January 2005
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31          
Dec   Feb

Channels
Children & Adolescents
Dual Diagnosis
Health Care Systems
Leadership
United States
United Kingdom
New Zealand & Australia

IIMHL UPDATE Home Page
User's Guide
Feature Articles Index

Links
IIMHL
SAMHSA (US)
NIMH (UK)
MOH(NZ)
MHCA


IIMHL Update is researched,
edited and designed
by Bill Davis.

For information about the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership, please contact Fran Silvestri.











Mental Health Policies and Programs in Selected Countries (Adobe Acrobat document)
"...the second in a series of four reports by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology as part of its study on mental health, mental illness and addiction. The first report, entitled Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction: Overview of Policies and Programs in Canada, presents an overview of mental illness and addiction policies and services in Canada. This second report draws some lessons for mental health reform in Canada from descriptions of the mental health policies and programs in four selected countries."

Workforce Booklet (Adobe Acrobat document)



daily link  Monday, January 24, 2005


The Treatment of Panic Disorder Current Opinion in Psychiatry article at Medscape - " Purpose of Review: The aim of this article is to provide an updated review of studies and recommendations published from August 2003 to August 2004 on the treatment of panic disorder. Recent Findings: Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy remains the treatment of choice for panic disorder. Recent studies confirm selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as the first-choice drugs in treating panic disorder. Recommendations for (adjunctive) high-potency benzodiazepines have been published. Psychoeducation and combined pharmacotherapy/psychotherapy improve treatment response. Optimal long-term treatment of panic disorder involves adequate medication and duration of treatment, since relapse is frequent. Summary: Recent studies confirm that cognitive-behavioral therapy, alone or in combination with drug therapy, remains the treatment of choice for panic disorder. Long-term treatment is often necessary due to the chronicity of the illness." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
comment []  permalink  


A Pilot Study of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder American Journal of Psychiatry article at Mental Help Net - "This article describes pilot testing of interpersonal psychotherapy adapted for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Unlike most psychotherapies for PTSD, interpersonal psychotherapy is not exposure-based, focusing instead on interpersonal sequelae of trauma. ... Treating interpersonal sequelae of PTSD appears to improve other symptom clusters. Interpersonal psychotherapy may be an efficacious alternative for patients who refuse repeated exposure to past trauma. This represents an exciting extension of interpersonal psychotherapy to an anxiety disorder."  
comment []  permalink  


The Key Assistance ReportA publication (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse that has been recently added to the NMHCSC web site. Published quarterly, the Key Assistance Report is a technical assistance product designed to help consumers get what they need. Please note that the issue now online was first published in summer 2004.  
comment []  permalink  


The Treatment Gap in Mental Health Care Red Nova article - "If disability is to be reduced, a bridging of the 'treatment gap' must occur. The treatment gap represents the absolute difference between the true prevalence of a disorder and the treated proportion of individuals affected by the disorder. Alternatively, the treatment gap may be expressed as the percentage of individuals who require care but do not receive treatment. Estimating the treatment gap in a population depends on the prevalence period of the disorder, the time frame of the examination of service utilization, and the demographic representativeness of the study sample with reference to the target population. The objective of this report is to examine the extent of the treatment gap for selected mental disorders. "  
comment []  permalink  


2001-2002 Survey Finds That Many Recover From AlcoholismNational Institute of Health press release - "More than one-third (35.9 percent) of U.S. adults with alcohol dependence (alcoholism) that began more than one year ago are now in full recovery, according to an article in the current issue of Addiction. The fully recovered individuals show symptoms of neither alcohol dependence nor alcohol abuse and either abstain or drink at levels below those known to increase relapse risk. They include roughly equal proportions of abstainers (18.2 percent) and low-risk drinkers (17.7 percent). The analysis is based on data from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a project of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)."  
comment []  permalink  


Outpatient Commitment Garners Broad Support Psychiatric News story - "Michigan has joined 24 other states in giving courts, police officers, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, and families with a means of forcing people with mental illness into treatment rather than jail. ... Since the nationwide closing of psychiatric hospitals beginning in the 1970s, states have had little power to mandate mental health care, unless someone is dangerous or convicted of a crime. Family members and advocates for mentally ill individuals in Michigan have pushed for Kevin's Law since 2001. Public awareness that the state's mental health care system is broken helped create a consensus for the bill this year."  
comment []  permalink  


Why Are Mental Illness Rates Lower in Some Immigrants?  Psychiatric News story - "Close-knit family and social supports that Mexican Americans bring when they immigrate appear to help them ward off aspects of U.S. culture that raise risks of psychiatric disorders. Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white immigrants both have a lower prevalence of psychiatric disorders than their U.S.-born counterparts, but Mexican Americans born in the United States retain that advantage over non-Hispanic whites born here, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). "  
comment []  permalink  



Copyright 2003 © Bill Davis.

IIMHL Update is a project done in collaboration with MHCA and the Centre for Community Change International. IIMHL Update is powered by Radio Userland.