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Myths vs. Facts - A provider of employee assistance programs disputes five common myths about mental
05/01/2009
While the current recession is hitting people hard financially, it may be taking an even greater toll on people's mental health.
06/05/2009
A new study finds that reducing the number of beds available in public psychiatric hospitals is associated with increased suicide rates — that for every bed lost for 100,000 people in the population, 45 additional suicides would occur per year.
05/19/2009
Noah, my younger brother, does not talk. Nor can he dress himself, prepare a meal for himself or wipe himself. He is a 42-year-old man, balding, gaunt, angry and, literally, crazy. And having spent 15 years at the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., a state facility, Noah has picked up the con's trick of lashing out before anyone could take a shot at him.
05/14/2009
For nearly eight years, my mom has been going to methadone clinics in different locations around Tucson. About four years ago, my siblings and I started going with her. I was only 10 years old.
05/13/2009
It was just over 20 years ago that the antidepressant Prozac was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The medication was touted as nothing short of a miracle: Not only was it was highly effective in treating depression, it also caused very few side effects.
05/11/2009
In treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism, “we haven’t yet reached the Prozac moment,” says Dr. Mark Willenbring, referring to the drugs that radically changed the treatment of depression. But Dr. Willenbring, an expert on treating alcohol addiction, predicts that the day is not far off when giving a pill and five minutes of advice to an alcohol abuser will be all that is needed to keep drinking under control.
05/11/2009
Most people who drink alcohol are not alcoholics and never will be. But the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism knows all too well that millions of Americans drink in amounts or patterns that put them at risk of developing a dependence on alcohol and having to face the attendant medical, legal and social problems.
05/11/2009
Army Major General Mark Graham lost two sons who were serving in the military. In 2003, Graham's 21-year-old son Kevin, a top ROTC cadet at the University of Kentucky, hanged himself after battling depression. Less than a year later, 23-year-old Jeff died when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq.
05/11/2009
But the programs that help 2,000 developmentally disabled children like Gabriel - and 2,000 mentally disabled adults - would be eliminated under cuts proposed by the Arizona Legislature to solve a $3 billion budget deficit.
05/12/2009
The killing of five comrades by a U.S. soldier on Monday in Iraq is no surprise and illustrates the mental toll that the current wars take on troops, the leader of a veterans group said.
05/11/2009
At least half of the 2 million Americans with severe mental illness also abuse illicit drugs or alcohol, compared to 15 percent of the general population, according to the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration. Unfortunately the vast majority of treatment centers are unable to treat both the disorder and the addiction, critically reducing the effectiveness of rehabilitation, which leaves patients vulnerable to relapse.
05/07/2009
It's easy to see from this segment what a controversial issue the use of stimulant medication both prescribed and "unofficial" is. So what do we know for sure? One thing we know is that there is a compelling evidence base that supports the ability of stimulant medications to treat the core symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children.
05/09/2009
The recession is taking another big bite out of the state budget, with a surge in the number of people who now qualify for taxpayer-provided health care.
05/06/2009
IT IS A SPARKLING DAY IN MID-JUNE, the sun out in full force, the sky a limpid blue. I am lying on my back on the grass, listening to the intermittent chirping of nearby birds; my eyes are closed, the better to savor the warmth on my face.
05/05/2009
If more doctors started asking, would more drug and alcohol abusers 'fess up so they could get help?
It's a huge irony of health care: Go to the emergency room and you'll be asked about a tetanus shot, even though "most of us have never seen a case of tetanus," says Dr. Gail D'Onofrio, emergency medicine chief at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
It's a huge irony of health care: Go to the emergency room and you'll be asked about a tetanus shot, even though "most of us have never seen a case of tetanus," says Dr. Gail D'Onofrio, emergency medicine chief at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
05/04/2009
Being bullied may increase a child's risk of developing psychotic symptoms, researchers have found.
04/30/2009
Many teens think prescription drugs are somehow safer than street drugs because they have been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
05/01/2009
Arizona is free to cut services to an estimated 30,000 residents with developmental disabilities, the state Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
04/30/2009
More than 200 homeless people and their advocates were at the state Capitol on Wednesday to ask legislators not to follow through on proposed cuts to social services that could devastate families already suffering from the economic downturn.
04/29/2009
With the first reported death from the 2009 H1N1 flu, or swine flu, in the U.S., the Federal Government and flu-vaccine manufacturers are preparing for the possibility that a new vaccine will be necessary to control the outbreak.
04/29/2009
Almost 12 percent of children under the age of 18 years of age live with at least one parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug during the past year, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report is based on national data from 2002 to 2007.
04/29/2009
People often ask me what I did to get better. To tell you the truth, I’m not all that sure.
04/28/2009
It’s bad enough when a medication for asthma, hypertension or anything else doesn’t do what it’s supposed to.
04/27/2009
Social services for the poor and disadvantaged are being slashed across the country as states try desperately to shore up growing budget deficits.
05/04/2009
How employees manage stress at work and in their homes is the focus of Penn State’s portion of a $35 million National Institutes of Health grant that will also test the efficacy of a workplace intervention designed to reduce employee stress and promote well-being.
05/04/2009
The Arizona Board of Regents has approved a plan for ASU to offer a new public health program to help address these timely issues.
05/11/2009
An American soldier is in custody after killing five fellow soldiers at a U.S. military counseling center in Baghdad.
The shootings happened at Camp Liberty at a stress clinic where troops go for help to handle the strains of combat or personal issues.
The shootings happened at Camp Liberty at a stress clinic where troops go for help to handle the strains of combat or personal issues.
05/13/2009
As reporters gathered earlier this month, Shawn Andrews, a two-time Eagles Pro Bowl offensive lineman who has battled depression, was told that he seemed again to be his familiar cheery self. He did seem playful.
05/08/2009
For the first 45 of her 50 years of living, Bonnie Neighbour used to wake up feeling sorry to be alive. "Even when I wasn't actually depressed, I would open my eyes in the morning and wonder if there wasn't something else; I would have preferred an alternative to being alive," she says.
She recalls being depressed as a young child. In her late teens, she started having mood problems that eventually escalated into clinical depression.
She recalls being depressed as a young child. In her late teens, she started having mood problems that eventually escalated into clinical depression.
05/14/2009
A new study investigates the link between major depression (MD) and alcohol dependence (AD).
The research evaluated why the illnesses co-occur in individuals and within families at higher rates than expected by chance.
The research evaluated why the illnesses co-occur in individuals and within families at higher rates than expected by chance.
05/15/2009
UK researchers have found that depressive and social anxiety symptoms are more severe among tertiary care outpatients with anxiety disorders than among those with unipolar or bipolar depression.
05/13/2009
Significant and widespread cognitive problems appear to exist in schizophrenia in its earliest phase, making it very hard for people with the disorder to work, study or be social, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.
05/17/2009
When I look at my brother Aaron, he looks no different than other 8-year-old boys.
Maybe a little skinnier and a bit paler, but otherwise the same as other little boys. He likes bugs, dirt and snakes.
But Aaron is different. Severe food allergies, along with asthma, eczema and behavioral problems, have taken a toll on him. It has been hard on the rest of the family, too, but we have handled it.
Maybe a little skinnier and a bit paler, but otherwise the same as other little boys. He likes bugs, dirt and snakes.
But Aaron is different. Severe food allergies, along with asthma, eczema and behavioral problems, have taken a toll on him. It has been hard on the rest of the family, too, but we have handled it.
05/17/2009
Sgt. John M. Russell was near the end of his third tour in Iraq when he allegedly gunned down five fellow service members at a Baghdad combat stress clinic last week.
05/18/2009
The growth in antipsychotic-drug prescriptions for children is slowing as state Medicaid agencies heighten their scrutiny of usage and doctors grow more wary of the powerful medications.
The softening in sales for children is the first sign that litigation, reaction to improper marketing tactics, and concern about side effects may be affecting what had been a fast-growing children's drug segment.
The softening in sales for children is the first sign that litigation, reaction to improper marketing tactics, and concern about side effects may be affecting what had been a fast-growing children's drug segment.
05/19/2009
A behavioral intervention program delivered by e-mail significantly improved diet and physical activity by helping people move more, sit less, and make healthier food choices, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
05/15/2009
My liver failed two springs ago, when I was a senior in high school. I don’t know the cause of my liver disease — a genetic mutation, an environmental trigger or just plain bad luck. But one of the many rules of my long recovery has been no alcohol. Not one drink. Not even a sip.
05/18/2009
Recently, one of my residents told me about a patient with bipolar disorder whose psychiatrist had prescribed an exotic cocktail of drugs — a sedative, a new mood stabilizer and the latest antipsychotic medication.
05/18/2009
"Nobody wants to think about it
Nobody wants to talk about it ...
Well I found out if we opened it up, We could work this out."
-- "Nobody Wants To," a song by Crowded House
This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. Although that beautiful song may not have been written about mental illness, it applies, in my mind. I'm ready to open things up.
Nobody wants to talk about it ...
Well I found out if we opened it up, We could work this out."
-- "Nobody Wants To," a song by Crowded House
This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. Although that beautiful song may not have been written about mental illness, it applies, in my mind. I'm ready to open things up.
05/19/2009
The first five days of walking are the toughest for Zach Bonner, 11, no matter how hard he trains. The Florida boy's feet ache, his tummy rumbles, his legs stiffen.
But the young philanthropist is on a mission to help homeless children, and after several days of walking at least 11 miles per day, he loosens up and the pain subsides. "I want to help other kids that didn't have the same opportunities," he says.
But the young philanthropist is on a mission to help homeless children, and after several days of walking at least 11 miles per day, he loosens up and the pain subsides. "I want to help other kids that didn't have the same opportunities," he says.
05/19/2009
Research has shown that some teens are hardwired or genetically programmed for substance use and risky behavior.
A new study from the University of Georgia shows that a family-based prevention program designed to help adolescents avoid substance use and other risky behavior is especially effective for the genetically high-risk teens.
A new study from the University of Georgia shows that a family-based prevention program designed to help adolescents avoid substance use and other risky behavior is especially effective for the genetically high-risk teens.
05/19/2009
Depression, anxiety or excessive aggression in first grade may place children at risk for victimization by their classmates by third grade.
05/20/2009
Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, commended the nation’s leadership today for passing the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The bill, which was included as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, reauthorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs, which represent the largest federal investment in preventing and ending homelessness.
05/22/2009
One of the challenges faced by people who have a mental illness — such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or ADHD or the like — is that not too many people will talk to you about “curing” the condition.
05/26/2009
A little over a week ago, a Superior Court judge lambasted state officials for failing to improve the $500 million-a-year mental-health-care system for Maricopa County.
05/25/2009
Flagstaff resident Adam McLean, 23, began shooting up meth and heroin when he was 16.
"Things didn't start getting really bad until I started using them intravenously," McLean said. He started to steal from people to support his meth and opiate habit. He specialized in stealing pharmaceutical grade amphetamines and opiates from area pharmacies.
"Things didn't start getting really bad until I started using them intravenously," McLean said. He started to steal from people to support his meth and opiate habit. He specialized in stealing pharmaceutical grade amphetamines and opiates from area pharmacies.
05/22/2009
The study reveals that 76 percent of whites with self-reported depression symptoms are officially diagnosed, compared to just 58.7 percent of blacks, 62.7 percent of Hispanics and 47.4 percent of Asians.
05/21/2009
As far as the body is concerned, a placebo is nothing—a sugar pill, a sham treatment, an inert compound. But try telling that to the brain, as scientists led by Daniel Cherkin of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle recently saw.
05/21/2009
If you've got a kid with ADHD, you've probably spent countless hours pleading with him to sit still.
Well, stop it.
Well, stop it.
05/22/2009
According to a new study, a history of child abuse significantly impacts the wide range of challenges facing depressed inpatients.
Included are an increase in suicide attempts, prevalence of substance use disorder, and a higher incidence rate of personality disorder.
Included are an increase in suicide attempts, prevalence of substance use disorder, and a higher incidence rate of personality disorder.
05/25/2009
Greenland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and according to a new study suicides peak in the long, bright days of summer.
05/26/2009
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, commonly called DSM, is getting an update. Now experts must decide what is a disorder and what falls in the range of normal human behavior.
Deep Brain Stimulation For Depression Pilot Study Demonstrates Sustained Improvement In Depression S
05/21/2009
According to the latest data in a clinical study supported by St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for depression may provide sustainable improvement in depression symptoms among patients with major depressive disorder. Study results will be presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting in San Francisco.
05/21/2009
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite psychiatrists, Dr. Ron Pies. Dr. Pies is Professor of Psychiatry and Lecturer on Bioethics and Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse NY; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston.
05/20/2009
The Family Support Foundation for Mental Illness Launches New Website
05/21/2009
In 1987, a Memphis, Tenn., police officer shot and killed a mentally ill man who was cutting himself and threatening others. The incident inspired training programs to help police handle these tricky situations. Those programs are catching on.
05/24/2009
The Guidance Center started small in 1969 with a tiny little office in downtown Flagstaff, three employees and a budget of $93,000.
At the time, the program focused on offering mental health programs for children at public schools. Following the mission statement "to improve the behavioral health of the people of our community," the center has expanded its services over the last four decades to include outpatient services, acute psychiatric services, substance abuse programs and a detox services center at the center's Intake Triage Unit.
At the time, the program focused on offering mental health programs for children at public schools. Following the mission statement "to improve the behavioral health of the people of our community," the center has expanded its services over the last four decades to include outpatient services, acute psychiatric services, substance abuse programs and a detox services center at the center's Intake Triage Unit.
05/27/2009
The pain was expected, but that doesn’t make it any easier to take. The series of budget bills passed by the Arizona Senate Appropriations Committee make a number of expected deep cuts in funding for state and local programs, but also pulls money from cities and counties to pay for schools and other services traditionally funded by the state.
05/26/2009
The psychological buildup to a violent outburst with the intent to kill usually takes a minimum of a few days, said Dr. Lyle Rossiter, a forensic psychiatrist in Saint Charles, Illinois. However, in highly unusual cases, a person with bipolar disorder could experience a buildup of only hours, he said.
05/27/2009
170,000 Arizonans quit smoking since 2007 PHOENIX, May 27 /PRNewswire/ — New information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2008, shows that the rate of smoking among adults in Arizona has dropped significantly -- more than four percentage points representing a 20.7 percent decrease in prevalence equating to 170,000 Arizonans who quit smoking since 2007. The rate of smoking in one year dropped from 19.8 percent to 15.7 percent.
05/28/2009
Government spending related to smoking and the abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs reached $468 billion in 2005, accounting for more than one-tenth of combined federal, state and local expenditures for all purposes, according to a new study.
05/27/2009
The number of Arizonans who smoke is dropping sharply, and experts are attributing the decline to new laws that limit the use of tobacco and the higher cost of cigarettes.
05/28/2009
New help is available for people experiencing stress caused by the economic downturn. Mental health professionals have created the Live Your Life Well Web site to give people tools to preserve and strengthen their mental health.
05/27/2009
As Arizona's economy has slumped, reports of child abuse have increased. Phoenix Children's Hospital reported 63 child abuse cases through April, up 40 percent during the same period last year and 60 percent from two years ago.
05/27/2009
Long-term findings for the novel antipsychotic agent asenapine did not confirm any advantage over second-generation antipsychotics for negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
05/26/2009
Soon after her sister committed suicide, Caroline Downing started doing poorly at school. During math tests she would freeze up, and she found her mind wandering constantly. Officials at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac gently suggested that the high school sophomore get a mental health screening.
06/01/2009
Among experts in correctional health, the test of any system is how well it can collect and manage patients' data.
Faced with a constantly changing, high-risk population, jail health-care staff must quickly diagnose, track and treat a variety of medical conditions. Knowing which inmate has what condition, the risks involved, treatment regimens and where that inmate is at any given time is a huge challenge.
Faced with a constantly changing, high-risk population, jail health-care staff must quickly diagnose, track and treat a variety of medical conditions. Knowing which inmate has what condition, the risks involved, treatment regimens and where that inmate is at any given time is a huge challenge.
06/01/2009
School employees who routinely restrained a Sabino High School student who is disabled against a fence with his backpack so he would not fall over or wander off, as the Star's Rhonda Bodfield reported on Thursday, should be disciplined for their callous behavior.
06/01/2009
Sahara was NARBHA's first full-time Guide Dog.
06/02/2009
The tragic death of Marcia Powell, a mentally ill woman who died in an outdoor holding pen at Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville, may be only the beginning. The Arizona Senate, in cutting over $76 million of funding in Senate Bill 1145 and Senate Bill 1188, may sentence people with psychiatric disabilities to the streets or prisons for support.
06/02/2009
In what is believed to be the first U.S. study designed to prevent anxiety disorders in the children of anxious parents, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have found that a family-based program reduced symptoms and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder among these children.
06/02/2009
Over the past 20 years, a plethora of resources have been aimed at characterizing and treating the cognitive impairments of schizophrenia. This activity is reflected in the exponential increase in scientific publications related to cognition in schizophrenia
06/01/2009
Use of medication did not trigger suicidal thinking among adolescents with depression, but those with persistent and severe depression were more at risk for suicidal events while undergoing treatment, according to a new analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS).
06/03/2009
The most striking thing about Gov. Jan Brewer's specific budget proposal is the gap between her rhetoric and its reality.
For months, Brewer has been lecturing legislators to send her an honestly balanced budget, one that doesn't rely on debt and accounting gimmicks.
For months, Brewer has been lecturing legislators to send her an honestly balanced budget, one that doesn't rely on debt and accounting gimmicks.
06/04/2009
Even though we don’t hear a great deal about suicide in young people, it is a very real problem, causing the deaths of thousands of children and teens across the country each year. After a gradual decline since 1990, the suicide rate among American youngsters shot up a staggering 8 percent in 2003-2004; the biggest one-year rise in fifteen years.
06/04/2009
America's highest ranking military officer said Tuesday the nation must do more for the mental health of American soldiers, warning statistics show "there are going to be more [troop] suicides this year than last."
06/04/2009
New treatments for patients with schizophrenia may be on the horizon, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in San Francisco.1 While some of these therapies may help treat the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, a few are associated with QTc interval prolongation.
06/04/2009
Australian author Will Elliott got tired of telling people that his first novel, about a schizophrenic clown, was not autobiographical, so he wrote about what it's really like to deal with the illness in a memoir.
06/04/2009
Science Update
June 02, 2009
New NIMH Video Describes Depression, Importance of Treatment
A new 4-minute video from the National Institute of Mental Health provides an overview for the general public on the symptoms, impact, and treatment of depression. The video is available for viewing by individuals or can be used by community groups or in health care offices to inform viewers about depression and its consequences, and the critical importance of seeking treatment.
June 02, 2009
New NIMH Video Describes Depression, Importance of Treatment
A new 4-minute video from the National Institute of Mental Health provides an overview for the general public on the symptoms, impact, and treatment of depression. The video is available for viewing by individuals or can be used by community groups or in health care offices to inform viewers about depression and its consequences, and the critical importance of seeking treatment.
06/02/2009
Emaciated self-portraits, an electro-therapeutic cage, photo journals of extreme conditions like gigantism: welcome to the Wellcome Collection’s exploration of the relationship between mental illness and the arts.
06/03/2009
THE six psychotherapists who meet on Friday mornings on the West Side of Manhattan in an office with a couch — of course — a box of tissues and a bouquet of peonies and red tulips, make up what may be the most nurturing and deeply connected creative writing group to arrive on the literary scene.
06/03/2009
I’ve been wondering how vitamin D and mental illness are related, so I did a search and found that vitamin D does, indeed, play a role in mental illness based on these reasons from the Vitamin D Council’s website:
06/08/2009
After months of insisting he would leave the details to Congress, President Obama has concluded that he must exert greater control over the health care debate and is preparing an intense push for legislation that will include speeches, town-hall-style meetings and much deeper engagement with lawmakers, senior White House officials say.
06/03/2009
President Obama said Wednesday that he was receptive to Congressional proposals that would require Americans to have health insurance and oblige employers to share in the cost. But he said there should be exemptions for people who cannot afford insurance and for small businesses in general.
06/05/2009
A new study of Chinese-American youth has found that family obligation plays a positive role in the mental health of Chinese-American adolescents and may prevent symptoms of depression in later teenage years.
06/05/2009
The surprising finding that THC might help at least a small percentage of schizophrenia patients for whom conventional treatments have failed was reported in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
06/08/2009
Adolescents at an increased risk of depression who participated in a group cognitive behavioral intervention significantly reduced their symptoms and episodes of depression compared to teens who received usual care, although this effect was not seen for adolescents with a parent with current depression, according to a study in the June 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child and adolescent health.
06/08/2009
When rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings didn't work for Eddie Freas, he sought another way to kick his 20-year drug and alcohol addiction.
06/03/2009
Your desk is a mess, and you can forget about completing your to-do list -- you don't even have one. Your mind darts from one thought to the next. And that handbag you've been madly searching for on your way out the door? Yes, it's already on your shoulder.
06/05/2009
Three blockbuster psychiatric drugs currently approved for adults also appear to work in adolescents, though federal health officials have concerns about exposing younger patients to the drugs' side effects.
06/04/2009
This week's segment of CBS Doc Dot Com examines sexual addiction, a subject about which I learned absolutely nothing in medical school and have not learned much more since. In researching the topic over the past week, I began to understand that it is extremely controversial, with experts not even agreeing about whether sexual addiction is a true addiction.
06/09/2009
In a Creativity Factsheet authored by Michael S. Brockman of the University of California, Davis and Stephen T. Russell, Ph.D. of the University of Arizona, studies are cited that show that "student involvement in creative activities (such as performing arts and group activities) has been found to reduce drop out rates and to improve student motivation. Mental health practitioners have also discovered that creative activities can serve to safeguard children from stress.
06/10/2009
Minority and low-income Americans are much more likely to suffer from a chronic, debilitating illness than whites and are far less likely to have the kind of coverage that would ensure quality care, according to a new report issued Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
06/09/2009
Families of tens of thousands of soldiers based at Fort Hood have one military wife to thank for a more normal routine at the base.
A blunt conversation with an Army wife started Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch on the path toward his family-first policies.
1 of 2 When Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch first took over as commander of the largest Army base in the United States, a soldier's wife approached him and gave him a talking to about how soldiers don't "really" get to spend time at home when they come home from war.
A blunt conversation with an Army wife started Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch on the path toward his family-first policies.
1 of 2 When Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch first took over as commander of the largest Army base in the United States, a soldier's wife approached him and gave him a talking to about how soldiers don't "really" get to spend time at home when they come home from war.
06/10/2009
How much power do genes hold over behavior? Can they predict, for example, whether a child will grow up to join a gang? Those are among the questions raised by a new Florida State University (FSU) study released June 5.
06/10/2009
Want to keep your wits sharp as the years go by? You're not alone. Most people are worried about losing their memory as they age, and a new study shows it's a valid concern: In fact, at 53 percent -- more than half of all people -- have at least a minor mental decline in their 70s and 80s, and about 16 percent develop more serious problems with memory and other mental functions as they age.
06/10/2009
ventured out to a Dupont Circle bar last Saturday night to see how the other half lives. Those young, single, city-dwelling folks who don't have three kids, a carpool, or daily forays to the supermarket. I couldn't believe the amount of texting and E-mailing going on after midnight. Who are these people contacting? I thought. And why aren't they hanging out with them instead of the friends they came with? As Jerry Seinfeld might say, "What's the deal with all the texting?"
06/10/2009
Back in the 1990s, I did a physical on a boy in fifth or sixth grade at a Boston public school. I asked him his favorite subject: definitely science; he had won a prize in a science fair, and was to go on and compete in a multischool fair.
06/10/2009
People with bipolar disorder commonly exhibit functional impairment despite being euthymic and clinically “in remission”, say the authors of a new study.
06/13/2009
Generations ago, horses were used to wage war. Now they're being used to heal the psychic wounds of war.
In an trend still viewed as strange by much of the mental-health mainstream, some Southern Arizona counselors are using the beasts as co-therapists to treat troops suffering from combat trauma.
In an trend still viewed as strange by much of the mental-health mainstream, some Southern Arizona counselors are using the beasts as co-therapists to treat troops suffering from combat trauma.
06/13/2009
A dozen Native American and other multi-ethnic women sat quietly in a circle of solidarity. Although strangers, they are sisters because they share many of the same challenges – substance use and abuse, violence, trauma in all its imaginable forms, and initial steps to recovery.
06/11/2009
John Hughes, MD from the University of Vermont started the program cautioning the audience that when reading studies about smoking and mental illness and substance abuse that often there is an association between the disorders but this does not mean that there is a causation link between the two.
06/15/2009
The U.S. Postal Service is re-evaluating its decision to cut funding to a Phoenix post office that serves homeless clientele, just days before the scheduled start of closure proceedings.
06/12/2009
Bipolar disorder has been the focus of attention in recent years, as a new slew of psychiatric medications have been developed to help treat it. Such medications drive pharmaceutical marketing and increased educational efforts surrounding bipolar disorder (for better or worse).
06/14/2009
Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown that an Internet-based therapy program is an effective treatment for depression.
06/15/2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday requested that the makers of a class of asthma drugs called leukotriene receptor agonists place a "precaution" on the drugs' labeling, warning of the potential for neuropsychiatric events.
06/12/2009
World Health Organization (WHO) officials declared a pandemic of H1N1 influenza on Thursday, two months after the first cases of the new flu virus were reported in Mexico. It is the first flu pandemic in 41 years, since the 1968 Hong Kong flu.
06/15/2009
Dreams may not be the secret window into the frustrated desires of the unconscious that Sigmund Freud first posited in 1899, but growing evidence suggests that dreams — and, more so, sleep — are powerfully connected to the processing of human emotion.
06/15/2009
Stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with an increased risk of sudden death, but those deaths are still rare, new research finds.
06/10/2009
The economy may be taking a toll on teenage dating in America, in an uglier way than you think.
Study: Teens who have witnessed domestic violence will experience abuse themselves at a higher rate than others.
U.S. teens were already experiencing high levels of violence and abuse in dating relationships.
Study: Teens who have witnessed domestic violence will experience abuse themselves at a higher rate than others.
U.S. teens were already experiencing high levels of violence and abuse in dating relationships.
06/12/2009
THE patients were on the loose again, moving their shrunken frames through the nursing home’s shadowy halls, chattering and giggling like children sneaking out of camp.
06/12/2009
Not all children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old take daytime naps, and those who don't tend to exhibit worse psychosocial function.
06/15/2009
Some of Arizonans' most common and destructive illnesses – those of the brain – are failing to receive adequate treatment due to a combination of modern governmental gridlock and a centuries-old philosophy that separates the mind from the body, according to a new publication from Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
06/16/2009
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday said children shouldn't stop taking drugs that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, despite a study showing the stimulants may be associated with sudden death.
06/19/2009
The unsettling little secret of Zicam Cold Remedy finally spilled out this week. Though widely sold for years as a drug for colds, it was never tested by federal regulators for safety like other drugs. And that was perfectly legal — until scores of consumers lost their sense of smell. One little word on Zicam's label explains all this: "homeopathic."
06/18/2009
The Stop Teenage/Underage Drinking coalition met Wednesday night to discuss how to curb underage drinking in Mohave County.
06/18/2009
Awhile back, a Beyond Blue reader asked me to address the problem of weight gain and medication. “How do you deal with this yourself?” she asked me.
06/17/2009
A different approach to managing PTSD suggests that for some people repressing rather than exposing the traumatic memories may be better for an individual’s health.
06/17/2009
Just when parents thought they could spend a week or two not worrying about the health effects of Ritalin, Adderall, and other drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, another study comes along to raise the question once again: Are the medications used to treat ADHD safe enough for kids? Again, the answer is: Probably.
06/19/2009
A federal judge in Sacramento today approved part of a plan to improve psychiatric care in state prisons. That’s a key step toward fulfilling a decade-old court order to provide better care to thousands of mentally ill inmates. KPCC’s Julie Small reports.
06/17/2009
The number of adults who turn to the Internet for health information has nearly doubled in the past two years, from 31% to 60%, according to a study.
06/21/2009
In the 2007 World Health Statistics Report, the World Health Organization identified depression as one of the most significant global public health problems. World wide events such as recession, the effects of climate change, and terrorism events and alerts have increased the general level of anxiety throughout the world. Employers and managers face, on a daily basis, bad news and its psychological impact on employees.
06/17/2009
Davis County lawmakers heard this week about a preliminary proposal to post information on the Internet about residents who have been twice convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
06/22/2009
Tattoos, good will, dog tags, relief, hot meals, helping hands and American flags.
Saturday's Stand Down to help Tucson's estimated 800 to 1,500 homeless veterans was about all those things. The event, the first of two this year, was held by Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans.
Saturday's Stand Down to help Tucson's estimated 800 to 1,500 homeless veterans was about all those things. The event, the first of two this year, was held by Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans.
06/19/2009
As reported by the National Institute of Mental Health, a study examining stimulant use among children and adolescents found an association between stimulants and sudden unexplained death in youth with no evidence of pre-existing heart disease.
06/18/2009
Alcohol plays a significant role in suicide, especially among Hispanics and American Indian and Alaska Natives, according to new data from the CDC
06/23/2009
Old soldiers were there and an honor guard detail which offered a three-volley salute and sounded Taps. The Patriot Guard Riders came and the Old Guard Riders, too, standing in formation for more than an hour there in the mid-morning sun as Steve's family laid him, finally, to rest.
06/24/2009
Over the years, research has shown that Latino youth face numerous risk factors when integrating into American culture, including increased rates of alcohol and substance use and higher rates of dropping out of school.
06/24/2009
Health care is a salient issue today, but services in correctional settings are rarely discussed by politicians. Nonetheless, the health and well being of detainees and inmates are high on the priority list of law enforcement and corrections officials, who are mandated by the Constitution to ensure the physical and mental health of men and women behind bars.
06/22/2009
The unsettling little secret of Zicam Cold Remedy finally spilled out this week. Though widely sold for years for colds, it was never tested by federal regulators for safety like other drugs. And that was perfectly legal - until scores of consumers lost their sense of smell.
06/24/2009
The Arizona Supreme Court will not intercede in the budget battle between Gov. Jan Brewer and the state Legislature.
The court dealt Brewer a political setback Tuesday in rejecting her request that the justices force legislators to send her a series of budget bills. Lawmakers approved the bills earlier this month but have refused to pass them on.
The court dealt Brewer a political setback Tuesday in rejecting her request that the justices force legislators to send her a series of budget bills. Lawmakers approved the bills earlier this month but have refused to pass them on.
06/23/2009
Bad anxiety is about the most unpleasant feeling a person can have. Most people who suffer from anxiety and depression will tell you that although depression is horrible, anxiety is even more excruciatingly painful. Anxiety is especially miserable when it comes on suddenly in the form of a panic attack, when the heart starts pounding, the breath gets short, the chest tightens and hurts and a feeling of impending doom frequently overwhelms one.
06/23/2009
If that old adage still holds true, then the nation may soon see a gradual backpedaling from the criminal justice policies that have led to wholesale incarceration in recent decades.
06/24/2009
Psychiatry is a relatively safe profession, but it has a hazard that is not apparent at first glance: if you are in it long enough, there may be no one to talk to about your own problems.
06/19/2009
Alcohol has long been known to play a role in suicides, but there have been little data regarding which victims use it and how often. Now the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in a large sample of suicide victims whose blood alcohol levels were measured post mortem, one in four had been legally drunk, with a blood alcohol content at or above the federal standard of 0.08, or 8 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
06/23/2009
Arizonans will get a second chance to decide if they want to be able to opt out of any national health insurance plan approved by Congress.
Without debate, the state Senate on Monday voted 18-11 to put a proposal on the 2010 ballot that would constitutionally override any law, rule or regulation requiring individuals or employers to participate in any particular health-care system.
The House already has approved the measure.
Without debate, the state Senate on Monday voted 18-11 to put a proposal on the 2010 ballot that would constitutionally override any law, rule or regulation requiring individuals or employers to participate in any particular health-care system.
The House already has approved the measure.
06/23/2009
Resident Ronald Macdonald has been saving lives for more than 40 years and he does it sitting down, with a smile on his face
06/24/2009
In America everyone is supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law. But we've got a growing group, a particular class of defendants entering American courtrooms who I believe need special consideration. They are soldiers returning from war.
06/29/2009
Dr. Marek Durakiewicz initially welcomed the opportunity to send prescriptions to drugstores electronically, using free computer equipment provided by a state pilot program.
06/29/2009
Some homeless teenagers in Colorado are getting dental work done for free as part of the economic stimulus that has expanded service to more poor and uninsured, The Associated Press reports.
06/29/2009
Alcohol's inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol's impact on brain activity remain a mystery. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies brings us closer to understanding how alcohol alters the way brain cells work.
06/29/2009
Researchers at Radboud University Medical Centre, together with UK Medical Research Council scientists at Oxford University, have uncovered some of the central characteristics of genes underlying mental retardation. The research shortens the list of genes whose changes lead to this disorder from thousands to several dozen.
06/23/2009
An avid Twitter user, Alana Taylor wrote a song about the social networking site and uploaded it to YouTube last April. Soon, her Twitter feed became flooded with messages linking to it.
Twitter makes users "feel like the center of a social universe," one expert says.
"'Everyone was like, 'RT: Alana Taylor's Twitter song,' " said Taylor, 21, a student at New York University and marketing manager at OneTXT. "It just spread, and a lot of it had to do with retweeting."
Twitter makes users "feel like the center of a social universe," one expert says.
"'Everyone was like, 'RT: Alana Taylor's Twitter song,' " said Taylor, 21, a student at New York University and marketing manager at OneTXT. "It just spread, and a lot of it had to do with retweeting."
06/29/2009
Tylenol, Excedrin, NyQuil. These household brands and others have come to symbolize safe, convenient relief from the aches and pains of everyday life. But this week the Food and Drug Administration is focusing on a seldom-discussed side effect of the medications: severe liver damage. Since the drugs first became widely available in the 1950s, the FDA has tried to minimize the risks of acetaminophen — the pain-relieving, fever-reducing ingredient in Tylenol and dozens of other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
06/29/2009
One in 25 deaths around the world is caused by alcohol consumption, and booze is now as damaging to global health as tobacco was a decade ago, according to a new study in the British medical journal the Lancet.
06/26/2009
In an attempt to hang on to your cognitive function as you age, you may do crossword puzzles, join a book club, or keep up friendships to stay connected. But to do all you can to maintain your mental abilities, you really should be exercising.
That's the conclusion of a review published this
That's the conclusion of a review published this
06/25/2009
An Idaho State University researcher looking for gender-specific differences in how alcohol affects the brain says experiments on rats appear to show physiological stress responses are much higher in females.
06/25/2009
A new study suggests children and adolescents who are physically abused have a greater chance of developing cancer later in life than those who are not abused.
06/27/2009
Understanding the biology of mental illness would be a paradigm shift in our thinking about mind. It would not only inform us about some of the most devastating diseases of humankind but, because these are diseases of thought and feeling, it would also tell us more about who we are and how we function.
06/27/2009
Daryl Kipke is showing off his company's latest prototype, a state-of-the-art electronic chip. It's not the sort likely to end up powering your iPod, but it does produce a beat you won't be able to get out of your head—because this device is designed to be surgically implanted deep in your brain, where the chip will deliver electric signals to specific clusters of cells.
06/29/2009
A surprising number of teenagers — nearly 15 percent — think they're going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, new research suggests.
06/29/2009
For most of her adult life, 48-year-old Marcia Powell was invisible. Then she died, and slowly came into view.
06/29/2009
A state audit of Child Protective Services accuses the agency of failing to investigate complaints of abuse in group homes and treatment centers in the required time frame.
06/29/2009
Army Spc. Cameron Briggs washes down a cocktail of prescription drugs every day for post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury he suffered when four roadside bombs rocked his Humvee in Iraq.
06/29/2009
A surprising number of teenagers - nearly 15 percent - think they're going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, new research suggests.
06/26/2009
When a teenager has an eating disorder, it's not just the teen's problem. It's a family problem.
So, parents should join in on the treatment, a growing number of experts believe.
So, parents should join in on the treatment, a growing number of experts believe.
06/24/2009
You can thank your parents—in part—for how happy you are; roughly half of human happiness is genetically determined. Another 10 percent comes from your life circumstances, like how happy you are with where you live. But because people quickly adapt to changes, swapping Midwest winters for West Coast warmth, say, won't lead to a lasting boost in life satisfaction, according to longtime happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside. What can give us a lasting boost is how we think and behave, she says: About 40 percent of our happiness is under our conscious control.
06/24/2009
New research suggests that irritability should be considered as a symptom when the diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder is suspected in a child or teen.
06/29/2009
Homeless teenagers at a central Colorado shelter are feeling the effect of the government's economic stimulus package. It's the feeling of a dentist's drill.
Work, Life and the Mental Health System of Care: A Guide for Professionals Supporting Families of Ch
06/29/2009
The title of this book would lead the reader to assume that it is a practitioner's guide to providing community-based supports to children with disabling mental illness and their families. Although it is not a how-to manual on family support, it is a useful review of the research literature on community supports of all types. The editors of this volume focus on "work-life integration"—a concept that is relatively new to the mental health field but well known to persons working in the field of human resources. Optimal work-life integration is essential for families that must juggle the responsibilities of employment and raising children with and without disabilities. As the book emphasizes, a supportive and flexible workplace is essential to both the economic and emotional well-being of a family facing the challenge of raising a child with a disability.
07/01/2009
Continuing her strong track record of helping pay our debt of gratitude to our Veterans, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick this week introduced the Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009.
07/01/2009
Federal drug regulators warned Wednesday that patients taking two popular drugs to stop smoking should be watched closely for signs of serious mental illness, as reports mount of suicides among the drugs’ users.
07/01/2009
The journal Nature held a big press conference in London Wednesday, at the World Conference of Science Journalists, to unveil three large studies of the genetics of schizophrenia. Press releases from five American and European institutions celebrated the findings, one using epithets like “landmark,” “major step forward,” and “real scientific breakthrough.” It was the kind of hoopla you’d expect for an actual scientific advance.
07/02/2009
An international research consortium has discovered that many common genetic variants contribute to a person's risk of schizophrenia and explain at least a third of the risk of inheriting the disease, providing the first molecular evidence that this form of genetic variation is involved in schizophrenia. The researchers also found that many of these DNA variations also are involved in bipolar disorder but not in several non-psychiatric diseases.
07/02/2009
In a study published online by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, UC Davis researchers report that it takes at least a year for former methamphetamine users to regain impulse control. The results tell recovering substance abusers, their families and drug-treatment specialists that it can take an extended period of time for the brain functions critical to recovery to improve.
07/01/2009
More than 50 million Americans have admitted to abusing prescription drugs. That's led 39 states to take steps to monitor prescription drug use - most recently Florida - as CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts reports.
07/01/2009
On a trip to a park near their home in Valencia, Calif., last week, a boy approached Michael Schofield and his six-year-old daughter January, called Jani, to admire their dog, trading stories with Jani about his own dog. Then, without warning, Jani hit the boy in the chest.
07/02/2009
For 22-year-old Jacob Rosenberg, life without his daily dose of Vicodin wouldn't be much of a life at all. "Before I began taking narcotics two years ago, I would spend my days in bed," said Rosenberg, who has suffered from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis for five years, and chronic pain for 10. "I was in college and I wasn't capable of doing anything – go to classes or go out."
07/01/2009
I have phase II bipolar and cannot afford the necessary drugs. I'm dealing with this alone, which as you may know is tough. Are there any tips you can give in management of my disorder?
06/30/2009
A new study finds that as the drinking age has gone up, binge drinking has gone down — except among college students.
06/30/2009
Mental health services could be improved by planting trained consumers pretending to be patients, or "mystery patients," to identify problems, according to a commentary in the July 2009 issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
07/02/2009
Nate self's military record was impeccable. A West Point graduate, he led an elite Army Ranger outfit and established himself as a war hero in March 2002 for his leadership during a 15-hour ambush firefight in Afghanistan. The battle resulted in a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and a position as President Bush's guest of honor for the 2003 State of the Union. But by late 2004, Self had walked away from the Army. In another surprise attack, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had taken his life captive.
07/06/2009
When foster children turn 18 in Arizona, they often find themselves alone, without the parental support and guidance most teens take for granted. Mary Blessington, clinical director of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, says a new community-based transition center opening next month in Mesa will provide help, starting with a menu of emergency services.
07/03/2009
In 2006, Paul Letourneau of Worcester, Mass., lost his parents, his home and his pet dog. And, that August, his life-long mild depression took a turn for the worse as he became suicidal.
07/05/2009
More than half of American adults drink at least one cup of coffee every day, often for a mental boost.
Nearly 35 million people in search of a pick-me-up gulped caffeine- and sugar-laced energy drinks last year, double the number five years earlier.
Nearly 35 million people in search of a pick-me-up gulped caffeine- and sugar-laced energy drinks last year, double the number five years earlier.
Rep. Kirkpatrick Announces More Than $1.4 Million in Funds to Expand Clinics, Improve Northern Arizo
07/06/2009
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be making $1,437,515 available to North Country HealthCare to help improve access to quality care in Greater Arizona. The funds are part of $851 million in grants that HHS will release to address facility and equipment needs at health care centers nationwide through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
07/07/2009
The number of homeless schoolchildren in Arizona has surpassed 25,000 - equivalent to the population of Fountain Hills.
An increase of nearly 18 percent in the past year was driven by the soaring rate of unemployment and foreclosures, education officials say. Parents lose their jobs, then their home, and families lose their stability. They stay at a friend's, a hotel, a campground, a shelter - even live out of the car.
An increase of nearly 18 percent in the past year was driven by the soaring rate of unemployment and foreclosures, education officials say. Parents lose their jobs, then their home, and families lose their stability. They stay at a friend's, a hotel, a campground, a shelter - even live out of the car.
07/07/2009
ocates for the homeless are calling the Tempe Police Department's four-day crackdown on panhandling and other crimes in downtown Tempe heavy-handed, potentially undoing years of efforts to help the homeless in the area.
07/03/2009
Attitudes toward medication among bipolar disorder patients, as revealed by the Necessity-Concerns Framework, have a significant impact on adherence, UK researchers have discovered.
07/05/2009
The bullying seemed inescapable.
His family and friends say it followed Iain Steele from junior high to high school - from hallways, where one tormentor shoved him into lockers, to cyberspace, where another posted a video on Facebook making fun of his taste for heavy metal music.
His family and friends say it followed Iain Steele from junior high to high school - from hallways, where one tormentor shoved him into lockers, to cyberspace, where another posted a video on Facebook making fun of his taste for heavy metal music.
07/05/2009
While the Army has been working to gauge the mental health toll of multiple deployments on soldiers, some Army leaders and spouses say the service is moving too slowly to address similar effects on military family members.
07/06/2009
The visions seem to swirl up from the brain’s sewage system at the worst possible times — during a job interview, a meeting with the boss, an apprehensive first date, an important dinner party. What if I started a food fight with these hors d’oeuvres? Mocked the host’s stammer? Cut loose with a racial slur?
07/07/2009
Amanda Johnson was like thousand of girls across Oregon, worried about her body.
She was at a healthy weight at the end of high school, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 120 pounds. But after graduating in 2006, she and her boyfriend split and she started to worry whether she could attract college boys.
She was at a healthy weight at the end of high school, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 120 pounds. But after graduating in 2006, she and her boyfriend split and she started to worry whether she could attract college boys.
07/08/2009
A timely series of articles and editorials on chemical dependency and recovery in patients and physicians appears in the July 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
07/08/2009
There are about 70,000 veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in New York State, many struggling with the transition back to civilian life as Vietnam veterans did, and some at risk of ending up in the criminal justice system.
07/09/2009
Results from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) show that at least one-third of the genetic basis for schizophrenia is attributed to the cumulative actions of thousands of common genetic variants.
07/08/2009
Psychological interventions intended to prevent the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the early stages after a traumatic experience have not been shown to be effective, Cochrane Researchers have concluded. This systematic review focused on multiple-session treatments for everyone involved, irrespective of the presence of symptoms. Two previous reviews found single session interventions to be ineffective.
07/08/2009
Giving students personalised feedback on their drinking behaviour and how it compares to social norms might help to reduce alcohol misuse, according to a Cochrane Systematic Review.
07/08/2009
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has developed a website full of excellent resources for parents who suspect that their teenager might be addicted to drugs or alcohol.
07/09/2009
In his book, “The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs,” author Stephen Ilardi argues that the rate of depression among Americans is roughly ten times higher today than it was just two generations ago, and he points the blame to our modern life-style. Everything is so much easier today than it was back when we had to hunt and gather. Why doesn’t the convenience translate into happiness?
07/09/2009
It’s well known that those who suffer from mental illness can benefit greatly from an active lifestyle.
07/08/2009
In the past 50 years, people with mental problems have spent untold millions of hours in therapists' offices, and millions more reading self-help books, trying to turn negative thoughts like "I never do anything right" into positive ones like "I can succeed." For many people — including well-educated, highly trained therapists, for whom "cognitive restructuring" is a central goal — the very definition of psychotherapy is the process of changing self-defeating attitudes into constructive ones.
07/10/2009
People line up outside last year's health fair provided by the nonprofit Hispanic/Latino Health Coalition of Elkhart County.
Liliana Quintero knows that it's hard enough in tough economic times to pay for health care when you're sick, let alone when you feel OK.
Liliana Quintero knows that it's hard enough in tough economic times to pay for health care when you're sick, let alone when you feel OK.
07/12/2009
After a lifetime of undiagnosed bipolar disease, Joel Kobren could no longer handle the mounting pressure of unemployment and looming eviction. On Dec. 17, 2008, he put a .38 Special handgun to his chest and pulled the trigger.
07/11/2009
If you or your parents are of a certain age, then you may understand the unique terror of suddenly drawing a blank — that unexpected moment when you can't remember the name of a lifelong friend or what you had for lunch that day. You wonder, anxiously, "Have I stepped down the long, slow, inexorable road to losing my mind?"
07/09/2009
Adding to the deep body of research associating mental acuity with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, a study published online on July 8 by the journal Neurology suggests that people who possess sophisticated linguistic skills early in life may be protected from developing dementia in old age — even when their brains show the physical signs, like lesions and plaques, of memory disorders.
07/10/2009
Mike Loverde was 29 when his family intervened in his addiction to prescription painkillers. He remembers his parents driving him from Chicago, Illinois, to a rehab center in rural Indiana. He was crying because he wanted to get high.
07/10/2009
Unconscious, as a few people pointed out, can mean “not conscious”—as in knocked out. But the term also means unaware of, or “done or existing without one realizing.” Those are adjectives. As a noun, “the unconscious” is the part of the brain that the conscious does not have access to.
07/12/2009
Thousands of people with schizophrenia worldwide could have been saved if doctors had prescribed them the anti-psychotic drug clozapine, a new study says.
07/10/2009
Teenagers who drink heavily are also more likely than their peers to have behavioral problems or symptoms of depression and anxiety, a new study finds.
07/11/2009
It's a prescription for disaster. Serious questions surround healthcare workers addicted to the very drugs intended to help their patients.
07/12/2009
Schizophrenia patients given a cheap older drug are less likely to die prematurely than people on newer treatments, despite the older product's well-known adverse side effects, Finnish researchers said on Monday.
07/11/2009
As temperatures rocket over 110 degrees this weekend, Ken Curry and his homeless-outreach team from Southwest Behavioral Health Services know what they'll find.
There will be people with mental illness experiencing heat-triggered reactions to their psychotropic medicines. Diabetics who have given up even trying to keep a supply of insulin on hand. Disabled people in scalding-hot wheelchairs. Older people whose thinning skin makes them more vulnerable than most to heat-related illnesses, and perhaps even a family sweltering in a car.
There will be people with mental illness experiencing heat-triggered reactions to their psychotropic medicines. Diabetics who have given up even trying to keep a supply of insulin on hand. Disabled people in scalding-hot wheelchairs. Older people whose thinning skin makes them more vulnerable than most to heat-related illnesses, and perhaps even a family sweltering in a car.
07/11/2009
growing number of American children are living in poverty and with unemployed parents, and are facing the threat of hunger, according to a federal report released Friday.
07/14/2009
The spacious home where the newly wed Rhonda and Jason Holt began their family in 2005 was plagued by mysterious illnesses. The Holts’ three babies were ghostlike and listless, with breathing problems that called for respirators, repeated trips to the emergency room and, for the middle child, Anna, the heaviest dose of steroids a toddler can take.
07/14/2009
Margie Hodgin, a nurse in Kernersville, N.C., had struggled to lose weight since she was a teenager. But it wasn’t until she turned 40 that she finally took off the extra pounds, and then some.
07/15/2009
The ‘Analysis of the structure of language and dynamic of personality' research group of the University of Granada has developed a method to analyse the personality of people with psychopathologic disorders by means of their drawings. It consists of a series of Graphic Projective Tests (TPG) where patients draw what a psychologist says. Each element of the picture has a meaning and it will give information about conscious and unconscious aspects of the analysed person.
07/15/2009
Children raised in institutions are more likely to lag physically, socially, and cognitively, but little is known about what happens to children's brains when they live in institutions. Now a new study finds that placing institutionalized children in high-quality foster care may improve their brain activity.
07/14/2009
Christina Pearson was half-bald at age 13. She just couldn't stop pulling her hair, and ended up taking out every lock from the tops of her ears to the crown of her head.
Trichotillomania is such a stigmatizing disorder that people will go to great length to hide it, experts say.
1 of 3 "It was absolutely terrifying because I was a very bright child, and doing great in school," she said. "The doctor had no idea what it was."
Trichotillomania is such a stigmatizing disorder that people will go to great length to hide it, experts say.
1 of 3 "It was absolutely terrifying because I was a very bright child, and doing great in school," she said. "The doctor had no idea what it was."
07/13/2009
Out the 20th floor window of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, the sprawl and elevation of buildings look like the campus of a law enforcement university, filling up the northeast corner of downtown. A juvenile justice center as big as a hospital. Two high-rise courthouses. An overrun booking tank. Beneath it all, tunnels run like veins through the complex, filled with inmates shuffling to hearings from the third biggest jail in America.
07/15/2009
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have uncontrolled thoughts that compel them to develop habits or rituals to ease their anxiousness.
07/13/2009
Norm Stamper still remembers the day, nearly six decades ago, when a police detective visited his elementary school class to warn of the dangers of smoking the "devil weed."
