Wednesday, August 18, 2004

A new picture of mental illness
Raleigh News-Observer story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "The concept of art as therapy is hardly new, but for the first time, the N.C. Museum of Art has partnered with the UNC Department of Psychiatry's Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program to promote the work of patient-artists. In the process, the artwork helps dissolve misconceptions about mental illness, museum officials say. The exhibit, 'Brushes with Life -- Art, Artists and Mental Illness,' features 40 works by 19 artists, most of whom have schizophrenia or mood disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression or substance abuse problems. All of the artists are inpatients or outpatients at UNC or are members of a Carrboro clubhouse for people with mental illness..."  
  

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Helpful for Depression in Parkinson's Disease
Medscape Medical News story - "Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is as effective as fluoxetine for the treatment of depression in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to the results of a placebo-controlled trial published in the August issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry." "med"  
  

Out of Spotlight, Bush Overhauls U.S. Regulations
August 13 New York Times story - "... Allies and critics of the Bush administration agree that the Sept. 11 attacks, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq have preoccupied the public, overshadowing an important element of the president's agenda: new regulatory initiatives. Health rules, environmental regulations, energy initiatives, worker-safety standards and product-safety disclosure policies have been modified in ways that often please business and industry leaders while dismaying interest groups representing consumers, workers, drivers, medical patients, the elderly and many others. And most of it was done through regulation, not law - lowering the profile of the actions. The administration can write or revise regulations largely on its own, while Congress must pass laws. For that reason, most modern-day presidents have pursued much of their agendas through regulation. But administration officials acknowledge that Mr. Bush has been particularly aggressive in using this strategy..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

State Medicaid faces suit (Virginia)
Richmond Times Dispatch story - "An advocacy group has filed suit against the state Medicaid program, saying it is not telling parents their children may be eligible for enhanced services to uncover hidden health and behavior problems. The Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy filed the suit yesterday in U.S. District Court in Richmond against the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, which runs the Virginia Medicaid program. At issue is the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment program which covers physical exams, mental health exams, vision, dental, and hearing screenings, and treatment when problems are uncovered for Medicaid recipients under age 21..."  
  

Depression, Substance Abuse Linger After Pregnancy
HealthDay story - "Women who binge drink, get depressed or smoke during their pregnancy boost their risk for depression and alcohol use after they give birth as well, a new study shows. 'Binge drinking, tobacco use and depression symptoms at any point during pregnancy predicted problems later,' said Gregory Homish, a research associate at the Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo and first author of the study, published in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research."  
  

Dual Diagnosis, Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment - The New Hybrid Disorder
PRWeb article by Rachel Hayon - "Dual diagnosis is defined by the presence of both mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders (alcohol and/or drug dependence or abuse). There are a variety of different mental health disorders that can be associated with substance use and labeled dual diagnosis. Some of these disorders include: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anti-social personality disorder, narcissistic personality, and depression. A big question among the experts is which comes first- the mental health problem or substance use? It’s a difficult question to answer because so many of the symptoms associated with mental health disorders resemble the by product of substance use and vice versa. This is also an important topic right now because of the overwhelming amount of substance use cases and mental health disorders that overlap..."  
  

Data Show Increased Abuse of Methamphetamine in Midwest and East Coast
SAMHSA press release - "Drug abuse-related emergency room visits involving amphetamine/ methamphetamine increased 54 percent between 1995 and 2002, with significant increases in several metropolitan areas in the Northeast, Midwest and the South, according to a new report released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The DAWN Report on “Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Emergency Department Visits, 2002” is based on data from SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). The report found almost 39,000 drug-abuse related emergency room visits involving amphetamines or methamphetamine, with sharp increases recorded between 1999 and 2002. The report combines amphetamine and methamphetamine because some standard drug screens do not differentiate between amphetamines and methamphetamine, and many hospitals list all these substances under the generic term amphetamine..." See also the SAMHSA page indexing resources to The DAWN Report: Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Emergency Department Visits, 1995-2002 and please note that the full report is available in Adobe Acrobat  format.    
  

Antidepressants Plus Talk Therapy Are Effective Therapy For Teen Depression
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions press release at Science Daily - "A new study from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and 12 other medical centers shows the most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder is a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy. Researchers say the study's findings indicate this combination treatment may be best for both improving depression and reducing the level of suicidal thinking in adolescents. The multicenter Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, is believed to be the first to examine the individual and combined effectiveness of the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) and cognitive behavioral ('talk') therapy in depressed adolescents. The findings are published in the August 18th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association..." See also the article in JAMA, Fluoxetine, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Their Combination for Adolescents With Depression.