Thursday, March 17, 2005

Psychopharmacology for Addiction Psychiatric Times article - "Proper treatment for addiction is best informed by the substance of addiction. The main categories of substance addiction and proper treatment recommendations are reviewed..."  
  

Recent Advances in Treatment Psychiatric Times article - " Mental disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a major public health problem, and when these disorders are left untreated, they have devastating consequences for affected individuals, their families and society. While not widely known, a number of important advances have been made in the past decade toward understanding and treating SUDs and SUD-related disorders. For example, one of the more recent innovations in treating specific SUDs has been the addition of pharmacotherapy to improve treatment response, beyond what patients obtain from psychotherapy or counseling. The benefit of pharmacotherapy has now been well documented in the treatment of nicotine, alcohol, opiate and, just recently, cocaine dependence disorders."  
  

Brain imaging study may hold clues to onset of schizophrenia in people at high risk Press release from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at EurekAlert - "Images of brain activity may hold clues to the onset of schizophrenia in people at high risk for the disease, according to a study headed by psychiatry researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The new findings appear in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association. A decline in function in the prefrontal cortex, the 'executive' or front part of the brain, is present in high-risk individuals experiencing early symptoms of schizophrenia and may reflect biological changes that precede the onset of diagnosable illness, the study indicates."  
  

Kendra's Law: Final Report on the Status of Assisted Outpatient Treatment A 64-page report, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the New York State Office of Mental Health, called to our attention at the Open Minds web site - "On August 9, 1999, Governor George Pataki signed Kendra’s Law (Chapter 408 of the Laws of 1999), creating a statutory framework for courtordered Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) to ensure that individuals with mental illness and a history of hospitalizations or violence participate in community-based services appropriate to their needs. ... Kendra’s Law established new mechanisms for identifying individuals who, in view of their treatment history and circumstances, are likely to have difficulty living safely in the community without close monitoring and mandatory participation in treatment. It also established mechanisms for ensuring that local mental health systems give these individuals priority access to case management and other services necessary to ensure their safety and successful community living."  
  

Substance Use and Need for Treatment Among Youths Who Have Been in Foster Care A February 2005 report, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - "Youths from substance-abusing families frequently have serious emotional and behavioral problems, including a tendency to choose risky behavior, such as alcohol or other drug use. Substance abuse is a factor in at least three quarters of all foster care placements, and recent studies indicate high rates of lifetime substance use and substance use disorders for youths in the foster care system. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks youths aged 12 to 17 if they ever stayed in foster care. This report looks at the need for and receipt of substance abuse treatment among youths who have been in foster care. All estimates are annual averages based on combined 2002 and 2003 NSDUH data."  
  

SPRC & AFSP Release the Online Registry of Evidence-Based Practices in Suicide Prevention Press release (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center - "The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) have completed development of an online registry of evidence-based suicide prevention programs. The registry of 14 programs represents an initial step in the collection and promotion of evidence-based suicide prevention programs and accomplishes Objective 10.3 of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Decision-makers can use the registry as a source of objective and reliable information as they select programs to implement. The registry is part of the Evidence-Based Practices Program (EBPP), which launched last spring. The goals of EBPP were to review evaluations of suicide prevention programs and classify them according to their demonstrated evidence." See also the main web page of the SPRC registry, which includes links to an in-depth program description (also in Acrobat format) and fact sheets.  
  

SAMHSA announces new Voice Awards PR Newswire press release at Yahoo - "Nominations are now being accepted for the Voice Awards, a new award that honors entertainment industry writers and producers who create positive portrayals of people with mental illnesses. The awards are sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The goal of the new Voice Awards is to recognize writers and producers of entertainment programming -- television, radio and film -- who have given 'voice' to people with mental illnesses by incorporating dignified, respectful and accurate portrayals into their scripts, programs and productions." See also the Voice Awards web site.