"That was the term he used -- and he even brought along a bag of marijuana to show us," said Stamper, 65, who would later become Seattle's police chief. "I remember him saying something to the effect that, 'If you smoke this, it will rot the membrane in your nose.' He was an authority figure, and so I figured he could tell me something about the dangers of this drug. That was my early education about marijuana."
"That was the term he used -- and he even brought along a bag of marijuana to show us," said Stamper, 65, who would later become Seattle's police chief. "I remember him saying something to the effect that, 'If you smoke this, it will rot the membrane in your nose.' He was an authority figure, and so I figured he could tell me something about the dangers of this drug. That was my early education about marijuana."
07/13/2009
There are few economic indicators as grim as homelessness, as the Department of Department of Housing and Urban Development demonstrates in its 4th annual report on the topic, which found that some 1.6 million Americans stayed at homeless shelters from October 2007 to September 2008. The Department also noticed some troubling trends: more families seeking shelter — particularly in rural and suburban areas — and more people going to shelters from stable living arrangements (instead of jails, institutional settings or the military).
07/14/2009
Army commanders are failing at the day-to-day task of monitoring troubled young soldiers in their barracks back home, which is helping push suicides to record numbers, the head of the Army's suicide task force says.
07/16/2009
People with a gene variant that sharply increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease in old age may show memory impairment earlier than thought -- sometimes well before their 60th birthday, according to new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
07/16/2009
Instead of saving the federal government from fiscal catastrophe, the health reform measures being drafted by congressional Democrats would increase rather than reduce public spending on health care, potentially worsening an already bleak budget outlook, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said this morning.
07/15/2009
Electroconvulsive therapy, also known from times of old as "shock therapy," is on the rise—albeit a relatively quiet one. Considering its beginnings as a crude and violent procedure, it's not surprising that ECT's comeback isn't loudly publicized. The treatment, which involves inducing a controlled seizure, is most often administered to patients with significant psychiatric illness—depression, mania, and bipolar disorder—and is one form of brain stimulation therapy for people whose symptoms don't respond to medications.
New National Study Reveals Various Hispanic American Groups Differ in the Levels and Types of Substa
07/16/2009
Nearly 8.3 percent of all Americans of Hispanic origin ages 12 or over were classified as needing treatment in the past year for alcohol disorders according to a new national study. The study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also reveals that only 7.7 percent of these over 2.6 million Hispanic Americans with drinking disorders received the help they needed at a specialty treatment facility.
07/16/2009
A new study has found that more than one-third of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who enrolled in the veterans health system after 2001 received a diagnosis of a mental health problem, most often post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.
07/17/2009
Joyce, 52 and a writer in Manhattan, started smoking pot when she was 15, and for years it was a pleasant escape, a calming protective cloud. Then it became an obsession, something she needed to get through the day. She found herself hiding her addiction from her family, friends and co-workers.
07/17/2009
We all have them: Those less-than-healthy or downright dangerous habits that can subtract years from our lives. Most of these harmful tendencies--like smoking and eating poorly--are well-known thanks to the constant finger-wagging of physicians and public-health officials. Others, like taking chances with safety and skipping immunizations, are less obvious.
07/19/2009
Thanks to high-profile celebrities like Brooke Shields, postpartum depression is out of the closet and discussed as something to recognize and treat.
But less well known is depression during pregnancy -- a common problem as well, and one that also can be risky for the unborn baby, experts now know.
A depressed woman, for instance, is more likely to give birth early, increasing health risks for the baby.
But less well known is depression during pregnancy -- a common problem as well, and one that also can be risky for the unborn baby, experts now know.
A depressed woman, for instance, is more likely to give birth early, increasing health risks for the baby.
07/20/2009
There are times when a newspaper writer must own up to his limitations. I don't have the skill to briefly describe the difficulties of living with a mentally ill son or daughter and the horrors of trying to get help.
But this Phoenix mother does.
But this Phoenix mother does.
07/16/2009
ANY profession whose most famous movie incarnation is a ruthless serial killer with a taste for human flesh has, I think it’s fair to say, something of an image problem.
07/17/2009
Heavy-drinking adolescents are more likely than their peers to have behavioral and attention problems and suffer from anxiety and depression.
07/18/2009
A new study has found that more than 40 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who sought treatment from a Veterans Administration hospital suffer from a mental disorder or a related behavioral problem.
07/19/2009
Soldiers in a single Army unit killed as many as 11 people after returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the military said last week. One contributing factor? The psychological trauma of war.
07/22/2009
Asthma is one of the most common ailments of young childhood — rates among children under age 5 have risen 160% from 1980 to 1994 in the U.S. But while the list of triggers that set off bouts of wheezing and shortness of breath (allergies, pollution or strenuous exercise, for example) are well known, it's still not clear exactly how the various factors that cause asthma — including genes, environment and exposure to pollution — contribute to children's chances of developing the disease.
07/22/2009
The recession is changing the makeup of homelessness in America to include more families and more people in suburbs and rural areas. Private and public services for the homeless – concentrated on individuals and in urban areas – must now quickly adjust.
07/23/2009
Schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder seem to have an additive effect on cognitive impairment, increasing the risk for relapse and adversely affecting treatment outcomes, conclude UK researchers.
07/23/2009
Bipolar disorder patients do not have accelerated prefrontal gyrification index (GI) loss, but having at least one brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene variant may increase loss, UK scientists have found.
07/21/2009
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is launching a large-scale research project to explore whether using early and aggressive treatment, individually targeted and integrating a variety of different therapeutic approaches, will reduce the symptoms and prevent the gradual deterioration of functioning that is characteristic of chronic schizophrenia.
07/21/2009
New research indicates that screening children for symptoms of depression, the most common mental health disorder in the United States, can begin a lot earlier than previously thought, as early as the second grade.
07/21/2009
My daughter suffers from borderline personality disorder that appears to be worsening, even though she is now 36 years old. Treatment centers are too expensive, and her insurance will not cover it unless it is a hospital. Why would this disorder seem to be worsening -- mainly impulse control/depression -- and should she have a CT scan or other brain imaging to see if there is an underlying problem? Her primary care doctor has given up on her, and there are no psychiatrists in this town who will treat borderline personality disorder. Any help or information could help.
07/21/2009
In perhaps one of the most extreme settings imaginable, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have conducted a “before and after” study of depression and terrorist attacks in adolescents.
07/16/2009
Arizona's recent extreme temperatures are straining the resources of cities, churches and nonprofit organizations as they work to provide heat relief to the state's growing homeless population. Tempe vice mayor Shana Ellis chairs a regional committee overseeing the effort. She says it's not just the days above 110 degrees, but also the 90-degree nights that cause dehydration - and worse.
07/16/2009
Ideally, everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity will receive the same medical care. But sometimes equal treatment is not enough. As Dr. Pauline Chen explores in her latest Doctor and Patient column, an understanding of a patient’s family history and cultural background can help identify the unique needs of an individual patient.
07/21/2009
The more science learns about how men are different from us (right down to the structure of their brains), the more we find ourselves hoping it will finally explain some age-old mysteries. For instance:Why do men keep their cars spotless but live like pigs at home -- while for women it's the other way around?
According to Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., author of "The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and the Truth About Autism," men's neurological wiring tends to make them better at systems, while women are superiorly rigged for empathy.
According to Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., author of "The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and the Truth About Autism," men's neurological wiring tends to make them better at systems, while women are superiorly rigged for empathy.
07/23/2009
A new study reviews how cognitive training and stimulant medication address working memory impairments in children with ADHD.
07/23/2009
A novel technique to relieve stress is an age old naturopathic remedy. New research demonstrates the scent of lemon, mango, lavender, or other fragrant plants are beneficial for stress reduction.
07/23/2009
The Senate on Wednesday ordered an independent study to determine whether an increase in military suicides could be the result of sending troops into combat while they are taking antidepressants or sleeping pills.
07/27/2009
Doctors at the Maple City Health Care Center, a neighborhood clinic where the toddler's family receives most care, couldn’t diagnose the problem. The child needed to see a specialist, but no local dermatologist would agree to accept Medicaid, the government’s safety net plan. Instead, Antonia Mejorado, 33, has to drive nearly two hours to see a dermatologist willing to treat her daughter's potentially serious illness.
SAMHSA Awards 25 Grants Totaling $190 Million For Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Pro
07/27/2009
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced 25 grants totaling up to $190 million over five years to implement the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grants to advance community-based programs for substance abuse prevention. SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention will administer the grants.
07/27/2009
Many parents of autistic children have put their children on strict gluten-free or dairy-free diets, convinced that gastrointestinal problems are an underlying cause of the disorder. But a new study suggests the complicated food regimens may not be warranted.
07/24/2009
In high school, I was a skeleton of who I am now. With pangs of hunger and a jutting rib cage, I was waiting for confidence and determination to flesh me out, fill me and protect me.
07/27/2009
A new and growing group of psychologists believes that many of our modern-day mental problems, including depression, stress and anxiety, can be traced in part to society's increasing alienation from nature. The solution? Get outside and enjoy it.
07/24/2009
A group of researchers proposes the definition for major depressive disorder (MDD) should be shortened to include only mood and cognitive symptoms.
07/27/2009
In the past few years, college mental health issues have received increasing attention by the mental health community, the public, administrators, and legislators. Events such as the death of MIT student Elizabeth Shin and the subsequent legal battle, and the series of suicides at NYU a few years ago received prominent media coverage.1,2 In the aftermath of the tragic murders/suicides at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, college student mental health issues and campus safety are pressing public health and policy concerns
07/26/2009
She was sociable and happy in high school. But in college that changed abruptly: Depressed and withdrawn, some days she couldn't get out of bed.
07/29/2009
A national report released Tuesday ranks Arizona 40th in the nation on 10 indicators of child well-being, including education, death rates and poverty.
It is the third consecutive year the state's ranking has slipped in the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual "Kids Count" report.
It is the third consecutive year the state's ranking has slipped in the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual "Kids Count" report.
07/28/2009
It was an end that Danny's parents, Bobby and Mary Watt of Reston, had struggled to stave off for many years. But after refinancing their house three times to put their son in every substance abuse and mental health program imaginable, after going to countless meetings and hearings and hospitals and jails, after badgering every possible person in Fairfax County who might help them, they could not save Danny.
07/28/2009
In the often separate worlds of mental health therapists and substance abuse counselors, professionals began realizing in the mid-1980s that large percentages of the people they were seeing -- sometimes 50 percent or more -- suffered from both mental illness and addiction to alcohol or drugs.
07/27/2009
Researchers found that 7 percent of fifth-graders and their families have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives and that the occurrence is even higher — 11 percent — for African American children and those from the poorest households. These children were significantly more likely to have an emotional, behavioral or developmental problem; were more likely to have witnessed serious violence with a knife or a gun; and were more likely to have received mental health care.
07/28/2009
The annual Kids Count report card puts Arizona 40th among the states for the well-being of its children, down one spot from last year. Children's Action Alliance president Dana Naimark says the report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation gives the state especially low marks for child and teen death rates.
07/30/2009
Surviving cancer is more than surmounting the physical assault of a malignant disease.
A new study reveals that long-term survivors of adult cancer are at increased risk of experiencing serious psychological distress.
A new study reveals that long-term survivors of adult cancer are at increased risk of experiencing serious psychological distress.
07/29/2009
year ago, a study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University researchers reported that fewer than half the patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder received an actual diagnosis of bipolar disorder after using a comprehensive, psychiatric diagnostic interview tool --the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). In this follow-up study, the researchers have determined the actual diagnoses of those patients.
07/29/2009
Secured with elastic cords to a railroad bridge more than 200 feet over a gorge south of Mount St. Helens, Portillo's mission was to dive over the edge. She pretended to throw up, getting a nervous laugh out of the troops behind her. Then, keeping her own anxiety in check, she jumped into the lush green below.
08/02/2009
Every day on NPR, listeners hear funding credits — or, in other words, very short, simple commercials.
A few weeks ago, a new one made it to air: "Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio."
A few weeks ago, a new one made it to air: "Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio."
08/01/2009
The owner of a $20 million yacht dealership and married for only two years to his wife, Laura, Jones noticed subtle differences. His wife began noticing them, too.
"The beginning was the personality changes," Laura Jones said. "He was more agitated. He was more nervous and then getting lost."
"The beginning was the personality changes," Laura Jones said. "He was more agitated. He was more nervous and then getting lost."
08/01/2009
Although the stigma once associated with mental illness has receded in recent years, most of the 12 million Americans who have clinical depression still don't get treated for it, partly because many are too embarrassed to go to a psychologist. In fact, according to mental-health professionals, the majority of depressed people who seek professional help turn first not to a psychologist but to their primary-care physician.
08/01/2009
Unbeknownst to her parents, Sydney Kirk tried a little medical experiment on herself when she was in the eighth grade. For a day or two, every so often, she stopped taking her drugs for her attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
08/01/2009
Over the last few decades a disturbing trend in health care is the increased prevalence of mental disorders among young adults.
Experts currently estimate around one in five young people in the U.S. have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder.
Experts currently estimate around one in five young people in the U.S. have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder.
08/04/2009
The number of Americans using antidepressants doubled in only a decade, while the number seeing psychiatrists continued to fall, a study shows.
08/03/2009
More than one out of every five children in some counties was without health insurance in 2006 even though they are eligible for nearly free coverage from the state.
08/03/2009
Some 16% of adults in the United States have met the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. Such rates have not really changed over the last few decades, according to studies -- but rates of treatment have risen dramatically.
08/03/2009
As people age, the potential exists for those years to be the most rewarding and fulfilling time of their lives. However, major illness, retirement, the death of a spouse, and a shrinking circle of friends all may, in some cases, contribute to increased levels of stress and depression in the elderly. For that reason the chief of geropsychiatry for the Los Angeles Jewish Home - the largest single-source provider of senior residential housing in the western United States - is offering seniors and their loved ones 10 warning signs that may trigger the need for assistance with mental health issues.
08/03/2009
Ryan Yorke, now 21, started taking Paxil after an out-of-the-blue panic attack his freshman year of high school. At first it worked great. But he gained weight and had other problems -- he started acting up in school and failing classes, for example. So after a year, he -- along with his mother and his psychologist -- decided it was time to stop.
08/04/2009
Photos of the 20 children who Alicia and Doug Mumford have cared for since they became foster parents four years ago hang on the living room wall of the family's home.
Shown in one photo is 12-year-old Miley, who had trouble trusting anyone, couldn't make friends and suffered from eating disorders. Within two years, she had good friends at school and had shown promise in her art class.
Shown in one photo is 12-year-old Miley, who had trouble trusting anyone, couldn't make friends and suffered from eating disorders. Within two years, she had good friends at school and had shown promise in her art class.
08/03/2009
Pain relief isn't the main reason why one in 10 high school seniors have tried opioid drugs, a new U.S. study finds.
08/04/2009
This textbook, written by an acknowledged master in the field, is a tour de force. There is nothing one might wish to know about modern psychiatric rehabilitation that is not included, to a greater or lesser extent, in this work—from a page and a half on the psychosocial clubhouse model to nearly 90 pages on involving families in treatment; a section on tackling stigma to a chapter on vocational rehabilitation; and a reference to the importance of accurate diagnosis to a detailed description of social skills training, its application, and its weaknesses.
08/04/2009
In most countries of the world, older adults kill themselves at higher rates than any other age group. Given that the leading edge of the large post-World War II "baby boom" cohort will reach the age of 65 in 2011, demographers predict a rapid rise in the number of seniors taking their own lives in subsequent decades. The need for effective approaches to late-life suicide prevention is pressing.
08/04/2009
Is the door locked? Is the stove off? What about the alarm: Is it set? These are questions many of us ask ourselves every day. And once we check, the thoughts subside.
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Bridget, 15, can't sit on the same couch as her mother without screeching.
But for people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, these thoughts become obsessions, which haunt them night and day, and can lead to sometimes bizarre rituals that start to control their lives.
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Bridget, 15, can't sit on the same couch as her mother without screeching.
But for people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, these thoughts become obsessions, which haunt them night and day, and can lead to sometimes bizarre rituals that start to control their lives.
08/03/2009
Quieting a child's streaming tears on the playground might seem far easier than dealing with a sobbing adult. But what about a child who also doesn't enjoy playing anymore, who suffers from chronic stomach aches, or even threatens to kill herself?
08/03/2009
Depression in children as young as 3 is real and not just a passing grumpy mood, according to provocative new research.
The study is billed as the first to show major depression can be chronic even in very young children, contrary to the stereotype of the happy-go-lucky preschooler.
The study is billed as the first to show major depression can be chronic even in very young children, contrary to the stereotype of the happy-go-lucky preschooler.
08/04/2009
The solution to ending an abusive relationship seems simple: Walk out the door.
But for an abused woman, leaving can be a confusing process, complex at every step, said a newly published article in an University of Illinois journal.
Co-author and graduate student Lyndal Khaw told CNN that abused women actually go through a five-step process of leaving that involves denial, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.
And the transition from one step to another is hardly seamless, Khaw said.
But for an abused woman, leaving can be a confusing process, complex at every step, said a newly published article in an University of Illinois journal.
Co-author and graduate student Lyndal Khaw told CNN that abused women actually go through a five-step process of leaving that involves denial, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.
And the transition from one step to another is hardly seamless, Khaw said.
08/04/2009
Professor Declan Murphy and colleagues Dr Michael Craig and Dr Marco Catani from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London have found differences in the brain which may provide a biological explanation for psychopathy.
08/03/2009
The three new movies would seem to have little in common: a romantic comedy about Upper West Side singles, a biopic about a noted animal science professor, and an animated film about an extended pen-pal relationship.
08/04/2009
Canadian researchers linked heavy consumption of beer and spirits to several cancers including esophageal, colon and lung cancers.
08/05/2009
If military families are quietly "coming apart at the seams," as the wife of the Army's top soldier told Congress in June, the evidence is here in the dining room of Army Capt. Mark Flitton and his wife, Lynn.
08/05/2009
The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments.
08/05/2009
Antidepressant use in the U.S. doubled from 1996 to 2005, according to a new report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. During that decade — the last period in which data were available — the percentage of Americans using antidepressants surged from less than 6% to more than 10%, or more than 27 million people. The study, which surveyed nearly 50,000 people above the age of six, reveals that antidepressants — the most commonly prescribed class of medicine in the U.S. — are being used to treat not just depression and anxiety but disorders ranging from back pain to sleeplessness.
08/05/2009
Economic woes are weighing heavily on some Americans - so much so that the federal government is boosting financial support for suicide prevention centers around the nation.
08/06/2009
Her finger hovers over the keyboard, sometimes for hours, before she painstakingly begins to type:
Unable to speak, typing unlocks mystery behind 14-year-old Carly's behavior. "You don't know what it feels like to be me, when you can't sit still because your legs feel like they are on fire or it feels like a hundred ants are crawling up your arms."
Unable to speak, typing unlocks mystery behind 14-year-old Carly's behavior. "You don't know what it feels like to be me, when you can't sit still because your legs feel like they are on fire or it feels like a hundred ants are crawling up your arms."
08/05/2009
Jordan Zweigoron had envisioned an "edgy" doughnut shop. But he had no idea his themed store in a strip mall in Campbell, Calif., would incite protests and TV broadcast debates about the mentally ill in America.
Mental illness advocates are protesting Psycho Donut, a mental illness-themed doughnut shop in Campbell Calif.
(Psycho Donuts)"The trouble started about two weeks in after opening," Zweigoron said. "A small handful of people took what we were doing very literally."
Mental illness advocates are protesting Psycho Donut, a mental illness-themed doughnut shop in Campbell Calif.
(Psycho Donuts)"The trouble started about two weeks in after opening," Zweigoron said. "A small handful of people took what we were doing very literally."
08/07/2009
Jessica Komalestewa was once addicted to alcohol and drugs, but she got clean and sober, and her life is back on track.
She has a home for herself and her five children and is attending Coconino County Community College on scholarships. But with her car broken down, she was having difficulty getting to the Laundromat to wash her family's clothing, and attend classes and volunteer at a homeless shelter. She needed to get her own washer and dryer, but she knew she couldn't afford it.
She has a home for herself and her five children and is attending Coconino County Community College on scholarships. But with her car broken down, she was having difficulty getting to the Laundromat to wash her family's clothing, and attend classes and volunteer at a homeless shelter. She needed to get her own washer and dryer, but she knew she couldn't afford it.
08/05/2009
The American Psychological Association concluded Wednesday that there is little evidence that efforts to change a person's sexual orientation from gay or lesbian to heterosexual are effective.
08/03/2009
Just a few months before John Gottman, a leading American marriage researcher and psychologist, was to be married, his father died, leaving Gottman to contend with overwhelming loss during what should have been one of the happiest times of his life. No one would have blamed him for putting the wedding on hold. But in the end, Gottman says, the strain of dealing with his grief made him that much more devoted to his future bride. "My wife helped me through it," he says. "I was able to cope with the loss, and it was really a bonding experience."
08/06/2009
New research shows Americans have become increasingly accepting of psychiatric medications such as antidepressants, the use of which is on the rise. For some people, the drugs are essential. But others appear willing to use antidepressants for reasons that experts say may be unwise.
08/05/2009
The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments.
08/07/2009
It seemed too horrendous even to imagine. But the case of the mother who caused a deadly wrong-way crash while drunk and stoned is part of a disturbing trend: Women in the U.S. are drinking more, and drunken-driving arrests among women are rising rapidly while falling among men.
08/07/2009
Deep state budget deficits have produced a shortage of 350 caseworkers within Arizona Child Protective Services (CPS), and left the state agency unable to investigate every allegation of child abuse or neglect.
08/06/2009
In elderly men and women, certain medications can increase the risk of falling, new research shows.
08/03/2009
Fear is a healthy emotion necessary for our survival. It is an instinct intended to warn us when we may be in danger. It happens naturally when we are in a home filled with smoke and it sends the message that we need to escape. There are healthy, necessary fears and there are unhealthy irrational fears.
08/06/2009
It's a central goal of the president's plan: Extending health care coverage to the millions of Americans who lack it. Question is, just how many million are uninsured?
08/07/2009
Ashley Bystrom was terrified of germs. Jared Kant worried his own thoughts could hurt other people.
Both children overcame the paralyzing fears that accompanied their obsessive-compulsive disorder, success that they feel driven to share with others. That's why neither would miss the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's annual conference, an event this weekend where the personal connections and support are as important as the speakers and seminars.
Both children overcame the paralyzing fears that accompanied their obsessive-compulsive disorder, success that they feel driven to share with others. That's why neither would miss the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's annual conference, an event this weekend where the personal connections and support are as important as the speakers and seminars.
08/09/2009
More doctors are going digital as a growing number of health insurers cover online medical consultations -- where patients get treated for minor ailments via online chats, video conferencing and interactive questionnaires.
08/08/2009
It's no secret that stress isn't good for you. But what's less clear is how social stressors like a high-pressure job or a failing marriage affect your physical well-being.
08/11/2009
Tragically, Michael Jackson's name has been added to a long list of celebrities who have died of the treatable disease of addiction. He joins Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe on a long list of famous people who suffered from a fatal disease.
08/09/2009
The teenager in the padded smock sat in his solitary confinement cell here in this state’s most secure juvenile prison and screamed obscenities.
08/10/2009
By the time a worried parent asked me about a child who had stolen something, I had some answers — because I had already been a worried parent and had asked my own pediatrician.
08/08/2009
It was a Tuesday in July, late, and Cindy Lepak could see that her 19-year-old son was exhausted. Long days like this one, with hours of physical therapy and memory drills — I had a motorcycle accident, I hit my head and have trouble remembering new things, I had a motorcycle accident — often left him making these accusations.
08/07/2009
The tragic mental disorder of anorexia can lead to such severe weight loss as to threaten an individual’s life. Reduced calorie consumption becomes such an obsession that despite the obvious danger, subjects are unable to change the behavior.
08/11/2009
As domestic violence rises with the recession, Arizona's emergency children's shelters are seeing more mothers show up with their kids and little else: no money, no housing, no car, no job. The shelters provide safe haven for the children while Mom seeks work and housing to start rebuilding their lives.
08/10/2009
America's psychologists have abandoned the idea that counseling can turn a gay person straight. A resolution adopted at this weekend's annual meeting of the American Psychological Association says little evidence exists that therapy can affect a person's sexual orientation.
08/10/2009
About 20 percent of U.S. teens exchange prescription drugs such as antibiotics and allergy medications with friends, a practice that can be dangerous and potentially deadly, warns a new study.
08/11/2009
Vincent Jones feels lucky to have escaped the path of drugs or gangs, and even be alive at 30 after moving from one dysfunctional environment to another in his childhood and teenage years.
A product of a foster
A product of a foster
08/11/2009
According to a new federal report, the number of Americans under care for depression and other mental illnesses has doubled over the last decade.
08/12/2009
For decades, Ritalin and similar stimulants have reigned over other treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD or ADD. The meds are seemingly tried and true, with numerous studies backing their effectiveness. However, the latest results from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, the largest investigation of the benefits of medication against behavioral therapy, found that stimulants' effects wane over time.
08/12/2009
For the second time in 20 years, a national organization of Native American doctors has honored Oregon Health & Science University's Dr. R. Dale Walker as its physician of the year.
08/13/2009
The scare mongers are at it again, Harry and Louise are being reincarnated, politicians are scrambling. Opponents of health-care reform are yelling "socialized medicine."
08/12/2009
New research reveals schizophrenia and violence are linked — albeit only by drug and alcohol abuse.
08/14/2009
Finding work typically came with an extra hurdle for Estela Rodriguez.
Each time a prospective employer asked the 54-year-old retail worker to submit to a drug test, she disclosed the medicine she takes to treat severe depression. Her chances of being hired dwindled.
Each time a prospective employer asked the 54-year-old retail worker to submit to a drug test, she disclosed the medicine she takes to treat severe depression. Her chances of being hired dwindled.
08/14/2009
Gays, lesbians and bisexuals are about twice as likely as heterosexuals to seek treatment for mental health issues or substance abuse, a U.S. study finds.
08/14/2009
Recession-caused financial problems appear to be driving more couples into marriage and family counseling. One Prescott counselor says money troubles are a factor for virtually everyone seeking help these days. Sue Horst, with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, says practically all her clients are feeling recession-induced financial stress.
08/13/2009
Story time at 41 libraries across Arizona has taken on new meaning in the past year, thanks to an early childhood learning system known as the Brain Box. Developed by the nonprofit New Directions Institute of Phoenix, the system encourages parents to share activities with their children designed to develop their brains during the crucial first years of life. Coordinator Rachel Lam explains one exercise with a baby's rattle.
08/11/2009
As domestic violence rises with the recession, Arizona's emergency children's shelters are seeing more mothers show up with their kids and little else: no money, no housing, no car, no job. The shelters provide safe haven for the children while Mom seeks work and housing to start rebuilding their lives.
08/13/2009
A few weeks ago, we wrote about the opening of a mental health court in Philadelphia to help deal with a problem that’s overwhelming the U.S. justice system — poor mental health care in prisons, affecting up to 30 percent of those incarcerated.
08/13/2009
Researchers have discovered that a significant number of children who have a parent deployed in the War on Terror are at high risk for psychosocial problems.
08/17/2009
Binge drinking has become nearly synonymous with college students, but a study out today shows a significant, worrisome level of binge drinking among those age 50 to 64 as well.
08/14/2009
The Navajo County Drug Project's online registration is open for the Sept. 16 Third Annual Northeastern Arizona Substance Abuse Summit.
08/16/2009
There have been numerous reports of town halls and public forums across the country to discuss the topic of health care. Some congressional representatives have scheduled 'one on one' chats with constituents to talk about issues that are important to them. These discussions haven't always been sedate - Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick recently cancelled an event in Holbrook because of protesters, according to AZCentral. And there has yet to be a public discussion on health care in Yavapai County.
08/17/2009
Sunshine Rescue Mission, Inc., has a new acting executive director, and that has area social service agency staffers excited about a new era of cooperation with the Mission.
08/17/2009
Social service and governmental agencies spent last week conducting a homeless count and survey in Coconino County.
08/16/2009
Shirley Brooke's husband, Clifford, had surgery on his back in March.
He is no longer able to work, and the couple is trying to stay afloat on her $1,200 a month from her job at the Department of Economic Security. Problem is, their basic living expenses are $1,600.
He is no longer able to work, and the couple is trying to stay afloat on her $1,200 a month from her job at the Department of Economic Security. Problem is, their basic living expenses are $1,600.
08/16/2009
Angela Creaghe's boyfriend stopped looking for work in Show Low because he couldn't find any.
Creaghe started seeing her hours at a fast-food restaurant dwindling. The two fought about money until he moved out to live with his sister. She could no longer make ends meet.
Creaghe started seeing her hours at a fast-food restaurant dwindling. The two fought about money until he moved out to live with his sister. She could no longer make ends meet.
08/16/2009
Nancy Francis had nothing when she showed up at the doors of the Hope Cottage shelter for women and children in March 2003.
No place to live. No hope. Just addictions to alcohol and drugs. Her journey to a new life wasn't easy. She relapsed and had setbacks time after time and was even told she could no longer live at Hope Cottage at one point.
No place to live. No hope. Just addictions to alcohol and drugs. Her journey to a new life wasn't easy. She relapsed and had setbacks time after time and was even told she could no longer live at Hope Cottage at one point.
08/13/2009
The years-long U.S. commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan is taking a significant toll on the children of service members, who are 2½ times more likely to develop psychological problems than American children in general, new research indicates.
08/17/2009
A Duke University study finds binge drinking - consuming five or more alcoholic beverages and long associated with college students- is relatively common among people between ages 50 and 64, according to a USA Today report Monday.
08/13/2009
Driving over a pothole may not be a big deal for most people, but for Jeff Bell, it was a source of endless frustration.
Afraid that he had injured a person, he would drive back to each pothole again and again to check, and he lost a lot of time in the process.
"I knew that my behaviors made no sense. I knew that my thoughts that were triggering these behaviors made no sense, and yet I felt so helpless to do anything about it," he said.
Afraid that he had injured a person, he would drive back to each pothole again and again to check, and he lost a lot of time in the process.
"I knew that my behaviors made no sense. I knew that my thoughts that were triggering these behaviors made no sense, and yet I felt so helpless to do anything about it," he said.
08/13/2009
"Why does she stay?" is the question most often asked when we hear about someone involved in an abusive relationship. Unfortunately, it's also one of the least helpful things you can say to a woman caught up in this cycle.
08/15/2009
Faded numbers stamped into small cement blocks marked the graves of more than 3,200 mentally ill patients buried here at Western State Hospital between the 1870s and 1953. Over time, the stones themselves sank into the earth, leaving the dead in almost perfect obscurity.
08/18/2009
President Obama Monday included health care in a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars' national convention Monday, The Arizona Republic reports.
08/18/2009
Even in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, President Barack Obama couldn't escape the overarching issue of the day: health-care reform.
Though Obama's speech Monday to the VFW's national convention in downtown Phoenix included updates on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and a broadside against wasteful spending by the "defense establishment," the president drew the most positive reaction with promises not only to protect but also boost veterans' health-care benefits.
Though Obama's speech Monday to the VFW's national convention in downtown Phoenix included updates on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and a broadside against wasteful spending by the "defense establishment," the president drew the most positive reaction with promises not only to protect but also boost veterans' health-care benefits.
08/17/2009
Seeking to put an end to what he said was "misinformation" about his health insurance overhaul proposals, President Obama assured veterans Monday their health benefits would be protected.
08/18/2009
Psycho Donuts, a California-based bakery, features a padded cell, walls decorated with goofy faces and a neon "Bates Motel" sign flashing near the front window. Employees wearing lab coats and nurse outfits proclaim that they have taken the ol' doughnut and "put it on medication, and given it a shock treatment."
08/16/2009
People regularly turn to the Internet for games and gossip, news and entertainment, essential information and high weirdness.
And now, apparently, for their health as well.
And now, apparently, for their health as well.
08/18/2009
America's foreclosure epidemic is hitting homeowner's mental health as hard as their wallets, a new study finds.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine analyzed mental health factors of 250 Philadelphia homeowners undergoing foreclosure.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine analyzed mental health factors of 250 Philadelphia homeowners undergoing foreclosure.
08/18/2009
Gail Nichols has suffered from depression for years. When the 49-year-old resident of St. Marys, Kan., cannot sleep, she falls back on a form of entertainment that is gaining increasing credibility as a medical intervention: video games.
08/21/2009
Pregnant women suffering from depression should consider psychotherapy before taking antidepressant medications, according to the first comprehensive treatment recommendations issued on the subject.
08/23/2009
Five people who make extraordinary contributions to the welfare of children became part of the Arizona's Children Association's "Circle of Champions" during an awards dinner Friday night.
08/24/2009
In a class of forty school children, there is an estimate that at least two of them exhibit symptoms of ADHD. It is therefore imperative for teachers to be aware of the basic facts that make ADHD unique and distinct from the other disorders or behavioral problems.
08/24/2009
Calls to poison control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76 percent over eight years, sobering evidence about the dangerous consequences of prescription misuse, a study shows.
The calls were from worried parents, emergency room doctors and others seeking advice on how to deal with the problem, which can be deadly. Four deaths were among cases evaluated in the study.
The calls were from worried parents, emergency room doctors and others seeking advice on how to deal with the problem, which can be deadly. Four deaths were among cases evaluated in the study.
08/24/2009
As more and more prescriptions are being written for medications to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), more and more children are abusing these drugs.
That's the conclusion of new research in the September issue of Pediatrics that found the rate of ADHD medication abuse was up 76 percent from 1998 to 2005, and at the same time, the rates of prescriptions for these medications rose about 80 percent.
That's the conclusion of new research in the September issue of Pediatrics that found the rate of ADHD medication abuse was up 76 percent from 1998 to 2005, and at the same time, the rates of prescriptions for these medications rose about 80 percent.
08/21/2009
Men who drink beer or liquor on a regular basis may face a heightened risk of several different types of cancer, a new study suggests.
08/21/2009
Like seeing-eye dogs for the blind, trained dogs are now being used to help autistic children deal with their disabilities. But some schools want to keep the animals out, and families are fighting back.
08/24/2009
Calls to poison control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76 percent over eight years, sobering evidence about the dangerous consequences of prescription misuse, a study shows.
08/23/2009
Injectable diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient in heroin, was shown to be an effective alternative to oral methadone in treating opioid addiction that had not responded to previous treatment.
08/21/2009
Until the 30th week, Suzanne Sevlie's second pregnancy had been progressing well and she was happy and healthy. But in the final weeks of her pregnancy, a close friend's death left Sevlie depressed and frustrated with her inability to connect with her unborn child.
08/24/2009
Workplace suicides surged 28% last year, the Labor Department said Thursday, as experts said anxious workers watched colleagues depart in a rash of layoffs and dealt with survivor's guilt.
At the same time, the agency's Bureau of Labor Statistics said the total number of workers who died on the job from any cause fell 12%.
At the same time, the agency's Bureau of Labor Statistics said the total number of workers who died on the job from any cause fell 12%.
08/21/2009
Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities is a common sign of depression -- and it's a neurological response that researchers can actually see in the brain.
08/25/2009
The homeless are having more trouble getting help because of state budget cuts, and federal stimulus funding in September will fill only part of the gap, service providers for the homeless say.
08/25/2009
This is the new formula for methamphetamine: a two-liter soda bottle, a few handfuls of cold pills and some noxious chemicals. Shake the bottle and the volatile reaction produces one of the world's most addictive drugs.
Only a few years ago, making meth required an elaborate lab - with filthy containers simmering over open flames, cans of flammable liquids and hundreds of pills. The process gave off foul odors, sometimes sparked explosions and was so hard to conceal that dealers often "cooked" their drugs in rural areas.
Only a few years ago, making meth required an elaborate lab - with filthy containers simmering over open flames, cans of flammable liquids and hundreds of pills. The process gave off foul odors, sometimes sparked explosions and was so hard to conceal that dealers often "cooked" their drugs in rural areas.
08/25/2009
Most homeless people in America are too poor to buy their own health coverage, but many also don't qualify for Medicaid, the government-run health program for the poor.
08/26/2009
Space. Sound. Smell. Humans constantly process a slew of variables in their surroundings. According to new research, the wiring of the brain may be even more complex than we knew.
08/24/2009
Mental-health care may soon cost less for many working Americans.
Starting in January, a new law will require that group health plans put mental-health care and treatment of substance-use disorders on par with physical illnesses.
Starting in January, a new law will require that group health plans put mental-health care and treatment of substance-use disorders on par with physical illnesses.
08/26/2009
I don't know what's for dinner at your house tonight, but I know what Mike Sublette will be eating: pinto beans and rice.
"Throw in some spices and you'd be amazed," he says.
"Throw in some spices and you'd be amazed," he says.
08/25/2009
Under fire from veterans groups and Congress for its handling of disability claims, the Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing new regulations that it says will make it easier for veterans to seek compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder.
08/27/2009
longer life expectancy has led to an increased demand for family members to serve as caregivers for older adults. Caregiving can be a demanding, stressful and seemingly thankless job, but really it is an amazing gift to allow a loved one to "age in place" rather than in a clinical setting. SCAN Health Plan Arizona, a private nonprofit Medicare Advantage Plan, offers these seven secrets to success for caregivers of older adults:
08/27/2009
As Arizona's congressional delegation held health-reform town halls across the Phoenix metropolitan region, a key business group pushed its case for health-care reform.
Representatives of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the nation's health-care system needs both short- and long-term fixes to ensure that more people have access to quality care and that spiraling medical costs are kept in check.
Representatives of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the nation's health-care system needs both short- and long-term fixes to ensure that more people have access to quality care and that spiraling medical costs are kept in check.
08/27/2009
For the first time ever, obstetricians and psychiatrists have issued joint guidelines for the treatment of women with depression who are pregnant and for those thinking about getting pregnant. I was stunned to learn that there were no specific guidelines to help women and their doctors before now.
08/26/2009
Japan's Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd (4506.T) said its experimental schizophrenia drug, lurasidone, was significantly better than placebo in a pivotal late-stage clinical trial, according to data released on Wednesday.
08/28/2009
Arizona's overwhelmed court system is relying increasingly on community-based organizations to point youthful offenders in the right direction. Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest is launching two parallel programs in Tucson, with eventual plans to expand statewide.
08/31/2009
In the first long-term study of psychosocial/behavioral therapy in combination with antidepressants, researchers found that adding psychosocial therapy improved depression scores short term and those improvements were sustained long term
08/30/2009
Almost 15 percent of preschoolers have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The five-year investigation also found that children with atypically high depression and anxiety levels are more likely to have mothers with a history of depression.
08/31/2009
Your therapist's name is ELIZA, and she interacts with you through text on a computer screen. However embarrassing or difficult your problem may be, ELIZA will not hesitate to ask you a question about it, or respond graciously, "That is very interesting. Why do you say that?"
08/31/2009
Aside from the physical abuse of children, experts say perpetrators find ways to manipulate the minds of the children they are abusing.
08/31/2009
While some runners load up on carbohydrates before a race to boost their endurance, members of the Boston Hash League, a self-defined "drinking club with a running problem," swap that pre-race bowl of pasta for a mid-race six-pack.
08/31/2009
Genetics researchers have yet to pinpoint a specific gene or genes for depression. But researchers do know that people with depression in their family are more vulnerable to the condition. This is most likely due to both genetic factors — and the struggle of having a depressed family member. As scientists work to figure out the genetics of the illness, families and therapists are figuring out ways to cope.
09/01/2009
Arizona has one of the highest Medicaid rates in the country. About 1 out of every 5 residents is covered by the program for the poor and disabled. That doesn't include illegal immigrants, who are barred from receiving state services. And the Medicaid rolls there are increasing rapidly in this economy, primarily due to slumps in the construction and service industries.
09/01/2009
The Suicide Prevention campaign
of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expanding its outreach to all
Veterans by piloting an online, one-to-one "chat service" for Veterans who
prefer reaching out for assistance using the Internet.
of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expanding its outreach to all
Veterans by piloting an online, one-to-one "chat service" for Veterans who
prefer reaching out for assistance using the Internet.
08/30/2009
During a downturn, we tend to seek the "bright spots" -- sectors or products that are doing well when all the rest are struggling. For example, there were plenty of reports over the past year about retail items -- lipstick, chocolate, and macaroni and cheese -- that were bucking downward trends and selling well during the slump. While these stories were cautiously upbeat, news of an uptick in antidepressant sales despite -- or perhaps because of -- the recession was just plain depressing.
09/01/2009
Where you live matters when it comes to children's waistlines, says a report that finds lots of options localities could and should use to fight child obesity - from easy bike paths, to luring healthier stores, to taxes on junk food.
09/01/2009
This statement comes directly from the president of the United States at the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention Aug. 17 in Phoenix. The president indicated that earlier this year, Congress authorized $ 1.4 billion to build nursing homes and extended care facilities for veterans, upgrade medical centers and hire an additional 1,500 workers to handle medical claims.
09/01/2009
Josh Palmer's story has played out countless times here in the heart of meth country. Introduced to methamphetamine as a teenager, he soon became addicted, couldn't keep a job, lost his house, lost his family.
09/02/2009
I was recently asked what five things a psychiatrist can do to support recovery. Psychiatrists are often more focused on diagnosis and medication than on "recovery." Psychiatrists are high-status members of the treatment team with the power to influence the attitudes and behavior of team members and consumers. Other clinicians will find it much more difficult to support recovery if the psychiatrist does not support it.
09/02/2009
Teenagers are a famously reckless species. They floor the gas and experiment with drugs and play with guns; according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, more than 16,000 young people die each year from unintentional injuries. The most common-sense explanation for teens' carelessness is that their brains just aren't developed enough to know better. But new research suggests that in the case of some teens, the culprit is just the opposite: the brain matures not too slowly but, perhaps, too quickly.
09/03/2009
No need to worry about frazzled kids cramming ballet lessons, soccer practice, Girl Scout meetings and piano recitals into their schedules come the new school year.
09/03/2009
No need to worry about frazzled kids cramming ballet lessons, soccer practice, Girl Scout meetings and piano recitals into their schedules come the new school year.
09/03/2009
A third of military children surveyed who have a parent deployed in a war zone are at "high risk" for psychological problems, according to a new study by military doctors and researchers.
09/03/2009
Why is it so uncomfortable to stand really close to a stranger? Sure, there are the potentially icky things. Sometimes an elevator car is so crowded that you can smell a fellow rider's shampoo or chewing gum (or worse). But even when a stranger is perfectly groomed, it's usually a bit revolting to be pressed against him in public. Why?
09/03/2009
The study from the University of Illinois suggests dealing with classmate put-downs can make it harder for good students to learn and make it more difficult for students who are behind to catch up.
08/28/2009
For days, Crockett lay in darkness and a tangle of sweaty hospital bed sheets, one among hundreds of desperate patients trapped inside Charity Hospital in 2005, while outside, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath battered the city.
09/02/2009
The notices have gone out: Health insurance for almost 10,000 Arizona working parents will end September 30th as a result of state budget cuts. Lawmakers eliminated funding for the KidsCare Parents insurance program to help deal with a three billion dollar deficit. Those who have been covered paid a subsidized premium of up to 100 dollars a month.
09/04/2009
Some of the difficult financial choices facing uninsured Americans — whether to go to a hospital or tough out an illness, whether to pay the rent or pay doctor bills — confront young people who not that long ago had to worry only about buying gasoline or paying a cellphone bill.
09/08/2009
A rewarding job, meaningful relationships and a fulfilling life: These are things that you and I may take for granted, but for some individuals challenged by mental illness and substance abuse, they are dreams yet to be realized.
09/08/2009
Many of you have heard us express our opinion, either in person or in this column, about seclusion and restraint (For example, see http://behavioral.net/ashcraft1208). We don't like them. They significantly impede recovery by robbing people of self-worth. Seclusion and restraint send a message to people that they are dangerous and out of control. They reinforce the staff role of managing and controlling instead of inspiring and supporting. Seclusion and restraint are an easy target because they are so obviously not a part of the recovery process. The actions involved often are violent, both for staff and for the person who is trying to recover.
09/03/2009
Faded numbers stamped into small cement blocks marked the graves of more than 3,200 mentally ill patients buried here at Western State Hospital between the 1870s and 1953. Over time, the stones themselves sank into the earth, leaving the dead in almost perfect obscurity.
09/06/2009
As a recently elected physician legislator, I have the opportunity, thanks to this historic budget crisis, to scrutinize almost every department and program that Arizona funds. One of the largest is our state Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), which has a projected 2010 budget of more than $7 billion.
09/08/2009
Seventy-three percent of readers who responded to last week's online poll agreed with our editorial position that Mexico is doing the right thing by decriminalizing small quantities of drugs meant for personal use.
09/08/2009
Nearly 10,000 working parents will lose their health insurance this month in the wake of state budget cuts, leaving some families with nowhere to turn as they seek affordable coverage.
09/08/2009
Experts agree that suicide increases when financial security decreases; but your family need not be victims. Recognize that economic and financial troubles bring stress and take the time to find a qualified counselor to help deal with feelings of depression and failure; in times of job or home loss these feelings are absolutely natural and you need not deal with them alone.
09/09/2009
Suicide…the act of taking one’s own life. Think about that sentence for a minute, feel the intensity and the absolute finality. Imagine what one must be feeling to end their own life.
09/09/2009
09/09/2009
Although the budget approved last week by Gov. Jan Brewer eased the state's projected shortfall, new estimates released Tuesday indicate a deficit of nearly $1 billion remains.
That's less than one-third the size of the deficit a week ago, before Brewer approved much of an $8.7 billion budget plan for fiscal 2010. The plan will employ a mix of spending cuts, borrowing and federal assistance to ease a budget crunch that had some state agencies running short on cash.
That's less than one-third the size of the deficit a week ago, before Brewer approved much of an $8.7 billion budget plan for fiscal 2010. The plan will employ a mix of spending cuts, borrowing and federal assistance to ease a budget crunch that had some state agencies running short on cash.
09/09/2009
Patients who develop depression after heart attacks fare worse in the long term than those who don't. But will treating their depression prevent further heart problems and safe lives?
That question plagues medical experts and is a source of fresh contention among cardiologists and behavioral scientists looking for effective strategies to help patients suffering from both conditions.
That question plagues medical experts and is a source of fresh contention among cardiologists and behavioral scientists looking for effective strategies to help patients suffering from both conditions.
09/09/2009
Nationally, one in three Black boys and one in six Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of going to prison during their lifetimes. Although boys are more than five times as likely to be incarcerated as girls, the number of girls in the juvenile justice system is significant and growing
09/08/2009
In the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of its kind, neurologists and psychiatrists at Columbia University have identified an area of the brain involved in the earliest stages of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.
09/04/2009
Using real-time brain imaging, a team of researchers have discovered that patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are physically unable to regulate emotion.
09/09/2009
Many of you have heard us express our opinion, either in person or in this column, about seclusion and restraint (For example, see http://behavioral.net/ashcraft1208). We don't like them. They significantly impede recovery by robbing people of self-worth. Seclusion and restraint send a message to people that they are dangerous and out of control. They reinforce the staff role of managing and controlling instead of inspiring and supporting. Seclusion and restraint are an easy target because they are so obviously not a part of the recovery process. The actions involved often are violent, both for staff and for the person who is trying to recover.
09/07/2009
Rates of binge drinking were 37 percent lower among eighth-grade students in communities in seven states that used a prevention system designed to reduce drug use and delinquent behavior compared to teenagers in communities that did not use the system.
09/09/2009
A new performance audit shows Arizona has a higher rate for placing children in out-of-home care with relatives than the national average.
09/10/2009
The state's Child Protective Services division excels in placing children with relatives, considered an important factor in protecting their well being, according to a new audit.
09/11/2009
advertisementAnxiety, depression and alcohol and drug dependency cases might be more than twice as high as researchers have come to believe, a study published Thursday in the journal Psychological Science finds, with 41 percent of young adults experiencing major depression, half suffering an anxiety disorder and nearly one in three exhibiting alcohol dependence by age 32.
09/11/2009
Joy Tomey's fate will be determined by the red lottery ticket she holds between the crook of her forefinger and thumb.
If her number isn't called, she'll return to the streets, one of thousands of homeless Arizonans who lost their jobs and have no place to go.
If her number isn't called, she'll return to the streets, one of thousands of homeless Arizonans who lost their jobs and have no place to go.
09/11/2009
As a new parent, I learned a lot years ago from my children’s child-care providers. One preschool teacher wisely tipped me when my toddler was ready for toilet training. Another spotted some developmental glitches in my 3-year-old, and guided us to the needed occupational therapy.
09/10/2009
Almost a quarter of a million individuals addicted to heroin are incarcerated in the United States each year. However, many prison systems across the country still do not offer medical treatment for heroin and opiate addiction, despite the demonstrated social, medical and economic benefits of opiate replacement therapy (ORT).
09/14/2009
The average life expectancy has topped 78
years, giving people more reasons to celebrate and seek ways to protect or
improve their health.
years, giving people more reasons to celebrate and seek ways to protect or
improve their health.
09/12/2009
Mental disorders are a global problem and represent one of the biggest challenges for health care systems. In the world, there are some 500 million people suffering from mental disorders, and in the European Union, mental disorders range as one of the leading causes of disease burden. What makes the situation worse is that the prevalence of mental and neurological disorders is expected to grow for a variety of reasons: an ageing population will lead to an increased risk for age-related mental illness and neurological disorders, especially dementia and Parkinson´s disease. By 2040, Alzheimer´s disease will double in Western and triple in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, with increasing economic troubles, work-related psychosocial risk factors such as reduced job security, work intensification, and a poor work-life balance become more widespread, affecting both men and women.
09/13/2009
Before Henri Jaulneau killed himself on Sept. 3 in the lobby of his Tucson doctor's office, he had made his intention known.
The problem was, the person who knew best what Jaulneau might do was a nephew living 5,000 miles away.
The problem was, the person who knew best what Jaulneau might do was a nephew living 5,000 miles away.
09/12/2009
There is nothing particularly remarkable about the letter. I get them all the time. This one, from a Phoenix woman named Eddi, who, like a lot of people, came here to provide a better life for her family and was doing a decent job of it until May, when she was laid off.
"There are many emotions that one goes through when this occurs," she writes, "disbelief, hurt, anger, fear and depression."
"There are many emotions that one goes through when this occurs," she writes, "disbelief, hurt, anger, fear and depression."
09/09/2009
Ambassadors from the land of Hollywood visited Multinational Division - Baghdad Soldiers, here, Sept. 4.
