Care notes
Jacki Scuffle, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust
"Information systems in the NHS tend to reflect working practices of their time, and therefore legacy systems concentrated mainly on administrative activities, gathering data on spells, events and attendance, for export to financial systems and NHS Central Returns. However, there are now real benefits in clinicians taking advantage of technology to improve the level and quality of information available to them about their patients. The widespread use of computers amongst clinical teams requires enormous investment, not only in the supply and installation of equipment and a suitable network, but also in the training of clinical staff to become computer competent, and in the change management issues around transparency and information sharing."
Monday, June 14, 2004
Glaxo to Release Child Depression Trials Results
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Thursday it plans to release trial results of its depression drug Paxil in children and adolescents after the New York attorney general accused it of suppressing the information. The British drugmaker said that to 'clarify the nature of these data,' which New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said was negative and deliberately hidden, it will shortly be making available summaries of the reports on its Web Site at www.gsk.com. Spitzer has sued GlaxoSmithKline claiming it fraudulently concealed studies showing Paxil may not work when used to treat children and could lead to suicidal behavior. Glaxo has denied the allegations..." "med"
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Reuters Health story at Medscape - "GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Thursday it plans to release trial results of its depression drug Paxil in children and adolescents after the New York attorney general accused it of suppressing the information. The British drugmaker said that to 'clarify the nature of these data,' which New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said was negative and deliberately hidden, it will shortly be making available summaries of the reports on its Web Site at www.gsk.com. Spitzer has sued GlaxoSmithKline claiming it fraudulently concealed studies showing Paxil may not work when used to treat children and could lead to suicidal behavior. Glaxo has denied the allegations..." "med"
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Risperidone Versus Conventional Antipsychotics for Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder
Clinical Drug Investigation study at Medscape designed "to prospectively compare risperidone with conventional antipsychotic agents among schizophrenia patients treated under usual practice conditions." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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Clinical Drug Investigation study at Medscape designed "to prospectively compare risperidone with conventional antipsychotic agents among schizophrenia patients treated under usual practice conditions." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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Mentally ill kids adrift in system
USA Today story reprinted at PsycPORT - "The safety net of care for children with mental disorders is badly frayed and even torn open in some spots, leaving many kids untreated or in a dangerous free-fall on treatments that don't work, mental health experts agree. ... About one of five Americans younger than 18 has a diagnosable mental disorder, according to the U.S. surgeon general's 1999 report on mental health. About one of 10 have serious, impairing mental illnesses, such as major depression and anxiety disorders, and fewer than 20% of them receive treatment, says the National Institute on Mental Health. Children are just about as likely as adults to have mental illness, but much less is known about childhood disorders and safe, effective treatments for them."
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USA Today story reprinted at PsycPORT - "The safety net of care for children with mental disorders is badly frayed and even torn open in some spots, leaving many kids untreated or in a dangerous free-fall on treatments that don't work, mental health experts agree. ... About one of five Americans younger than 18 has a diagnosable mental disorder, according to the U.S. surgeon general's 1999 report on mental health. About one of 10 have serious, impairing mental illnesses, such as major depression and anxiety disorders, and fewer than 20% of them receive treatment, says the National Institute on Mental Health. Children are just about as likely as adults to have mental illness, but much less is known about childhood disorders and safe, effective treatments for them."
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Distinct Differences Found in Study of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Patients
Dallas Morning News story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Most people know what compulsive hoarding looks like on the outside. Piles of periodicals, clothes or other clutter are so abundant a person can hardly function. Now, scientists have glimpsed what such hoarding looks like on the inside. Inside the brain, that is. Patients who compulsively hoard have different patterns of brain activity from patients with other forms of OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, PET scans reveal. Researchers report their findings this month in The American Journal of Psychiatry. The study is among the first to show that there are distinct differences in the brain biology of compulsive hoarders compared with other people with OCD, says the lead researcher, Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, of the University of California, Los Angeles' Neuropsychiatric Institute."
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Dallas Morning News story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Most people know what compulsive hoarding looks like on the outside. Piles of periodicals, clothes or other clutter are so abundant a person can hardly function. Now, scientists have glimpsed what such hoarding looks like on the inside. Inside the brain, that is. Patients who compulsively hoard have different patterns of brain activity from patients with other forms of OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, PET scans reveal. Researchers report their findings this month in The American Journal of Psychiatry. The study is among the first to show that there are distinct differences in the brain biology of compulsive hoarders compared with other people with OCD, says the lead researcher, Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, of the University of California, Los Angeles' Neuropsychiatric Institute."
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Drug Company Influence Under Microscope
AP story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Drug companies' influence on medical research and on doctors themselves will be under the microscope as the nation's largest group of physicians gathers for its annual meeting this week. Proposals facing the American Medical Association include a measure seeking to make all drug study results public, even unpublished research funded by pharmaceutical companies that might reflect poorly on their products. The measure stems partly from concern over unpublished data linking some antidepressants with suicidal behavior in children. Government officials are investigating the potential link. Another measure would strengthen a policy the AMA adopted last year on 'shadowing,'' the practice of drug company representatives sitting in on patients' visits with their doctors. Critics say the practice is an attempt to influence what medicines are prescribed. Drug companies say the practice is educational, but they sometimes pay hundreds of dollars a day to the doctors for these visiting rights - money the new measure says doctors should refuse..."
