PTSD in Men and Women
Article in Current Medical Research and Opinion at Medscape based on a study "to investigate the symptom frequencies of a relatively large sample of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers and compare male and female symptom profiles." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
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SAMHSA Grant Opportunity: CMHS Cooperative Agreements for National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Self-Help Technical Assistance Centers
Thanks to Kevin Fitts of the Oregon Mental Health Consumers Association for calling this SAMHSA funding announcement to our attention - "SAMHSA-CMHS is accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2003 cooperative agreements to support five National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Self-Help Technical Assistance (TA) Centers. The purpose of these technical assistance centers is to assist with the improvement of State and local level mental health service systems by providing consumers, as well as supporters, service providers, and the general public, with necessary skills to foster self-help/self-management approaches." See also the item at the SAMHSA site on Cooperative Agreements for the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Program for Children and their Families.  
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Hidden Costs Of The Uninsured
CBS News story - "The poor health and premature deaths of people without health insurance costs the nation between $65 billion and $130 billion annually, says a study by the Institute of Medicine. The Institute, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, estimated that 41 million Americans lack health insurance, up from the 38.7 million without coverage reported by the Census Bureau in 2000." See also an electronic version of the report at the National Academies web site, where there's an index page of recent reports, among them A Shared Destiny: Community Effects of Uninsurance (March 2003).  
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Flaws found in depression therapy
MSNBC story on findings published in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association - "Treatment rates for major depression have improved significantly over the last two decades, but more than half of patients nationwide are getting inadequate therapy, a new study suggests. The findings suggest that while the stigma of mental illness may be easing, many doctors may not be aware of treatment advancements, and many patients may be seeking unproven therapies, said Harvard Medical School researcher Ronald Kessler, the study’s lead author."  
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Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Launches On-Line Support For People Dealing with the Stress of SARS (Canada)
June 16 CAMH press release - "An online web-assisted support group for people dealing with the stress of SARS ... was launched today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ... Dr. Peter Selby, Head of CAMH's Nicotine Dependence Clinic and Assistant Professor, Departments of Family and Community Medicine, Public Health Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Toronto .... envisions the web site as being used by people who are in quarantine; patients in isolation who have SARS but who are well enough to use a computer and who have little support because contact is limited due to restrictions; and members of the public who are feeling stressed by the SARS situation and who want to educate themselves on ways to cope with the stress." See also the SARS Support Centre web site, which has resources for both healthcare professionals and the public, including online support groups.  
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