The visit wasn't the typical, run of the mill, morale visit from actors and actresses. This time, the actors and actresses had an important message to bring.
The visit wasn't the typical, run of the mill, morale visit from actors and actresses. This time, the actors and actresses had an important message to bring.
09/12/2009
A loose coalition of activist veterans, private foundations, government health care workers and justice system officials is forming to create or lobby for initiatives aimed at taking war-related trauma into account during the sentencing of veterans who commit nonviolent crimes.
09/11/2009
Give an Hour, a national nonprofit organization providing free mental health services to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and their loved ones, announced that its 4,400 volunteer mental health professionals have donated $1,689,500 in services, at an estimated $100 per hour, since starting the program in July 2007
09/11/2009
The patient showed symptoms of severe depression. She hallucinated, seeing her dead father across her room. Her family was having trouble taking care of her.
09/10/2009
Anne Kane was nowhere near the twin towers when they collapsed eight years ago, but at that moment she entered what she would later describe as “one of the worst years of my life professionally.”
09/15/2009
Kyle Chance is at North Country, holding a 6-month-old daughter who can no longer move her right arm for some unknown reason.
09/15/2009
Ben Alexander began dabbling in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft during his first year of university. In the beginning, he devoted a few hours a day to the game. Midway through his first semester, however, the Iowa teenager’s hobby morphed into an obsession. He would sometimes play for 17 hours in one day, which left little time for school, so he quit.
09/15/2009
It may have a fairy tale ending -- a story of perseverance and second chances that's playing out live on the public stage of online networking.
09/15/2009
As H1N1 threatens to erupt as a full-blown epidemic, experts recommend strategies to help control the mental and emotional stress that accompanies widespread illness
09/10/2009
A controversial treatment for overcoming attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is getting new respect. Called neurofeedback therapy, it supposedly retrains the brain to produce electrical patterns associated with calm and focus. While the technique is costly, time consuming, and far from proven, its promise is tantalizing. Advocates claim that neurofeedback brings permanent ADHD cures, a seemingly magical alternative to years of medication.
09/14/2009
The fate of Arizona women and their children fleeing assault and abuse rests with the kindness of strangers these days. The Phoenix Sojourner Center, the country's largest domestic violence shelter, is seeking donations from foundations and the public to overcome significant cuts in state funding.
09/14/2009
The results from an informal survey on AD/HD released today reinforce existing scientific research that the disorder does not affect children alone, and when left undiagnosed until adulthood, can create much larger relationship challenges for those with the disorder.
09/16/2009
The numbers are troubling: An estimated 17.6 million adults in the USA are either alcoholics or have alcohol problems, according to the National Institutes of Health. By some estimates, one-third of alcoholics are women.
09/16/2009
The man – let's call him Michael – died before it was his time. The world was stunned and when the autopsy was done, authorities immediately launched a criminal investigation.
09/16/2009
Children who are homeless tell stories of living with uncertainty, chaos, and unpredictability. Play therapy is a therapeutic model that helps children cope with the trauma of being homeless. At Cuidando Los Niños in Albuquerque, New Mexico, play therapists work with children to “re-story” their young lives through play. By reframing their experiences, children can begin to heal and tell new stories.
09/17/2009
Health care experts in Arizona say they’re not surprised that the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance is rising across the nation.
09/17/2009
Gov. Jan Brewer says she's been too busy with the state's budget crisis to prepare a court-ordered status report on efforts to improve state mental health services in the Phoenix area.
09/17/2009
-- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Energy Psychology Techniques: A Comparison is the newest DVD series by Jef Gazley, LMFT, D.CEP. It consists of a 5 DVD set that discusses in detail the origin and symptoms of PTSD, the principles of Eastern Medicine which is the basis of energy psychology, and compares and contrasts the main energy psychology techniques. The DVDs have a didactic component and demonstrations of the techniques.
09/16/2009
In conjunction with National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, September was declared Recovery Month in Graham County.
09/15/2009
The American Psychological
Association recently released free information for consumers to help them
understand a new law requiring insurance companies to cover mental and
physical health equally.
Association recently released free information for consumers to help them
understand a new law requiring insurance companies to cover mental and
physical health equally.
09/17/2009
Tera Michael could be a powerful cheerleader for health-care reform; after all, universal health insurance might give her family—including her husband and their two children—an opportunity to rise out of the debt caused by her family's health issues.
09/18/2009
Clinical Assessment and Elder Abuse Prevention will be presented by Robert Rehak, manager of adult services at Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority in Flagstaff.
09/14/2009
An analysis of research suggests that depression can rob people with cancer of years of life, raising questions about the need to screen patients for psychological problems.
09/18/2009
As if a bad hangover wasn't enough of a deterrent, new research has shown how binge drinking weakens the body's ability to fight off infection for at least 24 hours afterwards. The study, published today in the open access journal BMC Immunology, focused on the effect of heavy drinking on toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a protein that has an important role in immune system activation.
09/18/2009
The rituals of college—making new friends, studying until dawn, excessive partying—can stress out any young adult. But students with bipolar disorder, or those at risk for the condition, are even more vulnerable in a college environment.
09/16/2009
If you’re like most people, your personal medical record is a multiheaded beast: pieces of information scattered among the offices of multiple physicians, prescription data at a handful of different drugstores, and a manila folder full of receipts and lab reports in an overstuffed file cabinet at home. Now that it's possible to tame the beast, should you?
09/18/2009
More than 8 million Americans seriously consider suicide each year, according to a new government study.
09/17/2009
Gaining a better understanding of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults may help to identify individuals at risk for suicide, to inform the development of screening tools, and to inform mental health and general practitioners on treatment planning.
09/17/2009
"Mary" came to Flagstaff more than a year ago with her two youngest children in order to get out of an abusive relationship with her now ex-husband.
09/17/2009
In a new report, Al Jazeera English takes a look at just why people with mental health problems make up half the population of U.S. jails and prisons
09/17/2009
Acne is a diabolically cruel thing: somehow it strikes your most visible feature just at the age when you become most vulnerable to a gaze. Not surprisingly, acne is often accompanied by serious depression among teenagers. In fact, a 1999 study found that kids with acne bad enough to prompt a trip to the dermatologist reported having emotional and social problems as severe as those reported by patients with disabling diabetes and epilepsy.
09/21/2009
More than 35 million people globally will suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia in 2010, and few will get any treatment at all, according to a report released on Monday.
09/21/2009
Being seen as either well behaved or naughty at school is never entirely in the hands of the individual child, a new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council shows.
09/21/2009
There is a strong relationship between drinking and taking one's own life. In any given year, people with alcohol dependence (AD) commit more than 20 percent of suicides in the general population; some 80 to 90 percent of AD suicides are by men, mostly white. A new look at suicide and alcohol has found that both attempted and completed suicides occur at greater rates in rural communities with greater bar densities.
09/19/2009
Legislation to overhaul the U.S. health-care system hasn't emerged from congressional committees, yet it has gained enough momentum for the demonization of the reform effort to start in earnest. ... There are three fundamental and interrelated problems with health care in this country: It's too expensive, the results aren't as good as in other countries, and the insurance provided by government and the private sector leaves too many people uncovered. ...
09/21/2009
In Phoenix, AZ, like so many other urban areas, adolescents and teens hang around the streets unseen and unnoticed. These youth are homeless, runaways, throwaways-many with health problems, mental illness, and sometimes drug or alcohol abuse. Some have traumatic histories of parental physical or sexual abuse.
09/23/2009
One in four Phoenix residents lacks health insurance, putting Arizona's largest city among the bottom dwellers among big cities on health coverage.
The U.S. Census report shows that more than 381,000 Phoenix residents, or 25 percent, do not have health insurance.
Among cities with at least 1 million residents, only Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles have a higher percentage of residents who do not have health insurance.
The U.S. Census report shows that more than 381,000 Phoenix residents, or 25 percent, do not have health insurance.
Among cities with at least 1 million residents, only Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles have a higher percentage of residents who do not have health insurance.
09/21/2009
You'll never see a dude turn to another dude and ask, "Do I look fat in these pants?" But that doesn't mean men are invulnerable to insecurities, no matter how much we'd like to think so.
09/23/2009
The rituals of college—making new friends, studying until dawn, excessive partying—can stress out any young adult. But students with bipolar disorder, or those at risk for the condition, are even more vulnerable in a college environment. Academic pressures, social concerns, and sleep disruptions can lead to bouts of depression as well as mania, the euphoric, revved-up state characteristic of bipolar disorder. Without the right treatment and support, bipolar college students face higher dropout rates, drug and alcohol abuse, and even suicide.
09/22/2009
Therapy from afar. While the very notion of it makes some queasy, a growing number of people are seeking—and providing—mental-health help through nontraditional means, such as by telephone or videoconferencing or via E-mail or online chat. E-therapy petered out somewhat after the dot-com bubble burst, when several online "clinics" went bankrupt, but there's been a resurgence as technology has advanced, says John Grohol, a psychologist who is an expert in online mental health and founder of Psychcentral.com, a comprehensive website that features informational articles, support groups, professional blogs, self-help quizzes, and other resources for patients and professionals.
09/22/2009
A new study published in the journal Pediatrics has revealed a sharp increase in the number of calls to poison control centers regarding teen abuse of prescription medication for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center analyzed data from the American Association of Poison Control Center's National Poison Data System from 1998-2005, and discovered a 76% increase in the number of calls related to the abuse of prescription ADHD medication by adolescents
09/22/2009
Police officers and firefighters in Lake Havasu City could be carrying vital information by mid-October that could save lives and help curb a growing suicide problem in the city.
Interagency Council Director Rich Miers and area law enforcement have agreed that officers will carry information and a resource list to provide to those in need of counseling.
Interagency Council Director Rich Miers and area law enforcement have agreed that officers will carry information and a resource list to provide to those in need of counseling.
09/21/2009
Veterans Healing Initiative Formed to Help Meet Burgeoning Addiction and
Mental Health Issues of Returning U.S. Veterans
Will Help Heal "The War Within"
Mental Health Issues of Returning U.S. Veterans
Will Help Heal "The War Within"
09/24/2009
A new state veterans home will open in Tucson in 2011, thanks to Arizona legislators and federal stimulus money.
Five years after the project was first proposed, state lawmakers gave it the go-ahead on Tuesday, agreeing to kick in $10 million toward the $28.5 million construction cost.
Five years after the project was first proposed, state lawmakers gave it the go-ahead on Tuesday, agreeing to kick in $10 million toward the $28.5 million construction cost.
09/22/2009
There is new evidence that depression, obesity and alcohol abuse or dependency are interrelated conditions among young adult women but not men.
09/24/2009
This week, we celebrate the two-year anniversary of Arizona enacting some of the toughest DUI laws in the nation — and arguably the world. In September 2007, a law went into effect requiring Arizona drivers convicted of DUI to install Breathalyzers into cars for continued driving.
09/25/2009
If you take antidepressants such as fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac) early in your pregnancy, you may be doubling the risk that your newborn will be born with a heart defect, according to a new study.
09/25/2009
The Welcome Back Awards is now accepting nominations to honor those who work in the depression community. The Welcome Back Awards is a program established by Eli Lilly and Company to recognize outstanding achievements in the fight against depression and the stigma often associated with the illness.
09/24/2009
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Services, has been tapped to receive the Soldier On Award for 2009. The award, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the cause of ending veteran homelessness, is presented by Soldier On, a non-profit organization based in Northampton. Admiral Mullen, the highest ranking officer in the U.S. military, will be on hand to receive the 2009 award at a tribute dinner to be held October 29 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.
09/25/2009
Adolescent depression and anxiety disorders are two distinct psychiatric disorders, according to Dr. William W. Hale III (a researcher of the Langeveld Institute for the Study of Education and Development in Childhood and Adolescence at Utrecht University) in a recent publication in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
09/25/2009
Identical twins -- they come from around the country once a year to attend a festival of twins in Twinsburg, Ohio, just outside Cleveland.
09/25/2009
Mental health providers have teamed with Arizona Superior Court in Pima County to reduce what's deemed unnecessary jail time for people with mental illnesses. The innovative Mental Health Court has attracted national attention.
09/26/2009
Blindness first began creeping up on Barbara Campbell when she was a teenager, and by her late 30s, her eye disease had stolen what was left of her sight.
09/28/2009
Federally qualified community health centers are on track to see more than 20 million patients this year, an increase of more than 2 million from last year, according to survey data. Some centers have wait lists and long lines as the newly unemployed and uninsured join the traditional ranks of low-income patients seeking care
09/25/2009
THE kids weren’t all right. They lived in the same comfortable Long Island town and were barely in their teens when they took their first hit of marijuana or sip of alcohol, propelling them on dark journeys they couldn’t seem to escape. Within a couple of years, they were in heroin’s grip.
09/28/2009
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston said each year more than 500,000 U.S. children have adverse reactions to medicines, requiring medical care or hospitalization. Their study found that penicillin and prescription antibiotics are among the drugs causing the most troubles and that children under age 5 are most affected.
09/28/2009
Girls grabbed in the crotch by boys who say it's "no big deal."
Teachers hit or held down by students trying to avoid discipline.
Behaviors that would be unthinkable just a generation ago are happening across Tucson schools.
Teachers hit or held down by students trying to avoid discipline.
Behaviors that would be unthinkable just a generation ago are happening across Tucson schools.
09/24/2009
Nagging doubts, compulsions, concerns of contamination, obsessive hoarding: the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder are numerous and varied. What is it like to live this way? How does one maintain a normal life? Six men and women speak about their battles with this disorder
09/23/2009
A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or O.C.D., is plagued by recurrent, unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors like hand-washing or counting. The first symptoms usually occur in childhood, and O.C.D. is said to afflict more than two million adults in the United States, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
09/23/2009
The national advocacy organization Faces & Voices of Recovery for years has successfully mobilized a growing community of people in recovery who seek involvement in policy issues. But it has traditionally hesitated to put an actual number on the size of the recovering population overall. This month’s National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month activities for the first time feature prominent display of an estimate: more than 20 million Americans in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction.
Veterans Healing Initiative Formed to Help Meet Burgeoning Addiction and Mental Health Issues of Ret
09/28/2009
The Veterans Healing Initiative (VHI) has been formed in response to the dramatic increase of Substance Abuse (SA) and co-occurring mental health disorders among U.S. Veterans. Formed by Margaret Stone and James L. Abernathy, VHI's core mission is to raise funds for veterans who need treatment for Addiction and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and help them begin to heal the war within.
09/26/2009
At 17-years-old, Gabriela Perez found herself immersed in a world of gangs and alcohol use.
The teen was arrested for underage drinking and DUI and was sentenced to 10 months in jail.
Luckily for Perez, this was all a game.
The teen was arrested for underage drinking and DUI and was sentenced to 10 months in jail.
Luckily for Perez, this was all a game.
09/25/2009
When Iraq war veteran Angela Peacock is in the shower, she sometimes closes her eyes and can't help reliving the day in Baghdad in 2003 that pushed her closer to the edge.
09/25/2009
new study finds that group therapy can benefit homeless veterans who have admitted taking physical or emotional abuse against their partners.
09/28/2009
There is new evidence that depression, obesity and alcohol abuse or dependency are interrelated conditions among young adult women but not men.
09/27/2009
In the future, diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption and the analysis of the MAOA genotype may provide more accurate means for assessing risk among violent offenders, according to the Finnish research carried out jointly at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Psychiatry Centre.
09/29/2009
Each of the 2.5 million annual deaths in the United States directly affects four other people, on average. For most of these people, the suffering is finite — painful and lasting, of course, but not so disabling that 2 or 20 years later the person can barely get out of bed in the morning.
09/29/2009
Treating heroin addicts by giving them heroin might seem counterintuitive. But for some of the most hardened addicts, administering heroin in supervised clinics may just do the trick where detox and methadone have failed.
09/27/2009
A clear-blue-eyed 19-year-old with a blond ponytail, Ben Alexander of Iowa City, tramps along a mossy trail, pops into a chicken coop he recently helped build and grins while clambering up a swinging bridge to a counseling room in a treehouse. This is therapy a la Swiss Family Robinson.
09/29/2009
The percentage of Arizonans living in poverty increased twice as fast as the national average last year.
New figures today from the U.S. Census Bureau show an estimated 938,924 Arizona residents — 14.7 percent of the population — living below the poverty level last year. That's up from 14.2 percent in 2007.
New figures today from the U.S. Census Bureau show an estimated 938,924 Arizona residents — 14.7 percent of the population — living below the poverty level last year. That's up from 14.2 percent in 2007.
09/29/2009
The percentage of Arizonans living in poverty increased twice as fast as the national average last year.
09/30/2009
Not one – but five – amazing folks are set to receive this year’s Daniel Moreno Recovery Award for their successful efforts in coping with mental illness.
09/30/2009
When I was growing up, people had nervous breakdowns - you know, through some trauma or emotional exertion, they temporarily "went crazy" and had to be institutionalized. As a child, we ooed and aahed about such mysterious cases in our neighborhood.
09/30/2009
I have a diagnosis of brittle bipolar disorder. Most peer-reviewed literature tells me that setting up concrete routines (daily, work, home, etc.) is a good way to help control symptoms. Is this true? Is it an important tool or just speculation? How can I work with my employer/coworkers to limit my symptoms with routines?
09/29/2009
The national policy that set a minimum legal drinking age of 21 is being questioned by a group of 135 college and university presidents through an effort called the Amethyst Initiative.
09/30/2009
The letter, handwritten, pleaded for a second chance, though by the time it was written, it would have been more like a sixth chance, or a seventh.
09/30/2009
A novel treatment approach that includes medication plus a newly developed type of psychotherapy that targets suicidal thinking and behavior shows promise in treating depressed adolescents who had recently attempted suicide, according to a treatment development and pilot study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
09/29/2009
Psychotherapists are a unique profession in the world because they are paid to listen and help people improve aspects of their lives or combat a mental health issue that’s affecting them. But there’s some stuff that goes on in the therapy office that you should know about before you decide to take the plunge (or if you’ve already taken it, well, better late than never!). Here’s a few…
$120 Million for States Made Available as Part of Recovery Act Community Prevention and Wellness Ini
10/01/2009
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the release of $120 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for prevention and wellness programs for U.S. states and territories, building on the recent announcement of the $373 million funding opportunity for communities and tribes around the country. In all, the comprehensive Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative will make $650 million available for public health efforts to address obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking.
10/01/2009
Yet after taking the painkiller Percocet safely for 10 years, the stay-at-home mother of three became addicted after a friend suggested that crushing her pills could bring faster relief. It worked. The rush of medication also gave her more energy. Over time, she began to rely on that energy boost to get through the day. She began taking six or seven pills a day instead of the three to four a day as prescribed.
10/01/2009
A new research center exploring the science underlying a potential new treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder has been established at the University of Rochester Medical Center, thanks to a $10.5 million award from the National Institute of Mental Health.
10/01/2009
In November, 2006, Arizona voters approved Proposition 203, an initiative “that funds quality early childhood development and health,” according to the First Things First Arizona website. The proposition created “the Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board.”
10/05/2009
Some years ago I was consulted by a psychologist, a man in his 60s who wanted help with relationships and in thinking about his life, which was threatened by heart disease. At the time I was in my 70s, and his condition had special resonance for me: my father had died of congestive heart failure, and I have feared I will die in the same way.
10/06/2009
When Sherean Malekzadeh Allen of Marietta, Ga., learned she was pregnant, she was 43, had been married for two years, had gone through two miscarriages and had all but given up hope of having a baby.
10/03/2009
The prevalence of mental health disorders in this country has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. Who is treating all of these patients? Clinical psychologists and therapists are charged with the task, but many are falling short by using methods that are out of date and lack scientific rigor. This is in part because many of the training programs—especially some Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD) programs and for-profit training centers—are not grounded in science.
10/06/2009
They are the invisible wounds of war, the battered minds and bruised spirits we have come to recognize as posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. By one estimate, more than 300,000 of the nearly 2 million U.S. servicemen and -women deployed since 9/11 suffer from the often-debilitating condition, with symptoms that include flashbacks and nightmares, emotional numbness, relationship problems, trouble sleeping, sudden anger, and drug and alcohol abuse. The number of cases is expected to climb as the war in Afghanistan continues, and could ultimately exceed 500,000, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University. Mental-health experts say PTSD is the primary reason suicides in the military are at an all-time high; 256 soldiers took their own lives in 2008, the highest number since that data was first tracked, in 1980.
10/06/2009
spate of suicides at France Telecom has put the spotlight on workplace stress and the devastating impact it can have on employees.
France Telecom employees protest against work conditions following a colleague's suicide.
There have been 24 suicides and 13 attempted suicides among France Telecom employees since the beginning of 2008.
France Telecom employees protest against work conditions following a colleague's suicide.
There have been 24 suicides and 13 attempted suicides among France Telecom employees since the beginning of 2008.
10/05/2009
People who follow a Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish are less likely to become depressed, scientists said on Monday, but the reasons are unclear.
10/03/2009
It's 2 a.m. and the hours of sustained drinking are taking their toll. Smashed glass and plastic cups litter the streets, trash cans overflow with empty beer cans, and girls in high heels and short skirts totter unsteadily out of rowdy pubs. But this is not London or New York. It's Rome.
10/06/2009
Alcohol has a peculiar relationship to happiness. We drink to celebrate, but because alcohol works as a depressant, it ends up deadening feelings. Not surprisingly, there's an observable correlation between alcoholism and depression, and even though it's not always clear which leads to which, everyone knows you can't drink like a Sterling Cooper employee for too long before becoming a perpetual sad sack.
10/07/2009
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday a package of reforms aimed at making detention centers for immigrants in Arizona and throughout the nation safer, more humane and less costly.
10/07/2009
This first full week in October is being celebrated as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). The holiday doesn’t even exist. More about that later.
10/06/2009
If the stigma attached to mental illness is going to end any time soon, it will be because of people like Sharon Dunas, president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for the Westside of Los Angeles. Dunas, who is a marriage & family therapist with a private practice, devotes most of her time to overseeing NAMI and advocating on behalf of the mentally ill.
10/06/2009
One way to fight stigma is to make it hard to tell the difference between what's supposedly different and what's the norm.
The organizers of the annual Community Mental Health Arts Show — celebrating its 10th anniversary this week — rely on that as they work for people receiving mental-health assistance to be accepted into the community
The organizers of the annual Community Mental Health Arts Show — celebrating its 10th anniversary this week — rely on that as they work for people receiving mental-health assistance to be accepted into the community
10/07/2009
Vaccine-like shots to keep cocaine abusers from getting high also helped them fight their addiction in the first successful rigorous study of this approach to treating illicit drug use.
10/06/2009
Teenagers with psychosocial disorders such as ADHD, depression and social phobia are more likely to be addicted to the Internet than other teens, new research suggests.
10/06/2009
Substance abuse now accounts for one in 14 hospital admissions and billions in health care costs. Accordingly, leading scientists have presented a new research agenda to treat and prevent the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
10/07/2009
A new study from the University of New Hampshire finds that U.S. children are routinely exposed to even more violence and abuse than has been previously recognized, with nearly half experiencing a physical assault in the study year.
10/07/2009
Researchers announced this week early trial results of a new vaccine to fight cocaine addiction — a compound that, by vaccine standards, was only mildly effective, but served as an important proof of concept that vaccination against addiction could work.
10/07/2009
Seven-year-old Jani Schofield has hundreds of friends, but they exist only in her mind.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed first grader and focus of a recent “Los Angeles Times” article was a reluctant guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, October 6. Jani suffers from a severe case of schizophrenia, which causes her to spend the majority of her waking hours living in an imaginary world she calls “Calalini.” “It’s on the border of my world and your world,” she told Oprah. During the interview, Jani repeatedly shouted, “No! I don’t want to talk!” and stomped away from a noticeably frustrated Oprah, who admitted it was a "challenge."
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed first grader and focus of a recent “Los Angeles Times” article was a reluctant guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, October 6. Jani suffers from a severe case of schizophrenia, which causes her to spend the majority of her waking hours living in an imaginary world she calls “Calalini.” “It’s on the border of my world and your world,” she told Oprah. During the interview, Jani repeatedly shouted, “No! I don’t want to talk!” and stomped away from a noticeably frustrated Oprah, who admitted it was a "challenge."
10/08/2009
A book display from Sept. 26 to Oct. 16 will feature books about mental illness recovery.
10/08/2009
Arizona parents with youngsters in child care centers will be paying at least a little bit more next year because of rising state regulatory fees.
10/08/2009
Already losing families that can't afford daycare anymore, Arizona's child care centers are bracing for the largest hit of all: new state licensing fees almost 100 times greater than what they are paying now.
10/09/2009
(SMH) today announced that they have received funding from the Department of Defense (DoD) to continue their work with Military Pathways™, a mental health awareness and education program that offers free, anonymous mental health self-assessments to veterans and personnel from all branches of the military as well as their families. Military Pathways resources are currently available at military installations worldwide and will be part of various screening events in recognition of National Depression Screening Day on October 8th.
10/09/2009
Community Counseling Centers Inc. announced the appointment of Jennifer Foran, M.D., as medical director. Foran completed her medical school and psychiatry residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
10/09/2009
Joe Newell, a police property clerk on Staten Island, would love for his brother, John, to get out of the Coney Island adult home where his television set and other property have mysteriously disappeared. But Mr. Newell remembers how the last time his brother lived on his own, he stopped taking his epilepsy medication and slipped on the ice, slicing open his nose.
10/12/2009
Five years ago then-Clark County Manager Thom Reilly declared a crisis when about a third of the valley’s emergency rooms were filled with psychiatric patients, most of whom were waiting to be transferred to the state’s mental health hospital.
10/12/2009
A lot of people I consult with delayed getting a bipolar diagnosis for years or in some cases, decades. To some degree, this reflects the human tendency to hope it is a storm that will pass, and to not ask this important question. The lack of a good diagnostic evaluation (and subsequent services) for people who have untreated bipolar disorder can mean difficulties in relationships, work and school. As our society is often quite prejudiced toward individuals who live with psychiatric disorders, I recognize that it can take courage to get a good evaluation—to ask the question.
10/12/2009
With the advent of The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) and the Institute of Medicine’s report To Err Is Human (IOM, 2000), patient safety has returned to the forefront in healthcare. Meanwhile, across the nation, the network of inpatient psychiatric facilities is shrinking. The number of persons struggling with mental health conditions, however, is not, and their demands on the acute healthcare system are growing.
10/13/2009
The life experiences of Arizona's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities will be kept in a new digital archive at the University of Arizona.
10/09/2009
The continuing Arizona budget impasse has the very state agencies responsible for revenue collection and business formation contemplating cutbacks and layoffs. Meanwhile, the state's projected deficit continues to grow.
10/11/2009
The recession isn't just taking a financial toll on farmers and agricultural workers. It's also affecting their mental health. Crisis hotlines are getting more calls from desperate farmers, some on the edge of bankruptcy. Host Liane Hansen talks to Michael Rosmann, a clinical psychologist and a farmer who is also the director of a non-profit agency that specializes in the mental health of agricultural workers.
Saving Alex: A Mother Finally Got Desperately Needed Help for Her Troubled Son — By Having Him Arres
10/08/2009
Niki Varlotta loves her son Alex so much, she called the cops on him.
10/10/2009
If you're craving a quick hit of optimism, reading a news magazine is probably not the best way to go about finding it. As the life coaches and motivational speakers have been trying to tell us for more than a decade now, a healthy, positive mental outlook requires strict abstinence from current events in all forms. Instead, you should patronize sites like Happynews.com, where the top international stories of the week include "Jobless Man Finds Buried Treasure" and "Adorable 'Teacup Pigs' Are Latest Hit with Brits."
10/14/2009
Giving mental health consumers a voice,
HealthyPlace.com, the largest consumer mental health website with more than
one million visitors a month, has launched a new audio feature that allows
members to call a toll-free number (1-888-883-8045) to share their mental
health experiences.
HealthyPlace.com, the largest consumer mental health website with more than
one million visitors a month, has launched a new audio feature that allows
members to call a toll-free number (1-888-883-8045) to share their mental
health experiences.
10/14/2009
A new neurosurgical
procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) was found generally
safe and provided significant improvement of depressive symptoms in a small
group of patients, according to lead researcher Ziad Nahas, M.D. at the
Medical University of South Carolina. The data are reported in the on-line
issue of Biological Psychiatry.
procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) was found generally
safe and provided significant improvement of depressive symptoms in a small
group of patients, according to lead researcher Ziad Nahas, M.D. at the
Medical University of South Carolina. The data are reported in the on-line
issue of Biological Psychiatry.
10/14/2009
Dr Gers teaches and practices in Brooklyn, NY, and New York City, and may be contacted at: drsgers@rcn.com. The disFigured DVD is commercially available, and although Dr Gers is the father of Glenn Gers, the movie’s writer-director, he derives no financial benefit from the relationship. However, as father of Glenn Gers, he does acknowledge a genetic relationship, but only 50%!
10/14/2009
Female soldiers and others in dangerous roles that once were behind front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have long complained about how hard it is to prove their combat experience when applying for disability due to post-traumatic stress disorder.
10/15/2009
Hundreds of people turned out at Project Connect last Saturday where nonprofit organizations, businesses and government agencies from northern Arizona helped provide resources and services to low income and homeless members of the community.
10/13/2009
Research shows that 75 percent of current illegal drug users and 79 percent of heavy alcohol users are employed-with many of them admitting to using illegal drugs or alcohol before or during work hours.
10/13/2009
The month of October is "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" and there will be various activities locally, statewide and nationally bringing awareness to domestic abuse and violence.
10/15/2009
The closer you live to nature, the healthier you're likely to be.
For instance, people who live within 1 kilometer (.6 miles) of a park or wooded area experience less anxiety and depression, Dutch researchers report.
For instance, people who live within 1 kilometer (.6 miles) of a park or wooded area experience less anxiety and depression, Dutch researchers report.
10/14/2009
Dementia is most often thought of as a memory disorder, an illness of the aging mind. In its initial stages, that's true — memory loss is an early hallmark of dementia. But experts in the field say dementia is more accurately defined as fatal brain failure: a terminal disease, like cancer, that physically kills patients, not simply a mental ailment that accompanies older age.
10/19/2009
They may not tell their roommates or even close friends, but on college campuses all across the United States, more students than ever before are seeking psychiatric help, according to recent national surveys of campus therapists.
10/19/2009
The student theater group called Stanford Theatre Activist Mobilization Project (STAMP) recently solicited anonymous true-life letters from classmates living with depression, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health problems. The group then dramatized the accounts as monologues in their theater production, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
10/19/2009
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are so closely related to the obesity and diabetes that already runs rampant among Native Americans that the whole process of indigenous cognitive decline is starting to be referred to as Diabetes III, a new category.
10/18/2009
Standing at the edge of a clear pond in the Idaho mountains on a cold day in early October, former U.S. Marine Angel Gomez made a timid cast with his fly fishing rod.
The surface rippled under a sweeping wind. The line as thin as dental floss billowed down to the water, the hooked fly slapping the surface first. A weathered American flag flapped against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains.
The surface rippled under a sweeping wind. The line as thin as dental floss billowed down to the water, the hooked fly slapping the surface first. A weathered American flag flapped against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains.
10/19/2009
A new community project is putting photographers to work on behalf of 15 Arizona non-profit agencies that help the homeless and working poor. The photos help the organizations tell their stories to those they serve and to potential donors.
10/14/2009
Dementia is most often thought of as a memory disorder, an illness of the aging mind. In its initial stages, that's true — memory loss is an early hallmark of dementia. But experts in the field say dementia is more accurately defined as fatal brain failure: a terminal disease, like cancer, that physically kills patients, not simply a mental ailment that accompanies older age.
10/18/2009
Depression is often viewed as the “common cold” of mental disorders, because it is so prevalent in our lives. The lifetime prevalence of depression suggests that more than 1 in 9 people could be diagnosed with the disorder at one point in their lives. And unlike some other mental disorders, depression affects virtually every aspect of what you do and how you interact with others. Every year, it wreaks havoc in millions of Americans’ lives, especially amongst those who believe it is something you should just “get over” on your own.
10/20/2009
A new study posits violence between couples is usually the result of a calculated decision-making process. Indeed, the antagonistic partner will initiate the violence only as long as the price to be paid is not too high.
10/20/2009
State health officials said Monday they would have to eliminate the entire program to help those in mental health crisis if their funding is cut any further.
10/19/2009
Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Frikken says three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan have robbed him of precious time with his family, but have also changed him — in some ways for the better.
10/15/2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers to use extreme care when purchasing any products over the Internet that claim to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 influenza virus. The warning comes after the FDA recently purchased and analyzed several products represented online as Tamiflu (oseltamivir), which may pose risks to patients.
10/20/2009
Gov. Jan Brewer has submitted a court-ordered plan to improve services for the seriously mentally ill in the Phoenix area, proposing structural changes that would require legislative approval.
10/21/2009
Previous funding cuts in public health programs mean that a new reduction in state Department of Health Services funding to close a midyear budget shortfall would largely fall on services for the mentally ill and put Arizona in violation of court orders, officials said Monday
10/21/2009
Gov. Jan Brewer has proposed a sweeping overhaul of Arizona's mental-health system that would give AHCCCS responsibility for tens of thousands of new patients while creating a pilot program to address people with serious mental illnesses.
10/21/2009
Hooked on cocaine or cigarettes? The U.S. government wants drug companies to make a vaccine for that.
10/20/2009
Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a condition of the mind, but research has implicated it in the ills of the body. Now, a new study suggests it may be associated with death after surgery.
10/21/2009
Mental illness and I are no strangers.
From Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction to Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire to Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Sunset Boulevard, I've had the challenge -- and the privilege -- of playing characters who have deep psychological wounds. Some people think that Alex is a borderline personality. I think Blanche suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and everyone knows that Norma is delusional.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-close/mental-illness-the-stigma_b_328591.html
From Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction to Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire to Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Sunset Boulevard, I've had the challenge -- and the privilege -- of playing characters who have deep psychological wounds. Some people think that Alex is a borderline personality. I think Blanche suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and everyone knows that Norma is delusional.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-close/mental-illness-the-stigma_b_328591.html
10/21/2009
A 9-year-old St. Johns boy who pleaded guilty in the killing of his father's roommate likely won't be sentenced Thursday because no state or county agency is willing to pay for the costly psychiatric treatment required under terms of a plea agreement, attorneys said.
10/20/2009
We will all see a lot of red around Williams next week when Red Ribbon Week is recognized. Red Ribbon Week is a time to remind us all to become more involved in our community in the fight against drug abuse.
10/20/2009
Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a condition of the mind, but research has implicated it in the ills of the body. Now, a new study suggests it may be associated with death after surgery.
10/20/2009
learned many years ago that the answer to any question that starts with "Can a medication do ..." is always "Yes!" So yes, stimulants have been reported to have a range of adverse psychiatric effects on children taking them for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Just to be official about it, I have pulled out my Physicians Desk Reference, which is the "bible" of medication side effects.
10/21/2009
A bill introduced last week would permanently reauthorize all current American Indian health care programs.
10/20/2009
After eight years of the Bush administration using the power of the Justice Department to undermine civil rights laws, it is good to see the department applying one of those laws, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. It has started a timely new initiative aimed at full enforcement of that law, which forbids unjustified isolation of the mentally disabled and requires that they be integrated into the wider community where appropriate.
10/22/2009
People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop working completely, a new study suggests.
10/21/2009
Hazelden’s chief medical officer, Marvin Seppala, M.D., knew from the start that he needed to address the issue of drug use head-on in discussions with his children. Having entered substance use treatment himself at age 17, “I’ve told my kids that they have a genetic predisposition,” Seppala says. He adds that while they didn’t immediately embrace concepts such as the disease model, his children know that the topic of substance use can be discussed openly in the family.
10/22/2009
Talking about suicide does not cause people to commit suicide.
That's a critical message for parents and anyone else who deals with teenagers, say mental health experts.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/22/BAHC1A8FHB.DTL&type=health#ixzz0UgJfvSRh
That's a critical message for parents and anyone else who deals with teenagers, say mental health experts.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/22/BAHC1A8FHB.DTL&type=health#ixzz0UgJfvSRh
10/20/2009
With Halloween just around the corner, the Arizona Affiliate of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and Navajo County Drug Project want parents and caregivers to know some "tricks" of the trade when it comes to teens
10/22/2009
For more than 25 years, actress Glenn Close has wowed audiences with memorable performances. But her latest role in a public service announcement addressing the stigma of mental illness hits particularly close to home.
10/22/2009
After eight years of the Bush administration using the power of the Justice Department to undermine civil rights laws, it is good to see the department applying one of those laws, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. It has started a timely new initiative aimed at full enforcement of that law, which forbids unjustified isolation of the mentally disabled and requires that they be integrated into the wider community where appropriate.
10/22/2009
Gov. Jan Brewer is proposing that mental health care for thousands of Arizonans be taken over by AHCCCS (Access), the state's Medicaid program, with thousands more shifted to an undefined pilot program for the seriously mentally ill. Advocates for the mentally ill warn that the governor's proposal would further strain an already under-funded mental health system.
10/22/2009
Sedona and Cottonwood Police again are inviting the public to safely dispose of unwanted prescription medication.
Cottonwood Police will accept unwanted prescription medication between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at 199 S. 6th Street in Cottonwood.
Cottonwood Police will accept unwanted prescription medication between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at 199 S. 6th Street in Cottonwood.
10/22/2009
People who are neurotic -- they tend to worry a lot and to have emotional ups and downs -- seem to be at increased risk of developing asthma, a new study hints. Those who suffer through a divorce or other relationship conflict are also at risk for asthma, according to the study.
10/22/2009
A report into the "state of young people" shows disturbing levels of mental and physical illness among Australian teenagers.
10/23/2009
As a teenager, Keith Garrett was desperate to be accepted by the guys on the corner. His first arrest for shoplifting was a point of pride with the gang, he recalled, and using heroin, cocaine and alcohol was natural. Like many others in his group, he ended up addicted and scrounging to survive in abandoned houses.
10/23/2009
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/10/23/long-term-use-of-antidepressants-on-the-rise/9126.html
10/23/2009
Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate.
10/26/2009
Arcadio Morales, one of six residence deans at Stanford University, has lived in an apartment in the campus dorms for 15 years, often fielding late-night phone calls from students about everything from Frisbee injuries to mid-term anxiety to alcohol poisoning. He says some arriving freshmen have always packed emotional baggage along with their laptops and books. But the mix of problems he's called to weigh in on has become more serious in recent years.
10/26/2009
Layoffs and foreclosures are pushing more people out of their homes and onto the streets, into cars or into shelters in Maricopa County.
The public will hear first-hand what it's like to be homeless at two brown-bag presentations Wednesday.
The public will hear first-hand what it's like to be homeless at two brown-bag presentations Wednesday.
10/26/2009
The Navajo Nation's first lady and hundreds of others turned out to help New Mexico's chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving raise awareness and money to fight drunken driving.
10/25/2009
Dressed in soaked green pajamas, Betty Snyder, 14, huddled under a cold drizzle at the city park as several older boys decided what to do with her.
10/25/2009
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) applauds the commitment by National Public Radio to devote time to the ongoing and important topic of mental illness through their recent show "Colleges See Rise In Mental Health Issues," which highlighted the dramatic increase in the number of students with mental illness on the nation’s college and university campuses.
10/26/2009
A long-time area educator has joined the volunteer Board of Directors of the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic. Kathy Epperson, Principal at Dr. Daniel Bright Elementary School of the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District, has been in education for more than twenty-five years as a coach, a volunteer, teacher, and assistant principal before becoming Principal at DDB in 2004.
10/24/2009
man was down, immobile at the edge of one of this city’s busiest intersections. No sirens sounded, no ambulance rushed to the scene. Dealing with the scourge that has consumed Alaska’s biggest city is often delegated to two men in a white van, the Community Service Patrol.
10/26/2009
A research team has found a mutation on human chromosome 16 increases risk for schizophrenia by more than eight-fold for some individuals.
10/22/2009
The 23rd annual Alternatives
conference, the only national mental health conference organized by and for
mental health consumers/survivors, will be held October 28 to November 1,
2009, at the Hilton Omaha, 1001 Cass Street, in Omaha, Nebraska.
conference, the only national mental health conference organized by and for
mental health consumers/survivors, will be held October 28 to November 1,
2009, at the Hilton Omaha, 1001 Cass Street, in Omaha, Nebraska.
10/22/2009
Responding to a court order in the decades-old Arnold v. Sarn lawsuit, Governor Jan Brewer has filed a proposal in Maricopa County Superior Court to make structural changes to Arizona’s behavioral health care system. Hear what Dr. Laura Nelson, Acting Deputy Director for the Arizona Department of Health Services Division of Behavioral Health and Anne Ronan, an attorney representing Arnold v. Sarn plaintiffs have to say about the Governor’s plan.
10/26/2009
Nutcase. Psycho. Unbalanced. These are some of the words I've been tagged with since being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In fact, our society's image of the returning warrior with PTSD has largely been framed by Hollywood. In movie after movie, Vietnam vets have been portrayed as loose cannons, violent and sociopathic. And if we're not violent and sociopathic victims, we're criminals. Films such as This Park is Mine, Lethal Weapon, Rambo and others all serve to reinforce the stereotype.
10/26/2009
In his most extensive comments on mental health challenges facing American forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that many military personnel fear a stigma if they seek help for psychological injuries.
10/27/2009
Parents with children in child care will have a chance to rally today in opposition to proposed increases in licensing fees for child-care centers, after-school programs and other facilities.
10/27/2009
A lot of research these days focuses on the health -- physical and mental -- of the vast Baby Boomer generation. The healthier we are as a group, given the size of about 78 million, the less of a financial strain we'll be when it comes to future health care.
10/27/2009
More than half the people who take antidepressants for depression never get relief.
10/27/2009
When my kids were small, I had them draw a self-portrait on each birthday. Here's what their early pictures looked like:
None of us have any trouble recognizing that this is a picture of a little person, yet the head and hands are drawn too big. When my daughter drew one of her first self-portraits, I watched her as she carefully counted her fingers and then drew each hand with five finger lines. No other part of her body was given this kind of attention.
None of us have any trouble recognizing that this is a picture of a little person, yet the head and hands are drawn too big. When my daughter drew one of her first self-portraits, I watched her as she carefully counted her fingers and then drew each hand with five finger lines. No other part of her body was given this kind of attention.
10/28/2009
Antipsychotic drugs widely used in children caused youths to gain as much as 19 pounds on average after just 11 weeks on the medications, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
10/28/2009
Teenage years are some of the most emotionally stressful as teens face greater responsibilities at school and in their personal lives. It is not surprising that suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for teens in Arizona. A new grant will enhance ADHS Division of Behavioral Health’s efforts to change that statistic.
10/28/2009
You cannot watch the grainy courtroom video and not want to punch something - the rewind button perhaps.
10/27/2009
Frail and vulnerable residents of nursing homes throughout Illinois are being dosed with powerful psychotropic drugs, leading to tremors, dangerous lethargy and a higher risk of harmful falls or even death, a Tribune investigation has found
10/28/2009
Hundreds of people appealed to Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday in an effort to prevent steep increases to child-care licensing fees that could raise the cost of care.
Parents and teachers joined child-care providers and after-school program administrators in a rally of about 300 people at the Capitol. They asked Brewer to use some of her $185 million in discretionary federal stimulus dollars to delay the fee increases, which are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The Department of Health Services announced this month that because of budget cuts, it would shift the full cost of regulating the industries it oversees to the industries themselves.
Parents and teachers joined child-care providers and after-school program administrators in a rally of about 300 people at the Capitol. They asked Brewer to use some of her $185 million in discretionary federal stimulus dollars to delay the fee increases, which are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The Department of Health Services announced this month that because of budget cuts, it would shift the full cost of regulating the industries it oversees to the industries themselves.
10/28/2009
This is my first blog post for the Huffington Post, so let me start by introducing myself. I'm a neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Austin, where I use brain imaging to study how the human mind achieves its amazing feats and why it sometimes fails. In this blog I plan to focus on how neuroscience and psychology can provide us with clues about how to live better, focusing on topics related to multitasking and information overload.
10/27/2009
A report that recently caught the attention of the American press was that Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, or PTSD, in our soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may increase their risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia. Unfortunately, the situation is more alarming than this.
10/29/2009
With Halloween quickly approaching, there are more than ghosts and goblins to watch out for, mental health advocates say.
The dress up holiday seems to invite “insane asylums” featuring scary, murderous mental health patients, officials at the National Alliance on Mental Illness say.
The dress up holiday seems to invite “insane asylums” featuring scary, murderous mental health patients, officials at the National Alliance on Mental Illness say.
10/27/2009
More than 65 percent of U.S. mothers with depression don't receive adequate treatment, a new study has found.
10/29/2009
For the first time in recent memory, the federal government will not offer a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for next year. While Congress considers providing a one-time $250 emergency payment to those 65 or older, senior advocates are criticizing the 2010 COLA announcement, but supporting the payment.
10/28/2009
While many established writers
might shy away from discussing the unpredictable mood swings and almost
ravenous nervous breakdowns that threaten to destroy the lives of bipolar
disorder sufferers as well as their families, debut author Dave O'Riordan
reveals the whole ugly, yet beautifully honest truth in his new book, "Bipolar
Shoes: People Do Matter" (published by AuthorHouse).
might shy away from discussing the unpredictable mood swings and almost
ravenous nervous breakdowns that threaten to destroy the lives of bipolar
disorder sufferers as well as their families, debut author Dave O'Riordan
reveals the whole ugly, yet beautifully honest truth in his new book, "Bipolar
Shoes: People Do Matter" (published by AuthorHouse).
10/30/2009
They'll walk. They'll share a meal. And hopefully, they'll challenge the preconceived notions and myths about people who are experiencing homelessness.
This week, a coalition of 11 service providers, faith-based organizations and non-profits that make up the Homelessness Awareness Coalition will do its part to raise knowledge on the issue. Its goal: to end homelessness in Maricopa County.
This week, a coalition of 11 service providers, faith-based organizations and non-profits that make up the Homelessness Awareness Coalition will do its part to raise knowledge on the issue. Its goal: to end homelessness in Maricopa County.
10/30/2009
Often affecting veterans, public-safety officers and others, post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is an anxiety condition that occurs after an individual experiences a traumatic event involving the threat of injury or death.
10/30/2009
Randy Lewis, the SVP of supply chain and logistics for Walgreens, the nation`s
largest drugstore chain, will receive the first ever Productive Lives Award from
NARSAD tonight at its 22nd annual New York Awards Dinner at the Pierre Hotel.
Today show contributor Gail Saltz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, will emcee the
event. NARSAD (www.narsad.org) is the world`s leading charity dedicated to
funding mental health research.
largest drugstore chain, will receive the first ever Productive Lives Award from
NARSAD tonight at its 22nd annual New York Awards Dinner at the Pierre Hotel.
Today show contributor Gail Saltz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, will emcee the
event. NARSAD (www.narsad.org) is the world`s leading charity dedicated to
funding mental health research.
10/30/2009
Advocates for the mentally ill on Thursday continued to push for a major overhaul of how Illinois handles psychiatric patients, arguing the state should end its unique reliance on nursing homes to house people who could be treated more cheaply and effectively in community settings.
10/30/2009
When troops leave the active military after service in Iraq and Afghanistan, many find themselves lost in a blur of reality shows and superficiality—in a world where nothing explodes but tempers, and in a place where the rush of combat is soon dulled by the slow drip of alcohol.
10/31/2009
When women and men in northern Arizona are victims of rape, they do not have to spend hours in the emergency department waiting room before receiving an exam.
10/31/2009
Reporting from Tuba City, Ariz. - More than 50,000 people are arrested across the Navajo reservation each year -- yet there are only 59 jail beds here.
10/30/2009
Parents at Blue Ridge Middle and Junior High School's "Date Nite" Oct. 20 learned how to spot childhood depression and how it can be treated.
11/01/2009
Karen Angus and Susan Cantrell of the West Yavapai Guidance Clinic seek to take a national exam in April to qualify to become licensed associate counselors in Arizona.
10/31/2009
For Vivienne Pacquette, being a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder means avoiding phone calls to her sons, dinner out with her husband and therapy sessions that make her talk about seeing the reds and whites of her friends’ insides after a mortar attack in 2004.
11/02/2009
Many people say they eat more when they are under stress. Others eat less.
But people under chronic stress are more likely than others to say they eat fattening foods and feel that their eating is out of control, according to a study presented at a recent meeting of the Obesity Society.
But people under chronic stress are more likely than others to say they eat fattening foods and feel that their eating is out of control, according to a study presented at a recent meeting of the Obesity Society.
11/02/2009
In the 1960s, Alice Holstein broke gender barriers as an Air Force intelligence officer. Years later, she fought demons inside her head.
Now she's trying to help other veterans overcome mental illness. As one of the Veteran Administration's new peer support specialists, Holstein, 66, uses her life experience to connect with other veterans and help them get services they need.
Now she's trying to help other veterans overcome mental illness. As one of the Veteran Administration's new peer support specialists, Holstein, 66, uses her life experience to connect with other veterans and help them get services they need.
11/02/2009
Victoria Iacovelli and her husband Philip spent Tuesday afternoon shopping at the St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift store on East Street.
With three children -- ages 3, 5 and 6 -- and living on a fixed income because both are disabled, the couple regularly shops at the thrift store. "It helps our budget tremendously, Victoria said. "Everything we have on we got at the thrift store. If they weren't here, we'd be struggling even more."
With three children -- ages 3, 5 and 6 -- and living on a fixed income because both are disabled, the couple regularly shops at the thrift store. "It helps our budget tremendously, Victoria said. "Everything we have on we got at the thrift store. If they weren't here, we'd be struggling even more."
11/02/2009
FOOD BANKS (Flagstaff)
11/02/2009
More than 50,000 people are arrested across the Navajo reservation each year -- but there are only 59 jail beds here.
11/03/2009
The idea was simple: identify one at-risk child needing medical care, mental or physical, and match him or her with health care professionals willing to donate their services.
11/03/2009
The staff at the homeless shelter where I worked for several years had long worried about him. He sat in the day hall, well tended and polite, reading chemistry textbooks with calm comprehension. At the moment, he was in the middle of a book written by a French philosopher in the 1930s; he was reading it in French.
11/02/2009
The College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University is opening a health center that specializes in the treatment and prevention of child and adolescent mental health disorders.