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AP story reprinted at PsycPORT - "Drug companies' influence on medical research and on doctors themselves will be under the microscope as the nation's largest group of physicians gathers for its annual meeting this week. Proposals facing the American Medical Association include a measure seeking to make all drug study results public, even unpublished research funded by pharmaceutical companies that might reflect poorly on their products. The measure stems partly from concern over unpublished data linking some antidepressants with suicidal behavior in children. Government officials are investigating the potential link. Another measure would strengthen a policy the AMA adopted last year on 'shadowing,'' the practice of drug company representatives sitting in on patients' visits with their doctors. Critics say the practice is an attempt to influence what medicines are prescribed. Drug companies say the practice is educational, but they sometimes pay hundreds of dollars a day to the doctors for these visiting rights - money the new measure says doctors should refuse..."
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Multiple Stakeholder Agreement on Desired Outcomes for Adolescents' Mental Health Services
Abstract of a study published in Psychiatric Services which "identified desired outcomes for adolescent mental health services according to various stakeholders—adolescents parents, and therapists—and examined agreement across these groups of stakeholders" and concluded that "Consistent with the research on adult mental health services, a lack of consensus was found among key stakeholders on desired outcome priorities for adolescent services. This lack of consensus may limit engagement in treatment and the effectiveness of care." Full text is available for a fee.
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Abstract of a study published in Psychiatric Services which "identified desired outcomes for adolescent mental health services according to various stakeholders—adolescents parents, and therapists—and examined agreement across these groups of stakeholders" and concluded that "Consistent with the research on adult mental health services, a lack of consensus was found among key stakeholders on desired outcome priorities for adolescent services. This lack of consensus may limit engagement in treatment and the effectiveness of care." Full text is available for a fee.
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Depression, Dementia Can be Confused: Accurate Diagnosis Important
Menninger Clinic press release - "Depression is the most common psychiatric illness confused with Alzheimer’s disease. Consider the personality and mood changes. Difficulty concentrating. Loss of zest for favorite activities. Mental health professionals at the nationally known Menninger Clinic alert families to become more informed of the similarities of depression and the early onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Other shared symptoms include forgetfulness or lapses in memory, withdrawal from daily activities, indecisiveness, reduced sense of self-esteem, change in sleep patterns, agitation or decrease in energy and change in weight. All of these are symptoms of depression that may or may not be seen with early Alzheimer’s, says Alice Rogan, M.D., psychiatrist at The Menninger Clinic and assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine..."
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Menninger Clinic press release - "Depression is the most common psychiatric illness confused with Alzheimer’s disease. Consider the personality and mood changes. Difficulty concentrating. Loss of zest for favorite activities. Mental health professionals at the nationally known Menninger Clinic alert families to become more informed of the similarities of depression and the early onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Other shared symptoms include forgetfulness or lapses in memory, withdrawal from daily activities, indecisiveness, reduced sense of self-esteem, change in sleep patterns, agitation or decrease in energy and change in weight. All of these are symptoms of depression that may or may not be seen with early Alzheimer’s, says Alice Rogan, M.D., psychiatrist at The Menninger Clinic and assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine..."
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Prevalence, Severity, and Unmet Need for Treatment of Mental Disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys
Article in JAMA by the WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium on a study designed to "estimate prevalence, severity, and treatment of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders in 14 countries (6 less developed, 8 developed) in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative." The report is also available in Adobe Acrobat format to facilitate printing. See also, in the same issue, Evidence-Based Global Health.
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Article in JAMA by the WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium on a study designed to "estimate prevalence, severity, and treatment of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders in 14 countries (6 less developed, 8 developed) in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative." The report is also available in Adobe Acrobat format to facilitate printing. See also, in the same issue, Evidence-Based Global Health.
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£5 million funding boost for mental health research UK
Medical News Today story - "People with mental health problems are set to benefit from a £5million funding boost for mental health research and the creation of the first ever Mental Health Research Network, Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced today. The Network will help to raise the standard of mental health and social care research in England by acting as a central resource for clinicians, researchers, carers and people with mental health problems with an interest in participating in research. The Network will increase the scale, range, and timeliness of mental health research. Current research projects include support for carers, a study of service users views of the current Mental Health Act and an overview of trials of psychological treatments for people with schizophrenia and substance misuse." See also the related web page at the NIMHE site.
