Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care Services: Opportunities and Challenges for State Mental Health Authorities A 53 page January 2005 report (in
Adobe Acrobat format) from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Medical Directors Council - "The work group reviewed current literature, consulted with leading researchers and provider organizations that are successfully implementing integration models for safety net populations, and shared examples of efforts underway at state and local levels. There is ongoing research regarding the medical cost offsets that may accrue through provision of Behavioral Health (mental health and substance abuse) as well as Behavioral Medicine services to the primary care population, including early screening for and delivery of Substance Abuse (SA) services in Primary Care (PC)thus, the report generally references Behavioral Health (BH) services rather than solely Mental Health (MH) services. The discussion considered both population-based and person-centered approaches to care. Recognizing that the emphasis and level of activity will vary from state to state, the report focuses separately on the need for overall system coordination, the needs of persons with serious mental illness, and needs of populations served in primary care. The report integrates two conceptual models that assist in thinking about populationbased and systemic responses..."
A Host of Anxiety Drugs, Begat by Valium New York Times story - "...Valium reached the height of its popularity in 1978, a year when Americans consumed 2.3 billion of the little yellow pills. But by the 1980's its reputation for creating abuse and withdrawal problems was well known, and the new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac were widely considered better treatments for anxiety and panic disorders. Still, the benzodiazepines - there are now more than a dozen others available besides Valium - never disappeared. They are still widely prescribed and, in the view of many doctors, extremely effective in treating not only anxiety and panic disorder, but bipolar illness, insomnia, catatonia and alcohol and drug withdrawal. 'The key is to use them correctly,' said Dr. Eric Hollander, director of clinical psychopharmacology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Using them correctly is not so simple. Benzodiazepines cause sedation, which can be either therapeutic or a side effect, depending on the patient's ailment. " "nyt"
Scientists Criticize Bush Administration for Allegedly 'Stifling' Advancements Item in the outstanding
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "The 'voice of science is being stifled' by the Bush administration, which includes few scientists in policy discussions and has proposed reductions in funds for research and education programs, according to speakers at a meeting of the American Association for Advancement of Science on Sunday, the
AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to the
AP/Journal-Constitution, speakers said that some scientists in federal agencies are 'being ignored or even pressured' to revise study conclusions when they do not agree with administration policies..."
Fighting drugs with drugs is latest addiction therapy KRT wire story at the
Grand Forks Herald (and many other papers around the US) - "The weapon of the future in the war on drugs will likely be ... drugs. Researchers are optimistic about a host of new medications that target the chemical cycle of addiction. Some block the intense pleasure that makes drugs such as heroin so seductive while others calm the brain during withdrawal. Long-acting versions of two drugs already approved - naltrexone for heroin addicts and alcoholics, and buprenorphine for opiate addicts - are on the horizon. They should combat one of the biggest treatment problems: Addicts often dislike taking anything that prevents getting high. Other researchers are taking a different tack, testing vaccines that teach the body to treat illicit drugs like invading microbes..."
