Wednesday, March 16, 2005

The Treatment and Prevention of Depression: Implications for Counseling and Counselor Training Journal of Counseling and Development article reprinted at MentalHelpNet - "With depression estimated to exist in as much as 10% of the population, it may be the most prevalent problem facing counselors today. S. D. Hollon, M. E. Thase, and J. C. Markowitz (2002) reviewed the extensive research comparing various psychotherapeutic and pharmaceutical approaches to treating depression. They concluded that certain psychotherapy approaches are as effective as medications, but much remains uncertain about effective treatment. This article reviews the authors' analyses and presents implications for the counseling profession"  
  

Drug complaints reach record high FDA blames 14% jump on increased prescription use USA Today story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Drug side effects and other related health problems reported to the Food and Drug Administration reached an all-time high in 2004, a government estimate shows. The federal agency received roughly 422,500 adverse-event reports from pharmaceutical companies, health professionals and patients, up nearly 14% from the 370,887 reports filed in 2003. A final 2004 total is expected later this year, but FDA officials don't expect it to vary significantly from the estimate. The bulk of the reports comes from drug manufacturers, which the FDA requires to file details of all known adverse events involving their products. Doctors, nurses and patients also file, but their reports are voluntary. As a result, the annual totals are believed to cover only a percentage of the actual number of serious drug reactions and problems."  
  

State Medicaid Developments An item in yesterday's Kaiser Daily Health policy report covers recent developments in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, and provides links to related news stories.  
  

Official launch of CURA project linking university and community partners in Toronto and Waterloo Region (Canada) i-Newswire press release - "As the ethnic composition of our Canadian communities shifts, families are faced with challenges as they seek culturally-appropriate mental health support for their loved ones. There is a growing need in Canada to reconsider traditional approaches to mental health support in order to better understand and integrate the needs and challenges of a diverse multicultural population. On March 30, the Centre for Research and Education in Human Services ( CREHS ) will host a celebration to launch a $1.2 million CURA research program designed to explore this issue. Over the course of five years, CREHS, in partnership with university and community organizations in Toronto and Waterloo Region, will explore innovative approaches for providing mental health supports to people from culturally diverse backgrounds."