Monday, April 11, 2005

A Response to Schizophrenia and Recovery Letter by Ralph Aquila to Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health in response to an interview on recovery with Stephen R. Marder - "I was ... somewhat taken aback by the statement that Dr. Marder made, in response to the question, 'Do you know of any community or country where a recovery model has been successfully implemented?' -- 'No, I don't.' I believe, as do many of my colleagues, that a number of successful recovery models have been established, particularly in the United States. There are, for example, The Assertive Community Treatment Model (nationwide); The Village (California); Thresholds in Chicago; and the Fountain House Model (national and international)..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Eating disorders common among people in substance abuse treatment Item in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Clinicians need to be aware of the high rate of eating disorders among both women and men who are in treatment for substance abuse problems, according to a recent article in the Canadian Journal of Public Health. Among 1,613 people who were seeking treatment for substance use disorders at a large metropolitan addiction treatment centre, 2.6 percent of men and 7.4 percent of women also currently had anorexia nervosa, and 1.5 percent of men and 7.6 percent of women had bulimia nervosa. Among individuals with eating disorders, 59 percent also had depression and 36 percent had social phobia. Individuals with eating disorders used a greater number of substances and experienced more negative results related to substance abuse."  
  

Family-Centred Care Initiative (Canada) Page at the web site of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health - "The Community Support and Research Unit (CSRU), in partnership with the Family Council, is leading the Family Centered Care Initiative (FCCI) with the goal of improving the care and support that CAMH provides to family members and working with families to improve the quality of life of clients." See also the framework for the initiative (in Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Indians get scant help on mental health Duluth News Tribune story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Trying to get needed mental-health services to remote American Indian reservations has long been a problem for providers such as Jo Ellen Anywaush. As director of the White Earth Reservation Health Services in northern Minnesota, her staff is dedicated but small, and money is tight. ... American Indians face significant health challenges. Their average life expectancy is five years less than that of the general population. They are afflicted more severely than other ethnic groups with many health problems, including tuberculosis, alcoholism and diabetes. And in terms of mental health, American Indians are twice as likely to suffer from depression and almost twice as likely to commit suicide as the general population."  
  

Medicaid Accounting Tactic Is Criticized by Lawmakers Washington Post story - "This year, as they have done for many years past, California officials will use an accounting strategy that will yield nearly $2 billion more in federal Medicaid payments than the state might otherwise be entitled to. ... States have used this bit of creative accounting for more than a decade, with the knowledge and approval of the federal government. But this year, such tactics are at the heart of the biggest budget battle in Washington, one that has pitted the Bush administration against the nation's governors and the Senate against the House. The White House and its allies in Congress say the federal government could save as much as $20 billion over the next five years by clamping down on what they see as fraudulent or abusive budget gimmickry. They began pressing their case this week when the House and Senate budget chairmen met to work out a compromise budget resolution that singles out Medicaid for the largest reductions..." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]  
  

Live Webcast to Examine Mental Health Care System for Children Ascribe Newswire press release - " 'Children's Mental Health: Navigating the System,' the final event in the 2004-2005 Conversations at The Carter Center series, will be webcast live Thursday, April 14, 2005, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on http://www.cartercenter.org/. Panelists include mental health legislative activist Tom O'Clair and award-winning journalist Paul Raeburn -- men whose lives have been impacted by the realities of obtaining adequate mental health care for their own children. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, a longtime advocate of mental health care for children and co-founder of The Carter Center, will make opening remarks. Dr. Thomas Bornemann, director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program, will lead the discussion about the well-being of children in light of recommendations from the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Panelists will also provide insight into systems of care that emphasize treatment of and recovery from mental illnesses..."