Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Mood, Anxiety Disorders Often Independent of Substance Abuse
Psychiatric News story - "Primary care and mental health clinicians who see patients with mood or anxiety disorders should be prepared to assess them for substance use disorders, suggest the results of a study of co-occurring disorders. About 20 percent of the 19.4 million American adults with a substance use disorder meet diagnostic criteria for at least one type of mood disorder, and about 18 percent of this group also meet criteria for an anxiety disorder. A significant proportion of those diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder also turn out to have a substance use disorder, according to data from the 2001-02 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), which was conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)."  
  

HHS Awards $4 Million for Substance Abuse Prevention Grants for Young Workers
SAMHSA press release - "Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 13 grants totaling $4 million over two years to provide substance abuse prevention programs for youth ages 16-24 who are transitioning into the workplace. The awards are $150,000 or less per year for up to 2 years to adopt evidence-based interventions for youthful employees and their families. These programs will direct specific attention to gender, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and occupational variations in the workplace, targeting younger workers. Recipients of the awards will enhance existing prevention programs and collect survey data to determine their effectiveness."