11/03/2009
Thanks to a new method, there is a reason for hope for patients with very severe depression. Physicians at the University Clinics of Bonn and Cologne have treated ten patients with deep brain stimulation. This involved implanting electrodes in the patients' nucleus accumbens. This centre has a key role in as the brains reward system, whose function may be impaired in depressive people. Subsequent to this treatment, the patients' depression improved significantly in half of the patients. All patients had suffered from very severe depression for many years and did not respond to any other therapies.
11/03/2009
Now that it looks like some form of health care reform will be passed this year — barring a catastrophe like Joe Lieberman — we have some idea of how the eventual act will affect mental health services. All of the plans now under consideration will mean some real improvements for mental health consumers, and there doesn’t seem much likelihood of these improvements being cut out before passage.
11/02/2009
Mental illness is a significant problem for today's adolescents, with major depressive disorder being a particularly disabling condition that is associated with serious long-term morbidity and risk for suicide.[1] The Institute of Medicine (IOM),[2] the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF),[3] and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend a mental health assessment for adolescents as part of routine medical care.[4]
11/02/2009
Parents often say, “The college years are the best years of your life.”
This is true for some students, but unfortunately, not for others. Genetics, biology, substance use and abuse, and difficult experiences create a quilt of mental health challenges on college campuses at a vulnerable stage of life.
This is true for some students, but unfortunately, not for others. Genetics, biology, substance use and abuse, and difficult experiences create a quilt of mental health challenges on college campuses at a vulnerable stage of life.
11/04/2009
It is one of the most intriguing labels in psychiatry. Children with Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of autism, are socially awkward and often physically clumsy, but many are verbal prodigies, speaking in complex sentences at early ages, reading newspapers fluently by age 5 or 6 and acquiring expertise in some preferred topic — stegosaurs, clipper ships, Interstate highways — that will astonish adults and bore their playmates to tears.
11/02/2009
The costs of depression on a variety of levels are huge: Marriages and families splinter, individuals suffer, societies suffer the consequences of the often destructive behaviors of people coping badly or not at all with their depression, businesses suffer the negative effects of employees too disabled to function properly, the economic costs of greater health care expenses are greater for depressed patients, and there is the tragedy of suicide -- lives lost to despair and apathy. Depression is a terribly disabling disorder, and despite significant advances in treatment, the problem continues to grow.
11/03/2009
Childhood adversity and trauma during adulthood appear to predispose individuals to post-traumatic stress disorders.
11/04/2009
First impressions do matter when it comes to communicating personality through appearance, according to new research by psychologists Laura Naumann of Sonoma State University and Sam Gosling of The University of Texas at Austin.
11/03/2009
A veteran state government budget official is the new director of Arizona's Medicaid health care program.
Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday announced the promotion of Deputy Director Thomas Betlach to direct the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, replacing Anthony Rodgers.
Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday announced the promotion of Deputy Director Thomas Betlach to direct the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, replacing Anthony Rodgers.
11/03/2009
Depressed people tend to report more physical symptoms than they actually experience, a new study finds.
11/03/2009
Depressed people tend to report more physical symptoms than they actually experience, a new study finds.
New Report Shows that the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative Can Reduce Violence and Promote S
11/03/2009
In the wake of several recent highly-publicized stories about violence among school-aged children, a new report shows that school districts participating in the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative substantially improved the safety of their students. According to the report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), over a three-year period, school districts participating in the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant program reported fewer students involved in violent incidents, decreased levels of experienced and witnessed violence, and improvements in overall school safety and violence prevention.
11/03/2009
Sixteen American soldiers killed themselves in October in the U.S. and on duty overseas, an unusually high monthly toll that is fueling concerns about the mental health of the nation's military personnel after more than eight years of continuous warfare.
11/02/2009
Sara always blots her pizza with a tissue to save calories. Carrie never eats the crust. Margaret professes to love deep dish pizza, but peels off all of the cheese. Mark rarely eats pizza because he doesn’t deserve it unless he runs ten miles first.
Which of these behaviors is normal? Which might be signs of an eating disorder? Sometimes it’s hard to make a distinction.
Which of these behaviors is normal? Which might be signs of an eating disorder? Sometimes it’s hard to make a distinction.
11/03/2009
The 2008-09 Pride Survey showed that middle and high school students whose parents set clear rules for them "a lot" or "often" were less likely to use illicit drugs in the past year (12 percent and 21 percent, respectively).
11/05/2009
Is the diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome — a mild form of autism mostly diagnosed in boys — heading the way of the dodo bird? A new article in the New York Times suggests that the new revision of the diagnostic manual — the DSM-V — is likely to do away with the diagnosis.
11/05/2009
Some suicide prevention groups aren't laughing over a scene in "The Office" where Steve Carell's character tries to scare young children by struggling in a hangman's noose.
11/05/2009
Three days before a shooting rampage that left a dozen dead and more than 30 wounded at Fort Hood in Texas, the base commander, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, issued a new mental health policy aimed at reducing the stigma associated with mental health counseling and encouraging soldiers to seek help, according to a copy of the document obtained by U.S. News.
11/06/2009
Stressed? Depressed? Or worse?
11/06/2009
Advocates say a new study strengthens the case for maintaining KidsCare, Arizona's health insurance program for low-income children. The study of hospital records by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center finds that uninsured children are 60 percent more likely to die after being admitted.
11/06/2009
Stressed? Depressed? Or worse?
More Articles in This SeriesYou wouldn’t be alone. Unstable economic times can lead to unstable states of mind.
“As life become more unpredictable, levels of toxic stress increase,” says David L. Shern, the president of Mental Health America, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Alexandria, Va.
More Articles in This SeriesYou wouldn’t be alone. Unstable economic times can lead to unstable states of mind.
“As life become more unpredictable, levels of toxic stress increase,” says David L. Shern, the president of Mental Health America, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Alexandria, Va.
11/06/2009
Confrontation remains widely used in U.S. addiction treatment, but produces worse outcomes than empathy does (see www.behavioraltherapy.com/whatworks.htm). Motivational Interviewing (MI) is empathic and collaborative and is a well-established evidence-based treatment (see http://motivationalinterview.org/clinical/principles.html). MI teaches no particular perspective, teaches no specific skills, and neither suggests, expects, nor demands any particular behaviors. MI appears to work by eliciting motivations for change that are deeper and more powerful than the desire for addictive behavior.
11/09/2009
On June 15, Richard Ramsey checked into Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township for major surgery. When he left three days later, Ramsey was no longer Richard, but Renee. Her first words to her doctor when she awakened after the operation were, "Now I'm the lady I always knew I was."
11/09/2009
As the Obama administration debates whether to send tens of thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan, an already overstretched military is increasingly struggling to meet its deployment numbers. Surprisingly, one place it seems to be targeting is military personnel who go absent without leave (AWOL) and then are caught or turn themselves in.
11/07/2009
Many of the patients who fill the day are bereft, angry, broken. Their experiences are gruesome, their distress lasting and the process of recovery exhausting. The repeated stories of battle and loss can leave the most professional therapist numb or angry.
11/09/2009
Based on the rhetoric, America's war on drugs seems poised to shift into a more enlightened phase where treatment of addicts gains favor over imprisonment of low-level offenders. Questions abound, however, about the nation's readiness to turn the talk into reality.
11/09/2009
Conventional wisdom has always been that team sports build character, cooperation, and leadership skills. But new research suggests that being on the school football team may also be hurting your teen, especially boys.
11/08/2009
Post traumatic stress disorder among members of the military has gained attention from both federal officials and the general public since the start of the Global War on Terrorism, and was thrust into the limelight again in the wake of Thursday's shooting at Ft. Hood, Texas.
Survey Reveals Big Gap in Understanding of Depression; Almost 50 Percent of Caregivers Have Also Bee
11/10/2009
Americans do not believe they know much about depression, but are highly aware of the risks of not receiving care, according to a survey released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
11/09/2009
The U.S. military's culture of silence about troops' mental health had finally begun to change.
In the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the various branches had been roundly criticized for failing to adequately address post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other psychiatric problems. Responding to that criticism, leaders made progress in diagnosing and treating such illnesses among service members.
In the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the various branches had been roundly criticized for failing to adequately address post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other psychiatric problems. Responding to that criticism, leaders made progress in diagnosing and treating such illnesses among service members.
11/09/2009
Healthcare reform legislation passed Saturday by the House of Representatives is the “high water mark” for people with disabilities, advocates say, but the measure still has a long way to go as all eyes turn to the Senate, which must consider the legislation next.
11/10/2009
It always starts out innocently enough -- for example, with an eye twitch. It's just a little tic, but it keeps coming and going over the course of a few weeks, and so I decide to do a little medical investigation online. I plug "recurrent eye twitch" into my friendly search engine and, after several hours poring over a range of health-related Web sites -- skimming over likely explanations such as fatigue, stress and too much caffeine in favor of dozens of worst-case scenarios, and growing increasingly panicky all the while -- I am utterly convinced that I have multiple sclerosis, at the very least, and quite possibly Lou Gehrig's disease.
11/10/2009
Powerful scans are letting doctors watch just how the brain changes in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and concussion-like brain injuries -- signature damage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
11/11/2009
Eric Shinseki, the retired four-star general who currently heads the Department of Veterans Affairs, said his agency is "working diligently" to better aid veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.
11/12/2009
A year ago, Michael and Mary Santana were living in an old trailer when the heater went out and they couldn't fix it.
They were swimming in more than $10,000 in debt. Michael's drinking had become a problem. "We dug a pretty deep hole financially and I thought we'd be poor for the rest of our lives," Michael said.
They were swimming in more than $10,000 in debt. Michael's drinking had become a problem. "We dug a pretty deep hole financially and I thought we'd be poor for the rest of our lives," Michael said.
11/11/2009
For the first time, scientists are able to observe how areas of the human brain respond when an individual experiences an unexpected or traumatic event.
11/12/2009
The nation's military has been front and center in our thoughts and prayers this past week, from the ghastly shootings at Fort Hood to the moving ceremony honoring the victims, to Veterans Day parades and tributes.
11/13/2009
Alicia is getting counseling.
"I have a problem with alcoholism," she said, preferring not to disclose her last name. She likes the outpatient counseling services at Southwest Behavioral Health Services and appreciates the intimate surroundings.
"I have a problem with alcoholism," she said, preferring not to disclose her last name. She likes the outpatient counseling services at Southwest Behavioral Health Services and appreciates the intimate surroundings.
11/13/2009
Most adolescents who belong to an ethnic minority group wrestle not only with their self-esteem (like most teens), but also with identity issues unique to their ethnic group, such as dealing with social stigma. A new study tells us that young people's ethnic pride may affect their mental health.
11/14/2009
Morale has fallen among soldiers in Afghanistan, where troops are seeing record violence in the 8-year-old war, while those in Iraq show much improved mental health amid much lower violence, the Army said Friday.
11/14/2009
Veterans of the war in Iraq experience effects that are not always obvious. Sometimes their problems are only visible to doctors like Natalie Mariano, who for the past five years has worked at the Veterans Affairs Primary Care Center in Hyannis, Mass.
11/12/2009
It's always on the to-do list for disease prevention and overall good health, but regular physical activity appears to have antidepressant qualities, too. While questions remain, the picture on exercise and depression is becoming clearer: Getting up and moving seems to help people get on top of a bout of depression or keep a recurrence at bay. Here's the skinny so far:
11/16/2009
Adolescents often struggle to develop an appropriate level of self-esteem. But among ethnic minority groups, the problem may be significantly compounded as youth are challenged by issues unique to their ethnic group, such as dealing with social stigma.
11/13/2009
With an upcoming conference, members of Focus on Community Initiatives for Seniors say they are addressing aging like no one else in Northeastern Arizona at a price much less than other conferences in the state.
11/16/2009
Representatives from two of Kingman's most active anti-drug councils are meeting to see if their missions need to be realigned.
Both the Kingman Meth Coalition and the Mohave County Substance Abuse Treatment Education Prevention Partnership (MSTEPP) agree that each group's biggest goal is getting a treatment facility somewhere - anywhere - in Mohave County.
Both the Kingman Meth Coalition and the Mohave County Substance Abuse Treatment Education Prevention Partnership (MSTEPP) agree that each group's biggest goal is getting a treatment facility somewhere - anywhere - in Mohave County.
11/16/2009
When Americans go looking for information on health, they turn to the Internet as one of their first sources. According to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 61 percent of adults say they look online for health information. There's a term for them: e-patients.
11/16/2009
A new study by UCLA psychologists demonstrates the significant influence and importance of social relationships and staying socially connected.
11/17/2009
With the holiday season almost upon us, our thoughts naturally turn to helping those less fortunate. After a year of economic turmoil and rising unemployment however, the many individuals and organizations who provide services to hungry, homeless and impoverished populations in Arizona are calling on all of us to extend a helping hand a little further to promote education and awareness, and to provide more support to the rising numbers of people in need.
11/16/2009
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug by adolescents, with almost 42% of high school seniors admitting to having experimented with it. Continued marijuana use may result in a number of serious consequences including depression, cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, and certain forms of cancer. As such, it is critical to prevent marijuana use by adolescents and numerous behavioral and medical scientists have been trying to establish the best means of prevention.
11/15/2009
By her sophomore year of college, Kaley, a Washington State University student, routinely popped the prescription drug Adderall to help her study.
The 20-year-old has never had a prescription for the stimulant, but she found it easy to obtain from friends. She first swallowed pills, then began “railing,” or snorting, it at parties.
The 20-year-old has never had a prescription for the stimulant, but she found it easy to obtain from friends. She first swallowed pills, then began “railing,” or snorting, it at parties.
11/17/2009
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed 52 new short reports providing key information about the level of substance use and mental health problems and treatment among adolescents (age 12 to 17 years) in each state, the District of Columbia, and for the country as a whole. The reports provide first-of-a-kind, state–by–state breakdowns by gender on substance abuse and mental health problems experienced by adolescents. In addition, the reports provide data on adolescent treatment facilities and admission factors for each state, the District of Columbia, and for the country as a whole.
11/17/2009
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug by adolescents, with almost 42% of high school seniors admitting to having experimented with it. Continued marijuana use may result in a number of serious consequences including depression, cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, and certain forms of cancer. As such, it is critical to prevent marijuana use by adolescents and numerous behavioral and medical scientists have been trying to establish the best means of prevention.
11/17/2009
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announces the availability of a new Web site to help SAMHSA grantees, health professionals and the public address problems of homelessness and co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. The site, http://chab.samhsa.gov/ features an on-line library of tools that are designed to advance the field and improve the effectiveness of prevention, treatment and recovery programs operated by SAMHSA’s Co-Occurring and Homeless Activities Branch (CHAB) and other service providers.
11/16/2009
The Mingus Mountain Academy is gaining a lot of attention for its residential treatment program for girls ages 12 to 18.
11/17/2009
Confronted by questions about the Fort Hood shootings, US Army officials downplayed the need for urgent new mental-health resources and programs, despite high stress levels and rising rates of suicide and domestic violence among Army personnel.
11/17/2009
Amid all the suffering in the world, how much responsibility should organized religion take to alleviate it?
11/17/2009
In a bold move, a group of South Florida university students have set out to discredit the few remnants of the last professional association to claim that homosexuality is a treatable mental illness.
11/18/2009
A study by researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London has found that depression is as much of a risk factor for mortality as smoking.
11/18/2009
The World Health Organization has predicted that by 2030, more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem. Yet of all the dysfunctions of modern medicine, the way we treat depression may be the worst.
11/19/2009
Imagine this scenario: You wake up tomorrow morning and realize your body has changed overnight. If you were male, you are now female. If you were female, you are now male.
What would you do?
What would you do?
11/18/2009
Long-term treatment of adolescents with major depression is associated with continuous and persistent improvement of depression symptoms in most cases, according to the most recent analysis of follow-up data from the NIMH-funded Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). The report, along with a commentary compiling the take-home messages of the study, was published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
11/18/2009
Researchers at Princeton University recently made a remarkable discovery about the brains of rats that exercise. Some of their neurons respond differently to stress than the neurons of slothful rats. Scientists have known for some time that exercise stimulates the creation of new brain cells (neurons) but not how, precisely, these neurons might be functionally different from other brain cells.
11/18/2009
A new study in the Journal of American College Health finds that students placed by their universities in coed housing are 2.5 times more likely to binge drink each week than students placed in all-male or all-female housing.
11/17/2009
The rigors of medical training sharpen a doctor's ability to diagnose and treat a wide variety of human afflictions.
11/20/2009
When Lori Zeller lost her sister to suicide in 1991, she began a life of activism.
At 22, Zeller started a support group in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for loved ones left behind after a suicide. She talked to friends and co-workers about suicide prevention and signed numerous petitions to pass legislation for insurance coverage of mental health services.
At 22, Zeller started a support group in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for loved ones left behind after a suicide. She talked to friends and co-workers about suicide prevention and signed numerous petitions to pass legislation for insurance coverage of mental health services.
11/20/2009
IMAGINE this situation. You fall into a deep malaise. Friends say you need help, but you don’t have insurance (or the insurance you do have has very limited mental health benefits), and you worry that extra bills will only add to your malaise. So you do nothing.
11/22/2009
Mental health experts who work with troops back from deployment talked this weekend about the latest efforts to treat disorders such as post-traumatic stress, efforts that are particularly relevant in light of the traumatic shootings at Fort Hood.
11/23/2009
The Verde Valley Guidance Clinic, in conjunction with five other local agencies and organizations, has announced a series of public information events designed to inform area residents about the availability of behavioral health services in the Verde Valley and Sedona.
11/23/2009
The Verde Valley Guidance Clinic, in conjunction with five other local agencies and organizations, has announced a series of public information events designed to inform area residents about the availability of behavioral health services in the Verde Valley and Sedona.
11/23/2009
Early signs suggest the number of suicides in the U.S. crept up during the worst recession in decades, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of states that account for about 40% of the U.S. population.
SAMHSA is Accepting Applications for more than 48.8 Million Grants for Peer-to-Peer Recovery Support
11/23/2009
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 for Peer-to-Peer Recovery Support Services. The purpose of this grant program is to deliver and evaluate peer-to-peer recovery services that help prevent relapse and promote sustained recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders.
11/25/2009
The effects of poor mental health, anxiety and depression are significantly undermining the productivity of many firms across Britain, just when businesses need to be at their strongest to cope with the recession, HR body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has said.
11/25/2009
Since at least the time of Abraham Lincoln, presidents have sent letters of condolence to the families of service members killed in action, whether the deaths came by hostile fire or in an accident.
So after Gregg Keesling’s son killed himself in Iraq in June, he expected his family would receive a letter from President Obama. What they got instead was a call from an Army official telling them that they were not eligible because their son had committed suicide.
So after Gregg Keesling’s son killed himself in Iraq in June, he expected his family would receive a letter from President Obama. What they got instead was a call from an Army official telling them that they were not eligible because their son had committed suicide.
Senate Confirms Pamela Hyde Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
11/24/2009
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Pamela Hyde as Administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within HHS.
11/30/2009
Scientists define a suicide cluster as three or more suicides in a specific location that occur over a short period of time. On average, there are five suicide clusters each year in the United States, according to psychiatric epidemiologist Madelyn Gould at Columbia University in New York City.
11/26/2009
For most people, the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. However, they can also bring stress, colds and even depression. There is even a specific type of depression people can get around the winter months (and even summer months in some cases), called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
11/30/2009
Research carried out among thousands of people has shown a clear connection between depression and a loss of bone mass, leading to osteoporosis and fractures.
11/30/2009
Researchers have shown for the first time that if a child is diagnosed with autism as early as 18 months of age, offering the toddler age-appropriate, effective therapy can lead to raised IQ levels and improved language skills and behavior.
11/23/2009
Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy or who were exposed to lead have more than double the risk of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as other children, new research shows.
11/25/2009
About 80-90 volunteers turned out Monday morning to work the food box assembly line at Living Faith Christian Church in Prescott Valley.
"We partner with the Yavapai Food Bank - they provided the turkeys through the Turkey Drive. We had six pallets of food, plus coats and blankets," said Pastor Randy Vanesian.
"We partner with the Yavapai Food Bank - they provided the turkeys through the Turkey Drive. We had six pallets of food, plus coats and blankets," said Pastor Randy Vanesian.
11/30/2009
You could blame George Bailey. In the 1946 holiday film It's a Wonderful Life, that fictional character contemplated suicide on Christmas Eve, possibly giving birth to the idea that suicides climb during the winter holidays.
11/30/2009
The role of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) from a natural disaster on cognitive and language development of mothers' offspring has been reported.1 In 1998, an ice storm in Quebec resulted in power outages lasting up to 6 weeks and affecting more than 3 million people. Approximately 6 months after the storm, 89 women who were pregnant during the natural disaster completed questionnaires related to specific events regarding the storm (“objective stress” ) and stress related to the storm events (“subjective stress”). Objective stress included items such as number of days without electricity, number of relocations, severity of damage to residences, and changes in daily activities. Subjective stress included symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, and avoidance
Toddlers with autism spectrum disorder seem to do better if they're enrolled in a program of intensi
11/30/2009
Toddlers with autism spectrum disorder seem to do better if they're enrolled in a program of intensive therapy, according to a study in the January issue of Pediatrics .
12/01/2009
Consumers need more information regarding new laws that mandate insurance coverage for mental-health treatment, according to an analysis of the first five years of the mental-health parity law in California. Based on California's experience, the authors suggest that government oversight is needed to monitor not only costs and coverage issues but also access to care and quality of care issues.
12/01/2009
Pet ownership in America is a common affair — 39 percent of U.S. households own at least one dog and nearly 34 percent own at least one cat.
12/01/2009
The meeting last month was a watershed: the leaders of 564 American Indian tribes were invited to Washington to talk with cabinet members and President Obama, who called it “the largest and most widely attended gathering of tribal leaders in our history.”
12/03/2009
It's hard to focus on your work when your child is hallucinating.
One of the least discussed yet quite salient issues for American business in this year of health care reform is an important yet hidden cost associated with mental illness: the drain on productive work endured by family members struggling to support loved ones who suffer from such diseases. The good news for business leaders is that it's not hard to do something to help and thus feel good while improving company culture and morale, as well as your bottom line.
One of the least discussed yet quite salient issues for American business in this year of health care reform is an important yet hidden cost associated with mental illness: the drain on productive work endured by family members struggling to support loved ones who suffer from such diseases. The good news for business leaders is that it's not hard to do something to help and thus feel good while improving company culture and morale, as well as your bottom line.
12/02/2009
Gov. Jan Brewer says the state's severe budget crisis may jeopardize current funding for health services for the seriously mentally ill, let alone allow increases needed to satisfy court orders for improvements.
12/02/2009
Here is a horrifying fact about the human cost of the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: The suicide rate among active duty soldiers has doubled since 2001. Officials talk of a near epidemic as they warn that the pace of suicides among soldiers and Marines is likely to top last year’s tally of 182 active duty members.
12/03/2009
Mental Health Social has launched a new social network. The site is designed to allow people with mental health conditions to connect in a comfortable and private online environment.
The company president and CEO, Colin Spencer Wood, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999.
"When people suffer from mental health conditions, they can sometimes feel isolated," Wood said in a statement. "There might not be anyone else in a patient's life that has experienced their condition, which can make it difficult for family and friends to relate or understand what they're going through. MentalHealthSocial.com eliminates those feelings of isolation by bringing people with similar experiences together. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to who really understands whatever mental health condition they're dealing with."
The company president and CEO, Colin Spencer Wood, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999.
"When people suffer from mental health conditions, they can sometimes feel isolated," Wood said in a statement. "There might not be anyone else in a patient's life that has experienced their condition, which can make it difficult for family and friends to relate or understand what they're going through. MentalHealthSocial.com eliminates those feelings of isolation by bringing people with similar experiences together. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to who really understands whatever mental health condition they're dealing with."
12/03/2009
A new study finds women with mental health concerns are as successful losing weight as other women.
12/03/2009
Alcoholic beverages popular among youths are more likely to be advertised in magazines with high youth readership than alcoholic drinks consumed mainly by adults, resulting in disproportionately high youth exposure to such targeted alcohol ads, according to a new study.
12/03/2009
A new article published in the journal Psychiatric Services, examines experiences with implementing California‘s mental health parity law, and discusses implications for the implementation of the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This act is designed to ensure that insurance plans offer mental health coverage as part of the overall health benefit packages and to eliminate disparities between the coverage for mental health and more traditional physical health conditions.
12/03/2009
Despite all the job cuts for drug reps, despite the endless stream of TV drug ads, the pharma industry still spends most of its U.S. marketing money the old-fashioned way: Paying salespeople to call on doctors and other health-care providers.
12/05/2009
They are the combat medics of the mind, who joined the Army Reserve not to fight but to heal those who fight and sustain the incapacitating, invisible wounds of war.
12/04/2009
Food and Drug Administration medical reviewers said Friday the agency should conduct an additional review of antipsychotic drugs to look at the impact of weight gain in children, a common side effect of the drugs.
12/04/2009
If you are among the great predominance of families whose children merely drive you mad, rather than suffer from some form of serious mental illness, this commentary need not concern you (directly). But a small percentage of children in this country will suffer, by the time they are 18 (especially in late adolescence), from symptoms of a major mental disorder where thinking, behavior and mood are severely impacted and functioning as a member of the family, a friend and in school is clearly compromised
12/06/2009
Pfc. Jeffery Meier, who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction after two deployments to Iraq, got an appointment in August to see a psychiatrist at Fort Carson, Colo.
12/06/2009
Tensions at home were mounting after Jeremy Field lost a second construction job as the recession hit.
He spent his days on the Internet and the phone looking for work. His wife, Kelly, who had been home caring for their toddler son, reluctantly returned to teaching preschool. But her part-time work meant a huge cut in wages and benefits, forcing them to sell a car and slash Christmas spending.
He spent his days on the Internet and the phone looking for work. His wife, Kelly, who had been home caring for their toddler son, reluctantly returned to teaching preschool. But her part-time work meant a huge cut in wages and benefits, forcing them to sell a car and slash Christmas spending.
12/07/2009
Leading mental health researchers are warning that some of the most important health consequences of climate change will be on mental health, yet this issue is unlikely to be given much attention at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
12/09/2009
Change can be difficult and uncomfortable - we all know this. We also know that sometimes change is inevitable, and there is nothing we can do except make the best of it. But it is interesting that, when we choose to make a change, it often is just as difficult or uncomfortable as change that just happens. In fact, these "chosen changes" can be even more challenging and scary.
12/04/2009
Arizona's waiting list for state subsidies to help working parents with child care has hit 10,000, or nearly one child for every three enrolled in the program. The state's huge budget deficit has prompted cuts of nearly $60 million to child care subsidies this year. As a result, those who are on the waiting lists at all - are waiting in vain, says Bruce Liggett, executive director of the Arizona Child Care Association.
12/09/2009
A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) -- is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study has important implications for our understanding of why antidepressants don't always work.
12/09/2009
People who take antidepressants such as Paxil often say they feel less stressed and more outgoing, lively, and confident. Now a new study suggests it's not just because they're less depressed.
12/07/2009
Not all foods are created equal, whether the goal is having a healthier heart or losing weight. And the same could be true when it comes to what we eat and how depressed or happy we feel, how well we learn, and whether we suffer from mental illness.
12/09/2009
I am 26 years old and have had four major depressive episodes. I did not seek treatment until the last (and worst) episode and have since been taking two different antidepressants.
My question is this: Will I ever get off these meds?
My question is this: Will I ever get off these meds?
12/07/2009
Antidepressants may go well beyond just easing the symptoms of depression; they may also make people less neurotic, U.S. researchers said Monday.
12/09/2009
Psychological trauma isn't just mental -- it may leave a visible trace in a child's brain, scientists say.
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology found that children with symptoms of post-traumatic stress had poor function of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that stores and retrieves memories.
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology found that children with symptoms of post-traumatic stress had poor function of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that stores and retrieves memories.
12/09/2009
Hunger is spreading while the number of homeless families is increasing as a result of the recession and other factors, according to a report on Tuesday.
12/07/2009
The pregnancy was easy, the delivery a breeze. This was the couple’s first baby, and they were thrilled. But within two months, the bliss of new parenthood was shattered by postpartum depression.
12/08/2009
Monika Jones, 28, loves red wine. What she doesn’t love is the “monster mouth” it gives her.
“I’ve found that red wine not only stains my teeth — it turns the inner part of my lips a dark magenta after just two glasses,” says Jones, a Seattle writer. “My friends call it ‘monster mouth.’”
“I’ve found that red wine not only stains my teeth — it turns the inner part of my lips a dark magenta after just two glasses,” says Jones, a Seattle writer. “My friends call it ‘monster mouth.’”
12/09/2009
Norma Clark, 80, slipped on the ice out by the horse corral one afternoon and broke her hip in four places. Alone, it took her three hours to drag herself the 40 yards back to the house through snow and mud, after she had tied her legs together with rope to stabilize the injury.
12/09/2009
We don't have one now - we have a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This nomenclature has consequences
Foremost, we fight drug use of all kinds, and only drug use, as addictive - even though (a) a majority of Americans have used illicit substances (and quite a few still do), (b) everyone knows the overwhelming majority of drug users (like drinkers) don't become addicted, and (c) we feed our children ever more potent, potentially addictive, pharmaceuticals.
Foremost, we fight drug use of all kinds, and only drug use, as addictive - even though (a) a majority of Americans have used illicit substances (and quite a few still do), (b) everyone knows the overwhelming majority of drug users (like drinkers) don't become addicted, and (c) we feed our children ever more potent, potentially addictive, pharmaceuticals.
12/11/2009
The White House says it is reviewing a long-standing policy that prevents President Barack Obama from sending a condolence letter to families of service members who have committed suicide.
12/14/2009
Americans are unfit, unhealthy and costing the nation billions of dollars to treat illnesses that could easily be prevented.
And health experts believe it's only going to get worse.
And health experts believe it's only going to get worse.
12/14/2009
When Steven, 17, was first placed in juvenile detention, he was a flight risk.
Every time the teenager was given a chance, he tried to run. It was hard for Steven to imagine he'd ever gain the trust of his corrections officers.
Now, months later, he is trusted to work several days a week outside the tall, barbed wire fences of his detention center, doing landscaping and janitorial work under officer supervision.
Steven is one of the state's juvenile offenders receiving new job-related training as part of their incarceration.
Every time the teenager was given a chance, he tried to run. It was hard for Steven to imagine he'd ever gain the trust of his corrections officers.
Now, months later, he is trusted to work several days a week outside the tall, barbed wire fences of his detention center, doing landscaping and janitorial work under officer supervision.
Steven is one of the state's juvenile offenders receiving new job-related training as part of their incarceration.
12/11/2009
New federally financed drug research reveals a stark disparity: children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance. And the Medicaid children are more likely to receive the drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts, the data shows.
12/14/2009
The Community Food Bank is struggling to serve an increasing number of Southern Arizonans who need help during this holiday season and beyond.
Because the food bank can buy in such large volume, it can turn a $1 donation into about $9 worth of food, enough for several meals. Tucson's Community Food Bank serves individuals and families in five Arizona counties — Pima, Graham, Greenlee, Cochise and Santa Cruz. Branch food banks operate in Ajo, Amado, Green Valley, Marana and Nogales.
Because the food bank can buy in such large volume, it can turn a $1 donation into about $9 worth of food, enough for several meals. Tucson's Community Food Bank serves individuals and families in five Arizona counties — Pima, Graham, Greenlee, Cochise and Santa Cruz. Branch food banks operate in Ajo, Amado, Green Valley, Marana and Nogales.
12/14/2009
About 13 percent of American children and young teens have at least one mental health disorder, yet only about half have been seen by a mental health professional.
That's according to a survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and released online today ahead of print in the journal Pediatrics.
That's according to a survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and released online today ahead of print in the journal Pediatrics.
12/14/2009
Arizonans who collect unemployment benefits are getting their money faster and encountering fewer bureaucratic delays from the state agency that administers the program.
Newly released figures show that the Arizona Department of Economic Security has increased its on-time delivery to filers by 32 percentage points compared with its slowest performance in the past year, in mid-January.
Newly released figures show that the Arizona Department of Economic Security has increased its on-time delivery to filers by 32 percentage points compared with its slowest performance in the past year, in mid-January.
12/11/2009
New federally financed drug research reveals a stark disparity: children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance. And the Medicaid children are more likely to receive the drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts, the data shows.
12/11/2009
When soldiers come home with invisible injuries — traumatic memories of things they have seen and done — professional therapy should help them heal. Far too many soldiers are unwilling to seek it and many others, as James Dao and Dan Frosch reported in The Times, are keeping too tight a lid on what they reveal in therapy.
12/11/2009
A new study has demonstrated that intensive training of children with poor reading skills can increase connectivity in a particular brain region.
12/11/2009
Identifying sight and hearing problems in teens who are in the early stages of schizophrenia may help doctors fully restore those senses and lessen the impact of the devastating thought disorder, U.S. researchers say.
12/14/2009
Neither the U.S. military nor the American public would tolerate a conflict in which U.S. losses mounted for five straight years. Yet, that's what's happening in the Army's battle with suicides. The recently released figure for November show that 12 soldiers are suspected of taking their own lives, bringing to 147 the total suicides for 2009, the highest since the Army began keeping track in 1980. Last year the Army had 140 suicides.
12/14/2009
More than half of the nation’s unemployed workers have borrowed money from friends or relatives since losing their jobs. An equal number have cut back on doctor visits or medical treatments because they are out of work.
12/14/2009
Almost a third of U.S. doctors have never heard of the "choking game" played by many teens, nor can they spot the tell-tale signs of the potentially lethal past-time.
12/14/2009
The University of California, San Francisco, has become a watering hole of sorts — for fruit flies.
There, in the lab of Ulrike Heberlein, an addiction researcher, fruit flies are choosing to consume alcohol. They are drinking (or rather, eating alcohol-spiked food) until they are intoxicated, even if they don’t like the taste. They are also falling off the wagon.
There, in the lab of Ulrike Heberlein, an addiction researcher, fruit flies are choosing to consume alcohol. They are drinking (or rather, eating alcohol-spiked food) until they are intoxicated, even if they don’t like the taste. They are also falling off the wagon.
12/15/2009
Students who watch as their peers endure the verbal or physical abuses of another student could become as psychologically distressed, if not more so, by the events than the victims themselves, new research suggests.
12/14/2009
More than half of the nation’s unemployed workers have borrowed money from friends or relatives since losing their jobs. An equal number have cut back on doctor visits or medical treatments because they are out of work.
12/15/2009
Doctors at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in this quiet, bucolic town tucked between coal country and the nation's capital used to go months without treating a female veteran.
12/15/2009
Gulf War veteran Lynn Gibbons has awful memories of combat with her fourth-grade son, Brent. "He was an out-of-control monster whenever you asked him to do something," the former Air Force computer operations officer recalls. Brent, who had received a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, was also flailing in his classes at Saratoga Elementary School in Springfield -- unable, says his mom, to write a coherent paragraph.
12/16/2009
Since it is the season for conspiracies, I thought I would take a break from the implosion presently under way over at Maricopa County HQ and check out another plot currently afoot.
Jerry Brown and his crowd have been quietly synchronizing their watches, mapping strategy and pulling off a most astonishing job - a feat so big that a year ago not many of us could have imagined it.
Jerry Brown and his crowd have been quietly synchronizing their watches, mapping strategy and pulling off a most astonishing job - a feat so big that a year ago not many of us could have imagined it.
12/15/2009
The federal government's annual report of kids’ alcohol and drug abuse seems reassuring: Compared with earlier in the decade, use of hallucinogens was down in 2008, marijuana use was way down, and use of methamphetamines was way, way down.
12/14/2009
Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The survey also provides a comprehensive look at the prevalence of common mental disorders.
12/16/2009
At-risk teens. Animals abandoned at shelters. Two marginalized groups in great need of love, security, and a chance at living a good life. With an alarmingly-high rate of teen suicide (the third leading cause of death among teens) and over three million unwanted dogs and cats euthanized each in year in shelters, it is easy to feel helpless towards these two populations who demonstrate an overwhelming need.
12/17/2009
John Doe" and "Jane Doe" are the generic names you see used as examples at the top of various forms.
Imagine if the name "John Doe" were on your birth certificate.
Imagine if the name "John Doe" were on your birth certificate.
12/17/2009
At-risk teens. Animals abandoned at shelters. Two marginalized groups in great need of love, security, and a chance at living a good life. With an alarmingly-high rate of teen suicide (the third leading cause of death among teens) and over three million unwanted dogs and cats euthanized each in year in shelters, it is easy to feel helpless towards these two populations who demonstrate an overwhelming need.
12/17/2009
A pair of recent research articles has cast the public spotlight on treating children and adolescents with antipsychotic medications.1,2 In the first report, a large and broadly representative group of child and adolescent patients, all naive to antipsychotic medications, was followed for approximately 10 weeks after initiating treatment with olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, or aripiprazole. The average weight increase ranged from 18.7 pounds (olanzapine) to 9.7 pounds (aripiprazole).3 In the second report, Medicaid-insured youth were found to be approximately 4 times as likely as privately insured youth to fill prescriptions for antipsychotic medications. Only a minority of the privately-insured (32.6%) and Medicaid-insured (26.9%) youth had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder.
12/18/2009
Which is the happiest state in the United States? It depends on who you ask. Two studies have evaluated measures of the quality of life in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and have ranked them in order of most happy.
12/17/2009
Is Adderall the new drug of choice for overachievers?
Prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and narcolepsy, the drug is a cocktail of amphetamines that increases alertness, concentration and mental-processing speed and decreases fatigue. For youngsters suffering from ADHD, it is just what the doctor ordered.
Prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and narcolepsy, the drug is a cocktail of amphetamines that increases alertness, concentration and mental-processing speed and decreases fatigue. For youngsters suffering from ADHD, it is just what the doctor ordered.
12/16/2009
As many as 150,000 children are sent to adult jails in this country every year — often in connection with nonviolent offenses or arrests that do not lead to conviction. That places them at risk of being raped or battered and increases the chance they will end up as career criminals.
12/17/2009
About one in four soldiers admit abusing prescription drugs, most of them pain relievers, in a one-year period, according to a Pentagon health survey released Wednesday.
12/18/2009
After two decades, Congress has voted to lift a ban on federal funding of needle exchange programs. AIDS activists are cheering the move, saying it legitimizes needle exchange in the nationwide fight against HIV/AIDS.
12/18/2009
Almost 1 percent of 8-year-olds have been diagnosed with autism and related disorders, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number is not a huge surprise; the same figure was reported in another autism study in October. But it's not every day that the CDC labels a developmental disorder "an urgent public-health concern." Language like that could provide more momentum for much-needed research into the causes of autism and more funding to test and develop autism treatments. It's high time; parents seeking help for their children find many treatments and cures promoted but few that have been rigorously tested.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care Among Children:How Does Medicaid Do in Closing the Gaps?
12/18/2009
Since the mid-1980s, Medicaid has become an increasingly important source of health coverage for lowincome children under age 19 in all racial/ethnic groups. The means-tested program plays an especially large role for children of color because they are more likely to be low-income compared with White children. In 2007, Medicaid and the smaller Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covered nearly 1 of every 5 White children, but roughly 2 of every 5 African American and Hispanic children.1 Because Medicaid is such a significant source of coverage for children of color, it is important to know whether the program is helping to improve equity in access to care across racial/ethnic groups. Further, as policymakers engaged in health care reform consider the merits of public and private pproaches to expanding coverage, an assessment of Medicaid’s relative impact on acial/ethnic disparities in access is timely.
12/18/2009
Grappling with nicotine addiction is never easy, but a new drug therapy—developed by Dr. Fang Liu at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)—brings promise to one of our great public health challenges.
The experimental medication in development at Dr. Liu's lab targets the brain chemistry that is associated with addiction by disrupting a specific receptor-receptor interaction. Proof-of-concept data demonstrate that this therapy decreases addictive behavior associated with nicotine and alcohol in animal models.
The experimental medication in development at Dr. Liu's lab targets the brain chemistry that is associated with addiction by disrupting a specific receptor-receptor interaction. Proof-of-concept data demonstrate that this therapy decreases addictive behavior associated with nicotine and alcohol in animal models.
12/18/2009
Is it major depression or the winter blues? It’s easy to find out which you have by a few simple examples and learning more about seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
12/17/2009
Physical activity is known to reduce depression and fatigue in people struggling with chronic illness. A new study indicates that this effect may stem from an individual's sense of mastery over -- or belief in his or her ability to achieve -- certain physical goals.
12/18/2009
A long-standing educational philosophy is under attack as a new research report downplays the importance of different learning styles.
12/18/2009
Four years ago, suicides in this northern city were running at nearly double the national rate, and as the global financial meltdown hit Japan, they might have been expected to go even higher.
But Kurihara has fought back, with impressive results.
But Kurihara has fought back, with impressive results.
12/19/2009
Autism rates have soared among Maricopa County children in the past five years, increasing 95 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to federal data released Friday.
Nationally, the prevalence of autism has increased 57 percent.
Nationally, the prevalence of autism has increased 57 percent.
12/21/2009
A coalition of public interest groups today reminded Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that it has been six years since it petitioned the Treasury Department to make "meaningful change" in how the Department regulates alcohol labeling. Summarizing a record of more than 30 years of inaction by TTB and its predecessor agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, National Consumers League, and Shape Up America! reminded the Secretary that there is overwhelming public support for a standardized "Alcohol Facts" panel on all beer, wine, and distilled spirits products listing such basic information as the serving size, calories per serving, alcohol content per serving, and the definition of a "standard drink."
12/19/2009
Winter's setting sun cast a golden glow over a granite garden Friday evening where more than 100 people gathered to remember the homeless who died on Tucson's streets and in the surrounding desert this year.
12/21/2009
Decked in a Santa hat and silvery beard, ringing a Salvation Army bell and trading good wishes with a passer-by, George Ballard fits in perfectly with the red bows and twinkling lights lining Mill Avenue.
It's Friday night, one week before Christmas and the holiday spirit is making people generous.
It's Friday night, one week before Christmas and the holiday spirit is making people generous.
12/18/2009
Long-term sobriety can improve balance problems in alcoholics, but they may not be able to regain full stability while standing, a new study has found.
12/18/2009
Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.
12/21/2009
Hate crime legislation is aimed at protecting the most defenseless among us who are targeted out of prejudice--minority families who relocate to a previously all-white neighborhood where they are met with a burning cross and a threatening phone call rather than the welcome wagon; gay college students who are assaulted by their schoolmates because they are different; the first Latino employee in an office who is warned to leave the company before it is too late.
12/22/2009
Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday ordered state agency directors to rein in spending, although many of her proposed cost-saving practices are already in place.
In an unprecedented open-door Cabinet meeting, Brewer called for some new savings measures, notably establishing a waiting list for state health insurance for children from low-income families.
In an unprecedented open-door Cabinet meeting, Brewer called for some new savings measures, notably establishing a waiting list for state health insurance for children from low-income families.
12/22/2009
A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion.
12/22/2009
What if there was a way to raise a population's life expectancy and reduce its rates of crime, suicide, teenage pregnancy and mental illness, among other social problems? British epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett believe they have found one.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1948806,00.html#ixzz0aXUpqVQv
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1948806,00.html#ixzz0aXUpqVQv
12/22/2009
A new study of employee disability claims shows that disabling illnesses and accidents peak after the winter holidays, making it the riskiest time of year for workers in the United States.
12/28/2009
The Valley's largest food bank has outgrown its longtime home in south Mesa and is ready to move to a new warehouse farther north.
United Food Bank officials recently held a dedication at the new location.
United Food Bank officials recently held a dedication at the new location.
12/27/2009
Jefferson County sheriff's Deputy Larry Michaels has tried everything to teach high school students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol — but nothing has held their attention quite like a new computer program that shows them what they will look like after they use methamphetamine.
"I've never seen the look of shock on their faces like I have with this," Michaels said, shortly after several Windsor High School students volunteered to have their faces digitally altered during a health class to show how they would look after six months, one year and three years of meth abuse. "They can actually see themselves; there's no imagining there."
"I've never seen the look of shock on their faces like I have with this," Michaels said, shortly after several Windsor High School students volunteered to have their faces digitally altered during a health class to show how they would look after six months, one year and three years of meth abuse. "They can actually see themselves; there's no imagining there."
12/24/2009
New research clarifies how neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine, are regulated -- a finding that may help fine-tune therapies for depression.
12/22/2009
Nobody really knows for sure--though you can certainly get treated for sex addiction if you think you have it.
Last year, X-Files and Californication star David Duchovny checked into rehab for sexual addiction. After a string of women went public with claims they were mistresses of golfer Tiger Woods (the best-paid athlete on the planet and a married man), it took only days for talking heads to speculate that Woods might be an addict and need rehab.
Last year, X-Files and Californication star David Duchovny checked into rehab for sexual addiction. After a string of women went public with claims they were mistresses of golfer Tiger Woods (the best-paid athlete on the planet and a married man), it took only days for talking heads to speculate that Woods might be an addict and need rehab.
12/29/2009
Agencies in Tucson and Pima County that help the homeless will get $7.2 million to provide permanent and transitional housing, job training, health care, mental- health counseling, substance-abuse treatment and child care.
The money — part of a $32 million pot divvied up in Arizona — comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is a renewal of grant funding for 102 homeless-assistance programs in the state. Nationally, almost $1.4 billion will be given to 6,400 existing programs as part of HUD's Continuum of Care plan.
The money — part of a $32 million pot divvied up in Arizona — comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is a renewal of grant funding for 102 homeless-assistance programs in the state. Nationally, almost $1.4 billion will be given to 6,400 existing programs as part of HUD's Continuum of Care plan.
12/29/2009
The 2000 decision by Arizona voters to provide free health care to more people could come around and bite state taxpayers in the financial butt.
Tom Betlach, director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, said Monday the U.S. Senate version of health reform penalizes this state and a handful of others for being generous with who gets coverage. And now that Congress is following suit, Betlach said, Arizona won’t get the same extra federal aid being offered to states with more limited plans.
Tom Betlach, director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, said Monday the U.S. Senate version of health reform penalizes this state and a handful of others for being generous with who gets coverage. And now that Congress is following suit, Betlach said, Arizona won’t get the same extra federal aid being offered to states with more limited plans.
12/29/2009
Despite being a significant risk group, young men are amongst those least likely to seek professional help when mentally distressed or suicidal. The 'Back of the Net' programme, a pilot initiative using football (called soccer in the U.S.) and cognitive behavioural based techniques was effective in decreasing symptoms of depression in young men. Such programmes may offer a highly accessible and cost-effective alternative route to mental health promotion in this challenging target group.
12/29/2009
Scientists have created what appears to be a schizophrenic mouse by reducing the inhibition of brain cells involved in complex reasoning and decisions about appropriate social behavior.
12/30/2009
Partners in Recovery (PIR) enthusiastically announces that Christina Dye has accepted a two-year appointment to the Partners For Recovery Steering Committee sponsored by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Ms. Dye is President and CEO of the Maricopa County-based Partners In Recovery, LLC — a provider network organization serving adults with serious mental illness and addictions.
12/30/2009
The Dec. 19 article "Autism
on the rise" put the spotlight on a growing medical issue in our society and provided valuable statistics regarding the increasing number of spectrum disorders being diagnosed nationally, and especially in Maricopa County.
With the passage of Steven's Law (the Arizona bill requiring certain insurances to cover diagnoses and behavioral treatment for autism spectrum disorders), many parents now have the ability to access services for their children on the autism spectrum.
on the rise" put the spotlight on a growing medical issue in our society and provided valuable statistics regarding the increasing number of spectrum disorders being diagnosed nationally, and especially in Maricopa County.
With the passage of Steven's Law (the Arizona bill requiring certain insurances to cover diagnoses and behavioral treatment for autism spectrum disorders), many parents now have the ability to access services for their children on the autism spectrum.
12/30/2009
Austin Moffett loved skateboarding, the outdoors and most of all his family; however, after various setbacks, Moffett gave up on life and killed himself in August 2009. Before, he did, Moffett reached out to friends, but no one took his pleas seriously.
The night he took his life, Moffett texted a friend he was “going to do it” but it took that friend three hours to check up on Moffett and when he finally did, he found Moffett hanging in the garage.
The night he took his life, Moffett texted a friend he was “going to do it” but it took that friend three hours to check up on Moffett and when he finally did, he found Moffett hanging in the garage.
12/30/2009
Poets ramble on at length about mortality, but it was an anonymous World War I lyricist who probably said it best: “The bells of hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling for you but not for me.” We can visualize other people’s deaths, but not so much our own (“For me the angels sing-a-ling-a-ling”).
12/30/2009
Scrambled connections between the part of the brain that processes fear and emotion and other brain regions could be the hallmark of a common anxiety disorder, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The findings could help researchers identify biological differences between types of anxiety disorders as well as such disorders as depression.
12/31/2009
Thomas and colleagues (1) documented the severe shortage of mental health practitioners who are prescribers in the United States and suggested several strategies to grow the prescriber workforce. One approach emphasized expanding the number of advanced practice psychiatric nurses. Another advocated extending prescribing privileges to psychologists. We found it curious that one group of midlevel providers, physician assistants, was not mentioned. We agree that increasing the number of midlevel prescribers is part of the solution to this critical unmet need. However, there are legitimate concerns about solutions that might endanger patient safety by demedicalizing psychiatric practice (2). Physician assistants who receive additional psychiatric training may provide a safe and cost-effective solution to this problem.
12/27/2009
A judge has rejected as inadequate a plan by Gov. Jan Brewer to improve mental health services in Maricopa County.
In a ruling made public Wednesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Karen O'Connor said Brewer's proposal "may be worthwhile to pursue' as one element toward finally ensuring that everyone who needs help gets what he or she needs. But the judge said it falls short.
In a ruling made public Wednesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Karen O'Connor said Brewer's proposal "may be worthwhile to pursue' as one element toward finally ensuring that everyone who needs help gets what he or she needs. But the judge said it falls short.
12/31/2009
If your child is addicted to heroin, and you can't afford thousands of dollars a month for a private drug treatment program, your only option is to get on a weeks- or months-long waiting list for a publicly funded program.
And those waiting lists are getting longer. Faced with an $11 billion budget deficit, the state of Illinois cut funding for drug treatment programs by 17 percent on July 1.
And those waiting lists are getting longer. Faced with an $11 billion budget deficit, the state of Illinois cut funding for drug treatment programs by 17 percent on July 1.
