Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Regulators Want Antidepressants to List Warning
Front page New York Times article - "Patients taking antidepressants can become suicidal in the first weeks of therapy, and physicians should watch patients closely when first giving the drugs or changing dosages, federal regulators said yesterday. The warnings are part of a public health advisory issued by the Food and Drug Administration and are a reminder that antidepressants, taken by millions around the world, are not without risks. The agency is asking drug manufacturers to place detailed caveats about the drugs' side effects prominently on their labels. Advertisement The agency's decision to issue such a broad warning was a surprise. Top F.D.A. officials have long insisted that their decisions are driven only by clear-cut evidence from well-run clinical trials. But in a conference call with reporters yesterday, agency officials said that no studies had shown a convincing link between drug therapy and suicide. Suicide is such a rare side effect that studies on the subject have been difficult to interpret, the regulators said. Still, the agency issued the advisory anyway." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free]. See also Suicide Warning Sought for Antidepressants, an AP story reprinted at Yahoo.   
  

NAMI Maine launches Campaign for the Mind of America
Press release at the NAMI web site - "NAMI Maine and over 15 organizations released The State of the Mental Health System in Maine in the state’s largest city today, as part of a national campaign to build community support for access to services and treatment for people with mental illness. Nearly 35 thousand of Maine’s over 1.3 million residents has a severe mental illness, yet most do not receive treatment. ... Advocates and experts will present report findings to legislators and other policymakers on the scope of the mental health crisis in Maine, and recommend solutions that are evidence-based, cost-effective, and safe."  
  

Race, Ethnicity, and Health
A report from the Urban Institute (also available in Adobe Acrobat and "printer friendly" formats) - " The creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), combined with many states' decisions to expand Medicaid eligibility, increased public coverage of black, white, and Hispanic children between 1997 and 2002. Uninsurance rates fell among children in low-income white, black, and Hispanic families, remained constant among white and black children in higher-income families, and increased among Hispanic children in higher-income families. The health status of children, as reported by their parents, was stable for blacks, whites, and Hispanics, except for a decline in health among higher-income Hispanic children. Over the same period, black and white adults saw increases in public health insurance coverage but not in overall coverage. The uninsurance rate of Hispanic adults increased, despite expanded public coverage of higher-income Hispanic adults."  
  

CMH blames unpopular decisions' on cutbacks in state, county funding (Michigan)
Story in the Flint Journal - "A lack of state funding is affecting the flexibility of Genesee County Community Mental Health Services to offer certain kinds of programming, Danis Russell, a local mental health leader, recently told politicians. At a local legislative breakfast on changes at CMH, policy makers learned the reasons for staff turnover and layoffs, and the closing of a popular job training site, Community Industries Services..."  
  

Web site first step in mental health care (Ohio)
Plain Dealer story - " Lorain County is pioneering a free Web site heralded as a revolutionary way to help people navigate mental health care. ... The Mental Health Network of Care's search engine will steer those reluctant to seek help because of the stigma associated with mental ill nesses to local support groups, care providers, even legislators sponsoring mental health bills.  
  

Mental Health Plan Compromise (Nebraska)
WOWT story - "A compromise reached on a mental health reform plan will ensure that both the Hastings and Norfolk regional centers remain open until they are operating at less than 20 percent of capacity. The agreement was reached Tuesday with proponents and opponents of the reform plan. Senators involved with the talks said Governor Mike Johanns has signed off on the accord. Johanns spokeswoman Terri Teuber declined to immediately comment."  
  

State senators promise mental health reforms (Ohio)
Coshocton Tribune story - "Three state senators on Monday promised to push for reforms in Ohio's mental health system, saying they must move quickly to stop the abuse and neglect of children and make sure tax money isn't wasted. The lawmakers proposed changes after a two-day Cincinnati Enquirer series revealed that Ohio parents have given up custody of as many as 1,800 children in the past three years so the government will pay to treat their mental illness..."