Wednesday, October 08, 2003
SAMHSA Announces $16 Million to Treat Adolescents Substance Abuse
SAMHSA press release - "Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Charles G. Curie today announced 22 awards totaling $16.2 million over three years to increase the effectiveness of alcohol and drug abuse treatment for adolescents. The programs receiving these grants will adopt or expand their use of a treatment protocol that combines two types of therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. This Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavior Therapy, a five-session protocol, was previously proved to be effective with substance abusing youth."
Race and Mental Heath Disparity
Article in
Psychology Today - "African Americans are overlooked in the psychological field. It is a sad fact of life that disparities in insurance coverage and stigma collaborate to keep access to mental health care lagging behind physical health care for everyone. Overall, only one third of Americans with a mental health problem get care. Still, the percentage of African Americans receiving needed care is half that of whites..."
Many addicts have more than one addiction Story in the
Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise (Massachusetts) - "Nearly half of the 1.1 million people receiving treatment for addictions are treated for both drug and alcohol abuse, according to the 2002 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Centers. 'The day of the single addiction is almost a dinosaur. Most people are addicted to more than one substance these days,' said Wayne Rushlow, a licensed mental health therapist and substance abuse counselor in Leominster and the surrounding area. ... The survey, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, showed there were 1,136,287 people receiving substance abuse treatment on a typical day in 2002. Of those people, 48 percent were being treated for both drug and alcohol abuse."
Advocates: Law will benefit mental health (Maryland)
Gazette.net story - "A new state law will make it easier for families and friends to get help for people suffering from severe mental illness, mental health advocates said. The law, which went into effect Oct. 1, sets a broader standard for assessing the danger that the mentally ill pose to themselves or others. Judges use the criteria to decide whether to order a psychiatric evaluation against a person's will. The new law allows such an evaluation if the person 'presents a danger to the life or safety of [him or herself] or of others.'"
Castle introduces mental health bill Story in the
News Journal (Delaware) - "Several congressmen, including Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., have introduced a bill that would provide $55 million to help states improve mental health support systems so families do not have to relinquish custody of their ill children to get them help. The Keeping Families Together Act is a response to a federal government report in April that estimated families have turned over custody of about 12,700 children to 19 states so their children can get mental health services. "
Study: TennCare now gives kids less mental health care (Tennessee) Story in
The Tennesean - "Children on TennCare with emotional and behavioral problems are getting less and cheaper care than when the program started nine years ago, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University. The study said TennCare has 'made great strides' in serving more children, but that each child got less care so that more could be helped,"