01/01/2010
About half of all American adults (48%, according to a Marist poll taken in December) say they are at least somewhat likely to make a New Year's resolution this year. Their top vows: to lose weight (19%), quit smoking (12%) and exercise more (10%). Sound familiar?
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1950511,00.html#ixzz0bc7WbbJl
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1950511,00.html#ixzz0bc7WbbJl
12/30/2009
It's been one helluva decade, even though we've reached the end without knowing what to call it. Some have tried "the aughts," others the "double-Os." I'm content to simply call it over. To mark its location in the great march of history, I've taken to calling it the millennial decade, after the great numerological transition it heralded. Yet for describing its character, nothing comes closer than the Decade of Trauma -- American trauma, that is.
01/04/2010
Women participating in the Women's Health Initiative study who reported taking an antidepressant drug had a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of stroke and of death compared with participants not taking antidepressants. The authors of a report in the December 14 Archives of Internal Medicine note that their findings are not conclusive but may signify a need for additional attention to patients' cardiovascular risk factors.
01/03/2010
Patients who participate in a structured telephone program to manage their depression appear to experience significant benefits and only a moderate increase in health care costs when compared with those who receive usual care, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
01/02/2010
A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep.
01/03/2010
Some of those who oppose smoking in movies have just seen the future, and they are not happy about it.
01/03/2010
As Democratic Congressional leaders work to merge the House and Senate versions of major health care legislation, a big question is what they will do about the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which now provides coverage to more than nine million children and pregnant women and is expected to cover more than 14 million by 2013.
01/01/2010
By the time we reach middle age, it often feels like our brains aren’t quite what they used to be. We get distracted, lose car keys and forget the name of the person we just met. Is there a way to train the middle-aged brain to do better?
12/31/2009
They first met in 1993, when she was 20 and he was 34 and they were both in recovery programs, undergoing treatment for mental illness. He was shuttling between home and inpatient psychiatric units and spotted Laura at a day clinic.
12/28/2009
Since the inception of the modern era of psychopharmacology, psychotropics have been the mainstay of the care of psychiatric patients all over the world, irrespective of their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Until recently, however, variations in treatment response across populations, including effectiveness, dosing strategies, and adverse-effect profiles, have received minimal attention
12/31/2009
The integration of alcohol screening, treatment and referral into primary care and other medical settings is not routinely done. Nor are there any studies evaluating the effectiveness of integrating care for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) into routine treatment for tuberculosis (TB), despite the high co-occurrence and mortality associated with these two diseases. Accordingly, researchers have designed a trial study to determine the effectiveness of integrating pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatments for AUDs into routine care for TB.
12/31/2009
More and more researchers are turning to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to help answer research questions about what mental illness looks like in the brain.
01/04/2010
An expert panel says there's no rigorous evidence that digestive problems are more common in children with autism compared to other children, or that special diets work, contrary to claims by celebrities and vaccine naysayers.
Painful digestive problems can trigger problem behavior in children with autism and should be treated medically, according to the panel's report published in the January issue of Pediatrics and released Monday.
Painful digestive problems can trigger problem behavior in children with autism and should be treated medically, according to the panel's report published in the January issue of Pediatrics and released Monday.
01/04/2010
Video games are a controversial topic these days. Do popular games cater enough to a female audience? Can interactive games introduce a new forum for sexual predators? Is there such a thing as video game addiction? Yet, for all of the negative perceptions and criticisms of video games, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting their benefits as well. A study published this past September suggests that playing Tetris can make your brain more efficient. Some medical education programs are supplementing training with Second Life sessions. And, most recently, a review of previous research on video games published in Current Directions in Psychological Science finds that regularly playing video games not only improves your skill at those particular games, but may also improve your reaction time and accuracy on real-life tasks.
01/03/2010
A class full of battle-hardened sergeants in combat boots, being taught by a bunch of loafer-clad professors. The subject, more or less: how to be happier.
01/06/2010
Mary* was married for 30 years to a diagnosed sex addict who covered his tracks neatly. The high-flying accountant would regularly pretend to be working late or taking overseas business trips when he would, in fact, hole up in Sydney's Shangri-La Hotel, partaking of prostitutes.
01/05/2010
What else can I do? I have tried antidepressants, therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, rational behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, a treatment center in Arizona. My kids are now 11 and 10. I feel like I have missed their entire lives. My wife is fed up. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 2004. That is not working, although I'm not drinking ... no serenity, no peace, no happiness. House has been on the market for a year. Job is miserable. One doctor says, " No meds." Another says, "Go back to a treatment center." Another says to "do my dishes." I feel so lost. ... 40 years old and I'm at the end of my rope. Please help.
01/05/2010
Autism cases are on the rise. Or so the most recent data would have us believe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 100 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—up from 1 in 150 in 2007. A study in the journal Pediatrics in October 2009 revealed similar numbers—parents of 1 in 90 children reported that their child had ASD. With boys, the rate of ASD was 1 in 58. Without a doubt, autism is the country’s fastest-growing developmental disability, affecting more children than cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. Still, in dealing with a childhood disorder that ranges from “highly functioning” to uncommunicative, and such a long list of potential triggers and treatments, even the numbers themselves are subject to questioning.
01/05/2010
“It’s not possible to be seclusion/restraint free with a mentally ill population.”
“The patients will rule the units and things will be out of control if we don’t use seclusion and restraint.”
“The patients will rule the units and things will be out of control if we don’t use seclusion and restraint.”
01/05/2010
After months of debate, Congress is ready to work on a final version of health care reform legislation.
At its most basic level, such reform has to do two things: Get nearly everyone into the health care insurance system, and reduce overall costs.
At its most basic level, such reform has to do two things: Get nearly everyone into the health care insurance system, and reduce overall costs.
01/05/2010
An increasing number of U.S. adults are being prescribed combinations of antidepressants and antipsychotic medications, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
01/05/2010
Millions of Americans with significant or chronic pain associated with their medical problems are being under-treated as physicians increasingly fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment -- either due to inadequate training, personal biases or fear of prescription drug abuse.
01/04/2010
About half of Americans with major depression do not receive treatment for the condition, and in many cases the therapies are not consistent with the standard of care, according to a new study.
01/05/2010
The solution to mental illness has seemed to lie in application of drugs. If a serious psychiatric disorder arises, the reasoning goes, it must be centered in the brain - and, the reasoning further assumes, the most successful treatment is a biological one. Or is it? In his book, "Doctoring the Mind: Is Our Current Treatment of Mental Illness Really Any Good?" Richard P. Bentall challenges psychiatry's presumption that drugs are best for tackling mental illnesses. Bentall, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Bangor in Wales, argues for treatment that focuses on the patient as much as on the brain in a setting that stresses a strong relationship between patient and doctor.
01/05/2010
The preparation of a lifetime went into Faye Ellen Kufahl's new book, "Nutterville." She just didn't know at the time what life for which she was preparing.
The Jefferson woman's autobiographical book, fully titled "Nutterville, and Other True Stories of Coping with Mental Illness," was released in November.
The Jefferson woman's autobiographical book, fully titled "Nutterville, and Other True Stories of Coping with Mental Illness," was released in November.
01/05/2010
At the turn of the last century, a group of national health experts made a resolution: Their objective was to reduce smoking among adults to 12 percent by 2010. The 45 million Americans who are still lighting up, including a disproportionate share of the nation's poorest residents, apparently did not get the memo from Healthy People 2010. Although the number of smokers has decreased, it remains at nearly 20 percent of the adult population, down from about 24 percent.
01/05/2010
Let's get this out of the way right up front: I'm afraid of people eating. Some people are scared of snakes or flying or heights or other things that can actually be dangerous. I'm filled with overpowering, irrational dread by the sight or sound of another human being eating or drinking. It doesn't make any more sense to me than it does to you. But that's what a phobia is: a fear that has nothing to do with logic or common sense.
01/05/2010
Dr. Vincent Felitti, founder of Kaiser Permanente's Department of Preventive Medicine and director of its obesity-treatment program, was seeing some good results. His patients were losing 50, 80, even hundreds of pounds. He might have considered the program a success, if not for the fact that the participants who were doing the best — those who were both the most obese and losing the most weight — kept dropping out.
01/03/2010
The county's two emergency shelters for young people have decided to pool their resources in the wake of state budget cuts.
The Alternatives Center will move out of its building in Plaza Vieja and into Northland Family Help Center on the east side of the city so both agencies can save money, keep staffing levels the same and continue to offer the same services.
The Alternatives Center will move out of its building in Plaza Vieja and into Northland Family Help Center on the east side of the city so both agencies can save money, keep staffing levels the same and continue to offer the same services.
01/05/2010
Harvard psychologist and bestselling author Daniel Gilbert has teamed up with Vulcan Productions and the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit to create a multimedia project called This Emotional Life. The second part of this 3-part documentary airs tonight on PBS, but you should also check out their website which features expert bloggers and clips from the series.
01/05/2010
Some widely prescribed drugs for depression provide relief in extreme cases but are no more effective than placebo pills for most patients, according to a new analysis released Tuesday.
01/06/2010
Some pregnant women are more likely to be depressed than others.
A new U-M study published in this month’s American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds that factors such as stress, mental health history, social support, and whether a pregnancy was intended, contribute to a woman being more at risk of experiencing depression than others.
A new U-M study published in this month’s American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds that factors such as stress, mental health history, social support, and whether a pregnancy was intended, contribute to a woman being more at risk of experiencing depression than others.
01/07/2010
My 24 year old patient, the subject of my most recent blogs, complained that he was scared at night when he was alone in his apartment. In a previous post, I commented that in the old days, his fear would have prompted him to ask me to prescribe medication. I went on to say that I was happy that he did not go there. This narrative brings up the question of why, as a psychiatrist, would I be happy when a patient is NOT asking me for medication.
01/07/2010
When a teen patient recently told Dr. Michael Ward that he was feeling depressed but couldn't say why, the doctor suspected the cause might be December's especially gloomy weather. After all, the 17-year-old hadn't just broken up with a girlfriend, left for college and missed his friends or experienced family troubles, Ward said.
01/07/2010
Treating schizophrenia would be so much easier if not for one fact: The more effective the medication, the stronger the side effects. For Rainbow, a 29-year-old woman in Los Angeles, antipsychotic medications caused considerable weight gain, but the alternative was far worse.
01/07/2010
Schizophrenia is quite possibly the most misunderstood mental illness known to mankind. The medical condition of schizophrenia―more often than not―is mistakenly associated with many prejudicial notions, including the belief that those inflicted with the illness have a split personality and are dangerous. It’s a tough stereotype for consumers to shake; they certainly did not aspire to suffer from a mental illness, let alone be stigmatized as violent predators.
01/07/2010
It’s a late night, a holiday weekend, or you’re away on vacation, and suddenly you realize that your medication is almost―or already―gone. It can be weeks before your next appointment with your doctor, and so an emergency room or walk-in clinic may be the only option for a last-minute prescription renewal. It isn’t always the best option when it comes to psychiatric medications; careful assessment of symptoms and side effects is usually an ongoing process for patient and doctor.
01/07/2010
Homeless shelters are swamped as an extended cold snap in the eastern half of the country raises alarms about people living on the streets or in unheated buildings.
The problem is acute in New Orleans, where thousands displaced since Hurricane Katrina live in abandoned houses.
The problem is acute in New Orleans, where thousands displaced since Hurricane Katrina live in abandoned houses.
2010 Science and Service Awards Will Honor Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health and Substa
01/06/2010
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a call for applications for its 2010 Science and Service Awards, a national program that recognizes community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions.
01/06/2010
Psychotherapy is full of both extraordinary potential benefits and some possible pitfalls. We’ve discussed some of those things in past entries. But there are some things in psychotherapy that you just shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about. They may seem important or worth worrying about, but it’s just a waste of your time, energy and focus. Here’s a few of them.
01/06/2010
After all these years--and all those prescriptions--you'd think we'd know everything there is to know about how antidepressants affect the people who take them.
01/08/2010
In 46 of the 50 states, people can dial 2-1-1 to get their health questions answered. In Arizona, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, dialing the number gets you nowhere.
A Phoenix nonprofit is out to change that.
A Phoenix nonprofit is out to change that.
01/05/2009
As part of the increasing trend of families volunteering together, HandsOn Network has named Navajo County Drug Project (NCDP) as one of its national volunteer action centers in its "Give A Day. Get a Disney Day." Through this affiliation, NCDP will certify volunteers among the first one million nationally to receive a free day at Disney in exchange for their day of community volunteerism.
01/07/2010
The current healthcare debate has brought up basic questions about how medicine should work. On one hand we have the medical establishment with its enormous cadre of M.D.s, medical schools, big pharma, and incredibly expensive hospital care. On the other we have the semi-condoned field of alternative medicine that attracts millions of patients a year and embraces literally thousands of treatment modalities not taught in medical school.
01/07/2010
The American Psychiatric Association thinks so, or is history repeating itself? The new DSM-V, the medical profession’s bible for diagnosing, is set to come out in May after delays caused by several areas of controversy. But, the APA has a legacy of uneasy relations with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, having included homosexuality in the DSM’s list of psychiatric disorders until 1973. Some transgender activists want issues of gender identity kicked off the list of mental illnesses too.
01/08/2010
Defense attorneys for accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan are racing to collect evidence that could show their client is insane before a psychiatric evaluation is completed.
01/08/2010
Clinicians providing obstetric care to pregnant women should be on the lookout for social, psychological, family and situational factors associated with increased risk for depression in pregnancy, according to a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
01/08/2010
Almost 5 percent of aging Baby Boomers in the United States are abusing drugs, a new government report shows.
01/08/2010
In November, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gen. Eric Shinseki stood at a national summit and pledged to end homelessness among veterans in the next five years.
It's a daunting, but honorable goal. And what that means, and how the country will help the estimated 130,000 homeless veterans, depends on who is asked.
It's a daunting, but honorable goal. And what that means, and how the country will help the estimated 130,000 homeless veterans, depends on who is asked.
01/08/2010
Did you resolve to stop drinking in 2010 — or even to just cut back a bit? One place to spend some of the time you don't plan to be spending in bars may be the Internet. A new study adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that free online drinker-checkup programs can have powerful effects on reducing alcohol-related problems.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1952555,00.html#ixzz0cAOz3MSs
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1952555,00.html#ixzz0cAOz3MSs
01/08/2010
It's hardly a secret that taking cocaine can change the way you feel and the way you behave. Now, a study published in the Jan. 8 issue of Science shows how it also alters the way the genes in your brain operate. Understanding this process could eventually lead to new treatments for the 1.4 million Americans with cocaine problems, and millions more around the world.
01/09/2010
Researchers have found clusters of autism in 10 areas around California -- but with no suggestion of a link to local pollution or other environmental exposures, they said.
01/11/2010
A team of neurosurgeons at Heidelberg University Hospital and psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim have for the first time successfully treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the brain. The 64-year-old woman, who had suffered from depression since age 18, could not be helped by medication or electroconvulsive therapy. Since the procedure, she is for the first time in years free of symptoms.
01/11/2010
A new thought-operated computer system which can reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children will be rolled out across the UK this month.
01/07/2010
New technologies allow doctors and patients to interact at far-flung locales.In today’s Doctor and Patient column, Dr. Pauline Chen writes about the promise and the disappointment of telemedicine, which is the use of video conferencing, the Internet and other technology to connect physicians, health workers and patients around the world.
01/08/2010
Researchers reported last week that antidepressant drugs seemed to be effective mainly in people with severe depression, not those with milder forms. Now another study is reporting that only about half of all Americans with depression receive treatment of any kind.
01/05/2010
If you think you need an antidepressant because "things just don't feel like they used to," as a TV ad for the antidepressant Zoloft describes it, you might want to think again. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that the medications work no better than a placebo in those with mild or even moderate symptoms of depression. The drugs are, however, very effective at lifting depression in people with very severe symptoms. "Consumers may not be aware that the efficacy of [these] medications largely has been established on the basis of studies that have included only those individuals with more severe forms of depression," the study authors write.
01/10/2010
The Legislature returns to the Capitol on Monday to pick up where it left off three weeks ago: Tackling the state's budget deficit.
01/09/2010
A psychotherapy program may work better than traditional health classes in preventing teenage girls at risk of obesity from becoming excessively fatter, researchers report.
01/11/2010
Carolyn Stokes began battling depression and anxiety when she was very young. As an adult, she eventually had a nervous breakdown.
"I fell apart," she said.
"I fell apart," she said.
01/11/2010
A new study adds to growing evidence that autism is caused by a miswiring of connections in a child's developing brain, resulting in impaired information flow.
01/11/2010
A new study has found that five times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues than youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era.
01/11/2010
Last week, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study questioning the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. The drugs are useful in cases of severe depression, it said. But for most patients, those with mild to moderate cases, the most commonly used antidepressants are generally no better than a placebo.
01/12/2010
Home from war and out of the military, young male veterans appear to be committing suicide at a higher rate.
01/13/2010
As we brace for another troop escalation expected to last several years, we urge increased caution and awareness of the risk of nonmedical injuries to the men and women serving in our armed forces. Current Middle East deployments have resulted in an alarming rise in signs of mental distress and an increase in suicides among returning soldiers who otherwise seemed well.
01/12/2010
Bethesda, MD — Researchers have identified a key epigenetic mechanism in the brain that helps explain cocaine's addictiveness, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
01/13/2010
The “Great Recession” of 2008 and 2009 has spread poverty to millions more US children, according to a recent report by the Brookings Institute. The report, “The Effects of the Recession on Child Poverty,” estimates that a large number of states witnessed marked increases in child poverty in 2009.
01/12/2010
New research suggests a regular practice of yoga may lower an inflammatory protein that is normally linked to aging and stress.
01/12/2010
One of the first populations to be targeted to loose the most when state funding is decreasing is the community of people living with serious mental illness. Local mental health advocates have seen the writing on the wall and Governor Brewer confirmed it with her State of the State address yesterday.
01/13/2010
There are very few, if any, direct mental health provisions in the congressional health care legislation that has passed the House and is now awaiting Senate approval. The Senate bill—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590)—debated on the floor in December is similar in some respects to the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962), which the House passed by an extremely thin, Democrat-heavy vote of 220-215 on November 7, 2009. Both bills appear to extend mental health parity to individual and group policies sold within new health insurance Exchanges. They would also expand Medicaid, begin funding medical home demonstrations, and ban insurance companies from denying policies based on an applicant’s preexisting condition.
01/13/2010
Polypharmacy involving antidepressant and antipsychotic medications has increased significantly since the mid-1990s, with many of these combinations not supported by data from clinical trials, say US researchers.
01/12/2010
Author Ethan Watters thinks that America is "homogenizing the way the world goes mad." In Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche, he describes how American definitions and treatments of mental illness have spread to other cultures around the world.
01/13/2010
From construction laborers and secretaries to physicians and lawyers, people experience better moods, greater vitality, and fewer aches and pains from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, concludes the first study of daily mood variation in employed adults to be published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. And that 'weekend effect' is largely associated with the freedom to choose one's activities and the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, the research found.
01/14/2010
Pamela Hyde was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2009 as Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She leads SAMHSA's staff of approximately 550 public health professionals and manages a budget of approximately $3.5 billion with responsibility for improving the accountability, capacity, and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services delivery system.
01/14/2010
Most of us start off the new year with a commitment to change or want to fix some troubling aspect of our lives," reflects William Moyers VP of Relations at Hazelden. But, "for millions of Americans who woke up with a hangover on Jan. 1 and vowed to quit drinking or taking drugs, their resolve this year comes with an unprecedented resource: their own health insurance," The recognition that mental health problems are finally understood to have the same if not more impact on things like quality of life, job performance and relationship health is an idea whose time has finally come.
01/13/2010
Women who suffer from depression and anxiety may want to take a look at their diet as possible contributors to these conditions, study findings hint.
01/13/2010
Wives of soldiers sent to war suffered significantly higher rates of mental health issues than those whose husbands stayed home, according to the largest study ever done on the emotional impact of war on Army wives.
01/14/2010
The potent painkiller morphine, one of medicine's oldest drugs, may have a previously unrecognized power to reduce the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in people who've been severely injured.
01/14/2010
A new report suggests a large number of eighth-graders in Oregon have taken part in the 'choking game,' the dangerous practice of choking each other to get a feeling of euphoria.
01/14/2010
Life has become calmer, safer and less stressful for Chris Goehner since he paired up with Pele, according to this story by the Associated Press.
01/15/2010
The number of children aged 2 to 5 who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs has doubled over the past decade, according to research released on Friday.
01/15/2010
Changing the words used to describe someone struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction may significantly alter the attitudes of healthcare professionals, even those who specialize in addiction treatment. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that health professionals' answers to survey questions about a hypothetical patient varied depending on whether he was described as a "substance abuser" or as "having a substance use disorder." Their study will appear in the International Journal of Drug Policy and has been released online.
01/18/2010
As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won't take form until individuals' situations stabilize.
Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people's basic human needs are taken care of, experts say.
Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people's basic human needs are taken care of, experts say.
01/15/2010
Therese Borchard writes about depression every day on her award-winning blog at Beliefnet.com. But it took a special leap of faith to share the stories of her breakdowns, hospitalizations and ongoing struggle with depression in her new book Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes. "This will do wonders for my chances of future employment," she cracks. TIME writer Amy Sullivan talked with Borchard about the challenges of writing about mental illness (especially one's own) at the writer's home in Annapolis, Md.
A new study suggests the relationship we have with our siblings during youth has a considerable infl
01/18/2010
A new study suggests the relationship we have with our siblings during youth has a considerable influence on our social and emotional development as adults.
Laurie Kramer, a University of Illinois researcher, says that although a parent’s influence on a child’s development shouldn’t be underestimated, neither should a sibling’s.
Laurie Kramer, a University of Illinois researcher, says that although a parent’s influence on a child’s development shouldn’t be underestimated, neither should a sibling’s.
01/18/2010
A Veterans Administration medical center is using telecommunications technology to expand its psychiatry practice to a community health clinic near the U.S.-Canadian border, allowing for one-on-one consultations between doctor and patient 128 miles apart.
In a pilot project, Dr. Andrew Pomerantz and six other psychiatrists and psychologists at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt., are counseling patients from the Northern Tier Center for Health's clinic in Richford, Vt., through web cameras, reaching people who sometimes went without such services.
In a pilot project, Dr. Andrew Pomerantz and six other psychiatrists and psychologists at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt., are counseling patients from the Northern Tier Center for Health's clinic in Richford, Vt., through web cameras, reaching people who sometimes went without such services.
01/18/2010
How many of us have caught ourselves thinking, "Ugh, this will never work out," or "How could I be so stupid?"
"There's a pretty common bias to think about the negative," says researcher Jane Gillham of the Penn Resiliency Program, a behavioral therapy program at the University of Pennsylvania.
"There's a pretty common bias to think about the negative," says researcher Jane Gillham of the Penn Resiliency Program, a behavioral therapy program at the University of Pennsylvania.
01/18/2010
The year was 1988, and I was a college student on my junior year abroad, traveling aimlessly through the Middle East and Europe. My backpack was crammed with shorts and T-shirts, bathing suits and sarongs, my Walkman and Grateful Dead tapes. And oh, yes, a scale, buried deep beneath layers of socks. Having been a chubby adolescent — and having spent six summers at fat camp — I was terrified of gaining weight.
01/19/2010
A new study suggests purchasing medicine by mail may encourage patients to stick to their doctor-prescribed medication regimen.
01/19/2010
More and more Americans with chronic pain not caused by cancer are taking medically prescribed opioids like Oxycontin (oxycodone) and Vicodin (hydrocodone). The January 19 Annals of Internal Medicine features the first study to explore the risk of overdose in patients prescribed opioids for chronic noncancer pain in general health care. The study links risk of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdose to prescription use -- strongly associating the risk with the prescribed dose.
01/19/2010
Judi Chamberlin, who died this weekend at age 65, was a civil rights hero from a civil rights movement you may have never heard of. She took her inspiration from the heroes of other civil rights movements to start something she liked to call Mad Pride — a movement for the rights and dignity of people with mental illness.
01/20/2010
An online treatment system for patients suffering with panic disorder and anxiety problems combine biofeedback therapy with web technologies and allows patients and medical professionals to communicate effectively, according to research published in the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining.
01/20/2010
It's probably no surprise to frayed and exhausted new moms that repeated waking from deep sleep and hours of the taped yelps of crying babies are used to train Navy Seals to endure torture. For some new parents, these very same experiences are a challenging nightly reality.
01/20/2010
To God or not to God. That is the question. At least if you're trying to work a 12-Step program anyways. At the crux of any decision, from the most trivial to the most serious, is the intention to "turn it over" to a Higher Power or stay in self-will. But in the Dharma we have no such "other" to turn anything over to. Not in the sense that a deity will save us from ourselves. There are those who pray to Buddhas as if they are Gods. And they might get answers, who knows. But what has always drawn me to Buddhism was the feeling that somewhere within us all is the wisdom that we need.
01/20/2010
The amount of time American children and teens spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet has increased dramatically, to almost eight hours a day, a new report finds.
01/20/2010
College is a unique time in a person’s life. Each year, approximately 4 million students enter institutions of higher learning for the first time; many of them are on their own for the first time. While this newfound autonomy may bring exciting new experiences, it can also add the pressure and stress of new responsibilities. Learning to be self-sufficient while juggling academics, jobs, relationships, roommates, all-night study sessions, and junk food, possibly even exposure to alcohol or drugs — while constantly under the pressure to be successful—can easily become overwhelming and detrimental to a student’s mental health.
01/22/2010
The Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Service, created in 1988, provides community services on base for prevention, education, identification and referral.
Family members ages 11 to 19 years of age who are at risk of or have started experimenting with illicit substances have state licensed counselors on base to help, said David Leon, a substance abuse counselor at Kubasaki High School.
Family members ages 11 to 19 years of age who are at risk of or have started experimenting with illicit substances have state licensed counselors on base to help, said David Leon, a substance abuse counselor at Kubasaki High School.
01/21/2010
Inquiries to poison control centers about teenage abuse of drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increased by 76 percent over the last eight years, indicating a surge in rates of the abuse itself, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Memorial Center and published in the journal Pediatrics.
01/20/2010
A new collaborative study finds that half of sexual abuse survivors wait up to five years before disclosing they were victimized.
Although the inaction is understandable, the behavior is detrimental as immediate counseling and care lessens the pain and facilitates recovery.
Although the inaction is understandable, the behavior is detrimental as immediate counseling and care lessens the pain and facilitates recovery.
01/21/2010
Researchers believe they have made a landmark discovery toward an objective diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
University of Minnesota and Minneapolis VA Medical Center scientists studied a group of 74 United States veterans. They were able to objectively diagnose PTSD using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain.
University of Minnesota and Minneapolis VA Medical Center scientists studied a group of 74 United States veterans. They were able to objectively diagnose PTSD using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain.
01/21/2010
Emotional well-being depends on a nurturing environment that ensures consistent basic material and emotional necessities.
Natural or man-made disasters (such as civil war or genocide) can cause terrible personal loss, injuries and illness, and loss of vital resources.
While the survivors of such tragedies may recover from their physical injuries, the emotional damage may be permanent.
Natural or man-made disasters (such as civil war or genocide) can cause terrible personal loss, injuries and illness, and loss of vital resources.
While the survivors of such tragedies may recover from their physical injuries, the emotional damage may be permanent.
01/22/2010
Calling obesity an epidemic and one of the greatest threats to America's health and economy, first lady Michelle Obama said Wednesday that she would launch a major initiative next month to combat the problem in childhood.
01/21/2010
Diabetes isn't real. It is just a bunch of people who band together and pretend like their bodies aren't producing enough insulin or, if they are, producing it incorrectly. They "have" to inject themselves with proper doses of the hormone and buy sugar-free candy, cookies and diet pop.
01/18/2010
When Françoise Cochet saw the cord around her son's neck, she knew that he was dead. Fully clothed and still wearing his sneakers, 14-year-old Nicolas had strangled himself sometime after dinner in their apartment in Nice, France. His mother found him the next morning. "I shut the door so my other two children couldn't see, and I didn't touch the body," she says. "I thought that I couldn't live anymore. I thought I needed to die too."
01/22/2010
When Jeff Sell’s twin sons were determined to have autism 13 years ago, he, like so many other parents in the same situation, found himself with a million questions: Will my children be able to function? What are the best treatments and where do I find them? How will this affect the rest of my family?
01/22/2010
Screening women for depression during and after pregnancy should be strongly considered, according to new Ob/Gyn guidelines.
01/22/2010
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would like to remind Americans that substance abuse and mental health problems affect those with heart disease. In fact, nearly a million Americans experiencing a serious psychological disorder in the past year also suffered from heart disease.
01/25/2010
Nearly 1 in 10 seven- to eight-year-olds hears voices that aren't really there, according to a new study.
But most children who hear voices don't find them troubling or disruptive to their thinking, the study team found. "These voices in general have a limited impact in daily life," Agna A. Bartels-Velthuis of University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands wrote in an email to Reuters Health.
But most children who hear voices don't find them troubling or disruptive to their thinking, the study team found. "These voices in general have a limited impact in daily life," Agna A. Bartels-Velthuis of University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands wrote in an email to Reuters Health.
01/25/2010
The Army staff sergeant knew something was seriously wrong when he still couldn’t sleep weeks after returning from Afghanistan. But he never considered going to Army psychiatrists.
"There’s still too much of a stigma in the military with seeing a therapist," said the solider, who asked to remain anonymous. "People are going to call you psycho. Even if people just see you going into the mental health offices, they’re going to think you’re crazy."
"There’s still too much of a stigma in the military with seeing a therapist," said the solider, who asked to remain anonymous. "People are going to call you psycho. Even if people just see you going into the mental health offices, they’re going to think you’re crazy."
01/24/2010
When retired Army Staff Sgt. June Moss returned from Iraq, she had to explain to her children why she couldn't hug them. Any embrace longer than two seconds made her skin feel like it was on fire.
01/25/2010
Civilians working on base in places such as bars and bowling alleys will soon get training to help them identify troubled soldiers as the community tries to cut the number of suicides in the ranks.
At U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwöhr, there’s been a spate of recent suicides — including several members of the 172nd Infantry Brigade, which returned from a yearlong mission to Iraq last year, according to the garrison commander, Col. Nils "Chris" Sorenson.
At U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwöhr, there’s been a spate of recent suicides — including several members of the 172nd Infantry Brigade, which returned from a yearlong mission to Iraq last year, according to the garrison commander, Col. Nils "Chris" Sorenson.
01/25/2010
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has announced the availability of new Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program funding. ONDCP expects to award approximately $18.75 million for 150 new competing grants to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. The deadline to submit DFC grantee applications is Friday, March 19, 2010.
01/25/2010
For all the attention focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in recent years, doctors have never had a clear-cut way to be certain a patient has it. But Minnesota scientists now believe they have found a long-sought PTSD fingerprint that confirms the disorder by measuring electromagnetic fields in the brain. The finding, detailed in the latest issue of the Journal of Neural Engineering, could help the 300,000 cases of PTSD that are anticipated among the 2 million U.S. troops who have gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1956315,00.html#ixzz0deJufi6t
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1956315,00.html#ixzz0deJufi6t
01/25/2010
A military review could bring millions of dollars in benefits to thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans discharged with post-traumatic stress disorder.
01/26/2010
IC&RC announced that the number of professionals who hold its credentials has crossed the 40,000 mark. That number is expected to continue to increase, with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) naming substance abuse and behavioral disorder counseling as one of the fastest growing professions. In its Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, the DOL reported that there are 86,100 substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in 2008, and they projected growth of 21 percent in the next 10 years.
01/26/2010
Though parents often have concerns about letting their teens use social media Web sites like Facebook and MySpace, a new study by University of Virginia psychologists suggests that well-adapted youth with positive friendships will use these sites to further enhance the positive relationships they already have.
01/26/2010
A new study finds psychodynamic psychotherapy is an effective intervention with long-lasting benefits for a variety of conditions. Researchers believe the technique should not be overshadowed by other forms of therapy or medication.
Like many workers, Ivelisse Rivera, a physician at Community Health Center, Middletown, Conn., feels
01/27/2010
Like many workers, Ivelisse Rivera, a physician at Community Health Center, Middletown, Conn., feels stressed-out by mounting workloads. And she didn't expect to get much help during her employer's annual staff meeting last November—just the usual speeches on medical issues.
Instead, she got a big dose of something new: Happiness coaching. Keynote speaker Shawn Achor—a former Harvard University researcher and former co-teacher of one of the university's most popular courses, Positive Psychology—extolled 90 listening employees to shake off dark moods at work by practicing such happiness-inducing techniques as meditation or expressing gratitude.
Instead, she got a big dose of something new: Happiness coaching. Keynote speaker Shawn Achor—a former Harvard University researcher and former co-teacher of one of the university's most popular courses, Positive Psychology—extolled 90 listening employees to shake off dark moods at work by practicing such happiness-inducing techniques as meditation or expressing gratitude.
01/25/2010
I am reeling from the awareness that certain friends who meant a great deal to me have abruptly turned their back on me now that I have revealed and declared my struggle with mental illness. I was diagnosed with a form of bipolar disorder after weathering several years of depression alongside "up" periods. When it was just garden-variety depression, I believe the problem had been more acceptable to these individuals, who are mostly male.
01/26/2010
A majority of Israel's Holocaust survivors suffer from depression, sleeping disorders or other emotional distress, according to a survey released Tuesday by a leading advocacy group.
01/27/2010
John Gordy has been coming to the homeless shelter on Phoenix Avenue off and on for the last five years.
His health and mental problems keep him from working, and he just recently received his birth certificate to begin to try to qualify for disability payments and Medicaid.
His health and mental problems keep him from working, and he just recently received his birth certificate to begin to try to qualify for disability payments and Medicaid.
01/27/2010
Breast cancer patients who exercise and drink tea on a regular basis may be less likely to suffer from depression than other patients, according to a new study led by Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Xiaoli Chen, M.D., a post-doctoral fellow, was first author of the study published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
01/26/2010
The calls for Tiger Woods to get help did not go unheeded. On Jan. 16, after weeks of sordid allegations regarding the star golfer's extramarital affairs, RadarOnline.com reported that Woods had enrolled in the Gentle Path program at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services, in Hattiesburg, Miss., to be treated for sex addiction. Local television stations later confirmed the story.
01/27/2010
I see postpartum depression (PPD) a lot in the families who come to me with sleep issues. Exhaustion is a risk factor for depression. And depression makes it harder to sleep coach successfully, which in turn breeds more exhaustion. Women experiencing postpartum depression don't always recognize the signs so it's important for family and friends to be on the lookout.
01/28/2010
MedWire News: Cognitive variables may not be good predictors of occupational recovery and social adjustment in patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder, study findings show.
01/27/2010
A widely used class of antidepressants can cause delayed lactation in new mothers, which means they may need additional support in order to breast-feed their babies, a new study says.
01/28/2010
As burning Kuwait oil fields spewed smoke during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, David Kriete was there. When troops landed for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Kriete was among them. As soldiers have been sent to various locales around the globe, Kriete has answered the call.
01/28/2010
Driving through a dark alley in a Phoenix neighborhood on a recent night, a team of three volunteers watched for signs of life amid the sound of mud slinging off the tires of their county van.
Brian Olivas, Susan Stutenroth and Joannah Schindler, all employees of Maricopa County Health Care for the Homeless, joined nearly 350 other volunteers Tuesday night in the city's annual Homeless Street Count, part of a countywide effort to provide data to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Brian Olivas, Susan Stutenroth and Joannah Schindler, all employees of Maricopa County Health Care for the Homeless, joined nearly 350 other volunteers Tuesday night in the city's annual Homeless Street Count, part of a countywide effort to provide data to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
01/27/2010
A new study reports a sharp increase in the number of U.S. troops evacuated for psychiatric reasons in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
In fact, more troops were evacuated for mental health problems in 2007 than for combat injuries. That's according to a Johns Hopkins study recently published in the Lancet.
In fact, more troops were evacuated for mental health problems in 2007 than for combat injuries. That's according to a Johns Hopkins study recently published in the Lancet.
01/29/2010
Adolescent children of frequently deployed soldiers are less stressed than conventional wisdom might indicate, according to a recent study.
Researchers at the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute found that although these teens generally experience higher stress levels than their non-military counterparts, they have better coping skills than the authors expected.
Researchers at the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute found that although these teens generally experience higher stress levels than their non-military counterparts, they have better coping skills than the authors expected.
01/28/2010
Online support groups can be a great source of emotional support and valuable health information you won’t find on any website from the National Institute of Mental Health or others. Some people are a little leery of joining an online support group, however. Others don’t quite understand what benefit they may gain from joining one. Still others understand a support group’s benefits, but feel like they still don’t gain as much from joining one as they had hoped.
01/29/2010
During meaningful moments of our lives - such as a romantic or artistic moment, or a special time with a parent or child - our attention is fully in the present.
The same cannot be said of everyday life. Often, our attention is not fully present and our minds get lost in the past or fantasize about the future.
The same cannot be said of everyday life. Often, our attention is not fully present and our minds get lost in the past or fantasize about the future.
01/29/2010
Arizona's loose gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried an AR-15 rifle to a protest outside a speech by President Barack Obama.
01/29/2010
Patients with bipolar II disorder are as likely as those with bipolar I disorder to attempt suicide, study findings show.
These findings highlight the need for treatment guidelines for the management of acute and long-term suicide risk to be directed at both patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorders, say Danielle Novick and colleagues, from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA.
These findings highlight the need for treatment guidelines for the management of acute and long-term suicide risk to be directed at both patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorders, say Danielle Novick and colleagues, from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA.
01/29/2010
Employer-provided group health plans must offer the same level of coverage for mental illness and drug abuse treatment as other ailments, according to new federal law announced on Friday.
01/31/2010
Nina White entered the Arizona foster-care system at age 12.
She bounced from group homes to foster homes to detention centers for six years.
She bounced from group homes to foster homes to detention centers for six years.
02/01/2010
“Ever since my truck was hit with that IED, I’m getting along better with people and my views about things have changed. I actually seem happier. I thought things like this were supposed to mess you up. Am I crazy?”
Those words came from a service member with whom I worked during my first tour in Iraq. My response to him: “No, you are not crazy.”
Those words came from a service member with whom I worked during my first tour in Iraq. My response to him: “No, you are not crazy.”
01/30/2010
Fears about losing status at work and about confidentiality are among the main reasons that many American workers are more hesitant to seek treatment for mental health issues than for physical health problems, according to a national survey released this week by the American Psychiatric Association.
01/29/2010
The Obama administration issued new rules on Friday that promise to improve insurance coverage of mental health care for more than 140 million people insured through their jobs.
01/31/2010
They came after the Oklahoma City bombing, and flooded Sri Lanka in the wake of the South Asian tsunami. They came in droves to New York after 9/11. And according to Richard Mollica, a professor at Harvard who’s spent his life researching mental health responses to natural and man-made disasters, mental health professionals will soon come to Haiti as well.
01/29/2010
The invisible wounds of war are not new to our Warriors, Veterans and their loved ones. For many, "coming home" is not the end of war--far from it. Leaving the battlefield far behind, the war often continues--in hearts and minds, relationships and communities following deployment.
01/31/2010
By the end of January, many New Year's resolutions have been tossed out with leftover holiday cookies and unwanted gifts. It's been nearly impossible to deny that slice of cake after dinner, or to hit the treadmill instead of surfing the Internet.
Similarities in brain scans of clinically obese and cocaine addicts. Change, especially changing bad habits, is hard -- and rightly so, as any neuroscientist will tell you.
Similarities in brain scans of clinically obese and cocaine addicts. Change, especially changing bad habits, is hard -- and rightly so, as any neuroscientist will tell you.
02/01/2010
If you had a broken leg how would you tell someone? Would it be "I am broken leg" or "I have a broken leg"? Unless you are a caveman it would likely be the latter. We recognize that a broken leg is not a representation of who we are. It just happens to be a broken leg. We don't label ourselves as being defined by our orthopedic status, right?
02/01/2010
Foster children who are placed in stable, loving homes show noticeable improvement in symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity compared to children who get moved around a lot and live with parents who are often annoyed or angry at them, research finds.
02/01/2010
Stress from the economic downturn, trouble coping with the transition to college and general depression and anxiety appear to be hitting college students at rates never seen before on campuses across the country.
College counseling centers are also seeing many more students with complex mental-health diseases, such as clinical depression and bipolar disorder, center directors say.
College counseling centers are also seeing many more students with complex mental-health diseases, such as clinical depression and bipolar disorder, center directors say.
02/01/2010
In his book, American Mania, Dr. Peter Whybrow discussed the prevalence of mental illness in the U.S., but he pointed out this may be a uniquely manic moment in the history of the planet. That is because our biology is at war with our culture. As homo sapiens, we are not programmed to eat junk food 24/7, to be surfeited by video games, Blackberries, cell phones and artificial light, and to fly through time zones in a fraction of the time it used to take us to sail by boat.
02/02/2010
People living with mental illness face this question all the time. “Should I tell my employer about my illness?” Supposedly the Americans With Disabililty Act provides some protection, but…..I think it boils down to a personal decision.
02/02/2010
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University a $2.3 million grant to study the prevention and treatment of two major public health disorders among U.S. adolescents – overweight/obesity and mental health. Dean Bernadette Melnyk is principal investigator.
02/03/2010
Individuals at high risk for psychosis are significantly more likely to be physically inactive than individuals of a similar age who do not develop psychosis, show study findings.
“Low level of physical activity in people with serious mental illness is not necessarily the consequence of the illness itself, but may reflect the general lifestyle of individuals at risk for psychosis,” say Jenni Koivukangas (University of Oulu, Finland) and co-authors.
“Low level of physical activity in people with serious mental illness is not necessarily the consequence of the illness itself, but may reflect the general lifestyle of individuals at risk for psychosis,” say Jenni Koivukangas (University of Oulu, Finland) and co-authors.
02/02/2010
Sadly, statistics indicate that individuals being treated for Schizophrenia have more encounters with the criminal justice system than the general population.
However involvement with the law did not result from schizophrenic perpetration, rather individuals were victims of crime.
However involvement with the law did not result from schizophrenic perpetration, rather individuals were victims of crime.
02/03/2010
A massive new federal study documents an unprecedented and dramatic decrease in incidents of serious child abuse, especially sexual abuse. Experts hailed the findings as proof that crackdowns and public awareness campaigns had made headway.
02/03/2010
Reaching disadvantaged adults who need mental health care is challenging, partly because of mistrust of institutions, cultural insensitivity, and stigma. Researchers from Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and leaders of 11 non-mental health community organizations formed a partnership to improve depression care, especially for elders and individuals from difficult-to-reach racial and ethnic minority groups. The overarching goal is to reduce disparities by providing and improving care. This column describes challenges overcome in working with a heterogeneous group of agencies to address issues of mental illness, stigma, inadequate staff training, and privacy—challenges that influenced the direction of research and ensuing projects.
02/03/2010
Shoshana Johnson survived gunshot wounds to both legs and 22 days as a prisoner of war in Iraq. Life wasn't so easy when she came home, either.
In a new book out this week, the 37-year-old single mother describes mental health problems related to her captivity and playing second fiddle in the media to fellow POW Jessica Lynch.
"It was kind of hurtful," the former Army cook said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "If I'd been a petite, cutesy thing, it would've been different."
In a new book out this week, the 37-year-old single mother describes mental health problems related to her captivity and playing second fiddle in the media to fellow POW Jessica Lynch.
"It was kind of hurtful," the former Army cook said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "If I'd been a petite, cutesy thing, it would've been different."
02/03/2010
You are watching the nightly news. Like most nights the video clips of unflattering shots of overweight and obese individuals come on, and the news anchor tells us the dangers of excess weight on life expectancy, heart disease, and a plethora of other frightening physical ailments. Then during the commercial break you are bombarded with information on the next great diet or get-thin-quick scheme. During this time no one speaks to the mental or emotional impact of living in our society as an overweight or obese individual.
02/04/2010
In a report documenting personal stories from those most affected, people who have experienced prison are adding their voices to the growing number of experts calling for needle and syringe programs in Canada's prisons.
Often visceral reading (see quotes further below), the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network's newest publication, Under the Skin, draws on affidavits and testimonies from people across Canada with experience using drugs or sharing needles inside a federal prison, and puts a human face to the following harsh statistics, long known to prison system administrators:
Often visceral reading (see quotes further below), the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network's newest publication, Under the Skin, draws on affidavits and testimonies from people across Canada with experience using drugs or sharing needles inside a federal prison, and puts a human face to the following harsh statistics, long known to prison system administrators:
02/04/2010
Omeros Corporation today announced that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is providing support for the Company's Addiction program. NIDA will fund substantially all of the costs of a Phase 2 clinical study to be conducted by New York State Psychiatric Institute researchers. In its Addiction program, Omeros is developing proprietary compositions that include peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) agonists for the prevention and treatment of addiction to substances of abuse, such as opioids, nicotine, and alcohol, as well as other compulsive behaviors, including eating disorders. The Company's data from earlier European pilot clinical studies and animal models of addiction have demonstrated a previously unknown link between PPAR-gamma and addiction disorders.
02/04/2010
People who spend a lot of time browsing the Internet are more likely to show depressive symptoms, according to the first large-scale study of its kind in the West by University of Leeds psychologists.
02/04/2010
For many people whose depression goes untreated, symptoms persist and worsen over time, eventually leading to a diagnosis of major depression, according to new research.
02/05/2010
Exposure to ecstasy or cocaine during adolescence increases the "reinforcing effects" that make people vulnerable to developing an addiction. This is the main conclusion of a research team from the University of Valencia (UV), which has shown for the first time how these changes persist into adulthood.
02/05/2010
A new study of young children in orphanages in Bucharest, Romania, has found that children placed in foster care before age 2 were more apt to develop secure attachments to their foster parents than those who entered foster care after age 2.
02/05/2010
Children who are especially reactive to stress are more vulnerable to adversity and have more behavior and health problems than their peers. But a new longitudinal study suggests that highly reactive children are also more likely to do well when they're raised in supportive environments.
02/05/2010
A new large-scale study discovers a link between spending a lot of time browsing the Internet and depressive symptoms.
02/05/2010
A new study demonstrates that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for depression during pregnancy.
“Depression during pregnancy is an issue of concern because it has negative effects on both the mother and the baby as well as the rest of the family,” said Dr. Schnyer, one of the study’s authors.
“Depression during pregnancy is an issue of concern because it has negative effects on both the mother and the baby as well as the rest of the family,” said Dr. Schnyer, one of the study’s authors.
02/05/2010
Emory University graduate student Meredith Philyaw plans to put up a clothesline in the middle of campus.
02/05/2010
Nearly one-in-seven Arizonans needed emergency food help last year, according to a new study. The report, from Feeding America, a nationwide alliance of 200 food banks, reports an 85-percent increase in emergency food assistance in the state since 2006; nearly double the national average.
Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America, says many people are coming to food banks for the first time.
Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America, says many people are coming to food banks for the first time.
02/07/2010
Although children can be depressed for many reasons, new evidence suggests that there are physiological differences among depressed children based on their experiences of abuse before age 5. Early abuse may be especially damaging due to the very young age at which it occurs.
02/06/2010
Mental health professionals have long-known that gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) teens face significantly elevated risks of mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. However, a group of McGill University researchers in Montreal has now come to the conclusion that self-identity is the crucial risk-factor, rather than actual sexual behaviours
02/06/2010
The amount of time children spend in institutional care may affect how their brains develop.
02/06/2010
Children from urban areas whose mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy are more likely than others to show antisocial behavior, including violent behavior, later in life. Furthermore, women who are aggressive and disruptive in their own teen years are more likely to become depressed in pregnancy, so that the moms' history predicts their own children's antisocial behavior.
02/08/2010
In our August edition, we
shared with you some background
on the Theory of
Change Logic Model and
how we are utilizing it to
push for positive change
and growth in our children’s
system.
shared with you some background
on the Theory of
Change Logic Model and
how we are utilizing it to
push for positive change
and growth in our children’s
system.
02/08/2010
The battered bodies may be mending, but the minds still struggle.
As many as one in five Haiti earthquake victims have suffered trauma so great with the multiple shock of lost homes, jobs and loved ones that they won't be able to cope without professional help, doctors say.
As many as one in five Haiti earthquake victims have suffered trauma so great with the multiple shock of lost homes, jobs and loved ones that they won't be able to cope without professional help, doctors say.
02/08/2010
They served their country - and ended up on the streets.
It's the reality for thousands of former servicemen and -women in Arizona, where the population of homeless veterans has held steady for the past five years even as it decreased by more than 30 percent nationally.
It's the reality for thousands of former servicemen and -women in Arizona, where the population of homeless veterans has held steady for the past five years even as it decreased by more than 30 percent nationally.
02/08/2010
Depression is the poster child of mental health. It is everywhere: we all have a relative or friend or co-worker that suffers from depression. It is understandable: like a blue day -- but 50 times worse and it won't go away. Celebrities, authors, and athletes tell us tales of their depression. It is historical: melancholia dates back to Hippocrates. It is universal: no race, ethnicity, or country is spared; it strikes along the age spectrum from youth to old age. And it is treatable.
02/09/2010
A plan that calls for combining mental health care clinics and primary care clinics to reduce the stigma of seeking help for psychological problems has been approved by U.S. European Command’s top leaders.
Provisions in the U.S. European Command Bill of Rights for Behavioral Health Care include allowing people to adjust work schedules to seek behavioral health services, to receive mental health screenings and treatment without automatically affecting a security clearance and to have some degree of confidentiality.
Provisions in the U.S. European Command Bill of Rights for Behavioral Health Care include allowing people to adjust work schedules to seek behavioral health services, to receive mental health screenings and treatment without automatically affecting a security clearance and to have some degree of confidentiality.
02/09/2010
They came after the Oklahoma City bombing, and flooded Sri Lanka in the wake of the South Asian tsunami. They came in droves to New York after 9/11. And according to Richard Mollica, a professor at Harvard who’s spent his life researching mental health responses to natural and man-made disasters, mental health professionals will soon come to Haiti as well.
02/09/2010
People with anxiety and depression are most likely to use a shade of gray to represent their mental state. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medical Research Methodology describe the development of a color chart, The Manchester Color Wheel, which can be used to study people's preferred pigment in relation to their state of mind.
02/09/2010
A study presented at the annual meeting of the the American Academy of Neurology suggests a Mediterranean diet may help people avoid common mental problems associated with aging.
