with marginalized communities from four neighbourhoods in Toronto, including people with mental health problems living in Parkdale, to develop definitions of community capacity and outcome measurements, according to a report in Health Promotion International..."  
  

Riluzole Therapy Effective in Treatment-Resistant Depression
Medscape Medical News story - "Riluzole is associated with antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, according to results of an open-label study reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Riluzole is a glutamate-modulating agent currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." "med"  
  

The Grief Industry
A thought-provoking feature article in the current New Yorker on grief counseling - "...In fact, only in the past few years has debriefing undergone serious scrutiny. Brett Litz, a research psychologist at Boston Veterans Affairs Medical Center who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder, recently completed a randomized clinical trial of group debriefing of soldiers who were stationed in Kosovo. ... He summarized the academic verdict on debriefing as follows: 'The techniques practiced by most American grief counsellors to prevent P.T.S.D. are inert.' Clinical trials of individual psychological debriefings versus no intervention after a major trauma, such as a fire or a motor-vehicle accident, have had discouraging results. Some researchers have claimed that debriefing can actually impede recovery."