Monday, February 02, 2004

Debating access to scientific data
Article in the February APA Monitor - "Any psychologist who has followed the science media over the past year has likely caught wind of the debate over 'free access' or 'open access,' terms used to describe free, unrestricted public Internet access to scientific information. Fueled by a San Francisco-based group called the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the movement's idealistic aim is to keep taxpayers from what PLoS calls 'paying twice' for scientific data: once when they fund the government agencies that sponsor research, and again when they pay online fees to access scientific journal articles. The problem could be stopped, PLoS advocates argue, by changing the financial nature of science publishing from a system based on subscription fees--which they deride as overly profit-based--to one based on fees paid up front by authors. The plan has a few strong supporters and many critics, both among science publishers and scientists themselves. While advocates praise the plan for its democratizing agenda, critics say it fails to account for the realities of publishing. .."  
  

Delivering interventions for depression by using the internet
British Medical Journal article based on research which found that "Intention to treat analyses indicated that information about depression and interventions that used cognitive behaviour therapy and were delivered via the internet were more effective than a credible control intervention in reducing symptoms of depression in a community sample" - and concluded that "Both cognitive behaviour therapy and psychoeducation delivered via the internet are effective in reducing symptoms of depression."  
  

Webcast: The Road To Recovery
Information on a webcast scheduled for Wednesday, February 4, 3:00-3:30 EST that "...demonstrates successful awareness-raising strategies employed by communities - large and small - throughout the Nation and provides helpful tips for replicating those successes where you live." See also the related flier (Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Prescription For Suicide?
Feature article in Time - "For years a small but vocal group of patients and doctors have insisted that certain antidepressants, including Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac and other medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), carry an unacceptable risk of antisocial behavior and suicide in kids who take them. Many clinicians and most pharmaceutical companies disagree. Major depression is a dangerous illness that in itself can lead to suicide, and they insist that the benefits of these drugs outweigh the risks. But drug firms also refuse to release all their research... The issue is coming to a head. By last December, the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the equivalent of the FDA, had declared Celexa, Effexor, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft (but not Prozac) too risky for kids under 18. Two weeks ago, a task force of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology fired back, saying that despite the risk of potentially serious side effects, it's riskier to withhold the drugs. Now comes the FDA probe, which began with an investigation of Paxil launched in the fall of 2002..."  
  

More Youth Entered Substance Abuse Treatment in 2001
SAMHSA press release - " More youth entered substance abuse treatment facilities in 2001, with most of the increase due to abuse of marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced today. The data is part of the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for 2001, the most recent complete year of data on admissions to substance abuse treatment at facilities that receive public funding."