Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Study Finds Long-Term Ecstasy Use Leads to Memory Loss Story at About Mental Health - "Long-term users of "ecstasy,' the street name for the drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), tend to experience memory loss or impairment, according to a study reported in the April 10 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Over the period of one year the test scores either declined or kept static, but did not improve. The main finding of the study is that continued use of MDMA is associated with different aspects of memory decline, including retrospective memory (i.e. the ability to recall a short passage of prose being read out immediately and after a delay)."  
  

Layoff reveals larger problem, those with mental health needs suffer (Florida)Sun Herald story - "The sole nonprofit responsible for giving no-cost mental health and substance abuse services to Charlotte County residents has just had a major layoff -- and more are expected. In the last three weeks, Charlotte Community Mental Health Services has laid off a dozen employees, bringing its total staff to fewer than 200. The layoff comes roughly one year after the state officially closed the G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital in Arcadia and made CCMHS the go-to agency for area services."