Thursday, August 26, 2004

A surprise on caregiver depression
Philadelphi Enquirer story reprinted at PsycPORT - " Contrary to what researchers expected, placing a loved one with dementia in a nursing home does not make caregivers feel better. In fact, most were just as depressed and anxious after their family member was in the nursing home, and some felt worse, said Richard Schulz, a University of Pittsburgh psychiatry professor who led a government-funded study published today. Anxiety abated after a year, but depression remained just as high as when the dementia patients were at home."  
  

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Psychiatrist Who Revolutionized Care of Terminally Ill, Dies at 78
New York Times obituary - " Dr. Kübler-Ross was credited with helping end centuries-old taboos in Western culture against openly discussing and studying death. She also helped change the care of many terminally ill patients to make death less psychologically painful, not only for the dying, but also for their doctors and nurses - and not least for the survivors. Although the care she sought is by no means universal, she profoundly changed the way the medical profession is asked to look at death. Her greatest influence came through her writings, especially her 1969 best-seller, 'On Death and Dying,' which remains in print around the world..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

GlaxoSmithKline to Release Paxil Data
AP story at Yahoo - "GlaxoSmithKline PLC agreed Thursday to release negative data on the safety and effectiveness of its antidepressant drugs to settle a lawsuit by New York's attorney general that accused the pharmaceutical maker of misrepresenting data on prescribing its drug Paxil to children. GlaxoSmithKline will put summaries of all its studies since December 2000 on its Web site. The London-based company is the first major drug maker to agree to disclose all its studies. The company also will pay $2.5 million to the state as part of the settlement."  
  

Calculating the Costs of Mental Health Care
NPR story (in print and audio) - "Treatment for mental illness is a major driver of health care inflation and second only to heart disease, according to a new study in the journal Health Affairs. And among mental health treatments, antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs are a big contributor to that cost inflation, the study concludes. Over the last year, pharmacies filled more than $146 million in prescriptions for SSRIs." See also the Health Affairs articles, Effect of Declining Mental Health Service Use on Employees of a Large Corporation and Depression in the Workplace. The NPR page also includes links to other, related resources online.