Thursday, October 14, 2004

Mental Illness in Tompkins County: Exhibit aims to smash stereotypes
Story at the NAMI web site on an exhibit of 20 black-and-white photographs of mentally ill people and their families on display at the library in Ithaca, New York - "There are several text panels that recount the personal stories of those who have directly or indirectly faced the stigma attached with mental illness. The idea behind the exhibit -'Nothing to Hide: Mental Illness in the Family' - is to challenge those stigmas."  
  

Scientists find new clues underlying mood disorders
University of California, Davis - Medical Center press release at EurekAlert - "Researchers have found altered gene activity in people who suffer from major depression, a discovery that may one day help doctors better diagnose and treat the condition. The research, conducted by a consortium of four universities, appears this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS). Scientists found that the fibroblast growth factor system, which is a family of proteins involved in the growth, development and maintenance of nerve cells, had an overall decrease in levels in patients who had major depressive disorder. Proteins are the products of gene expression..."  
  

Differences in health service use for depression across Ontario (Canada)
Report, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the Central East Health Information Partnership that " focuses on the geographic distribution of health services related to mental illness, particularly depression, in Ontario. Hospitalization data and physician billing records data were analyzed. Primary care physicians and hospital emergency rooms are often the entry point to the health care system for individuals suffering from depression, however, care is also provided by community mental health services. Therefore, data on community-based care and services were presented to help provide a more complete illustration of service utilization patterns.."  
  

New NAMI Leader Vows To Strengthen Liaisons
Psychiatric News story - "NAMI's new executive director plans to build upon alliances with other organizations, including APA, to improve the lives of people with mental illness. By strengthening ties with a number of organizations inside and outside of the mental health sector, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Executive Director Michael Fitzpatrick hopes to fulfill a number of goals, including expanding access to mental health services for those who need them and erasing the stigma associated with brain disorders."  
  

Drug Import Programs Defy Federal Warnings, Reap Benefits
Medscape Business of Medicine story - "Several cities and states have lost patience with national leaders who continue debating the relative benefits and dangers of importing less-expensive medicines from other countries. Some cities, in fact, already are saving millions of dollars through their own import programs, in defiance of federal government warnings..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Intramuscular Aripiprazole May Be Effective Against Acute Agitation in Psychosis
Medscape Medical News story - "The atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole (Abilify) is as effective as haloperidol and significantly more effective than placebo at treating acute agitation in psychotic patients, according to an international team of investigators who presented their findings here at the 17th congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].