02/09/2010
The next section of the mental health treatment plan I like to use is number three–the Therapist’s Objectives—in a nutshell, your therapist’s “to do” list. These objectives are the actual courses of action that your therapist will take to help you reach your goals. They may be very specific, and describe the methods and techniques (also known as interventions), that your therapist will be using. Or, they may be more general.
02/10/2010
Asperger's syndrome is really just a form of autism and does not merit a separate diagnosis, according to a panel of researchers assembled by the American Psychiatric Association.
02/10/2010
Since the mid-1990s, the number of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder has increased a staggering 4,000 percent. And that number has caused a lot of controversy in the world of child psychiatry.
02/10/2010
Don't say "mental retardation" - the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome - call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut.
02/10/2010
The Army needs to double its staff of substance-abuse counselors to handle the soaring numbers of soldiers seeking alcohol treatment, said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's No. 2 officer.
About 300 more counselors are needed to meet the demand, reduce wait times and offer evening and weekend services, said Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, in an interview with USA Today.
About 300 more counselors are needed to meet the demand, reduce wait times and offer evening and weekend services, said Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, in an interview with USA Today.
02/10/2010
Don't say "mental retardation" - the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome - call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut.
02/10/2010
The report, commissioned by drug maker Sanofi Aventis, suggests that employers would benefit from better treatments of their workers for depression. Depression is the leading cause of disability among Americans aged 15 to 44, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
02/10/2010
The American Psychiatric Association is releasing a new draft of its book of mental disorders Wednesday. Often described as the bible of psychiatry, this new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders proposes some significant changes to classification of bipolar disorder, Asperger's syndrome, "cutting" — and binge eating.
02/10/2010
Cutting has been around for centuries and is best understood as a form of self-help, however misguided. People who cut, or intentionally injure their skin, often say it helps them relieve tension.
Up until now, cutting has been categorized as a symptom of borderline personality disorder — an illness marked by unstable moods, impulsive actions and chaotic relationships. The problem is, the majority of those who cut don't have borderline personality disorder. And under the current diagnostic guidelines, sometimes a doctor who first sees the patient, say in the ER, might confuse cutting with a suicide attempt.
Up until now, cutting has been categorized as a symptom of borderline personality disorder — an illness marked by unstable moods, impulsive actions and chaotic relationships. The problem is, the majority of those who cut don't have borderline personality disorder. And under the current diagnostic guidelines, sometimes a doctor who first sees the patient, say in the ER, might confuse cutting with a suicide attempt.
02/11/2010
A new study suggests that despite an expanded treatment focus by the Department of Veterans Affairs, fewer than 30 percent of veterans receive adequate care for PTSD.
Treatment limitations pertain to therapy that does not extend or continue for the recommended treatment duration.
Treatment limitations pertain to therapy that does not extend or continue for the recommended treatment duration.
02/11/2010
A new study confirms that people with generalized anxiety disorder have brain abnormalities that suppress the unconscious control of emotions.
02/11/2010
Statistics on the unemployed have been dominating the news for months.
And while the current portrait of the jobless might seem dire, consider this: According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 20 percent of the disabled population in the country has work.
And while the current portrait of the jobless might seem dire, consider this: According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 20 percent of the disabled population in the country has work.
02/11/2010
Several local Vietnam War and Korean War veterans who experienced trouble getting their disability claims for post-traumatic stress disorder and other health issues approved said they feel let down by the Veterans Benefits Administration.
02/12/2010
A new study discovers cognitive-behavioral therapy can significantly improve sleep for patients with chronic neck or back pain.
Benefits of CBT also extend to relieving pain so that individuals can perform more normal activities on a daily basis.
Benefits of CBT also extend to relieving pain so that individuals can perform more normal activities on a daily basis.
02/12/2010
Thanks to the stresses of modern life, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) threatens to overload health care and social support systems worldwide.
Sadly, experts acknowledge that treatment interventions are insufficient. Current treatment philosophy involves long-term intervention that often cannot be delivered because of logistics or costs.
Sadly, experts acknowledge that treatment interventions are insufficient. Current treatment philosophy involves long-term intervention that often cannot be delivered because of logistics or costs.
02/12/2010
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Kristie Rutzel was in high school when she began adhering precisely to the government food pyramids. As the Virginia native learned more about healthy eating, she stopped ingesting anything processed, then restricted herself to whole foods and eventually to 100% organic. By college, the 5-ft. 4-in. communications major was on a strict raw-foods diet, eating little else besides uncooked broccoli and cauliflower and tipping the scales at just 68 lb. Rutzel, now 27, has a name for her eating disorder: orthorexia, a controversial diagnosis characterized by an obsession with avoiding foods perceived to be unhealthy.
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Kristie Rutzel was in high school when she began adhering precisely to the government food pyramids. As the Virginia native learned more about healthy eating, she stopped ingesting anything processed, then restricted herself to whole foods and eventually to 100% organic. By college, the 5-ft. 4-in. communications major was on a strict raw-foods diet, eating little else besides uncooked broccoli and cauliflower and tipping the scales at just 68 lb. Rutzel, now 27, has a name for her eating disorder: orthorexia, a controversial diagnosis characterized by an obsession with avoiding foods perceived to be unhealthy.
02/12/2010
Trends In Health Care Spending For Immigrants In The United States –
This paper examines the spending for health care of adult naturalized citizens and immigrant noncitizens (including some undocumented immigrants) compared to U.S. natives, as documented in data from the 1999–2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS): "inflation and age-adjusted health care expenditures among noncitizen immigrants were consistently … lower than those of naturalized citizens and U.S. natives during 1999–2006." However, "noncitizen immigrants were more likely than U.S. natives to have a health care visit classified as uncompensated care," the authors note (Stimpson, Wilson and Eschbach, 2/11).
This paper examines the spending for health care of adult naturalized citizens and immigrant noncitizens (including some undocumented immigrants) compared to U.S. natives, as documented in data from the 1999–2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS): "inflation and age-adjusted health care expenditures among noncitizen immigrants were consistently … lower than those of naturalized citizens and U.S. natives during 1999–2006." However, "noncitizen immigrants were more likely than U.S. natives to have a health care visit classified as uncompensated care," the authors note (Stimpson, Wilson and Eschbach, 2/11).
02/12/2010
Postpartum depression is a mental illness that affects women after pregnancy.
The National Women's Health Information Center offers this list of risk factors for postpartum depression:
The National Women's Health Information Center offers this list of risk factors for postpartum depression:
02/15/2010
“The one thing you can never ask yourself is ‘why’, because with suicide there is never an answer.” Though my 83 year-old grandmother’s advice rings true, the question haunts me nonetheless: why did my cousin Kevin, a 26-year old Marine Lance Corporal, take his own life after returning from his second tour in Iraq?
02/16/2010
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly improved sleep for patients with chronic neck or back pain and also reduced the extent to which pain interfered with their daily functioning, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers.
02/17/2010
Retired psychologist Violet Franks recalls being about 6 years old when she realized her mother was mentally ill. To the little girl, she seemed to have two personalities.
02/16/2010
Young, male and rural most likely to face obstacles, research shows. Young, male and rural most likely to face obstacles, research shows
02/16/2010
Forgotten Children -- Right Next Door?
One in four children in the United States are exposed to alcoholism or drug addiction in the family. This means that in your apartment building, your neighbor hood or among your children's friends, one in four might be hiding their embarrassment, confusion, hurt or shame about what's going on at home.
One in four children in the United States are exposed to alcoholism or drug addiction in the family. This means that in your apartment building, your neighbor hood or among your children's friends, one in four might be hiding their embarrassment, confusion, hurt or shame about what's going on at home.
02/16/2010
Behavioral healthcare organizations who are leading the way with innovative approaches to management and process improvement have an opportunity to be recognized as leading innovators with the first ever iAward.
Sponsored by Washington, DC-based State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) and NIATx, based at the University of Wisconsin, the 2010 Innovation in Behavioral Healthcare Services Awards highlights innovations in process improvement practices that position an organization to meet the challenges of future service delivery.
Sponsored by Washington, DC-based State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) and NIATx, based at the University of Wisconsin, the 2010 Innovation in Behavioral Healthcare Services Awards highlights innovations in process improvement practices that position an organization to meet the challenges of future service delivery.
02/16/2010
Alexander McQueen, award-winning British fashion designer and favorite of celebrities like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Bjork, was found dead of a completed suicide in his London home last Thursday, just a few days before London Fashion Week.
02/17/2010
Coconino County is ranked fifth in “health outcomes” out of 15 Arizona counties and third healthiest in “health factors,” according to a new report released today by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The “County Health Rankings” is the first report to rank the overall health of the counties in all 50 states — more than 3,000 total — by using a standard formula to measure how healthy people are and how long they live. Researchers used five measures to assess the level of overall health or “health outcomes” for Arizona by county: the rate of people dying before age 75, the percent of people who report being in fair or poor health, the numbers of days people report being in poor physical or poor mental health, and the rate of low-birthweight infants
02/17/2010
A University of Pennsylvania-led study in which training was provided to a high-stress U.S. military group preparing for deployment to Iraq has demonstrated a positive link between mindfulness training, or MT, and improvements in mood and working memory. Mindfulness is the ability to be aware and attentive of the present moment without emotional reactivity or volatility.
02/17/2010
Connection is created, navigated, broken, and repaired almost daily from the moment we are born. At the heart of being alive lies the vitality of being connected to others -- feeling that what we do matters. What's more is that we rely on being deeply understood by those around us in order to thrive. But how do we learn about healthy connection? What does it look like to build strong ties with others? Where do we learn about relating with people and the world more broadly? If connecting is so central to happiness, why does it seem so challenging to create deep bonds that last?
02/19/2010
It takes more than a vacation to make people happy. Indeed, vacationers tend to be happier than non-vacationers in the lead up to their break, but once they are back, there is very little difference between the two groups' levels of happiness.
02/19/2010
In an effort to raise awareness during Children of Alcoholics Week, NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo today recognized the unique struggles of children of alcohol-dependent parents and urged them to share their stories of perseverance and victory as a message of hope for the families of the 2.5 million New Yorkers still struggling with drug, alcohol, or gambling addiction.
02/19/2010
A new approach by a University of Missouri researcher helps victims of family violence by encouraging survivors to tell their story of how they overcame adversity.
02/19/2010
A new study discovers more than half of low-income urban mothers meet the criteria for a diagnosis of depression at some point between two weeks and 14 months after giving birth.
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers determined the prevalence of depression via a diagnostic interview performed when the low-income urban mothers were attending well-child care visits.
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers determined the prevalence of depression via a diagnostic interview performed when the low-income urban mothers were attending well-child care visits.
02/13/2010
The attempt to catalog all the ways that Americans can go crazy dates at least to 1840, when the Census included a question on "idiocy/insanity." From those two simple categories, we now have more than 300 separate disorders; they are listed in a 943-page book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM for short. The book is important because doctors, insurers and researchers all over the world use it as a reference, a dictionary of everything humanity considers to be mentally unbalanced.
02/19/2010
The first sign may be that your bright child is having trouble reading, or organizing school assignments, or concentrating on homework. Your child may be frustrated with school, and you may find yourself frustrated with what looks like a lack of effort. And a teacher may also notice that something is amiss.
02/19/2010
As Arizona's under-funded child-care assistance program passes its one-year anniversary this week, it faces yet another challenge - the possibility it could loose federal matching dollars. In response to state budget cuts, the Department of Economic Security's child-care assistance program has had to refuse its 10,000th request for assistance from an Arizona family. Those rejected families have been placed on a growing waiting list and, with each rejection, the likelihood increases that federal matching funds will be taken away from the program, according to its managers. The program provides an average subsidy of $350 a month for about 35,000 children whose parents work. That number is 14,000 fewer than when the program began due to cuts in state funding.
02/20/2010
If only Olympic competitors' fears really could be quelled by reading "Overcoming Anxiety for Dummies."
In a playful jab to the sports psychologists who mentally massage athletes at these Olympic Games, popular American comedian Stephen Colbert pointedly perused the book in his honorary advisory role of to the U.S. speedskating team.
In a playful jab to the sports psychologists who mentally massage athletes at these Olympic Games, popular American comedian Stephen Colbert pointedly perused the book in his honorary advisory role of to the U.S. speedskating team.
02/20/2010
Watch the news or read the newspaper, and it's easy to conclude that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) -- akaa Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) -- is nothing more than a conspiracy to stop children from being the rambunctious and normal little people that they naturally are. In this dystopian narrative, anyone who doesn't "color within the lines" is immediately medicated so that they can hover like quiet, meek sheep during their school day. And while this almost certainly does happen to some kids, it's the exception not the rule. In reality, there's very little dispute that medication helps kids master tasks -- like performing better in school -- that are critical for success and happiness in later life.
02/22/2010
In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of red wine. A crisp copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night like clockwork, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana.
02/20/2010
Homeless families now have a roof over their heads in Flagstaff beginning this evening.
Called the Interfaith Flagstaff Lodging Assistance Group, several churches and service agencies have banded together to offer church buildings to serve as overnight shelters this winter.
"Our main goal is families and we'll have at least two volunteers each night with them to see to their needs," said Father Pat Mowrer of the San Francisco de Asis Parish.
Called the Interfaith Flagstaff Lodging Assistance Group, several churches and service agencies have banded together to offer church buildings to serve as overnight shelters this winter.
"Our main goal is families and we'll have at least two volunteers each night with them to see to their needs," said Father Pat Mowrer of the San Francisco de Asis Parish.
02/22/2010
After Army Sgt. Edison Bayas' car finally came to a rest on its roof, his jumbled, drunken thoughts immediately turned to the men he left in Iraq, as if he was still on the battlefield.
But he wasn't in Iraq. He was in an El Paso intersection with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit, his 19-year-old victim nearly decapitated in her car a few feet away.
But he wasn't in Iraq. He was in an El Paso intersection with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit, his 19-year-old victim nearly decapitated in her car a few feet away.
02/23/2010
Millions of American kids are seriously overweight. The reason isn't just what they're eating -- it's what's eating them. Childhood obesity is a symptom of deeper problems with American families.
02/23/2010
How American ideas of mental illness and treatment may be spreading more mental health problems around the world.
This story is adapted from a broadcast audio segment; use audio player to listen to story in its entirety. (audio)
This story is adapted from a broadcast audio segment; use audio player to listen to story in its entirety. (audio)
02/23/2010
More than 230,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, but many report that when they return from war, they face another battle at home: getting the care and respect they need at VA hospitals.
02/23/2010
Trafficked, raped and alone, one former foster youth stands for thousands.
The story of 19-year-old Suahmirs Rivera is one of extended powerlessness turned diamond-hard inner strength. A strength he is now using to defend 1,400 former foster youth who like himself fear being cast into the street because of one of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts.
The story of 19-year-old Suahmirs Rivera is one of extended powerlessness turned diamond-hard inner strength. A strength he is now using to defend 1,400 former foster youth who like himself fear being cast into the street because of one of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts.
02/23/2010
Australian researchers believe they have discovered new information on how antidepressants stimulate the brain to improve a person’s mood.
02/23/2010
The boundary between religious belief and the practice of psychiatry is becoming increasingly porous," say the editors in the Preface to Religion and Psychiatry: Beyond Boundaries. "No longer can psychiatrists in a multi-faith, multi-cultural globalized world hide behind the dismissal of religious belief as pathological, or behind a biomedical scientism, as they are more frequently confronted by distressed patients for whom religious belief may determine their choice of symptoms and their compliance with treatment."
02/19/2010
Have you been watching "Hoarders" on A&E? If you're unfamiliar, each episode documents the lives of two of the estimated three million Americans who are so compulsive about accumulating crap of all kinds that they've lost the ability to function normally.
02/11/2010
People with Asperger's syndrome would be included in the same diagnostic group as people with autism and pervasive developmental disorders, according to new guidelines under consideration by the American Psychiatric Association.
02/23/2010
Since the release of How to Eat Like a Hot Chick two years ago, we've received tons of emails from readers asking for our advice about how to begin a healthier relationship with food. These questions have come from women who have tried every fad diet and failed, women who recognize that they are a little "weird" about food, women with full blown eating disorders, and all sorts of women in between. Since this is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we decided to take the opportunity to share our thoughts on this painful and controversial subject that has made an impact on too many of our lives.
02/24/2010
A new study related to the long-term effects of obesity finds that higher body mass index (BMI) scores during mid-life appears to be associated with cognitive changes.
The study is one of 10 articles that document how adverse affects of being overweight are not limited to physical function but also extend to neurological function.
The study is one of 10 articles that document how adverse affects of being overweight are not limited to physical function but also extend to neurological function.
02/24/2010
Abuse of prescription drugs is growing rapidly around the world, with more people abusing legal narcotics than heroin, cocaine and ecstasy combined, the United Nations global drugs watchdog said on Wednesday.
02/24/2010
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) Officials, the Ad Council and the Stay Strong Foundation will unveil a national public service campaign designed to raise awareness of mental health problems among young adults in the African American community. The event is part of Black History Month and it is being held to coincide with the first annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCU ) National Mental Health Awareness Day. The launch will be telecast to colleges and universities nationwide.
02/24/2010
Research suggests that religious belief can help protect against symptoms of depression, but a study at Rush University Medical Center goes one step further.
02/24/2010
University students whose parents have recently divorced are unscathed by the experience, an English study finds.
University of Warwick researchers assessed the productivity and happiness of 270 students, and found little difference between students of recently divorced parents and other students. In fact, some male students actually had higher productivity following their parents' divorce.
University of Warwick researchers assessed the productivity and happiness of 270 students, and found little difference between students of recently divorced parents and other students. In fact, some male students actually had higher productivity following their parents' divorce.
02/24/2010
Q: How do the earliest moments between infant and caregiver impact future relationships?
A: Healthy development and attachment security flourish when resonant, competent, attuned, loving, and consistent parental behaviors mark the initial months of a baby's life. Babies bask in a comforting balance between connection and exploration as a direct result of environmental safety and trustworthy role modeling. Sensing that the world is a safe place reinforces self-confidence, trust in others, and a feeling that love and growth are generative....
A: Healthy development and attachment security flourish when resonant, competent, attuned, loving, and consistent parental behaviors mark the initial months of a baby's life. Babies bask in a comforting balance between connection and exploration as a direct result of environmental safety and trustworthy role modeling. Sensing that the world is a safe place reinforces self-confidence, trust in others, and a feeling that love and growth are generative....
02/25/2010
The patient was already on the operating room table when the other transplant surgeons and I arrived to begin the surgery that would remove his liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs and heart. He was tall, with legs that extended to the very end of the table, a chest barely wider than his 16-year-old hips, and a chin covered with pimples and peach fuzz.
02/25/2010
Indiana University scientists have discovered guilt- or shame-based anti-drinking advertising campaigns actually can cause an unintended effect: They can cause people to drink more rather than less.
02/25/2010
A genetic link between schizophrenia and autism is enabling researchers to study the effectiveness of drugs used to treat both illnesses.
02/25/2010
Current Medicare beneficiaries are restricted to 190 days of inpatient psychiatric hospital care throughout their lifetimes, directly limiting the care they are eligible to receive. This arbitrary cap on benefits discriminates against the mentally ill as there is no such lifetime limit for any other Medicare specialty inpatient hospital service. The Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act will eliminate this limit and equalize Medicare mental health coverage with private health insurance coverage.
02/25/2010
A study in the March edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry senior-authored by Jerome C. Wakefield, a professor at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University with Mark Schmitz of Temple University and Judith Baer of Rutgers University, empirically challenges the effectiveness of psychiatrists' official diagnostic manual in preventing mistaken, false-positive diagnoses of depression.
02/26/2010
Soldiers drink alcohol.
They have for thousands of years -- to celebrate, to forget, to fortify themselves for the next day's battle. In the Iliad, Homer recounted feasts and games flowing with wine and spirits. Indeed, for most young people, whether in or out of uniform, alcohol is a drug of choice. So it should be no surprise that some men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past eight years come home and use alcohol, marijuana, and any other drug that they can get their hands on. What is surprising is what we do about it.
They have for thousands of years -- to celebrate, to forget, to fortify themselves for the next day's battle. In the Iliad, Homer recounted feasts and games flowing with wine and spirits. Indeed, for most young people, whether in or out of uniform, alcohol is a drug of choice. So it should be no surprise that some men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past eight years come home and use alcohol, marijuana, and any other drug that they can get their hands on. What is surprising is what we do about it.
02/26/2010
I was terribly confused about the meaning of 'compassion' when I came to Al-Anon. I thought it meant making excuses for the alcoholic or covering bad checks. Al-Anon helped me to find another word for this behavior: 'enabling.' I learned that when I cleaned up the consequences of alcoholic behavior, I enabled the alcoholic to continue drinking comfortably and acting out without having to pay the price. A more compassionate way to respond to those I love might be to allow them to face the consequences of their actions, even when it will cause them pain.
02/25/2010
Does this sound like anyone you know? Darryl is 35, has a steady job, a stable home and good marriage, enjoys a few beers in front of the TV most nights -- doesn't have what most people would call a drink problem.
02/25/2010
The Victorians had many names for depression, and Charles Darwin used them all. There were his “fits” brought on by “excitements,” “flurries” leading to an “uncomfortable palpitation of the heart” and “air fatigues” that triggered his “head symptoms.” In one particularly pitiful letter, written to a specialist in “psychological medicine,” he confessed to “extreme spasmodic daily and nightly flatulence” and “hysterical crying” whenever Emma, his devoted wife, left him alone.
02/26/2010
Experts are studying why some individuals do not experience post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing or experiencing a traumatizing event, such as abuse, war, or natural disaster.
02/26/2010
Emerging research suggests technology may improve the symptoms of depression in older adults.
In a pilot study, researchers from the University of California-San Diego discovered a common form of depression in seniors could be reduced through the regular use of “exergames” — entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise.
In a pilot study, researchers from the University of California-San Diego discovered a common form of depression in seniors could be reduced through the regular use of “exergames” — entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise.
02/26/2010
Eating disorders now account for the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
Sharon R. Peterson, founding director of the EDN (Eating Disorder Network of Maryland), said that while anorexia and bulimia are the best known of a spectrum of eating disorders, binge eating disorder is the most commonly diagnosed. Most often, deaths related to anorexia are a result of suicide and complications of malnutrition associated with the disorder.
Those facts and more will be the focus of the 4th Annual Eating Disorder Awareness Event: From Shame to Recovery: Personal and Clinical Perspectives on Eating Disorders Across the Weight Continuum to be held 1:30 to 4 p.m., Sunday, March 7, in room 208 on the second floor of the University Union-Potomac Lounge, at Towson University. The event if free and open to the public.
Sharon R. Peterson, founding director of the EDN (Eating Disorder Network of Maryland), said that while anorexia and bulimia are the best known of a spectrum of eating disorders, binge eating disorder is the most commonly diagnosed. Most often, deaths related to anorexia are a result of suicide and complications of malnutrition associated with the disorder.
Those facts and more will be the focus of the 4th Annual Eating Disorder Awareness Event: From Shame to Recovery: Personal and Clinical Perspectives on Eating Disorders Across the Weight Continuum to be held 1:30 to 4 p.m., Sunday, March 7, in room 208 on the second floor of the University Union-Potomac Lounge, at Towson University. The event if free and open to the public.
03/01/2010
When adolescence hit Frances Jensen's sons, she often found herself wondering, like all parents of teenagers, "What were you thinking?"
"It's a resounding mantra of parents and teachers," says Jensen, who's a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital in Boston.
"It's a resounding mantra of parents and teachers," says Jensen, who's a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital in Boston.
02/28/2010
At Virginia Tech, where tailgating and raucous apartment complex parties are time-honored rituals, university officials are turning increasingly to Mom and Dad to curb problem underage drinking.
This semester, the school in Blacksburg, Va., began notifying parents when their under-21 students are found guilty of even minor alcohol violations such as getting caught with a beer in a dorm room.
This semester, the school in Blacksburg, Va., began notifying parents when their under-21 students are found guilty of even minor alcohol violations such as getting caught with a beer in a dorm room.
02/28/2010
The anxiety that often accompanies a chronic illness can chip away at quality of life and make patients less likely to follow their treatment plan. But regular exercise can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, a new University of Georgia study shows.
03/01/2010
Of the 2.3 million inmates crowding our nation's prisons and jails, 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics, according to Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population. Combined these two groups constitute 85 percent of the U.S. prison population.
03/01/2010
I’ve been blogging about personality disorders because I don’t believe we understand just how devastating they are.
Personality disorders cause unspeakable pain to sufferers and those who love them. They break up families, ruin lives, cause suicides, devastate finances, and put loved ones through years and decades of confusion and agony.
Personality disorders cause unspeakable pain to sufferers and those who love them. They break up families, ruin lives, cause suicides, devastate finances, and put loved ones through years and decades of confusion and agony.
03/01/2010
As chairman of the task force that created the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), which came out in 1994, I learned from painful experience how small changes in the definition of mental disorders can create huge, unintended consequences.
Our panel tried hard to be conservative and careful but inadvertently contributed to three false "epidemics" -- attention deficit disorder, autism and childhood bipolar disorder. Clearly, our net was cast too wide and captured many "patients" who might have been far better off never entering the mental health system.
Our panel tried hard to be conservative and careful but inadvertently contributed to three false "epidemics" -- attention deficit disorder, autism and childhood bipolar disorder. Clearly, our net was cast too wide and captured many "patients" who might have been far better off never entering the mental health system.
03/02/2010
Alcohol and marijuana use among teens is on the rise, ending a decade-long decline, a study being released Tuesday found.
"I'm a little worried that we may be seeing the leading edge of a trend here," said Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which was releasing the study.
"Historically, you do see the increase in recreational drugs before you see increases in some of the harder drugs."
"I'm a little worried that we may be seeing the leading edge of a trend here," said Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which was releasing the study.
"Historically, you do see the increase in recreational drugs before you see increases in some of the harder drugs."
03/01/2010
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wimmer charmed potential Army recruits with a movie star's smile, but somehow it never quite reached his eyes, even when he was cradling his newborn twin daughters.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he dreamed of his own dead body swinging from a rope, his feet dangling just above a chair.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he dreamed of his own dead body swinging from a rope, his feet dangling just above a chair.
03/02/2010
Schizophrenia patients who have a poor response to routine cognitive behavior therapy for psychosis (CBTp) may benefit from therapy targeting insight and self-monitoring skills, suggest researchers.
Despite the favorable effects of antipsychotics on positive symptoms of schizophrenia, many patients experience other distressing symptoms. Updated guidelines recommend that CBTp should be given in addition to pharmacotherapy to all individuals with psychosis who request it.
Despite the favorable effects of antipsychotics on positive symptoms of schizophrenia, many patients experience other distressing symptoms. Updated guidelines recommend that CBTp should be given in addition to pharmacotherapy to all individuals with psychosis who request it.
03/02/2010
February was a month plagued by celebrity suicide. Former "Growing Pains" actor 41-year-old Andrew Koenig, 40-year-old fashion designer Alexander McQueen and Michael Blosil the teenage son of singer Marie Osmond all took their lives within weeks of each other.
03/02/2010
The first day Kristine Wise returned from eight months military service in Iraq, she knew something was wrong. Driving from San Diego to Bakersfield to see her brother, the road signs triggered flashbacks.
03/02/2010
Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) has been selected as a "Top Tier" program by The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy. The Top Tier initiative, which is being followed closely by Congress, focuses on identifying and validating social programs meeting the highest standard of evidence of effectiveness. LST is a substance abuse and violence prevention program that has been extensively tested and proven to produce "sizeable and sustained effects" on teen tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. Research shows that the LST program can reduce substance use by as much as 80 percent and produce effects that last for up to 10 years.
03/02/2010
The fourth in a series of forums on behavioral health services in the Verde Valley-Sedona area will focus on NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and the services they provide in the Verde Valley and Sedona.
The series of forums, titled Communities in Recovery, is presented by six agencies, the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic, Mingus Center, Recovery Innovations Arizona, The National Alliance on Mental Illness-Sedona chapter, the Arizona Department of Economic Security's Rehabilitation Services Administration, and NAZCARE.
The series of forums, titled Communities in Recovery, is presented by six agencies, the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic, Mingus Center, Recovery Innovations Arizona, The National Alliance on Mental Illness-Sedona chapter, the Arizona Department of Economic Security's Rehabilitation Services Administration, and NAZCARE.
03/03/2010
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center hope they have begun paving a new pathway in the fight against drug dependence. Their hypothesis—that increasing the normally occurring process of making nerve cells might prevent addiction—is based on a rodent study demonstrating that blocking new growth of specific brain nerve cells increases vulnerability for cocaine addiction and relapse.
03/03/2010
ProCon.org announces its latest Web site http://dare.procon.org, which explores the core question: "Is the D.A.R.E. program good for America's kids (K-12)?" It uses sourced pro and con research from dozens of experts to give readers an unbiased perspective on the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.
03/03/2010
A new study suggests a new approach to pharmaceutical management of depression may be just on the horizon.
The emerging opinion has scientists interested in a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all of our brain activity. The study shows that compared to healthy individuals, people who have major depressive disorder have altered functions of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
The emerging opinion has scientists interested in a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all of our brain activity. The study shows that compared to healthy individuals, people who have major depressive disorder have altered functions of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
03/03/2010
A new study discovers institutional discrimination can influence the psychiatric health of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals.
Researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found an increase in psychiatric disorders among the LGB population living in states that instituted bans on same-sex marriage.
Researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found an increase in psychiatric disorders among the LGB population living in states that instituted bans on same-sex marriage.
Learning Keeps Brain Healthy: Mental Activity Could Stave Off Age-Related Cognitive and Memory Decli
03/03/2010
UC Irvine neurobiologists are providing the first visual evidence that learning promotes brain health -- and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind.
03/04/2010
There may be an association between alcoholism and a cluster of genes on chromosome 11, according to researchers who analyzed the genomes of nearly 1,900 white and black Americans.
Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to alcoholism. So far, researchers have identified several genes associated with the disorder.
Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to alcoholism. So far, researchers have identified several genes associated with the disorder.
03/04/2010
There's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an impact.
The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008.
The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008.
03/04/2010
Americans, always fascinated by celebrity suicides, have a number of recent excuses for sympathetic voyeurism. Andrew Koenig, 41-year-old son of actor Walter Koenig, hanged himself in a Vancouver park after leaving a despondent note. Days later, Michael Blosil, the 18-year-old son of singer Marie Osmond, jumped from his eighth-floor apartment after writing that his depression had left him feeling friendless.
03/04/2010
In a study published online today in the journal Addiction, researchers in the United States have discovered that accidental overdose deaths involving cocaine rise when the average weekly ambient temperature passes 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). Using mortality data from New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for 1990 through 2006, and temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, researchers found that accidental overdose deaths that were wholly or partly attributable to cocaine use rose significantly as the weekly ambient temperature passed 24 degrees Celsius. The number of cocaine-related overdose deaths continued to rise as temperatures continued to climb.
03/04/2010
Entertainment Tonight recently reported that TV and music star Marie Osmond’s 18-year-old son, Michael Blosil, committed suicide last Friday in Los Angeles. In his suicide note, he described a life-long battle with depression, the reason for his suicide.
03/04/2010
There's a common assumption about men who commit sexual assault on a college campus: That they made a one-time, bad decision. But psychologist David Lisak says this assumption is wrong —-and dangerously so.
Lisak started with a simple observation. Most of what we know about men who commit rape comes from studying the ones who are in prison. But most rapes are never reported or prosecuted. So Lisak, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, set out to find and interview men he calls "undetected rapists." Those are men who've committed sexual assault, but have never been charged or convicted.
Lisak started with a simple observation. Most of what we know about men who commit rape comes from studying the ones who are in prison. But most rapes are never reported or prosecuted. So Lisak, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, set out to find and interview men he calls "undetected rapists." Those are men who've committed sexual assault, but have never been charged or convicted.
03/04/2010
Inside this issue: Turtle Bay Café Grand Opening, Quarterly Health Initiative Update, Free Provider Webinar “The Diagnostic Manual: Intellectual Disabilities” Part III, First Tribal Health Forum a Success, Events & Happenings
03/05/2010
Foreclosed people are the people who lived in the now Foreclosed homes. There will be 23,600,000 Foreclosed people by the end of this year.
Approximately 1.9 million homes were foreclosed last year and an additional 3 million will be this year, totaling 4,9 million. If we estimate that each of these houses were homes housing four people, then we will have put 19.6 million Americans out on the street.
Approximately 1.9 million homes were foreclosed last year and an additional 3 million will be this year, totaling 4,9 million. If we estimate that each of these houses were homes housing four people, then we will have put 19.6 million Americans out on the street.
03/05/2010
Where do I begin to describe the power of community? In the eight years since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have waged, a community-based movement to ensure that this generation of warriors and their families receive the support they so deserve has resonated, changing the way we care for those who have served. Some of these groups have started from the ground up: a group of therapists wants to donate pro bono services; a mother, mourning the loss of her son Jacob sends care packages in his memory. In other cases, existing organizations, touched by the fallout of war, have developed programs specifically for Iraq and Afghanistan-era families. This movement has touched the lives of over two million deployed troops and their families, and in the face of a national economic crisis and an eight year war, has remained unwaveringly dedicated to providing and advocating for our military, veterans, families, and survivors.
03/05/2010
I have two very fine resources for you this week. One is for talking to your kids about drugs and alcohol, another helps learn about coping skills and the human brain. These are pretty interesting, so I hope you enjoy them.
03/05/2010
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipolar/2010/03/bipolar-disorder-qa-how-should-i-deal-with-high-doctor-turnover/
03/06/2010
Resilience as a property of a substance refers to its ability to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed. People can also be more or less resilient, and in this context resilience refers to a person's ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Most people think about a person's resilience as a capacity that, akin to intelligence or musical talent, does not vary substantially across contexts. This view is odd given that the resilience of substances can vary a great deal across contexts. For instance, water in a warm environment (i.e., when it is in a liquid state) is much more resilient than water in a frozen environment (i.e., when it is in the solid state of ice).
03/08/2010
Writer Jonah Lehrer caused quite a stir with his recent article in the New York Times Magazine, with the unfortunate title, “Depression’s Upside.” I have a detailed rejoinder to this misleading article posted on the Psychcentral website. The fault is not entirely Mr. Lehrer’s however; his sources included a psychiatrist and a psychologist, who have recently presented a strained and dubious argument claiming that major depression has certain “adaptive” advantages. Lehrer apparently spent little or no time talking to mood disorder specialists who see thousands of severely depressed patients each year.
03/05/2010
Small talk is part of everyday life, but it’s the substantial, meaningful conversations that may make you happy. That’s one possibility suggested in a new study examining how conversation connects to happiness.
03/02/2010
Teenage marijuana smokers are at higher risk for developing psychoses -- such as schizophrenia, hallucinations and delusions -- compared with those who don't smoke marijuana, a new study says.
03/08/2010
Simple motor actions, like moving marbles upward or downward between two cardboard boxes, may not seem meaningful. But a study published April 2010 in Cognition shows that motor actions can partly determine people's emotional memories.
03/08/2010
Adults who have both diabetes and major depression are more than twice as likely to develop dementia, compared to adults with diabetes only, according to a study published in the recent Journal of General Internal Medicine.
03/08/2010
Brown University researchers have identified a way to improve thought processes that goes well beyond the "power of positive thinking." The technique, they argue, may help to navigate around biased ways of thinking and ultimately lead to better planning and decision-making.
03/07/2010
The Flagstaff-based Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority recently won a national award for excellence in health information technology.
The award, which includes a $10,000 grant was awarded for the development and expansion of the NARBHAnet telemedicine program, according to information from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.
The award, which includes a $10,000 grant was awarded for the development and expansion of the NARBHAnet telemedicine program, according to information from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.
03/08/2010
When Scott Cookston came to the first Flagstaff Project Connect in January 2008, he needed a job.
He, his wife and son showed up at the one-day event designed to help the needy and the homeless because they had nowhere else to go. His wife's four-month hospital stay had put the family in a financial hole. They had been evicted from their home and were living in a motel.
He, his wife and son showed up at the one-day event designed to help the needy and the homeless because they had nowhere else to go. His wife's four-month hospital stay had put the family in a financial hole. They had been evicted from their home and were living in a motel.
03/09/2010
Researchers suggest that adults with bipolar spectrum disorder (BSD) often present with co-morbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
03/09/2010
Four years ago when I was diagnosed with depression and then bipolar disorder, the clouds parted and my life finally made sense. I did a timeline of my life with my therapist and bingo, there it was — my alcoholism, depression and mania had been singing in perfect harmony as I plowed through the chaos that I had called my life.
03/09/2010
Cyberbullying is on the rise: Children and teens are being bullied through the Internet in chat rooms, on social networking websites, via email and even through mobile phones.
New research has found that approximately one out of every two lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths are regular victims of this new form of bullying. It is thought that such cyberbullying causes psychological and emotional distress to victims — producing thoughts of suicide in some who are repeatedly victimized.
New research has found that approximately one out of every two lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths are regular victims of this new form of bullying. It is thought that such cyberbullying causes psychological and emotional distress to victims — producing thoughts of suicide in some who are repeatedly victimized.
03/08/2010
A good diet and regular exercise may help the mind function better, a new study suggests.
"It looks like exercise and diet improve the range of cognitive function," said Patrick Smith, an intern in clinical neuropsychology and a member of a Duke University team reporting the finding online in the March 8 issue of Hypertension. "It helps executive function, learning and psychomotor speed."
"It looks like exercise and diet improve the range of cognitive function," said Patrick Smith, an intern in clinical neuropsychology and a member of a Duke University team reporting the finding online in the March 8 issue of Hypertension. "It helps executive function, learning and psychomotor speed."
03/09/2010
The United States suffers high rates of herpes, particularly among women and African-Americans, health officials said.
More than 750 public health leaders convened in Atlanta Monday for the three-day National Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Conference featuring more than 300 studies.
More than 750 public health leaders convened in Atlanta Monday for the three-day National Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Conference featuring more than 300 studies.
03/09/2010
Here's a simple question: how do I get all the way to being an adult without knowing that I have ADHD? I've been asking myself that since being diagnosed three years at the tender age of 39. Some of the answer has to do with a popular misconception: people with ADHD don't do well in school. I believed that, so I never considered that undiagnosed ADHD might be the source of my professional problems.
03/09/2010
Every 17 minutes, someone dies by suicide in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is the 11th-leading cause of death for Americans, and while it often comes as a surprise to friends and loved ones, it is largely considered to be preventable if warning signs are heeded. "The tragedy of completed suicide is that most could have been prevented if family members knew what to look for," says Lisa Boesky, a psychologist and author of When to Worry: How to Tell if Your Teen Needs Help--And What to Do About It. "Research shows that most people who die by suicide have a mood disorder like depression or bipolar disorder, or [have] a substance abuse problem, or both," either diagnosed or undiagnosed, she says.
03/09/2010
Adults who have both diabetes and major depression are more than twice as likely to develop dementia, compared to adults with diabetes only, according to a study published in the recent Journal of General Internal Medicine.
03/09/2010
For the most part, people understand first aid: what to do if someone is choking, not breathing or having a similar health emergency.
However, few people know what to do if they encounter a person experiencing a mental-health emergency.
That has some people in the field of mental-health care concerned.
However, few people know what to do if they encounter a person experiencing a mental-health emergency.
That has some people in the field of mental-health care concerned.
03/09/2010
Nina Souders, M.D., a pediatrician at North Country HealthCare, has witnessed a rapid increase in overweight and obesity in children. According to Dr. Souders, "Until a few years ago I had never seen a case of high cholesterol in a child. Now I see these problems on a routine basis. Whereas I used to be able to focus my guidance during well child visits on tooth care, car seats and developmental milestones, I now spend the majority of my counseling time discouraging behaviors related to the development of obesity."
03/09/2010
It begins, as always, with a feeling of unease that I try desperately to hide from my kids. It's a vicious circle, depression. The more you feel it, the more you want to hide it, and the more you hide it, the worse it gets.
03/09/2010
How many have to die to discover drugs can't heal the pain?
What is so sad about depression is that people are looking for a cure -- where it can never be found. It's like looking for health in fast, fried, nutrition-less food.
What is so sad about depression is that people are looking for a cure -- where it can never be found. It's like looking for health in fast, fried, nutrition-less food.
03/10/2010
Beginning with the upcoming fifth edition, new versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) will be identified with Arabic rather than Roman numerals, marking a change in how future updates will be created, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
03/10/2010
Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) was honored last night by the American Psychological Association for his advocacy work and legislative accomplishments on mental health issues. The APA presented Kennedy with the 2010 Outstanding Leadership Award, given annually to a member of Congress who has prominently championed the goals of professional psychology.
03/10/2010
Arizona gets a two-year break from its court-mandated effort to improve services for the seriously mentally ill.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Karen O'Connor on Tuesday agreed to the temporary stay at the request of attorneys on both sides of the 30-year-old Arnold vs. Sarn lawsuit over the adequacy of services. The attorneys argued that it was the only way to protect the 1979 law that requires the state to provide comprehensive care such as treatment, housing and work programs to individuals labeled as "seriously mentally ill" during the state's budget crisis.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Karen O'Connor on Tuesday agreed to the temporary stay at the request of attorneys on both sides of the 30-year-old Arnold vs. Sarn lawsuit over the adequacy of services. The attorneys argued that it was the only way to protect the 1979 law that requires the state to provide comprehensive care such as treatment, housing and work programs to individuals labeled as "seriously mentally ill" during the state's budget crisis.
03/10/2010
Many clients come to me bubbling with excitement that their loved one is practicing a clean and sober lifestyle. They can't believe the change in attitude and disposition from what was once an angry, belligerent person to a caring, attentive and responsible family member. Ahh..."my loved one is back and I want to show them how proud I am of their efforts and commitment. I'm going to buy them this or give them that".
03/10/2010
Marilyn Matthews has no job, no health insurance, and until now, no chance of qualifying for Medicaid.
She's unquestionably poor — her last regular paycheck was more than three years ago — and would meet the income criteria for Medicaid. The rub is that Matthews, 51, is a healthy adult with no children.
She's unquestionably poor — her last regular paycheck was more than three years ago — and would meet the income criteria for Medicaid. The rub is that Matthews, 51, is a healthy adult with no children.
03/10/2010
President Obama is addicted to nicotine. Rush Limbaugh got hooked on OxyContin. Glenn Beck is a recovering alcoholic, as is Elton John, Eric Clapton, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams, Judy Collins, Mel Gibson, and many more. Tiger Woods is a sex addict - it's likely that Warren Beatty and Wilt Chamberlain were, too. William Bennett's gambling habit was all over the news. Oprah acknowledges she's a carbohydrate addict. Julia Cameron was hooked on alcohol and drugs, as were McKenzie Phillips and Carrie Fisher. The list of famous addicts grows ever-longer and we begin to wonder: Do the pressures of fame and fortune drive people to addictive substances and activities ... or is everyone an addict?
03/10/2010
Those with more severe depressive symptoms report more relationship distress, U.S. researchers found.
Twin sisters Leanne Knobloch of the University of Illinois and Lynne Knobloch-Fedders of The Family Institute at Northwestern University said more than three decades of research has shown that people with depression are less satisfied in their romantic relationships.
Twin sisters Leanne Knobloch of the University of Illinois and Lynne Knobloch-Fedders of The Family Institute at Northwestern University said more than three decades of research has shown that people with depression are less satisfied in their romantic relationships.
03/10/2010
Suicide has geographical differences, with people in the rural mountains of the West more likely than those in the more urbanized East to take their own lives, a new University of Florida study shows.
The nationwide study spanning three decades found that location is also a factor in suicide whether people lived in, had left or were just visiting some of the mountain states.
The nationwide study spanning three decades found that location is also a factor in suicide whether people lived in, had left or were just visiting some of the mountain states.
03/11/2010
Williams resident Martha Nickles worries for herself and her two boys.
Son Thomas, 14, has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Without his medication, he acts out violently in school.
Son Michael, 13, also has Asperger's and ADHD. He also had a mild case of cerebral palsy as a child. Without his medications, he has seizures.
Nickles, who lives at the poverty line and qualifies for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System insurance, needs medications for a thyroid condition and high blood pressure.
Son Thomas, 14, has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Without his medication, he acts out violently in school.
Son Michael, 13, also has Asperger's and ADHD. He also had a mild case of cerebral palsy as a child. Without his medications, he has seizures.
Nickles, who lives at the poverty line and qualifies for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System insurance, needs medications for a thyroid condition and high blood pressure.
03/11/2010
Drug use skyrocketed among inmates booked into Maricopa County jails over the past year, especially among White men arrested for property-related crimes, according to a new report by Arizona State University.
03/11/2010
Anyone who's suffered from a mental illness will tell you that they spend a lot of time and emotional energy saying "no" to all the wrong impulses. No, life isn't as hopelessly gloomy as you think. No, there isn't more anguish than joy in the world. No, your life isn't without value or purpose. This past Saturday, in the middle of the afternoon, on the first beautifully sunny day the eastern half of the U.S. has seen in ages, Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse said "yes" to the worst possible impulse and took his own life. He shot himself in the heart, with a gun he owned, in an alley behind a friend's house in Knoxville, Tenn. He was 47.
03/11/2010
Much to the confusion of those who have not experienced combat -- parents and spouses, siblings and friends -- many young people say that 'going to war' was one of the best things that ever happened to them. Several of my friends from the Vietnam era attribute maturing and gaining purpose in their lives to serving in the military. Others find a new family and sense of belonging during the trials of combat.
03/11/2010
More than 10 percent of medical evacuations from Iraq and Afghanistan over the past eight years have been for mental health reasons.
From October 2001 to September 2009, 5,480 troops were flown back to the U.S. or to Germany due to “mental disorders,” according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.
From October 2001 to September 2009, 5,480 troops were flown back to the U.S. or to Germany due to “mental disorders,” according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.
03/11/2010
Depressive symptoms are significantly associated with low subjective wellbeing in newly admitted patients with schizophrenia, study findings suggest.
These findings are in line with those from previous studies in which an association between depressive symptoms and subjective wellbeing was demonstrated in clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia.
These findings are in line with those from previous studies in which an association between depressive symptoms and subjective wellbeing was demonstrated in clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia.
03/11/2010
A new questionnaire and outcomes measurement scale developed by the department of psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety. The scale can easily be incorporated into routine clinical practice when treating psychiatric disorders. The study appears online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
03/11/2010
Bad behaviour in childhood is associated with long-term, chronic widespread pain in adult life, according to the findings of a study following nearly 20,000 people from birth in 1958 to the present day.
03/11/2010
A bill giving adoption priority to married couples has passed the Arizona House and awaits a hearing in the Senate. But, at least one state lawmaker rejects the idea that a mom and dad are always the ideal situation for an adopted child, saying the law would be discriminatory and could lead to more children being placed on the adoption waiting list.
03/08/2010
“I can tell you one thing,” he announced, as I recall. “Back in my day, you didn’t have young kids going around talking to shrinks, yakking about their fee-ee-ee-lings, getting all doped up on medications.
03/11/2010
No one who has tried alcohol can fail to wonder about its effects on our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
We tend to think of alcohol as primarily a disinhibitor, but this can't really explain its varying effects. Sometimes it seems to make us loud and boisterous, sometimes quiet and contemplative, sometimes sad and depressed, along with all the shades and combinations of these, and other emotions.
We tend to think of alcohol as primarily a disinhibitor, but this can't really explain its varying effects. Sometimes it seems to make us loud and boisterous, sometimes quiet and contemplative, sometimes sad and depressed, along with all the shades and combinations of these, and other emotions.
03/11/2010
For five days, Alexis Moore carefully planned how she would take her own life. She's not a violent person, so she knew handguns were out. She settled on vodka instead, to be followed by a bottle of Xanax.
She did it methodically. First, she says she drank the vodka for two hours. Then she lined up the 20 pills on the kitchen counter, taking a few at a time, going to her bedroom to cry and then coming back for more Xanax.
She did it methodically. First, she says she drank the vodka for two hours. Then she lined up the 20 pills on the kitchen counter, taking a few at a time, going to her bedroom to cry and then coming back for more Xanax.
03/12/2010
Despite the fact that R-rated movies are movies targeted toward adults, many teens still view such movies with permission from their parents or guardians.
03/12/2010
A person may suffer from addiction, whether to drugs-illicit and/or legally prescribed-or alcohol, as well as other mental or emotional problems such as bipolar disorder, chronic depression, or an anxiety disorder. When this is the case, and the person seeks help for the addiction, the process by which the cause of the addiction and the determination of the underlying disorder is called dual diagnosis.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1950896,00.html?artId=1950896?contType=article?chn=sc
03/12/2010
Some infants headed for a diagnosis of autism, or autism spectrum disorder as it’s officially known, can be reliably identified at 14 months old based on the presence of five key behavior problems, according to an ongoing long-term study described March 11 at the International Conference on Infant Studies.
Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/03/early-signs-of-autism/#ixzz0i1gCzsq7
Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/03/early-signs-of-autism/#ixzz0i1gCzsq7
03/14/2010
You can do nothing — and watch your child flounder while teachers register their disapproval. Or you can get help, which generally means, first, an expensive and time-consuming evaluation, then more visits with more specialists, intensive tutoring, therapies, perhaps, or, as is often the case with attention issues, drugs.
For many parents — particularly the sorts of parents who are skeptical of mainstream medicine and of the intentions of what one mother once described to me as “the learning-disability industrial complex” — this experience is an exercise in frustration and alienation.
For many parents — particularly the sorts of parents who are skeptical of mainstream medicine and of the intentions of what one mother once described to me as “the learning-disability industrial complex” — this experience is an exercise in frustration and alienation.
03/14/2010
More 12 year olds have used potentially lethal inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, according to data released March 11 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in conjunction with the 18th annual National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week.
03/14/2010
The brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward at any cost, new research from Vanderbilt University finds. The research uncovers the role of the brain's reward system in psychopathy and opens a new area of study for understanding what drives these individuals.
03/15/2010
Gary McMane, 50, of Fontana, is convinced that his own depression has taken a toll on the three children he adores. "They're all good kids, and good in school, but I know it's had a terrible effect on them."
His 22-year-old daughter hangs on to her high school boyfriend as a security blanket, he says, and his 17-year-old son seems seriously depressed. Further, he adds, the 13-year-old boy is overly sensitive, feeling compelled to "rescue" anyone who is hurt. Granted, such perceptions are filtered through McMane's own feelings of guilt and responsibility — and his kids might not agree — but he's right to worry.
