Friday, April 16, 2004

State Mental Health Authorities Response to Terrorism
A 73 page report, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council  - "The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council developed its ninth technical paper through a series of pre-meeting conferences calls and extensive discussions at a workgroup summit held May 5-6, 2003 in Alexandria, VA. Participants included State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) medical directors, commissioners, public health leaders, consumers, disaster mental health experts, and consultants with Federal and State response experience..."  
  

Answering the Challenge: Responses to the New Freedom Commission Final Report
The Spring 2004 issue of networks, the newsletter of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, focuses on the impact of last year's New Freedom Commission report, gathering viewpoints from Commission members, consumers who work in the field and federal officials (Adobe Acrobat format).    
  

$150,000 Available For Substance Abuse Services Research
SAMHSA press release - "The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is announcing the availability of funds to support dissertation research involving data analysis on substance abuse services issues. The dissertation must examine in a quantitative way a problem or issue in the area of substance abuse. Approximately $150,000 will be available for five grants in FY 2004..."  
  

Cuts will affect thousands (North Carolina)
Story in the Raleigh News Observer - "In less than three months, thousands of people across North Carolina who have received mental health services at state expense will find they are no longer eligible. And many who still qualify could see their contacts with county mental health systems reduced to a quick evaluation over the phone and a referral to a private provider. The state no longer will pay for treatment of people with milder, mostly temporary mental illnesses, nor for substance abuse services for many adult males. The reason, state officials say, is to allow limited funds to help those most in need..."  
  

Schizophrenia in Women
Part of Medscape's coverage of the 2nd World Congress on Women's Mental Health - " Sex and gender differences in schizophrenia have been described for a long time, especially with respect to age at onset, symptomatology, and course of the disease. More recently, sex differences in brain morphology and function have been reported. Furthermore, there has been a growing interest in gender-specific psychosocial influences and gender-sensitive therapeutic approaches. Together, the presentations by several speakers during the 2nd World Congress on Women's Mental Health gave us a comprehensive overview of the evidence-based knowledge about sex and gender differences and the specifics of schizophrenic disorders in women..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free]. See also Economic Empowerment Improves Women’s Mental Health at Psychiatric Times, based on conference presentations.