Thursday, March 18, 2004

NAMI Task Force Calls For Stronger, Smarter Investment In Federal Scientific Research on Serious Mental Illnesses To Build on Break-Throughs
Story at the NAMI web site on the release of a 40-page report, Roadmap to Recovery and Cure (in Adobe Acrobat format) - "...At a time when the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health has called for major changes in the nation’s mental healthcare system, the report reveals a significant gap between scientific research and treatment services—calling both 'totally inadequate—and unnecessarily so.'" See also, at the NAMI web site, Background information about the Task Force and a list of its members.   
  

Johanns visits to tout mental health reforms (Nebraska)
Story in the Columbus Telegram - "An uproar was heard across the state when Gov. Mike Johanns proposed closing the Norfolk and Hastings regional centers for mental health care. Local professionals from many fields said eliminating these inpatient facilities would spell disaster. Now, it appears the tide of opinion is slowly turning, not only here but across Nebraska, according to the governor..." See also Lawmakers to undertake mental health debate today at the same source - "The key for Johanns and the reform's supporters is developing a network of care in communities across the state to treat people closer to their homes. Doing that would remove the need for the two regional centers, they say, while at the same time provide patients with care that will be less disruptive to their lives. Closing the two regional centers also would make Nebraska eligible for federal Medicaid money it cannot now access..."  
  

Journals to bolster mental health research
Article at the Science and Development Network (UK) web site - " Editors from some of the world's leading medical journals have pledged to increase the amount of mental health research from developing countries that is published in their journals. In a joint statement with the World Health Organisation (WHO), 42 editors representing journals such as the British Medical Journal and The Lancet agreed to reduce the barriers that impede publication of mental health research from the world's poorer nations. ... Researchers from developing countries often fail to meet the rigorous requirements of the world's top journals because of limited access to information, lack of advice on research design and statistics, difficulty in writing in a foreign language and overall material, financial and infrastructural constraints. As a result, most research from such countries is published in low-profile journals that are not widely distributed."