His 22-year-old daughter hangs on to her high school boyfriend as a security blanket, he says, and his 17-year-old son seems seriously depressed. Further, he adds, the 13-year-old boy is overly sensitive, feeling compelled to "rescue" anyone who is hurt. Granted, such perceptions are filtered through McMane's own feelings of guilt and responsibility — and his kids might not agree — but he's right to worry.
03/15/2010
Not only should parents and children be screened more routinely for depression, they also need access to care, says last year's report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine on the effects of parental depression.
Adult primary care and pediatricians' offices could be convenient places for screening, but such screening happens infrequently, says John Williams, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at Duke University who studies depression treatment in primary care. The healthcare system has built-in barriers that discourage it, he says.
Adult primary care and pediatricians' offices could be convenient places for screening, but such screening happens infrequently, says John Williams, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at Duke University who studies depression treatment in primary care. The healthcare system has built-in barriers that discourage it, he says.
03/15/2010
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey expressed his frustration earlier this month over the service’s inability to reduce the number of soldier suicides.
“I’m personally frustrated with the effort that we have put on this over the last three years, and particularly over the last year, that we haven’t stemmed the tide,” Casey told members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee March 3.
“I’m personally frustrated with the effort that we have put on this over the last three years, and particularly over the last year, that we haven’t stemmed the tide,” Casey told members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee March 3.
03/12/2010
At the 7-Eleven in Brookside, one of the latest entries in the beverage wars sits behind a refrigerator door between the beer and soda sections.
Appropriate, given the product.
Drank is a sweet, purplish potion touted to deliver "extreme relaxation" this side of liquor. On shelves it tends to be crowded out by the enemy-rows upon shiny rows of energy drinks.
Appropriate, given the product.
Drank is a sweet, purplish potion touted to deliver "extreme relaxation" this side of liquor. On shelves it tends to be crowded out by the enemy-rows upon shiny rows of energy drinks.
03/14/2010
It's an illness that doesn't strike often, but one that inevitably has a tremendous effect on the lives of those few children who suffer from it.
Schizophrenia is diagnosed in fewer than 1 in 30,000 American kids each year. Symptoms are similar to those seen in the around 1 percent of Americans who suffer from adult-onset schizophrenia: hallucinations, irrational thoughts and even violent behavior.
Schizophrenia is diagnosed in fewer than 1 in 30,000 American kids each year. Symptoms are similar to those seen in the around 1 percent of Americans who suffer from adult-onset schizophrenia: hallucinations, irrational thoughts and even violent behavior.
03/15/2010
According to a Kansas State University expert, treatment of violence among couples should be expanded and should involve co-treatment of male and female partners as they may decide to stay together.
Currently, men are often treated separately for power and control issues.
Currently, men are often treated separately for power and control issues.
03/15/2010
In a nearly 6,000-word essay, Louis Menand asks the question of the hour in the March 1 edition of The New Yorker. Menard lays out in excruciating detail the questions revolving around psychiatry these days, including the recent research into drug trials that suggests that some of the science psychiatry is founded upon is sometimes … Well, how shall we put it? Lacking.
03/15/2010
Not only should parents and children be screened more routinely for depression, they also need access to care, says last year's report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine on the effects of parental depression.
Adult primary care and pediatricians' offices could be convenient places for screening, but such screening happens infrequently, says John Williams, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at Duke University who studies depression treatment in primary care. The healthcare system has built-in barriers that discourage it, he says.
Adult primary care and pediatricians' offices could be convenient places for screening, but such screening happens infrequently, says John Williams, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at Duke University who studies depression treatment in primary care. The healthcare system has built-in barriers that discourage it, he says.
03/15/2010
Growing up in a conservative, Catholic family in the Detroit area during the 60s, there were certain things that I assumed would happen in my life: I'd get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, and, eventually, have grandkids. We'd all enjoy the family gatherings that my siblings and I experienced as we grew up, and life would be more or less what I planned. But for anyone who has gone through the "growing up" process, they know that life is often not what we plan. I did get the job, buy a house, get married, and have a son. For me and my wife, Jan, he has been the greatest blessing in our lives. And, now that he's grown, he's provided us with the grandchildren that we always dreamed of having.
Book review: Susan Okie reviews "We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication," b
03/15/2010
I opened Judith Warner's new book with a certain dread, fearing that I would have to slog through yet another polemic about the overuse of stimulants and other psychiatric drugs in America's children. Instead, I found a refreshing surprise: a confession by the author that she had indeed gotten a book contract and embarked on her research with that mindset, only to change her views after talking with the parents of mentally ill children. "I was erecting a whole intellectual edifice based on ignorance," admits Warner, who writes frequently for the New York Times and is also the author of "Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety."
03/16/2010
Schizophrenia patients are significantly more likely to smoke than the general population, and would have around a 90% reduction in their 10-year cardiovascular event (CVE) risk if they quit, the results of a Spanish study indicate.
03/16/2010
Dear Sandra, I had already decided to answer your question this week when early this morning I saw a new study suggesting that serotonergic antidepressants may increase the risk of developing cataracts by 15 percent. How timely, in a bad sort of way, for the central message I wanted to leave you with, which is this: We don't fully know the answer to your question yet.
03/16/2010
Roughly a quarter of people age 65 or older suffer from depression. More than half of doctor’s visits by the elderly involve complaints of emotional distress. Twenty percent of suicides in this country are committed by seniors, with the highest success rate belonging to older, white men. According to a recent report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, depression is one of the major causes of decline in the health-related quality of life for senior citizens.
03/16/2010
New research suggests a chemical imbalance resulting in a hypersensitive brain reward system may play a critical role in the development of dangerous, impulsive and antisocial behavior.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University believe the findings provide evidence of differences in the brain’s reward system that may underlie vulnerability to what’s typically referred to as psychopathy.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University believe the findings provide evidence of differences in the brain’s reward system that may underlie vulnerability to what’s typically referred to as psychopathy.
03/16/2010
A recent op-ed in the L.A. Times, "Law and disorders," noted in its subhed that "Untreated, some mentally ill people pose a deadly risk." While the use of the word "deadly" strikes me as being a bit sensationalistic, I can't really disagree with the central point made by the writer, Carla Jacobs. She cites three cases of schizophrenics who lost their bearings and who, she argues, should have received compulsory treatment under Laura's Law, a California statute, which according to the Times has been adopted by only two counties in the state, one of them being Los Angeles.
03/17/2010
The risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and subthreshold manic and depressive symptoms is increased in preschool children of parents with bipolar disorder, the results of a US study indicate.
03/17/2010
Let me start out by acknowledging I've never been so clear how much my mind has a mind of its own until I started blogging about the Six Word Memoir Project a couple of weeks ago.
Apparently, I'm not alone on this one. Some readers, like me, "blessed" with, let's just call it a "tendency towards compulsion," went off to the races with this one. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say our minds went off to the races.
Apparently, I'm not alone on this one. Some readers, like me, "blessed" with, let's just call it a "tendency towards compulsion," went off to the races with this one. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say our minds went off to the races.
03/17/2010
Are there more psychopaths these days, or are we just more aware of the offenders? Is the condition genetically predetermined or does the behavior develop based upon experiences?
New research suggests the former as Vanderbilt University scientists have discovered the brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward at any cost.
New research suggests the former as Vanderbilt University scientists have discovered the brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward at any cost.
03/17/2010
A synthetic substitute for marijuana's active ingredient mixed with incense is emerging as a popular choice for teens who want to smoke and get high, even as it poisons them.
K2 is an herbal mixture product that offers the same high as marijuana.The substance, known as "spice" or "K2," is a cannabinoid, a class of drug that includes THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
K2 is an herbal mixture product that offers the same high as marijuana.The substance, known as "spice" or "K2," is a cannabinoid, a class of drug that includes THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
03/17/2010
Children whose mothers abused methamphetamine (meth) during pregnancy show brain abnormalities that may be more severe than that of children exposed to alcohol prenatally, according to a study in the March 17 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. While researchers have long known that drug abuse during pregnancy can alter fetal brain development, this finding shows the potential impact of meth. Identifying vulnerable brain structures may help predict particular learning and behavioral problems in meth-exposed children.
03/18/2010
Bipolar disorder patients experiencing an episode of depression are more likely to switch into manic, mixed, or hypomanic states before recovery if they have a history of substance or alcohol use disorder, research shows.
However, the time to recovery from a new-onset major depressive episode did not differ significantly between users and non-users.
However, the time to recovery from a new-onset major depressive episode did not differ significantly between users and non-users.
03/18/2010
A new study discovers a treatment regimen combining cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications for depression and alcohol addiction improves clinical outcomes.
Specifically, combining the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft) with the alcohol dependence treatment naltrexone produced a 54 percent abstinence rate in patients with both major depression and alcohol dependence, whereas the rates were only 21 to 28 percent for patients taking a placebo, sertraline only, or naltrexone only.
Specifically, combining the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft) with the alcohol dependence treatment naltrexone produced a 54 percent abstinence rate in patients with both major depression and alcohol dependence, whereas the rates were only 21 to 28 percent for patients taking a placebo, sertraline only, or naltrexone only.
03/18/2010
A new Norwegian study investigates the difficulties confronted by women as they attempt to live a normal life while suffering from an eating disorder.
Kristine Rørtveit of the University of Stavanger has discovered most women hide their challenges.
Kristine Rørtveit of the University of Stavanger has discovered most women hide their challenges.
03/18/2010
Men and women with a history of alcohol abuse may not see long-term negative effects on their memory and thinking, but female smokers do, a new study suggests.
In a study of 287 men and women ages 31 to 60, researchers found that those with past alcohol-use disorders performed similarly on standard tests of cognitive function as those with no past drinking problems.
In a study of 287 men and women ages 31 to 60, researchers found that those with past alcohol-use disorders performed similarly on standard tests of cognitive function as those with no past drinking problems.
03/18/2010
Cornell University, an Ivy League school known for its spectacular gorges and haunted by a reputation for suicides, took the extraordinary step of posting lookouts on bridges and going door-to-door to check on students after three undergrads plunged to their deaths in the past month.
03/18/2010
When it comes mental health issues, the national commander of a major veterans organization says more needs to be done to help women in the military.
"Research has shown that women run a double risk of developing trauma in the military from battle stress, sexual harrassment and assault," AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin tells WTOP.
"Research has shown that women run a double risk of developing trauma in the military from battle stress, sexual harrassment and assault," AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin tells WTOP.
03/18/2010
News about a record number of suicides within the US Army, 160 soldiers on active duty who took their own lives in 2009, sparked a debate in the US media in late 2009 that didn't last very long. The shame, the horror and if nothing else, the war fatigue is at least strong enough now to draw the attention of the Pentagon. Their Top Brass is striving for change and is trying to redefine the "American Warrior." Depression and other mental illnesses are to receive the same recognition and medical treatment in the future, as are physical injuries related to the war effort. Many returnees to the US are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Their condition will now be investigated more thoroughly and there is hope that taboos surrounding mental illness can be overcome. More and more veterans from different eras speak up.
03/18/2010
A wave of suicides at Cornell University in the past two semesters is a "public health crisis," the school's mental health initiatives director said.
"We are not out of the woods yet," Timothy Marchell said of the school in Ithaca, in upstate New York.
"We are not out of the woods yet," Timothy Marchell said of the school in Ithaca, in upstate New York.
03/18/2010
Bipolar disorder patients experiencing an episode of depression are more likely to switch into manic, mixed, or hypomanic states before recovery if they have a history of substance or alcohol use disorder, research shows.
However, the time to recovery from a new-onset major depressive episode did not differ significantly between users and non-users.
However, the time to recovery from a new-onset major depressive episode did not differ significantly between users and non-users.
03/19/2010
New research suggests there is a subset of socially anxious people who act out in aggressive, risky ways — and that their behavior patterns are often misunderstood.
Typically, individuals with social anxiety are characterized as shy, inhibited and submissive.
Typically, individuals with social anxiety are characterized as shy, inhibited and submissive.
03/19/2010
In the mid-1990s the criteria for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder was informally significantly expanded to include children. A new study examines the impact of this shift with the suggestion that troubled children diagnosed with bipolar disorder may fare better with a different diagnosis.
03/19/2010
Last week, the media was filled with headlines like "Sniffing Trumps Weed for 12 Year Olds," (CBS) and "Inhalant Abuse a Deadly Middle-School Concern," (U.S. News and World Report/HealthDay). The stories came out of a Washington press conference touting news from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that inhalants are more popular with junior high kids than marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined.
03/19/2010
Spring is in the air and the sun is finally shining again, which means more people will be out and about, enjoying the nice weather. It also means that soon our community will be active in one of its favorite weekend pastimes: garage sales.
Did you know that people may be looking for more than a good deal? If you allow people to use your bathroom, as most of us do, be sure to remove prescription medication from the medicine cabinet. This applies to strangers, as well as family and friends. You never know who may be addicted.
Did you know that people may be looking for more than a good deal? If you allow people to use your bathroom, as most of us do, be sure to remove prescription medication from the medicine cabinet. This applies to strangers, as well as family and friends. You never know who may be addicted.
03/22/2010
Inside this city’s earthquake-cracked psychiatric hospital, a schizophrenic man lay naked on a concrete floor, caked in dust. Other patients, padlocked in tiny concrete cells, clutched the bars and howled for attention. Feces clotted the gutter outside a ward where urine pooled under metal cots without mattresses.
03/20/2010
As a former marijuana enthusiast, I admit that drugs are alluring. Getting into a higher energy state can be enticing. However, now that I know I can energize up more authentically without assistance from chemicals, I view the whole mess as a waste of time and a very dangerous activity. I dare to say drugs are not funny, nor helpful. Much of popular culture needles us into accepting them as a foregone conclusion instead of the forbidding flowering buds and fruits they are. While certain drugs might be okay in moderation, the hard drug game goes on because of the intentional promotion of addiction, intimidation and censorship. An accord must be reached.
03/22/2010
Normal individuals who scored high on a measure of impulsive/antisocial traits display a hypersensitive brain reward system, according to a brain imaging study by researchers at Vanderbilt University. The findings provide the first evidence of differences in the brain’s reward system that may underlie vulnerability to what’s typically referred to as psychopathy.
03/21/2010
Troubled children diagnosed with bipolar disorder may fare better with a different diagnosis, according to researchers at The Hastings Center. The researchers support an emerging approach, which gives many of those children a new diagnosis called Severe Mood Dysregulation (SMD) or Temper Dysregulation Disorder with Dysphoria (TDD).
03/22/2010
Women and men who engage in frequent heavy drinking report significantly worse health-related practices, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study in the journal Addiction Research & Theory.
03/22/2010
Though the interruption may be jarring, I rather welcome the twang of bluegrass or the toll of church bells coming from a patient’s cellphone during a psychotherapy session. Here’s why.
03/22/2010
Just recently my partner and I watched CNN's gripping documentary, "Her Name Was Steven," the story of former Largo, FL city manager Steven Stanton's gender reassignment from male to female and its collateral damage to his marriage and job. For those of you who missed it, the film's power lay in its ability to delve into Stanton's private world, most notably the struggle between her private and public selves and the painful transition from Steven to Susan. It was a tour de force that will hopefully further open the door to the inequities and discrimination faced by transgender people in this country.
03/23/2010
State senators voted Monday to bar minors from getting birth-control prescriptions or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without parental permission.
SB 1305, approved 16-13, also imposes similar restrictions on mental health screening or treatment, and mandates parental consent for sex-education courses.
Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, said the legislation, which now goes to the House, is in the best interests of children. She said her own experience proves that to be the case.
SB 1305, approved 16-13, also imposes similar restrictions on mental health screening or treatment, and mandates parental consent for sex-education courses.
Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, said the legislation, which now goes to the House, is in the best interests of children. She said her own experience proves that to be the case.
03/23/2010
When college students take their lives, as apparently happened recently at Cornell University, the instinctual reaction, to mourn publicly and officially, may be the wrong thing to do, psychologists say.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recommends that schools have a "muted response" to suicide, said Ann Haas, director of suicide prevention projects. That's because students already vulnerable to suicide may be attracted to the idea of getting recognition or gratification in death.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recommends that schools have a "muted response" to suicide, said Ann Haas, director of suicide prevention projects. That's because students already vulnerable to suicide may be attracted to the idea of getting recognition or gratification in death.
03/23/2010
The number of white men arrested for using opiate prescription drugs has increased nearly 20 percent over the last year, according to a study by ASU’s Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety.
The study released earlier this month shows trends among Maricopa arrestees who test positive for opiates. The drugs can include heroin, Vicodin, OxyContin, codeine and Demerol. The center interviewed recently-arrested men in Maricopa county and asked them a series of questions that involved types of drugs used, availability of the drug, and number of times taken. The men were then given a drug test, which they agreed to.
The study released earlier this month shows trends among Maricopa arrestees who test positive for opiates. The drugs can include heroin, Vicodin, OxyContin, codeine and Demerol. The center interviewed recently-arrested men in Maricopa county and asked them a series of questions that involved types of drugs used, availability of the drug, and number of times taken. The men were then given a drug test, which they agreed to.
03/23/2010
Plans by the American Psychiatric Assn. to drop it in favor of a more generic autism diagnosis ignores the differences between the condition and its more problematic counterpart.
03/23/2010
“I just threw him in the lake and expected him to die. . . My only regret is that he lived.”
So said my patient recently. I wondered if this was yet a further test for a relatively new psychiatrist at this prison. I had been tested by other prisoners. Would I believe what they said— whether it was truthful or not? Would I be horrified? Would I prescribe a medication that might be abusable or divertible? Would I shake their hand if extended to me?
However, this test seemed like something more, for I felt chills for the first time. This must be the moment of truth I was expecting—and dreading—since I first visited the prison some months ago. So, I wondered. . . what sort of danger was he describing?
So said my patient recently. I wondered if this was yet a further test for a relatively new psychiatrist at this prison. I had been tested by other prisoners. Would I believe what they said— whether it was truthful or not? Would I be horrified? Would I prescribe a medication that might be abusable or divertible? Would I shake their hand if extended to me?
However, this test seemed like something more, for I felt chills for the first time. This must be the moment of truth I was expecting—and dreading—since I first visited the prison some months ago. So, I wondered. . . what sort of danger was he describing?
03/23/2010
A new study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) outlines the conditions that physicians around the country reported treating with psychiatric drugs such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs.
03/23/2010
Women and men who engage in frequent heavy drinking report significantly worse health-related practices, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study in the journal Addiction Research & Theory.
03/23/2010
Forty years ago, Richard O'Barry watched Kathy, a dolphin in the 1960s television show Flipper, kill herself. Or so he says. She looked him in the eye, sank to the bottom of a steel tank and stopped breathing. The moment transformed the dolphin trainer into an animal-rights activist for life, and his role in The Cove, the Oscar-winning documentary about the dolphin-meat business in a small town in Japan, has transformed him into a celebrity.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1973486,00.html#ixzz0j12VZ2Vx
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1973486,00.html#ixzz0j12VZ2Vx
03/22/2010
In this week’s Personal Health column, Jane Brody explores the strange world of body dysmorphic disorder, or B.D.D., a condition that leads to self loathing and anxiety over minor imperfections
03/23/2010
A controversial decision by Arizona lawmakers to eliminate a health insurance program for poor children puts it at risk of loD» âF$__-Ü-îBnfdollars in federal Medicaid funding under the historic health care bill approved by Congress.
Arizona last week became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program, removing an estimated 38,000 kids from the rolls starting in June in a budget-cutting move by Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led Legislature.
Arizona last week became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program, removing an estimated 38,000 kids from the rolls starting in June in a budget-cutting move by Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led Legislature.
03/24/2010
Wisdom comes to us in many different ways. Sometimes a friend will ask you for advice and you find yourself saying what you yourself most need to hear. Other times you go to a faith community and feel the sermon is totally directed at you and your current dilemma. Bumper stickers can provide some of the most profound lessons. As a psychologist I am always on the lookout for metaphors and concrete examples of woo-woo psychobabble stuff.
03/24/2010
Distance may no longer be a barrier for obtaining psychotherapy. In fact, having a little space may improve outcomes.
These findings come from new research that suggest obtaining therapy for PTSD via teleconference is just as effective as face-to-face sessions.
These findings come from new research that suggest obtaining therapy for PTSD via teleconference is just as effective as face-to-face sessions.
03/24/2010
The following statement from Mark Covall, President/CEO, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems on the signing into law of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590)(1):
Today President Barack Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590). As an association representing behavioral healthcare professionals and organizations, we are committed to improving the lives of people of all ages experiencing psychiatric and substance use disorders. This historic legislation offers hope and help in a number of ways.
Today President Barack Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590). As an association representing behavioral healthcare professionals and organizations, we are committed to improving the lives of people of all ages experiencing psychiatric and substance use disorders. This historic legislation offers hope and help in a number of ways.
03/24/2010
Obtaining therapy via teleconference is just as effective as face-to-face sessions, according to a new research by Stéphane Guay, a psychiatry professor at the Université de Montréal.
NAMI Launches Social Networking Site for Young Adults: Mental Health, Finances, Relationships, Music
03/24/2010
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults living with mental health concerns can provide mutual support in navigating unique challenges and opportunities during the critical transition years from ages 18 to 25.
03/23/2010
The following statement from Mark Covall, President/CEO, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems on the signing into law of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590)(1):
Today President Barack Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590). As an association representing behavioral healthcare professionals and organizations, we are committed to improving the lives of people of all ages experiencing psychiatric and substance use disorders. This historic legislation offers hope and help in a number of ways.
Today President Barack Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590). As an association representing behavioral healthcare professionals and organizations, we are committed to improving the lives of people of all ages experiencing psychiatric and substance use disorders. This historic legislation offers hope and help in a number of ways.
03/25/2010
More than a quarter of youth aged 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states such as North Dakota and Vermont.
03/25/2010
First we learn about sex addiction, now researchers are studying work addiction and how better to measure the disorder.
In a new study, Spanish researchers have developed a new scale for measuring addiction to work.
In a new study, Spanish researchers have developed a new scale for measuring addiction to work.
03/25/2010
In research published in the journal Cognitive Development, children, adolescents and adults aged 9-35 years chose between risky and safe options in a computer gambling game. Scientists found that the teenagers took the most risks compared with the other groups, with the most risky behaviour seen in 14-year olds.
NAMI Launches Social Networking Site for Young Adults: Mental Health, Finances, Relationships, Music
03/25/2010
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults living with mental health concerns can provide mutual support in navigating unique challenges and opportunities during the critical transition years from ages 18 to 25.
Developed by young adults, StrengthofUs.org is a user-driven social networking community where members can connect with peers, share personal stories, creativity and helpful resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups and sharing videos, photos and other news.
Developed by young adults, StrengthofUs.org is a user-driven social networking community where members can connect with peers, share personal stories, creativity and helpful resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups and sharing videos, photos and other news.
03/26/2010
Arizona must re-establish KidsCare and retreat from plans to cut Medicaid spending, according to an official analysis Thursday from the state agency that oversees the program.
Otherwise, the state's entire $7 billion Medicaid allotment could disappear, according to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The ruling confirms what lawmakers had warned was the case earlier in the week.
Otherwise, the state's entire $7 billion Medicaid allotment could disappear, according to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The ruling confirms what lawmakers had warned was the case earlier in the week.
03/26/2010
Ohio State University study of 100 teen bloggers from around the United States found that the vast majority use blogs to nurture relationships with their peers and build a sense of community -- rather than to admit misbehavior.
03/26/2010
A new study suggests a widely used screening tool for bipolar disorder may incorrectly indicate borderline personality disorder rather than bipolar disorder.
03/26/2010
He's on disability because of his epilepsy.
After his release from prison in California for committing property crimes, his alcoholism took hold. Wanting to change his life, he returned to Flagstaff to take care of a trouble from his past -- a warrant for his arrest on a conviction for trafficking in stolen property.
At 25, Doug Danielson was placed on two years of probation for the offense, but he had nowhere to go and nowhere to live.
"It ended up being a blessing in disguise," he said.
Enter Flagstaff Cares, a federal program that started in Coconino County in July to help house the chronically homeless while they find stability in their lives again.
After his release from prison in California for committing property crimes, his alcoholism took hold. Wanting to change his life, he returned to Flagstaff to take care of a trouble from his past -- a warrant for his arrest on a conviction for trafficking in stolen property.
At 25, Doug Danielson was placed on two years of probation for the offense, but he had nowhere to go and nowhere to live.
"It ended up being a blessing in disguise," he said.
Enter Flagstaff Cares, a federal program that started in Coconino County in July to help house the chronically homeless while they find stability in their lives again.
03/26/2010
More than one-quarter (27.6 percent) of American youth aged 12 to 20 said that they drank alcohol in the past month, according to a study released Thursday by the federal government.
03/26/2010
A former model who is now chronically ill and struggles just to shower says the people she has met online have become her family. A quadriplegic man uses the Web to share tips on which places have the best wheelchair access, and a woman with multiple sclerosis says her regular Friday night online chats are her lifeline.
03/24/2010
A decade ago, Colorado became one of the earliest states to legalize medical marijuana. Its neighbor New Mexico did so more recently. But that does not mean the two states agree on all the medicinal merits of cannabis.
03/28/2010
Obese people often say they'd like to eat less but feel almost powerless to stop indulging, and now new research suggests that explanation might be all too true.
The theory stems from a study in rats. When researchers gave the rats unlimited access to a calorie-laden diet of bacon, pound cake, candy bars and other junk food, the rats quickly gained lots of weight. As they plumped up, eating became such a compulsion that they kept chowing down even when they knew they would receive an unpleasant electric shock to their foot if they did so.
The theory stems from a study in rats. When researchers gave the rats unlimited access to a calorie-laden diet of bacon, pound cake, candy bars and other junk food, the rats quickly gained lots of weight. As they plumped up, eating became such a compulsion that they kept chowing down even when they knew they would receive an unpleasant electric shock to their foot if they did so.
03/29/2010
National Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske visited TERROS, a community-based substance abuse and mental health counseling agency, and COPE Coalition. During his visit, he was briefed on the collaborative efforts by both organizations to provide a continuum of care that includes prevention, treatment, and recovery to the Phoenix community.
03/29/2010
A study finds that appropriate mental health care is hindered by an individual’s cultural bias.
Failure to recognize or appreciate mental illness impedes appropriate disease management and includes behaviors such as noncompliance with medication regimens and a failure to attend scheduled appointments.
Failure to recognize or appreciate mental illness impedes appropriate disease management and includes behaviors such as noncompliance with medication regimens and a failure to attend scheduled appointments.
03/29/2010
A fascinating new article traces psychoanalytical and pharmacological trends for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.
Historically, the 1950s and 1960s were characterized by the fear of communism and nuclear war and, at the time, anxiety disorders were the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses.
Historically, the 1950s and 1960s were characterized by the fear of communism and nuclear war and, at the time, anxiety disorders were the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses.
03/29/2010
In a newly published study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity.
03/29/2010
The historic passage of the federal health care legislation last week included a provision for a new national postpartum depression (PPD) program. It leaves out the federal screening program so feared by the bill’s opponents, but it includes more money for greater education outreach and more research into this condition. The Melanie Blocker Stokes Mother’s Act passed in watered down form.
03/30/2010
Even without the new health care law, mental health advocates were getting ready to celebrate parity — a law requiring benefits for substance abuse and mental illnesses to be on par with benefits for medical illnesses.
03/30/2010
Since the 1970s, as homelessness in the United States increased dramatically, some social service agencies created short-term homeless emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities to house homeless people. Some service providers emphasized the importance of finding jobs for their clients. Their theory, "Jobs First," was that once their homeless clients had jobs, they would be able to afford their own apartments and be housed permanently.
03/30/2010
Sandy sleeps in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk in Berkley, California because it's against the law to sleep in her car. She's on the verge of mental illness from life on the streets.
The thing keeping her unemployed? Her age. She says that's the main factor keeping her from finding work, and she's living a "completely miserable" life on the streets.
The thing keeping her unemployed? Her age. She says that's the main factor keeping her from finding work, and she's living a "completely miserable" life on the streets.
03/30/2010
A fascinating new article traces psychoanalytical and pharmacological trends for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.
Historically, the 1950s and 1960s were characterized by the fear of communism and nuclear war and, at the time, anxiety disorders were the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses.
Historically, the 1950s and 1960s were characterized by the fear of communism and nuclear war and, at the time, anxiety disorders were the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses.
03/26/2010
It's simple to stop. You don't use the next fix. Then you be. And you be. And you be---when every cell in you does not want to be. It is the hardest thing you have every done, are doing and will every do. What you are not feeling, and feeling are two of the reasons 12-step programs work. Simple reasons.
When you stop, the delicate neurochemistry of your brain turns, as a recovering alcoholic woman once told me, into five-week old split pea soup that somebody left on the back of the stove in the middle of August. If you can live with that reeking mess in your brain all by yourself, you're a stronger - or more numbed out - person than I am. And even if you can, you'll slowly discover that what lies under the addiction is worse than rotting soup. Down there, way down there, you'll find - maybe for milliseconds at a time, maybe for endless hours - the place where nothing moves or natters or cries out for comfort, the place no-one can visit, the place into which nothing from outside can bring comfort or surcease.
When you stop, the delicate neurochemistry of your brain turns, as a recovering alcoholic woman once told me, into five-week old split pea soup that somebody left on the back of the stove in the middle of August. If you can live with that reeking mess in your brain all by yourself, you're a stronger - or more numbed out - person than I am. And even if you can, you'll slowly discover that what lies under the addiction is worse than rotting soup. Down there, way down there, you'll find - maybe for milliseconds at a time, maybe for endless hours - the place where nothing moves or natters or cries out for comfort, the place no-one can visit, the place into which nothing from outside can bring comfort or surcease.
03/31/2010
It's safe to say that these are tough times. Pick up the paper on any given day, and you will read about people losing their jobs and their homes. Pick up the paper on any given day, and you will read about politicians plotting and pontificating and doing, well, not much in the way of anything that actually benefits anyone.
Pick up the paper on any given day, and it's pretty easy to become disgusted and demoralized and downright paralyzed, wondering what - if anything - we can do to turn things around.
Pick up the paper on any given day, and it's pretty easy to become disgusted and demoralized and downright paralyzed, wondering what - if anything - we can do to turn things around.
03/31/2010
A genetic mutation linked to schizophrenia appears to rupture communication between the two areas of the brain believed to be responsible for memory and may be an underlying cause of the brain disorder, U.S. researchers suggested in a study published on Wednesday.
03/31/2010
A form of behavioral therapy that focuses on practical skills such as time management and planning may help adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests.
SAMHSA, Ad Council, and Inspire USA Foundation Launch National Suicide Prevention Campaign for Teens
03/31/2010
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), working in collaboration with the Ad Council and the Inspire USA Foundation, announced today the launch of a national public service announcement (PSA) campaign designed to reduce the incidence of suicide and suicide attempts among teens in the United States.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds, following unintended injuries and homicide. While suicides account for approximately 1.4 percent of all deaths in the United States annually, they comprise 12 percent of deaths among this age group. In 2006, 4,189 people between ages 15 and 24 died by suicide. Furthermore, for every youth who died by suicide, it is estimated that 100-200 attempts are made.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds, following unintended injuries and homicide. While suicides account for approximately 1.4 percent of all deaths in the United States annually, they comprise 12 percent of deaths among this age group. In 2006, 4,189 people between ages 15 and 24 died by suicide. Furthermore, for every youth who died by suicide, it is estimated that 100-200 attempts are made.
03/31/2010
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), working in collaboration with the Ad Council and the Inspire USA Foundation, announced today the launch of a national public service announcement (PSA) campaign designed to reduce the incidence of suicide and suicide attempts among teens in the United States.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds, following unintended injuries and homicide. While suicides account for approximately 1.4 percent of all deaths in the United States annually, they comprise 12 percent of deaths among this age group. In 2006, 4,189 people between ages 15 and 24 died by suicide. Furthermore, for every youth who died by suicide, it is estimated that 100-200 attempts are made.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds, following unintended injuries and homicide. While suicides account for approximately 1.4 percent of all deaths in the United States annually, they comprise 12 percent of deaths among this age group. In 2006, 4,189 people between ages 15 and 24 died by suicide. Furthermore, for every youth who died by suicide, it is estimated that 100-200 attempts are made.
03/31/2010
It’s not uncommon for new mothers to experience depression, which is usually attributed to hormonal fluctuations and lack of sleep after childbirth. But new research shows that depression after the arrival of a child isn’t limited to birth parents: adoptive parents are also at risk for depression after bringing a child home.
04/01/2010
Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) usually affects people first in childhood, and may linger into adulthood.
Typical symptoms include difficulty paying attention or following directions, trouble sitting still or playing quietly, and impulsive behavior.
Typical symptoms include difficulty paying attention or following directions, trouble sitting still or playing quietly, and impulsive behavior.
04/01/2010
Binge eating — the most common eating disorder — may have a simple but effective treatment: a 15 yea
04/01/2010
SAMHSA’s Homelessness Resource Center is announcing the release of a special issue of the Open Health Services and Policy Journal on “The Future of Homeless Services.” Guest edited by the Homelessness Resource Center, the special issue describes the services and supports needed to help individuals and families exit homelessness and maintain housing.
04/01/2010
Digline L.*, watches her granddaughter, Lucia, as she twists her tiny hands, staring at the sunlight that lands on the roof of their tent. Like everyone else here, she doesn't say much -- answering questions only in short sentences.
"I am trying to stay alive. I am trying to keep my heart at peace," she finally said with a hint of pain and loss in her voice. "Everybody is doing what they can."
"I am trying to stay alive. I am trying to keep my heart at peace," she finally said with a hint of pain and loss in her voice. "Everybody is doing what they can."
04/02/2010
The autism-spectrum disorders encompass a wide range of symptoms, from social awkwardness to a complete inability to interact and communicate. Here, six men and women speak about living with an autism-spectrum disorder.
More Town Hall Meetings than Ever Being Held Across America to Address the Dangers of Underage Drink
04/01/2010
In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month in April, communities throughout the nation are conducting town hall meetings to discuss what can be done to prevent and reduce underage drinking. This year more than 1,700 community-based organizations will conduct town hall meetings across the country – up from 1,500 in 2008, the last time this national event took place.
04/01/2010
A 13-year-old hangs himself in a Johnson County barn. An 8-year-old jumps out of a two-story school building in Houston. Nine Massachusetts teenagers face jail time after allegedly harassing a girl so mercilessly that she killed herself. These incidents, all of which took place in the past week, reframe the age-old phenomenon of the schoolyard bully.
04/02/2010
Researchers have found that heightened emotional arousal in bipolar disorder patients, compared with mentally healthy individuals, may enhance their reaction time to cognitive tasks.
However, when emotionally aroused, deficits in response inhibition – the ability to suppress responses that are no longer needed or are inappropriate – may also become more apparent.
However, when emotionally aroused, deficits in response inhibition – the ability to suppress responses that are no longer needed or are inappropriate – may also become more apparent.
04/02/2010
A new UK study finds that medication and behavioral interventions help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) better maintain attention and self-control.
Researchers discovered the interventions work by normalizing activity in the same brain systems.
Researchers discovered the interventions work by normalizing activity in the same brain systems.
04/02/2010
Men and women with severe alcohol and drug use problems have been stigmatized and have suffered from lack of adequate treatment and recovery resources. Now, with the promise of enhanced insurance coverage as parity and healthcare reform legislation take effect, it’s important to turn our attention to how substance use disorders can be treated most effectively. A new report from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) examines the integration of substance use treatments into patient-centered healthcare homes.
04/05/2010
Phoebe Prince isn't the first teenager "bullied to death" by callous classmates. A look back at some other notable (and legally significant) cases
04/03/2010
In 1982, Scientific American published an article suggesting that snorting cocaine was no more addictive than eating potato chips. People continue to use when the stuff is around, and simply stop when it's gone, the researchers argued. The paper was later widely denounced for minimizing the risks of what soon became known as the most addictive drug all. Cocaine, that is, not Fritos.
04/05/2010
Juniors and seniors at Kingman High School got a dose of reality late Friday morning from Linda Dutil, an emergency room nurse turned motivational speaker who has traveled the country for 12 years spreading a message of anti-drug empowerment.
04/05/2010
Make a note to pack a pair of walking shoes in the workbag this week for National Start! Walking Day in Arizona on Wednesday, April 7. The annual American Heart Association (AHA) program aims to get people walking for 30 minutes a day, with at least some of that walk time happening during work breaks or lunch.
04/03/2010
Prescott resident and businessman Greg Raskin suffered from adult attention deficit disorder. As he entered the work world, Raskin found his efforts scattered and he always had projects pending because he could not focus his attention on the task at hand.
Raskin considers himself a "classic case" of AADD and he was a perfect candidate for a new treatment called Brain Integration Technique (BIT), which uses the principles of applied physiology and acupressure.
Raskin considers himself a "classic case" of AADD and he was a perfect candidate for a new treatment called Brain Integration Technique (BIT), which uses the principles of applied physiology and acupressure.
04/01/2010
The latest installment in the Patient Voices series offers a fascinating glimpse into the often silent world of autism.
04/05/2010
After a year in which nine students killed themselves, CSU administrators are launching an aggres-sive counterattack, hiring new mental-health workers and a suicide-prevention coordinator, developing new intervention protocols and deploying a new screening system.
04/05/2010
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday cleared pilots who have depression to regain their flying privileges, with one tiny caveat — they have to be taking one of only four “approved” antidepressants. I can only express my extreme disappointment at this decision because while it has the potential to help pilots take to the air again if they were suffering from depression, it fails to recognize other effective treatments for depression.
04/06/2010
I am sick about the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince. I close my eyes and say a prayer for her 12-year-old sister, who found Phoebe in a stairwell leading to the the family’s second-floor apartment in South Hadley, Massachusetts on January 14. I cannot imagine the depth of the family’s sorrow and anger, and I don’t want to try.
04/06/2010
More and more Americans are landing in the hospital due to poisoning by powerful prescription painkillers, sedatives and tranquilizers, according to a report released today. City-living middle-aged women seem particularly vulnerable.
04/06/2010
A new study has an old answer for mental health issues: Physical exercise is an underutilized method to reduce depression and anxiety.
According to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies, exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers.
According to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies, exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers.
04/06/2010
Emily Troscianko's anorexia was so severe that when she was 26 she was barred from a treatment program because her weight had dropped so low. Therapists said she was a medical liability; they were afraid she might collapse at any time. Her mother, Susan Blackmore, tried everything she could. Then, by accident, she spoke some honest, harsh words.
04/06/2010
More than a quarter of American youth age 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states, such as North Dakota and Vermont.
04/07/2010
More than a quarter of American youth age 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states, such as North Dakota and Vermont.
04/07/2010
Around 40% of patients with schizophrenia or psychosis report moderate or high self-stigma, according to a European survey of mental-health service users.
Notably, the level of self-stigma was related to empowerment and social contact, which, the researchers say, could be targeted with interventions to alleviate stigmatizing beliefs.
Notably, the level of self-stigma was related to empowerment and social contact, which, the researchers say, could be targeted with interventions to alleviate stigmatizing beliefs.
04/07/2010
Experts acknowledge that some mental health conditions can be triggered by environmental stimuli and often occur in response to stressful life events.
New research, using an animal model, hopes to discover why some people are at risk.
New research, using an animal model, hopes to discover why some people are at risk.
04/07/2010
While we would all expect a study of soccer to reveal improvements in physical conditioning, a new extensive soccer research project finds that men worry less when playing soccer than when running. Women’s soccer creates we-stories and helps women stay active.
04/07/2010
Sleep problems are a major public-health issue in the United States. In 2006, for example, more than half of 6th to 12th graders reported feeling tired or sleepy, and more than 30 percent reported having problems remaining asleep during the night. A first-of-its-kind study has found a long-term relationship between childhood sleep problems and subsequent alcohol and drug outcomes.
04/08/2010
Marital difficulties appear to be the reason an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shot and killed his wife and then himself.
Although Daniel Raponi, 37, and wife Jessie, 34, were having marital troubles, Flagstaff police had never responded previously to the couple's home, said Lt. Ken Koch of the Flagstaff Police Department.
Although Daniel Raponi, 37, and wife Jessie, 34, were having marital troubles, Flagstaff police had never responded previously to the couple's home, said Lt. Ken Koch of the Flagstaff Police Department.
04/08/2010
New research finds that children exposed to violence at home or school have greater levels of anxiety and depression than children who experience brutality only in their neighborhood.
04/08/2010
Approximately 143,000 young people aged 12 to 17 used inhalants in the past year while dealing with a condition like pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, or sinusitis, according to a new study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study determined that the rate of use was 4.4 percent among adolescents who had at least one of the aforementioned respiratory conditions, similar to the rate among adolescents overall (4.1 percent).
04/08/2010
Young girls at high risk for depression, but who have not experienced any symptoms, show differences in neural response patterns when processing the possibility of receiving a reward or sustaining a loss, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
04/09/2010
A study completed by Idaho State University’s Maria Wong, associate professor of psychology, establishes the relationship between early childhood sleep problems and substance abuse in young adulthood.
04/09/2010
A new study suggests a change in roles may cause some men to feel threatened and trigger violence.
Researchers from the University of Granada found that as sexist men feel their power threatened in their sentimental relationships, they may use violence as a way to restore their lost power.
Researchers from the University of Granada found that as sexist men feel their power threatened in their sentimental relationships, they may use violence as a way to restore their lost power.
04/09/2010
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) refers to a range of negative developmental outcomes that result from maternal drinking during pregnancy. Children with FASD can suffer from many problems, including epilepsy, a disorder characterized by spontaneous recurrence of unprovoked seizures that affects 0.6 percent of the general population. A new study has found a much higher prevalence of epilepsy or history of seizures in individuals with FASD.
04/09/2010
Socially deprived children removed from orphanages and placed in foster care appear to experience gains in growth and intelligence, catching up to their non-institutionalized peers on many measures, according to a report in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
04/09/2010
Drums and whistles announced their arrival downtown amid chants of "Join together. Free our lives. We will not be victimized."
04/12/2010
Lifting a cast-iron weight called a kettlebell during a workout demonstration, 24-year-old Kelsey Rentchler appears strong, confident and impervious.
Her looks belie a past of self-loathing.
Rentchler was always the biggest child in her class. She remembers spending recess watching kids run from her, yelling that they were scared she would sit on them.
Her looks belie a past of self-loathing.
Rentchler was always the biggest child in her class. She remembers spending recess watching kids run from her, yelling that they were scared she would sit on them.
04/11/2010
Some patients refuse to shower because it reminds them of the gas chambers. Others hoard meat in pillow cases because they fear going hungry.
At the Shaar Menashe Mental Health Center in northern Israel, it's as though the Holocaust never ended.
At the Shaar Menashe Mental Health Center in northern Israel, it's as though the Holocaust never ended.
04/11/2010
A dog has done what doctors couldn't do for combat veteran Lucien Masson.
Psychiatrists, drugs, group therapy, anger-management classes - none of them did much to curb the nightmares, panic attacks and road rage he's battled for decades after serving in Vietnam.
Psychiatrists, drugs, group therapy, anger-management classes - none of them did much to curb the nightmares, panic attacks and road rage he's battled for decades after serving in Vietnam.
04/12/2010
UCLA researchers have developed a noninvasive brain scan to determine if an individual may be susceptible to suicidal thoughts while taking an antidepressant medication.
04/12/2010
Researchers have discovered a biological link between stress, anxiety and depression.
Lead researcher Stephen Ferguson believes that the connecting mechanism in the brain explains how stress and anxiety could lead to depression. The study also reveals a small molecule inhibitor, developed by Ferguson, which may provide a new and better way to treat anxiety, depression and other related disorders.
Lead researcher Stephen Ferguson believes that the connecting mechanism in the brain explains how stress and anxiety could lead to depression. The study also reveals a small molecule inhibitor, developed by Ferguson, which may provide a new and better way to treat anxiety, depression and other related disorders.
04/13/2010
When she was four months pregnant and starting to show, Brandy Paceley was so addicted that she couldn't quit smoking meth even though it made her sick to her stomach.
Even her drug dealers didn't want to sell to her anymore because they feared the damage to her unborn child.
Even her drug dealers didn't want to sell to her anymore because they feared the damage to her unborn child.
04/12/2010
Freshman year. Final exams. Life after graduation. The pressures of college transitions involve many competing demands, including in some cases, mental health concerns.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100216/NAMILOGO)
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults, ages 18-25, can provide mutual support in navigating challenges and opportunities before, during and after the college years.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100216/NAMILOGO)
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults, ages 18-25, can provide mutual support in navigating challenges and opportunities before, during and after the college years.
04/12/2010
Having spent 15 years working in the mental health-care field, I got a birds-eye view into some of the cost challenges within the nation’s health-care system. Recently, a health-care professional I know told me about the emergency room where people come for all kinds of ailments including suicide attempts, homicidal thoughts and behavior that scares them and their families. Therapists tell me of patients who can’t afford psychotherapy, let alone the high cost of antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication or some of the newer antipsychotics. There is not enough money to give people the intensive help they need. There must be alternatives.
04/12/2010
It wasn't his first tour in Iraq, but his second and third when Joe Callan began wondering how long his luck would last — how many more months he could swerve around bombs buried in the dirt and duck mortars raining from the skies.
04/13/2010
Determining who is at risk for suicide is an arduous and inexact endeavor. Even trained clinicians c
04/13/2010
A new study seeks to determine insights into the behavior of women entrenched in an abusive relationship with their male partner.
Researchers discovered that many who live with chronic psychological abuse still see certain positive traits in their abusers — such as dependability and being affectionate — which may partly explain why they stay.
Researchers discovered that many who live with chronic psychological abuse still see certain positive traits in their abusers — such as dependability and being affectionate — which may partly explain why they stay.
04/13/2010
Patients with affective disorders tend to experience more stressful life events (LEs) in the year prior to their first illness episode than do mentally healthy controls in the same period, study results show.
By contrast, LEs in the past year did not seem to have an influence on the most recent affective episode in patients with established illness – supporting the so-called “kindling hypothesis” of affective pathology.
By contrast, LEs in the past year did not seem to have an influence on the most recent affective episode in patients with established illness – supporting the so-called “kindling hypothesis” of affective pathology.
04/13/2010
The other day I was talking to my friend Alice, an Episcopalian priest who founded and runs a school and daycare center near LA's Skid Row for the children of local garment workers. Alice is one of the most inspiring, generous, and down-to-earth people I've ever met, and her ability to accept and embrace all people, from junkies to Hollywood celebrities, without judgment fills me with admiration. By contrast, my conversations with Alice always make me painfully aware of my own judgmental nature -- particularly with regard to myself. If I were a truly good person, I think, I'd be devoting my life to working with the poor and downtrodden, like Alice. Hers is seriously important work.
04/13/2010
From the invasion of Afghanistan until last summer, the U.S. military had lost 761 soldiers in combat there. But a higher number in the service — 817 — had taken their own lives over the same period. The surge in suicides, which have risen five years in a row, has become a vexing problem for which the Army's highest levels of command have yet to find a solution despite deploying hundreds of mental-health experts and investing millions of dollars. And the elephant in the room in much of the formal discussion of the problem is the burden of repeated tours of combat duty on a soldier's battered psyche.
04/14/2010
An interesting new study suggests that among some, body image issues may be a subliminal fear that triggers anxiety.
In the study, a group of women seemed unlikely to have body image issues – at least on their responses to a tried-and-true psychological screening presented no red flags.
In the study, a group of women seemed unlikely to have body image issues – at least on their responses to a tried-and-true psychological screening presented no red flags.
04/14/2010
A genetic test for bipolar disorder is on the horizon say researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine.
The scientists published a “prototype” for laboratory testing in the online edition of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics.
The scientists published a “prototype” for laboratory testing in the online edition of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics.
04/14/2010
Depression frequently affects women who are pregnant or who have just given birth.
The National Women's Health Information Center offers these suggestions to help new moms cope with postpartum depression:
The National Women's Health Information Center offers these suggestions to help new moms cope with postpartum depression:
04/14/2010
When people talk about menopause, it’s usually about the discomfort of hot flashes. But in this week’s New York Times Magazine, contributor Cynthia Gorney explores the mental and emotional challenges that can be triggered by the hormonal chaos of midlife.
04/15/2010
More than 40 percent of U.S. adults who have depression are also smokers, meaning people need help with both if they want to quit, according to a U.S. government survey published on Wednesday.
04/15/2010
A widely used psychological test has the potential to gauge how people feel about suicide, possibly giving mental-health workers more insight into what their patients are thinking, a new study suggests.
04/15/2010
In a sobering reminder of the long-term costs of war, a dramatic spike in disability claims during the last seven years has overwhelmed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and nearly doubled the cost of compensating wounded veterans, according to an unprecedented Chicago Tribune analysis.
The bulk of the increases didn't come from veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but from those who served years or even decades before. Veterans from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf eras accounted for roughly 84 percent of the rise in spending, which hit $34.3 billion last year.
The bulk of the increases didn't come from veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but from those who served years or even decades before. Veterans from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf eras accounted for roughly 84 percent of the rise in spending, which hit $34.3 billion last year.
04/15/2010
by greymatters on Apr.15, 2010, under Health, PTSD, brain disorders, depression
NAMIWalks in Iraq
NOT… “just another walk”
As most of you know, we just had a very successful NAMIWalks in Tucson on March 27th. NAMIWalks Southern Arizona is the single biggest fundraising, awareness building event in this area promoting advocacy, support and education for people with mental illness and their families. A NAMI associate and friend of mine manages the Walk in San Diego that is scheduled for this weekend and was able to assist in coordinating a simultaneous walk in Iraq. Please read the following article from the NAMI website:
NAMIWalks in Iraq
NOT… “just another walk”
As most of you know, we just had a very successful NAMIWalks in Tucson on March 27th. NAMIWalks Southern Arizona is the single biggest fundraising, awareness building event in this area promoting advocacy, support and education for people with mental illness and their families. A NAMI associate and friend of mine manages the Walk in San Diego that is scheduled for this weekend and was able to assist in coordinating a simultaneous walk in Iraq. Please read the following article from the NAMI website:
04/15/2010
I had been covering veterans' issues for several years and thought I'd developed a thick skin. But the pain on the other end of the telephone line was difficult to stomach. Sergeant Chuck Luther, now back from Iraq, was describing his journey to hell and back. The worst part, he said, wasn't battling insurgents or even the mortar blast that tossed him to the ground and slammed his head against the concrete — it was the way he was treated by the U.S. Army when he went to the aid station and sought medical help.