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Medical News Today story - "People with mental health problems are set to benefit from a £5million funding boost for mental health research and the creation of the first ever Mental Health Research Network, Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced today. The Network will help to raise the standard of mental health and social care research in England by acting as a central resource for clinicians, researchers, carers and people with mental health problems with an interest in participating in research. The Network will increase the scale, range, and timeliness of mental health research. Current research projects include support for carers, a study of service users views of the current Mental Health Act and an overview of trials of psychological treatments for people with schizophrenia and substance misuse." See also the related web page at the NIMHE site.
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A turf war over mental health
Boston Globe story - "Across the United States, psychiatrists and psychologists are engaged in a bruising battle. Two professions normally focused on respecting emotions and listening are instead hurling barbs, accusing each other of caring more about money and turf than patients. The issue: giving psychologists the authority to prescribe drugs. A long-smoldering debate ignited last month when Louisiana passed a law allowing psychologists there to write prescriptions. Psychiatrists, who as medical doctors can prescribe, bitterly fought the legislation and said they fear it will generate momentum in other states."
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Boston Globe story - "Across the United States, psychiatrists and psychologists are engaged in a bruising battle. Two professions normally focused on respecting emotions and listening are instead hurling barbs, accusing each other of caring more about money and turf than patients. The issue: giving psychologists the authority to prescribe drugs. A long-smoldering debate ignited last month when Louisiana passed a law allowing psychologists there to write prescriptions. Psychiatrists, who as medical doctors can prescribe, bitterly fought the legislation and said they fear it will generate momentum in other states."
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Health lobby blocks mental health parity
CNN story - "Aided by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, insurance companies successfully have blocked legislation to make them provide equal coverage for mental and physical illnesses if their policies include both. President Bush endorsed the concept two years ago. Today, supporters of the bill are willing to settle for a scaled-back version they hope Congress will pass in 2004. The original legislation has 69 sponsors in the Senate and 246 sponsors in the House, clear majorities in both chambers. It was named for late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who championed the issue for years. Hastert, however, has declined to schedule a House vote. In the Senate, Republicans blocked an attempt to win passage last fall, on the one-year anniversary of Wellstone's death in a plane crash..."
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CNN story - "Aided by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, insurance companies successfully have blocked legislation to make them provide equal coverage for mental and physical illnesses if their policies include both. President Bush endorsed the concept two years ago. Today, supporters of the bill are willing to settle for a scaled-back version they hope Congress will pass in 2004. The original legislation has 69 sponsors in the Senate and 246 sponsors in the House, clear majorities in both chambers. It was named for late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who championed the issue for years. Hastert, however, has declined to schedule a House vote. In the Senate, Republicans blocked an attempt to win passage last fall, on the one-year anniversary of Wellstone's death in a plane crash..."
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Government considers mental health abuse inquiry (New Zealand)
Story at Stuff - "The Government is considering an inquiry into claims of serious abuse at mental health hospitals, says Prime Minister Helen Clark. More former patients have come forward alleging they were abused in mental asylums during the 1960s and 1970s. It was reported at the weekend that the claims of widespread mistreatment that were previously confined to the former Porirua and Lake Alice asylums encompass most of the closed mental hospitals from Auckland to Otago." See also More patients say they were abused in asylums (New Zealand Herald) and 200-Plus Claims From Ex-Psych Patients (Xtra News).
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Story at Stuff - "The Government is considering an inquiry into claims of serious abuse at mental health hospitals, says Prime Minister Helen Clark. More former patients have come forward alleging they were abused in mental asylums during the 1960s and 1970s. It was reported at the weekend that the claims of widespread mistreatment that were previously confined to the former Porirua and Lake Alice asylums encompass most of the closed mental hospitals from Auckland to Otago." See also More patients say they were abused in asylums (New Zealand Herald) and 200-Plus Claims From Ex-Psych Patients (Xtra News).
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Drive to end mental health stigma (UK)
Newsroom item at the 10 Downing Street web site - " The government has set out plans to address all the issues that affect people with mental health problems rather than just focusing on their medical needs. It has also called for a major shift in attitudes towards people with mental health problems. A report published by the Social Exclusion Unit today shows that people with mental health problems are one of the most socially excluded groups. Common problems like depression affect up to one in six adults at any one time and GPs spend a third of their time on mental health issues. The report also sets out plans to help people with mental health problems have the same opportunities as any other citizen." See also the report and the summary by the Social Exclusion Unit (Adobe Acrobat format) and the related BBC story, Bid to end mental health stigma.
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Newsroom item at the 10 Downing Street web site - " The government has set out plans to address all the issues that affect people with mental health problems rather than just focusing on their medical needs. It has also called for a major shift in attitudes towards people with mental health problems. A report published by the Social Exclusion Unit today shows that people with mental health problems are one of the most socially excluded groups. Common problems like depression affect up to one in six adults at any one time and GPs spend a third of their time on mental health issues. The report also sets out plans to help people with mental health problems have the same opportunities as any other citizen." See also the report and the summary by the Social Exclusion Unit (Adobe Acrobat format) and the related BBC story, Bid to end mental health stigma.
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Copyright 2003 © Bill Davis.
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