Friday, February 18, 2005

Breakthrough in study of schizophrenia announced AFP story at Yahoo - "Australian researchers announced a breakthrough in the search for the cause of schizophrenia, linking the impaired thought processes involved with the disorder to thinning grey matter in the brain. Vaughan Carr of the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders said the discovery could provide a better understanding of the genetic causes of the illness and eventually lead to improved treatments."  
  

Self-help agencies are significant source of care for people involved with criminal justice system  Item in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Alternative service providers such as self-help agencies appear to serve a comparable proportion of clients who have had contact with the criminal justice system as their counterparts in traditional community mental health agencies, according to a study published recently in Psychiatric Services. The authors looked at the characteristics, service needs and involvement with the criminal justice system of new clients at 11 self-help agencies and 10 community mental health centres..."  
  

Muslim clergy report more counselling for mental health issues: study  Story in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "A study published recently in Psychiatric Services looked at the nature and extent of the counselling role of imams — Islamic clergy — in response to their congregations’ needs across the United States, especially since September 11, 2001. The authors conducted a cross-sectional nationwide survey, mailing questionnaires to 730 mosques across the United States. From the 62 responses, the authors gathered data about the education and counselling skills training of the imams, the reasons imams were approached for counselling, and the ethnicities of the imams and their congregations."