04/15/2010
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) via the internet is just as effective in treating panic disorder (recurring panic attacks) as traditional group-based CBT. It is also efficacious in the treatment of mild and moderate depression. This according to a new doctoral thesis soon to be presented at Karolinska Institutet.
04/15/2010
There's a phrase being tossed around military installations, "living in the new normal." It means that this -- this life of repeated deployments, prosthetics and memorial services -- is what life is going to look like for us for a while to come, so we had better learn to deal with it.
My son was just two weeks old the first time his father deployed to Afghanistan. My husband was on his third deployment there when our son turned four and our daughter was born. She didn't meet her father until she was almost five months old. For the first months of her life she knew him only as an 8x10 picture taped to the backseat of the car. My husband knew his daughter only as the screaming voice in the background when he and I talked on the phone.
My son was just two weeks old the first time his father deployed to Afghanistan. My husband was on his third deployment there when our son turned four and our daughter was born. She didn't meet her father until she was almost five months old. For the first months of her life she knew him only as an 8x10 picture taped to the backseat of the car. My husband knew his daughter only as the screaming voice in the background when he and I talked on the phone.
04/15/2010
The U.S. House Domestic Policy Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), will hold a hearing Wednesday morning on the White House’s drug war budget and forthcoming 2010 National Drug Control Strategy. The Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (also known as the drug czar), Gil Kerlikowske, and the executive director of the anti-drug-war Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan Nadelmann, will both be testifying.
04/15/2010
Numerous studies have shown that suicidal thoughts and behaviors may accompany use of antidepressants by children and adolescents. However, variations in risk among individual medications are unknown.
04/14/2010
Melissa Fay Greene woke up at night crying and wondering if she had "ruined our life."
Long before her decision to adopt a boy from Bulgaria, she learned that raising an adopted child could be challenging. It wasn't going to be a fairy tale to raise a child who had spent most of his life in an orphanage.
Long before her decision to adopt a boy from Bulgaria, she learned that raising an adopted child could be challenging. It wasn't going to be a fairy tale to raise a child who had spent most of his life in an orphanage.
04/15/2010
Following the suicide of a relative or close friend, surviving family members and friends are left with a number of painful questions: "What made them do it?," "Why didn't they get help?" The most troublesome question is often, "Is there anything I could have done to prevent this?" People who are contemplating suicide tend to conceal their behavior, or deny they are having suicidal thoughts, so it can be difficult to identify warning signs. Even experienced clinicians sometimes do not catch any warning signs and suicide experts have been searching for a clear behavioral marker of suicide risk.
04/16/2010
People with depression face plenty of challenges when it comes to their physical health, including eating right and getting enough exercise.
Now researchers combing through a big database on people's health habits have found depressed adults are far more likely to be smokers and to have more trouble giving up cigarettes than people without depression.
Now researchers combing through a big database on people's health habits have found depressed adults are far more likely to be smokers and to have more trouble giving up cigarettes than people without depression.
04/15/2010
Numerous studies have shown that suicidal thoughts and behaviors may accompany use of antidepressants by children and adolescents. However, variations in risk among individual medications are unknown.
04/15/2010
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) via the internet is just as effective in treating panic disorder (recurring panic attacks) as traditional group-based CBT. It is also efficacious in the treatment of mild and moderate depression. This according to a new doctoral thesis soon to be presented at Karolinska Institutet.
04/16/2010
Old dogs really can learn new tricks, so how to train grown-up brains is going to be part of the discussion at this year's AARP National Spelling Bee. The event will take place in Cheyenne, Wyoming, next month, with spellers from Arizona and around the country taking part.
04/16/2010
President Obama on Thursday ordered his health secretary to issue new rules aimed at granting hospital visiting rights to same-sex partners.
04/15/2010
Children with autism are often calmed by riding on a swing; some do it for hours every day. But doctors are warning of a serious hazard that can occur when wear and tear causes small metal fragments to peel from the suspension apparatus and fall into children’s eyes.
04/19/2010
Diagnostic cutoffs for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa may be too strict, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital has found. Many patients who do not meet full criteria for these diseases are nevertheless quite ill, and the diagnosis they now receive, "Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified," may delay their ability to get treatment.
04/19/2010
A new study has found that gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and heterosexuals who have ever had a same-gender sex partner are one and one half to two times more likely to have experienced violent events during childhood.
04/19/2010
An interaction of genetics and psychology may be the cause of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), say U.S. researchers.
Their study of 304 youths found that ADHD symptoms were more common in children and teens with high or low activity levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and who blame themselves for conflict between their parents.
Their study of 304 youths found that ADHD symptoms were more common in children and teens with high or low activity levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and who blame themselves for conflict between their parents.
04/18/2010
Corey Gibson's right leg bounces when he sits. At 29 he sleeps fitfully, with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle mounted above his bed. "That's my sense of security," he says.
Laurie Emmer, a 47-year-old mother of four, shuns crowds and strangers. She always sits facing the restaurant door when she goes out to eat and, before sitting down, makes sure to identify the quickest route out.
Laurie Emmer, a 47-year-old mother of four, shuns crowds and strangers. She always sits facing the restaurant door when she goes out to eat and, before sitting down, makes sure to identify the quickest route out.
04/17/2010
When Joanne Chavarria's grandmother died last summer, she coped by turning to the bottle. "I started to drink. And then I started to smoke some weed. And then I started doing meth," says the 32-year-old from Merced, Calif. Chavarria, who began abusing drugs at the age of 12, was eight months pregnant at the time. Last August, she gave birth to drug-addicted twins, and California's Child Protective Services took the infants, as well as Chavarria's three other children, into custody.
As with other addicts, the road to recovery for Chavarria began with counseling and a drug-rehabilitation program. Less orthodox, however, was her decision to undergo a tubal ligation. "Addicts in my situation need to get their tubes tied," she says. "When you stop having kids, it makes you think about what else you can do in life."
As with other addicts, the road to recovery for Chavarria began with counseling and a drug-rehabilitation program. Less orthodox, however, was her decision to undergo a tubal ligation. "Addicts in my situation need to get their tubes tied," she says. "When you stop having kids, it makes you think about what else you can do in life."
04/20/2010
After my mom died, I temporarily moved back in with my 81-year-old dad. My parents had been married more than 50 years; the last five had been difficult. Mom had a host of serious problems, including dementia. Taking care of her had left my father with his own health problems. I wanted to see how he'd do on his own.
Every day when I left for work, dad walked me out to the car and said, "Anything you want done today?"
Every day when I left for work, dad walked me out to the car and said, "Anything you want done today?"
04/17/2010
Since the Jan. 14 death of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old in South Hadley, Mass., who committed suicide after being bullied by fellow students, many onlookers have meditated on whether the circumstances that led to her after-school hanging might have been avoided.
Could teachers have stepped in and stopped the bullying? Could parents have done more to curtail bad behavior? Or could preventive measures have been started years ago, in early childhood, long before bullies emerged and started heaping abuse on their peers?
Could teachers have stepped in and stopped the bullying? Could parents have done more to curtail bad behavior? Or could preventive measures have been started years ago, in early childhood, long before bullies emerged and started heaping abuse on their peers?
04/19/2010
Adding MDMA — otherwise known as the party drug ecstasy — to talk therapy may help patients cope with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a preliminary study presented at the Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century meeting.
04/20/2010
Scientists at The University of Western Ontario have discovered the biological link between stress, anxiety and depression. By identifying the connecting mechanism in the brain, this high impact research led by Stephen Ferguson of Robarts Research Institute shows exactly how stress and anxiety could lead to depression. The study also reveals a small molecule inhibitor developed by Ferguson, which may provide a new and better way to treat anxiety, depression and other related disorders.
04/20/2010
A new study from the Journal of Marital & Family Therapy warns of the dramatic rise in the use of psychotropic medications for children. One in every fifty Americans is now considered permanently disabled by mental illness, and up to eight million children take one or more psychotropic drugs.
Depression Medication: Patients Report 20 Times More Side Effects Than Recorded in Charts, Study Fin
04/19/2010
A study from Rhode Island Hospital shows that patients report side effects from medication for the treatment of depression 20 times more than psychiatrists have recorded in the charts. The researchers recommend the use of a self-administered patient questionnaire in clinical practice to improve the recognition of side effects for patients in treatment. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Volume 71, No. 4, now available online ahead of print.
04/20/2010
Arizona lawmakers have yet to act on restoring funding for KidsCare, the state's health insurance program for children of the working poor. Because of the new federal health care law, elimination of KidsCare could cost the state $7 billion for its AHCCCS indigent health plan.
04/20/2010
William Mann of Pittsburgh earns just enough to get by. He is 46, doesn’t own a car, hasn’t taken a vacation in three years and hasn’t had health insurance for most of his adult life.
04/21/2010
Despite his best efforts, Cliff, 28, could not get to sleep until about 7 a.m. It had been this way since he was a teenager. He was a healthy and successful young scientist — except that he didn’t arrive at the lab until 5 p.m., just as his co-workers were preparing to leave. Although he got his work done by pulling all-nighters, he became isolated from the group. Sleeping pills didn’t work. Nighttime alcohol bouts got him to sleep sooner, but only by two to three hours — a bummer on many levels. Significantly, Cliff was not depressed.
04/21/2010
The word "bully" may conjure up images of a 9-year-old punk shaking down a 7-year-old for lunch money. But teenagers experience bullying too, and research shows it can be a red flag for depression and suicidal behavior.
04/21/2010
A bell rings; a dog drools. This is the oldest trick in the Psychology 101 book: That’s all it takes for the pooch to expect something to eat. Dumb dogs! The poor suckers.... Oh, wait. We humans are just as nefariously conditioned to eat when we’re not hungry. Which might explain the staggering tally of calories you ingest some days but don’t especially remember (or savor). But scientists have been investigating common triggers that cause overeating and keep people from shedding the extra pounds that dog them — and their findings suggest how we can bring those urges to heel.
04/21/2010
Some people's indoor tanning habits qualify as an addiction similar to being hooked on alcohol or other addictive substances, a new study suggests.
04/21/2010
Using measures of blood alcohol concentration, self-assessed and observer-assessed drunkenness, a study in the North West of England has confirmed the overwhelming prevalence of extreme alcohol consumption in UK nightlife. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy interviewed and 'breathalyzed' revellers, finding that one in ten intended to drink more than 40 units by home time, with those using extended licensing hours having the most extreme alcoholic intentions.
04/20/2010
A new U.S. study suggests that while one-third fewer teens are turning to inhalants to get high, more youths are now using propellants, such as aerosol sprays designed to clean electronics like computer keyboards.
04/21/2010
Adelle and Bernard Becker will take a hearty belly laugh from laughter yoga over playing bingo any day.
"The feeling of laughing is therapeutic," said Adelle Becker, 87. "Laughing until your eyes water, it's just fun being in a group, doing the same thing at the same time and just acting like kids when you are in your 80s." The couple call themselves groupies of the activity and regularly participate at Weinberg Assisted Living facility in Deerfield.
"The feeling of laughing is therapeutic," said Adelle Becker, 87. "Laughing until your eyes water, it's just fun being in a group, doing the same thing at the same time and just acting like kids when you are in your 80s." The couple call themselves groupies of the activity and regularly participate at Weinberg Assisted Living facility in Deerfield.
04/21/2010
Seven years ago, the Havasupai Indians, who live amid the turquoise waterfalls and red cliffs at the deepest part of the Grand Canyon, issued a “banishment order” to keep Arizona State University employees from setting foot on their reservation — an ancient punishment for what they regarded as a genetic-era betrayal
04/22/2010
State lawmakers took the first steps Wednesday toward reversing their decision to cut state-provided health care for 350,000 adults and children.
But some of them didn't do it voluntarily. And the reprieve may be temporary.
Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, who supported the cuts made earlier this year, said the House Health and Human Services Committee had no choice but to vote to reconsider. She said federal officials warned the state that if it scales back existing programs to save some money, it puts at risk the entire $7.8 billion in Medicaid dollars Arizona gets each year.
But some of them didn't do it voluntarily. And the reprieve may be temporary.
Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, who supported the cuts made earlier this year, said the House Health and Human Services Committee had no choice but to vote to reconsider. She said federal officials warned the state that if it scales back existing programs to save some money, it puts at risk the entire $7.8 billion in Medicaid dollars Arizona gets each year.
04/22/2010
Buoyed by the prospect of federal dollars, the state Legislature is poised to reinstate a health-care program for children that it axed just six weeks ago.
The House Health Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to direct $9 million to the KidsCare program, which under current law is due to expire on June 15. If approved by the full Legislature, the program would continue, but its reach would be limited - an enrollment freeze that's been in place since December would remain.
The House Health Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to direct $9 million to the KidsCare program, which under current law is due to expire on June 15. If approved by the full Legislature, the program would continue, but its reach would be limited - an enrollment freeze that's been in place since December would remain.
04/22/2010
A new study suggests losing a parent to suicide makes children more likely to die by suicide themselves and increases their risk of developing a range of major psychiatric disorders.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center led the study, believed to be the largest one to date on the subject.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center led the study, believed to be the largest one to date on the subject.
04/22/2010
Seven years ago, the Havasupai Indians, who live amid the turquoise waterfalls and red cliffs miles deep in the Grand Canyon, issued a “banishment order” to keep Arizona State University employees from setting foot on their reservation — an ancient punishment for what they regarded as a genetic-era betrayal.
04/22/2010
On April 25th, Hallmark Hall of Fame will broadcast the movie “When Love Is Not Enough — The Lois Wilson Story,” starring Winona Ryder and Barry Pepper (CBS, 9:00 pm ET). The movie, which portrays the life of Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon Family Groups and wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson, is based on William G. Borchert’s 2005 book, The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough. Borchert’s earlier screenplay was the basis of the acclaimed movie My Name is Bill W. which starred James Woods, James Garner, and JoBeth Williams. The premiere of the movie also falls during the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.’s (NCADD) 24th Annual Alcohol Awareness Month with its theme, “When Love Is Not Enough: Helping Families Coping With Alcoholism.”
04/22/2010
Patients with depression have many more drug side effects than recorded in their medical records, U.S. researchers said.
04/22/2010
A new study, the first of its kind, combines two complementary analytical brain imaging techniques, to provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the neuroanatomy of the autistic brain. The study, published in the April issue of neuroimaging journal Human Brain Mapping, was conducted by researchers at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -- The Neuro, McGill University and the Université de Montréal. The findings provide critical insight into autism and possible markers for the disease for use in early therapy and therapeutic strategies.
04/22/2010
In response to a rising number of Soldier suicides last year within the Army, the Missouri National Guard is reemphasizing its suicide prevention program.
Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner, Missouri Adjutant General, said no topic is more important.
“Every Guard and family member is equally important and an extremely valuable asset to our organization,” Danner said. “As such, we must take the necessary steps to care for the greatest resource this nation has to offer: our people.”
Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner, Missouri Adjutant General, said no topic is more important.
“Every Guard and family member is equally important and an extremely valuable asset to our organization,” Danner said. “As such, we must take the necessary steps to care for the greatest resource this nation has to offer: our people.”
04/23/2010
Mental health is a key component in a child’s healthy development; children need to be healthy in order to learn, grow, and lead productive lives. The mental health service delivery system in its current state does not sufficiently meet the needs of children and youth, and most who are in need of mental health services are not able to access them. With the addition of effective treatments, services, and supports, the mental health system can become better equipped to help children and youth with mental health problems, or those who are at risk, to thrive and live successfully.
04/23/2010
Experts have developed a new multifaceted treatment program for young adults addicted to opioid drugs.
The approach was announced at the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.
The approach was announced at the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.
04/23/2010
Caring for a relative with dementia can lead to a feeling of overwhelming stress and depression.
A new Penn State study discovered family members who provide care to relatives with dementia, but do not have formal training, frequently experience overwhelming stress that sometimes leads to breakdowns or depression.
A new Penn State study discovered family members who provide care to relatives with dementia, but do not have formal training, frequently experience overwhelming stress that sometimes leads to breakdowns or depression.
04/23/2010
Barbara McCrady and Elizabeth Epstein wanted to know whether cognitive behavior therapy worked better for alcohol-dependent women when delivered as couples therapy than when delivered as individual therapy. They reported recently that both treatment methods worked well, but women treated in couples therapy maintained their gains a bit better than those in individual therapy. Also, women suffering from depression in addition to alcohol-dependence did better in couples therapy. Their paper appeared recently in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
04/23/2010
Research has shown possible links between cannabis use and the onset of Schizophrenia, but a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows that people who use cannabis may also be at risk for developing anxiety and mood disorders.
The study, published by Joyce Cheung and colleagues in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, surveyed over 14,000 Ontarians and found that anxiety and mood disorders were most common in people who used cannabis almost every day (heavy users) and lowest in those who did not use cannabis at all (abstainers).
The study, published by Joyce Cheung and colleagues in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, surveyed over 14,000 Ontarians and found that anxiety and mood disorders were most common in people who used cannabis almost every day (heavy users) and lowest in those who did not use cannabis at all (abstainers).
04/25/2010
Thousands of soldiers, their bald eagle shoulder patches lined up row upon row across the grassy field, stood at rigid attention to hear a stern message from their commander.
Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend addressed the 101st Airborne Division with military brusqueness: Suicides at the post had spiked after soldiers started returning home from war, and this was unacceptable.
Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend addressed the 101st Airborne Division with military brusqueness: Suicides at the post had spiked after soldiers started returning home from war, and this was unacceptable.
04/24/2010
A year ago, Specialist Michael Crawford wanted nothing more than to get into Fort Carson’s Warrior Transition Battalion, a special unit created to provide closely managed care for soldiers with physical wounds and severe psychological trauma.
04/25/2010
If your child has asthma and is experiencing symptoms of depression, you may want to reconsider buying advanced tickets to the Twilight’s Eclipse. New research shows asthmatic children with depression are 50 percent more likely to have an attack when placed in stressful environments, and this includes the box-office hits, too.
04/26/2010
Middle-school children whose parents restrict access to R-rated movies are substantially less likely
04/27/2010
A bitter seven-year legal struggle between an impoverished Indian tribe and scientists at Arizona State University reached a reasonable settlement when the university’s regents agreed to pay $700,000 and to collaborate on other forms of assistance dealing with health, education and economic development. Left unresolved was the underlying question of how scientists can best obtain “informed consent” from patients whose education and command of English may be limited.
04/27/2010
Most people seeking treatment for depression or anxiety face two choices: medication or psychotherapy. But there's a third choice that is rarely prescribed, though it comes with few side effects, low costs and a list of added benefits, advocates say.
04/27/2010
The unemployment rate today has skyrocketed to approximately 10 percent and is forecasted to stay above 9.5 percent for the rest of 2010. For the first time in American history, more women are working than men because close to 80 percent of the people laid off in the recent recession were men.
04/27/2010
Martha was tough on her children when it came to alcohol in their early teens.
When she saw beer at a party her then-14-year-old daughter was attending, she broke it up and told all the kids to call their parents. When her son was about the same age, she grounded him for a month after learning he had a drinking episode.
When she saw beer at a party her then-14-year-old daughter was attending, she broke it up and told all the kids to call their parents. When her son was about the same age, she grounded him for a month after learning he had a drinking episode.
04/27/2010
One need only look at the recent introduction of chocolate Cheerios to fully grasp Americans' fondness for the pulp from cacao beans. Savoring chocolate is normal.
But, researchers said Monday, overindulging in it could be a marker for depression.
But, researchers said Monday, overindulging in it could be a marker for depression.
04/27/2010
After years of thinking drugs affect sleep, researchers suggest flipping the script. A new study shows the correlation between how a teenager’s lack of sleep may actually be the precursor to the gateway drug. Not only that, but also how one friend sleeps increases another teen’s likelihood to do drugs.
04/26/2010
More than 200 Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups, along with allies in the faith, labor and civil rights communities, are demanding Congress immediately outlaw job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Equality Arizona spokesman Dan Mallar says the need for protection has increased with the recession.
04/28/2010
Not allowing your middle school-aged child to view R-rated movies appears to slow the initiation of alcohol consumption as compared to their peers who were allowed to see such films.
In fact, viewing R-rated flicks appears to change the personality of the teen.
In fact, viewing R-rated flicks appears to change the personality of the teen.
04/28/2010
A new study finds that gender plays a role in the risk for abuse of prescription pain medications.
Harvard researchers studied 662 chronic non-cancer pain patients who take opioid pain medications.
Harvard researchers studied 662 chronic non-cancer pain patients who take opioid pain medications.
04/28/2010
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes chronic, widespread pain throughout the body. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers are examining how the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia can affect marriages. Initial findings reveal that diagnosed spouses have considerably higher levels of depressive symptoms and pain and report more marital instability and anger than their spouses. For both spouses, the symptoms can trigger increased emotional withdrawal and mental strain.
04/28/2010
Children conceived to parents older than 30 years face an increased risk for developing bipolar disorder, study findings show.
Paternal and maternal age affected risk for bipolar disorder both independently and combined, suggesting that “cumulative genetic mutations,” play a role, say Finn Rasmussen (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden) and colleagues.
Paternal and maternal age affected risk for bipolar disorder both independently and combined, suggesting that “cumulative genetic mutations,” play a role, say Finn Rasmussen (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden) and colleagues.
04/29/2010
Working to end the legislative session today, Arizona lawmakers were on track to restore a children's health-care program, establish standards for moving past Grade 3 and ban embryonic stem-cell research.
Tensions over the impending closures of various state parks flared Wednesday as legislators rejected two bills that were designed to keep them operating, saying the bills were either unconstitutional or undermined the parks system to the benefit of one park.
Tensions over the impending closures of various state parks flared Wednesday as legislators rejected two bills that were designed to keep them operating, saying the bills were either unconstitutional or undermined the parks system to the benefit of one park.
04/29/2010
In a letter (http://www.nacds.org/user-assets/pdfs/2010/newsrelease/4_21_DFC_Letter.pdf) sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) today, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced its support for legislation that would help stop drug abuse problems in the communities where they begin, before these problems devastate even more lives in those and other communities. The forms of drug abuse targeted by the legislation include those related to prescription and non-prescription medications and methamphetamine, among others.
04/29/2010
Nearly three-quarters of healthcare executives surveyed earlier this month say healthcare reform will have a negative financial impact on their facilities, while more than 60 percent note that reform will have a somewhat or very detrimental effect on the quality of care their facilities are able to provide.
04/29/2010
An innovative research program offered by a Vancouver university is helping socially vulnerable children, ages 8 to 12, to reduce anxiety and change misperceptions.
Andrew R. Eisen, Ph.D., and his team of advanced doctoral students will lead group therapy sessions emphasizing the application of broad-based social skills.
Andrew R. Eisen, Ph.D., and his team of advanced doctoral students will lead group therapy sessions emphasizing the application of broad-based social skills.
04/29/2010
After attending the forum hosted by the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona last week I am no less concerned about what is going to happen to the covered benefits for the huge population of adults with serious mental illness that do not qualify for the state’s Medicaid system (AHCCCS) after July 1st. The Assistant Deputy Director from the Arizona Health Services Division of Behavioral Health Services explained some of the impact the cuts would have and offered a few suggestions on how the impacts might be minimized.
04/29/2010
Think you're addicted to something?
You might be if you have a family history or you're changing your life to fulfill the need of whatever you're hooked on, according to addiction medicine specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Pinsky, who is a paid spokesman for Nicorette, a stop-smoking gum company, explained on "The Early Show" that people who are addicted experience some kind of consequence -- a failed marriage, health diagnosis, or job loss -- but cannot stop using.
You might be if you have a family history or you're changing your life to fulfill the need of whatever you're hooked on, according to addiction medicine specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Pinsky, who is a paid spokesman for Nicorette, a stop-smoking gum company, explained on "The Early Show" that people who are addicted experience some kind of consequence -- a failed marriage, health diagnosis, or job loss -- but cannot stop using.
04/30/2010
Facing a threatened $7.8 billion loss in federal funds, state lawmakers Thursday agreed to restore the health care they had previously cut for about 350,000 Arizonans.
The measure most immediately repeals a provision in the new state budget that cuts funding for KidsCare. That program is designed to provide nearly free health insurance for children of parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but are still considered "working poor."
The measure most immediately repeals a provision in the new state budget that cuts funding for KidsCare. That program is designed to provide nearly free health insurance for children of parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but are still considered "working poor."
04/30/2010
Injecting a local anesthetic next to a group of nerves in the neck, known as the stellate ganglion, is a fast-acting and effective way to treat combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), U.S. military researchers report.
The 10-minute procedure, called a stellate ganglion block, has been used to treat chronic pain and certain other health problems since 1925, according to background information in a news release about the research.
The 10-minute procedure, called a stellate ganglion block, has been used to treat chronic pain and certain other health problems since 1925, according to background information in a news release about the research.
04/30/2010
SAMHSA’s TIP 51: Substance Abuse Treatment: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women will help substance abuse treatment professionals provide effective, up-to-date treatment to women with substance use disorders by providing treatment that takes into account the unique needs of women. The information in TIP 51 is based on women’s experiences as well as best or promising practices and research-based approaches.
04/30/2010
Each day it seems that another celebrity announces that he or she is addicted—to sex, drugs, or overeating. Tiger Woods is outed as a serial cheater and enters sex addiction rehab. Amy Winehouse may not want to go to rehab but she needs to do something about her drug problem. Even Oprah in and out of rehab for her carb habit.
05/02/2010
About one in five children with autism uses alternative treatments to help with the neurodevelopmental disorder, most often a special diet, a new study finds.
05/03/2010
The recession may be provoking an increase in the deadliest form of child abuse, according to a study that finds that the rate of shaken baby syndrome has nearly doubled since the economy collapsed
05/03/2010
A division of Johnson & Johnson is recalling 43 over-the-counter medicines made for infants and children -- including liquid versions of Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl -- after federal regulators identified what they called deficiencies at the company's manufacturing facility.
05/03/2010
Dr. Andrew Weil talks about the differences between what he calls a biomedical model and the integrative approach. The biomedical perspective treats mental disturbance with medication. The integrative perspective believes that lifestyle also has an effect on mental health. Some of the lifestyle considerations are diet, nutrition and physical activity among others.
05/03/2010
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske today unveiled a new anti-methamphetamine (meth) ad campaign tailored for Indian Country, launched in New Mexico and in 14 other states with the largest Native American populations.
05/03/2010
New studies reveal cancer survivors have trouble coping with stress years after having won their battle with cancer.
In a study conducted by Jonsson Cancer Center, researcher and author Dr. Margaret Stuber, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, took a look at 6,542 adult patients who were childhood cancer survivors.
In a study conducted by Jonsson Cancer Center, researcher and author Dr. Margaret Stuber, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, took a look at 6,542 adult patients who were childhood cancer survivors.
05/03/2010
I hear Oprah is going to introduce a reality show about eating disorder rehab. We already have The Biggest Loser, and Intervention, both dealing with types of eating issues, but this will be a look into an intensive inpatient experience of eating disorder treatment. I have mixed feelings about this!
05/04/2010
A new study finds no particular antidepressant is more likely to boost the risk that adults starting on such medication will kill themselves or try to commit suicide.
05/04/2010
Over the past decade, the use of deep brain stimulation to relieve treatment-resistant depression has grown in popularity.
The option is important because while most patients with major depression find relief through a combination of psychotherapy and medication, about 20 percent of patients fail to respond.
The option is important because while most patients with major depression find relief through a combination of psychotherapy and medication, about 20 percent of patients fail to respond.
05/04/2010
Investigative reporter Robert Whitaker's Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America (Crown Publishers, April 2010) is the most important book on psychiatric treatment in a generation. I have been in practice for over 25 years and have read hundreds of books about psychiatry, and I can say without question that Anatomy of an Epidemic is the most illuminating book on psychiatric treatment that I have ever read.
05/04/2010
Rates of mood and anxiety disorders appear to decline with age but the conditions remain common in older adults, especially women, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
05/04/2010
Among adults beginning antidepressant therapy, the risk of suicide or suicide attempts does not appear to vary by individual type or class of medication, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
05/05/2010
The Legislature and governor have decided to eliminate mental-health coverage for many of our fellow citizens with serious mental illness.
These cuts may force some who are recovering to quit their jobs in order to continue their treatments.
These cuts may force some who are recovering to quit their jobs in order to continue their treatments.
05/03/2010
Not long ago, a team of researchers watched a 1-year-old boy take justice into his own hands. The boy had just seen a puppet show in which one puppet played with a ball while interacting with two other puppets. The center puppet would slide the ball to the puppet on the right, who would pass it back. And the center puppet would slide the ball to the puppet on the left . . . who would run away with it. Then the two puppets on the ends were brought down from the stage and set before the toddler. Each was placed next to a pile of treats. At this point, the toddler was asked to take a treat away from one puppet. Like most children in this situation, the boy took it from the pile of the “naughty” one. But this punishment wasn’t enough — he then leaned over and smacked the puppet in the head.
05/05/2010
This was a harsh winter, and I'm glad it's over. I'm not much of a snow person, so I survived the blizzard of '10 by holing up and watching nature shows on TV. I can easily be mesmerized by rare footage of snow leopards in the Himalayas and wild stallions in the Rockies.
But is it really possible to get the psychological benefits of wilderness through nature TV and the like. Or do we actually need to feel the crunch of the snow and smell the pine needles? And what is it exactly that nature contributes to the human experience when we do get out in the elements?
But is it really possible to get the psychological benefits of wilderness through nature TV and the like. Or do we actually need to feel the crunch of the snow and smell the pine needles? And what is it exactly that nature contributes to the human experience when we do get out in the elements?
05/05/2010
A new study suggests a possible physical cause for postpartum depression.
Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health used an advanced brain imaging method to determine that a brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) was significantly elevated in healthy women after delivery.
Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health used an advanced brain imaging method to determine that a brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) was significantly elevated in healthy women after delivery.
05/05/2010
Researchers believe a new finding will aid the treatment of depression that develops in later life. The finding is significant as late-life depression is often hard to treat and prone to relapse.
Scientists from Toronto’s Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care discovered older adults with depression don’t respond normally to emotional stimuli, such as when they see happy, sad or neutral faces.
Scientists from Toronto’s Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care discovered older adults with depression don’t respond normally to emotional stimuli, such as when they see happy, sad or neutral faces.
05/05/2010
Prescription drug abuse means taking a prescription medication that is not prescribed for you, or taking it for reasons or in dosages other than as prescribed. Abuse of prescription drugs can produce serious health effects, including addiction. In 2008, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 15.2 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.
05/05/2010
Paradoxically, a return from a tour of duty in a combat zone does not abdicate the risk of violent death.
Young veterans are at risk for violent deaths at home, especially suicide, according to a new study.
Young veterans are at risk for violent deaths at home, especially suicide, according to a new study.
05/06/2010
Young children whose mothers have long-lasting postpartum depression do not seem to suffer any ill effects on their growth and weight gain, new research suggests.
When I was a child in Plains, everyone knew everyone else in town. Church and school were the center
05/06/2010
When I was a child in Plains, everyone knew everyone else in town. Church and school were the center of our community and were strong and positive influences on my life and those of my siblings and friends. So much has changed since then. The social fabric I took for granted no longer exists. On May 6--National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day--we need to acknowledge the fact that too many children in our nation are left to struggle with a whole host of stressful circumstances--violence, divorce, poverty, substance abuse and war, to mention just a few, without effective supports.
Study shows differences between male and female Mexican-Americans admitted for substance use treatme
05/06/2010
There are pronounced differences in substance use patterns between Mexican–American women and men admitted to treatment according to a national study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). For example, the study shows that alcohol was the primary substance of abuse among male Mexican-Americans admitted to treatment (40.1 percent) while methamphetamine was the primary substance of abuse among female Mexican–American treatment admissions (33.5 percent).
05/06/2010
— Researchers have detected a link between alcohol consumption, cancer and aging that starts at the cellular level with telomere shortening.
Results of this cross-sectional study were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, held April 17-21, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Results of this cross-sectional study were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, held April 17-21, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
05/06/2010
Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.
05/06/2010
Communities across the United States are developing programs to address child bullying. New research shows that parents can play an important role in preventing their children from becoming bullies in the first place.
05/07/2010
Jennifer Shilling recalls a good idea that was kicked around during a local effort to combat alcohol abuse: a mental health crisis center that could also function as a social detox facility.
That was eight years ago.
That was eight years ago.
05/07/2010
Adolescents living with mothers who currently smoke are nearly three times more likely to smoke than adolescents living with non-smoking mothers.
A new study reveals that adolescents aged 12 to 17 living with mothers who are current smokers or who have had a major depressive episode in the past year are far more likely to smoke than adolescents not living under these circumstances.
A new study reveals that adolescents aged 12 to 17 living with mothers who are current smokers or who have had a major depressive episode in the past year are far more likely to smoke than adolescents not living under these circumstances.
05/07/2010
A congressional bill aimed at improving care for U.S. military veterans who have suffered traumatic brain injuries -- considered the signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts -- was signed into law Wednesday in the White House by President Barack Obama.
The bipartisan legislation was authored by Rep. Jerry Mc-Nerney, D-Pleasanton, whose district includes most of Stockton and San Joaquin County. McNerney has been working on the bill since he first arrived in Congress three years ago.
The bipartisan legislation was authored by Rep. Jerry Mc-Nerney, D-Pleasanton, whose district includes most of Stockton and San Joaquin County. McNerney has been working on the bill since he first arrived in Congress three years ago.
05/07/2010
Unhealthy drinking practices are often seen among medical inpatients. While hospitalization is regarded by some as a "teachable moment" for motivating patients to decrease drinking, studies of brief hospital-based interventions have not always found decreases. New findings show that focusing on alcohol-related illnesses may make hospital interventions more effective.
Results will be published in the July 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
Results will be published in the July 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
05/07/2010
The brains of problem gamblers react more intensely to “near misses” than casual gamblers, possibly spurring them on to play more, according to new research in the May 5 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The researchers found the brain region that responds to rewards by delivering a dose of the chemical dopamine was especially active in these individuals.
05/07/2010
Arizona will continue to fund its health care programs for the poor at current levels, at least for the time being.
Without comment, Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday signed legislation restoring funds that had been taken from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state's Medicaid program.
The move, designed to save money, would have dropped more than 310,000 people from the program effective Jan. 1.
Without comment, Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday signed legislation restoring funds that had been taken from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state's Medicaid program.
The move, designed to save money, would have dropped more than 310,000 people from the program effective Jan. 1.
05/10/2010
It is tough enough to don a uniform, leave family behind and risk your life for your country. Now, roadside bombs transform steel into bloodied shreds and leave horrific head injuries, sending many veterans home in comas or with serious cognitive defects. Some soldiers return in caskets, others in wheelchairs or with prosthetic limbs.
05/10/2010
It is before dawn and the aroma of hot coffee is about to waft through the Moran family home.
Brendan heats water for instant brew over an outdoor stove as birds chirp in the cool mesquite trees nearby.
Brendan heats water for instant brew over an outdoor stove as birds chirp in the cool mesquite trees nearby.
05/10/2010
The Army is struggling to hire more mental health professionals to treat soldiers for readjustment problems.
It is burying a record number of troops who died by their own hands. Alcohol abuse and drug use discharges are up, and chaplains are holding marriage retreats to help families deal with a worrying number of divorces and domestic violence cases.
It is burying a record number of troops who died by their own hands. Alcohol abuse and drug use discharges are up, and chaplains are holding marriage retreats to help families deal with a worrying number of divorces and domestic violence cases.
05/11/2010
The White House is putting more resources into drug prevention and treatment, part of President Obama's pledge to treat illegal drug use more as a public-health issue than a criminal-justice problem.
The new drug-control strategy to be released today boosts community-based anti-drug programs, encourages health-care providers to screen for drug problems before addiction sets in and expands treatment beyond specialty centers to mainstream health-care facilities.
The new drug-control strategy to be released today boosts community-based anti-drug programs, encourages health-care providers to screen for drug problems before addiction sets in and expands treatment beyond specialty centers to mainstream health-care facilities.
05/11/2010
For years, Maricopa County failed to properly document and manage medical data for thousands of jail inmates.
Inmates died. Taxpayers paid out millions of dollars in settlements. The Board of Supervisors and Correctional Health Services failed to take adequate steps to address fundamental record-keeping problems, despite advice from their own consultants and a federal judge's order.
Inmates died. Taxpayers paid out millions of dollars in settlements. The Board of Supervisors and Correctional Health Services failed to take adequate steps to address fundamental record-keeping problems, despite advice from their own consultants and a federal judge's order.
05/11/2010
At age 82, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter could be taking life easy. Instead, she's still hard at work on the campaign of her lifetime: She wants to see people with mental illnesses treated better, in both the medical and general sense of the word "treated."
05/11/2010
Adjunctive, group-based psychosocial intervention in patients with bipolar disorder reduces the frequency and duration of relapses compared with usual treatment, study results show.
Psychosocial intervention reduced pooled relapses of any type and specifically of depression, report Monica Gilbert (St Vincent’s Health Melbourne, Australia) and colleagues.
Psychosocial intervention reduced pooled relapses of any type and specifically of depression, report Monica Gilbert (St Vincent’s Health Melbourne, Australia) and colleagues.
05/10/2010
Not surprisingly, a new study finds that older women who are exposed to physical and verbal abuse have poor mental health.
05/11/2010
A new small study has discovered treating clinical depression via the telephone is nearly as effective as face-to-face consultations.
Brigham Young University scientists followed 30 people newly diagnosed with major depression.
Brigham Young University scientists followed 30 people newly diagnosed with major depression.
05/11/2010
Roger Craig was 38 when he died. His age and his weight doubled from the time he had his first psychotic break when still in high school. His illness was later diagnosed as bipolar disorder and he struggled with it until he died of a sudden cardiac attack one evening in 2007 in his parents' home. But it was not his bipolar illness or suicide -- which we often consider the cause of death in people with a serious mental illness (SMI) -- that killed him. It was heart disease, the greatest killer of all (in the USA). Except it took his life a good 30 or more years earlier than someone who does not have SMI.
05/12/2010
Behavioral tics such as head banging, hand flapping, and body rocking are more common in toddlers living in orphanages, but often disappear after children are placed in foster homes, a new Romanian study shows.
05/12/2010
At least 30 minutes of exercise every day — even mild exercise — can keep many health risks and diseases at bay. But some people fear that people with certain mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, shouldn’t exercise as regularly.
05/12/2010
The tobacco addiction epidemic is a major public health problem worldwide. Professor Zhao Baolu and his group from the State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences set out to tackle this problem. After 20 years of innovative research, they have developed a novel tea filter to treat cigarette addiction and have discovered the molecular mechanism behind the smoking cessation effect. They identified theanine as the active ingredient in the tea filter that inhibits nicotine addiction. Their work entitled "The cessation and detoxification effect of tea filters on cigarette smoke" was published in the X. edition Science of China in 2010.
05/13/2010
In an upcoming special election, Arizona voters will decide if they want to spend a penny more on the dollar to help the state increase revenue during tough economic times.
But not all of the revenue that could come from Proposition 100 would go toward education: one-third of it would go toward health and human services and public safety. With an estimated $918 million in revenue the first year, that could mean almost $303 million for health and human services throughout Arizona.
But not all of the revenue that could come from Proposition 100 would go toward education: one-third of it would go toward health and human services and public safety. With an estimated $918 million in revenue the first year, that could mean almost $303 million for health and human services throughout Arizona.
05/12/2010
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Share Comments 4 Late last week, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty joined other civil and human rights organizations in the Arizona boycott, pulling out of a major public interest law conference planned in Phoenix this week for which we had organized a panel.
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Share Comments 4 Late last week, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty joined other civil and human rights organizations in the Arizona boycott, pulling out of a major public interest law conference planned in Phoenix this week for which we had organized a panel.
05/12/2010
More Michigan families are reaching out to community mental health services for help coping with job losses and the related economic fallout. However, the increased demand for services comes at a time when the state is also ramping up its prisoner re-entry program, leaving greater numbers of former prison inmates in need of services, too.
05/13/2010
Smoking is common among patients with bipolar disorder and can increase their risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), a study in Spanish people shows.
“Taking into account that this is one of the top three modifiable risk factors for premature death, this finding should be taken into account both by clinicians when dealing with the issue of tobacco use in patients with bipolar disorder, and by the health authorities for the purpose of creating specific programs to deal with this problem in patients with severe mental disorders,” says the research team.
“Taking into account that this is one of the top three modifiable risk factors for premature death, this finding should be taken into account both by clinicians when dealing with the issue of tobacco use in patients with bipolar disorder, and by the health authorities for the purpose of creating specific programs to deal with this problem in patients with severe mental disorders,” says the research team.
05/13/2010
New research finds that cognitive therapy is beneficial for moderate to severely depressed individuals. The approach emphasizes a change in thinking rather than a change in behavior.
Findings suggest cognitive therapists should concentrate, at least during the first few sessions, on a client’s thought patterns to help them see life events more realistically.
Findings suggest cognitive therapists should concentrate, at least during the first few sessions, on a client’s thought patterns to help them see life events more realistically.
05/12/2010
A fascinating report examining the nation's battle with drug addictions released Wednesday shows marked changes over the last decade in which drugs are abused and who seeks treatment. Among the more eyebrow-raising findings is that admissions for substance abuse treatment among youths ages 12 to 17 declined 10% between 2002 and 2008. This plunge came after a 13% increase from 1998 to 2002.
05/14/2010
A 16-state survey found that suicide was the leading cause of violent death in 2007, followed by homicides, according to a new U.S. report.
While the report does not cover the entire United States, it provides some insights into ways to improve efforts to prevent violent deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the report does not cover the entire United States, it provides some insights into ways to improve efforts to prevent violent deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
05/13/2010
The election of Barack Obama signaled many things about us as a nation: we prize thoughtfulness over recklessness; we respect law and liberty; and we are willing to give a chance to all people, including people of color.
Let us not be fooled by the sound and fury of the birthers and tea party zealots, who tote placards of Obama as a witch doctor. At our core, we are a tolerant society.
Let us not be fooled by the sound and fury of the birthers and tea party zealots, who tote placards of Obama as a witch doctor. At our core, we are a tolerant society.
05/14/2010
After 40 years, the U.S. war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives - and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence is even more brutal and widespread.
Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.
Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.
05/16/2010
Now the crisis is reaching the children.
In Arizona, a program that helped blind high school students care for themselves and find jobs is suspended. In South Carolina, all five state-run group homes for kids closed and a program that helped paroled youths get jobs is shuttered. And in Hawaii, a program to reduce child abuse and neglect was cut so much that two years after serving 4,000 families, it now serves 100.
In Arizona, a program that helped blind high school students care for themselves and find jobs is suspended. In South Carolina, all five state-run group homes for kids closed and a program that helped paroled youths get jobs is shuttered. And in Hawaii, a program to reduce child abuse and neglect was cut so much that two years after serving 4,000 families, it now serves 100.
05/14/2010
Local faces are behind the list of cuts that the State of Arizona plans to make if voters reject a temporary one-cent sales tax increase in Tuesday's election.
05/17/2010
Staring at the clock's blinking red lights, tossing and turning until the sheets are tied in knots — some 40 million Americans are all too familiar with what a chronic sleep disorder feels like. In a quest to understand her own insomnia, journalist Patricia Morrisroe traveled from Las Vegas to north of the Arctic Circle and chronicled what she found in a new book, Wide Awake. Morrisroe talked to TIME about how sleep has evolved, how ancient Greeks went to sleep and why we need our z's.
05/16/2010
British troops who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer far lower rates of post-traumatic stress than Americans do, according to the most rigorous psychiatric study of Britain’s military so far.
05/17/2010
Despite increasing payrolls and a purported economic recovery, the unemployment rate among new veterans is skyrocketing.
Individual Americans and businesses can turn this situation around. We can each help build deeper understanding of the value that our war veterans bring to the workplace.
Individual Americans and businesses can turn this situation around. We can each help build deeper understanding of the value that our war veterans bring to the workplace.
05/16/2010
Danielle Woods, 16, never would have blurted out to her family doctor that she was depressed, suicidal even.
But she was — for years — before she told her mom she "couldn't keep doing this anymore" and ended up in a depression treatment program at Children's Hospital.
Danielle might have gotten help sooner if someone had asked her the right questions — the premise behind a national push to get pediatricians to make mental-health screening part of annual physical checkups.
But she was — for years — before she told her mom she "couldn't keep doing this anymore" and ended up in a depression treatment program at Children's Hospital.
Danielle might have gotten help sooner if someone had asked her the right questions — the premise behind a national push to get pediatricians to make mental-health screening part of annual physical checkups.
05/17/2010
Psychiatrists in favor of a new label, temper dysregulation disorder, cite a spike in bipolar diagnoses. But others worry it will add uncertainty to the treatment of an already confusing condition.
05/17/2010
An eating disorder isn’t always as obvious as you might think. Subtle signs can pop up long before someone becomes dangerously thin or begins heading to the bathroom immediately after meals.
05/18/2010
Suicide is both disturbing and perplexing to survivors, in part because it is so unpredictable. People who are intent on killing themselves often conceal their thoughts or outright deny them, so family and friends are left puzzling over warning signs they might have missed.
05/18/2010
The Department of Veterans Affairs finds itself in a difficult position because some vets want to use marijuana to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Pot possession remains illegal under federal law. The VA says that as a federal agency its doctors can't recommend using it.
05/17/2010
That's the phrase novelist Virginia Woolf used to describe them. Depictions of angry males in our society are found not just in cinema, TV and other media, but also on the streets, in workplaces and behind closed doors.
Of course, anger is not confined to the male gender, but there is a growing body of behavioral research that may explain, in part, why so many men become so bellicose so often.
Of course, anger is not confined to the male gender, but there is a growing body of behavioral research that may explain, in part, why so many men become so bellicose so often.
05/18/2010
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing March 25, titled, “The Preventable Epidemic: Youth Suicides and the Urgent Need for Mental Health Care Resources in Indian Country.”
Randy Grinnell, IHS deputy director, testified that the American Indian and Alaska Native suicide rate for a three-year period from 2002 – 2004 in the IHS service area was 1.7 times that of the all races rate for 2003.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death (behind unintentional injuries) for Indian youth ages 15 – 24 residing in IHS service areas and is 3.5 times higher than the national average.”
Randy Grinnell, IHS deputy director, testified that the American Indian and Alaska Native suicide rate for a three-year period from 2002 – 2004 in the IHS service area was 1.7 times that of the all races rate for 2003.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death (behind unintentional injuries) for Indian youth ages 15 – 24 residing in IHS service areas and is 3.5 times higher than the national average.”
05/18/2010
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 16, and I'm now 18 and it has gotten where I can't even get a job because I stress myself out so much that I can't even think straight. I've been on Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, and Seroquel but nothing has helped me get over this. I feel like every time I try to do something a switch comes on in my head, and I get in fight-or-flight mode, and I usually flee. My sleeping patterns are also irregular. If anyone has some suggestions for me I would greatly appreciate it.
05/18/2010
About one in ten new fathers will develop postpartum depression, usually during the first six month's of the baby's life, according to a meta-analysis of findings from 43 studies.
05/18/2010
People who battled depression, drug abuse and other psychological conditions as children see long-term effects — in their wallets.
05/19/2010
Mother's Day celebrations bring to mind the centrality of attachment as an important topic for anyone studying human emotion. At NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, I see many families who come to us seeking help for a child or adolescent who has a mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder or severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In my experience, the attachment created by the mother is typically quite strong , and that gift is usually quite evident -- even as the challenges inherent to trying to find out what is going on and how to get help can be overwhelming and daunting. Indeed, if healthy attachment was created, it is that foundation of security and trust that will the child through the many challenges that await.
05/20/2010
In the four months since the Haitian earthquake, psychologists from around the world have been traveling to the island, hoping to help a population in shock and at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. Many are veterans of crises such as Hurricane Katrina, and have extensive experience responding to disasters.
05/19/2010
The number of female veterans living on the streets has doubled to almost 7,000 nationwide over the last decade. To address the problem, the US Department of Veteran's Affairs has begun tailoring treatment programs -25 in all- specifically targeting homeless female veterans. It's part of a larger five-year campaign launched by the VA to end homelessness. KUNC's Grace Hood reports on one such program in Denver.
05/19/2010
Dealing with a bipolar diagnosis is hard. Dealing with parents, friends, and relatives who have slightly, er, misguided notions about what having bipolar entails can be even harder. You can help someone who is dealing with mental illness for the first time by being open, understanding, and well-informed—and by nixing any false beliefs and assumptions you have about bipolar.
05/20/2010
Study findings suggest specificity for the familial transmission of schizophrenia-psychosis spectrum (SPS) disorders and affective psychoses (APs).
The results show that individuals born to parents with SPS disorders are approximately six times more likely to develop SPS disorders than individuals born to mentally healthy parents, while the risk for AP among individuals born to parents with AP is increased 14 fold.
The results show that individuals born to parents with SPS disorders are approximately six times more likely to develop SPS disorders than individuals born to mentally healthy parents, while the risk for AP among individuals born to parents with AP is increased 14 fold.
05/20/2010
Health ministers agreed on Thursday to try to curb binge drinking and other growing forms of excessive alcohol use through higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and tighter marketing regulations.
05/20/2010
Watch Glenn Close's brilliant PSA. I'm referring to her absolutely stunning public service announcement about the stigmatization of mental illness. My wife saw it at a symposium sponsored by Fountain House, was blown away, and couldn't wait to show it to me. The segment -- made with the help of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Fountain House, and a number of other organizations -- currently has 23,472 hits on YouTube. It is in serious need of going viral.
05/20/2010
Countries around the world are pledging to get tough with companies that market beer and liquor on social media networks such as Facebook, warning that such promotions threaten to entice a new generation into harmful drinking patterns.
05/20/2010
Physician experts are calling for a better appreciation of the genetic roots for many mental disorders.
New research suggests disorders of brain circuits are likely caused by developmental processes. A commentary discussing the new focus is found in the current issue of JAMA, a theme issue on mental health.
New research suggests disorders of brain circuits are likely caused by developmental processes. A commentary discussing the new focus is found in the current issue of JAMA, a theme issue on mental health.
05/20/2010
It is difficult to imagine a depressed third-grader. It is even more difficult to imagine a depressed preschooler. Although childhood depression is a well-recognized and treated disorder, only recently have research studies begun looking at depression in children younger than six years old. In the new Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, child psychiatrist/researcher Joan Luby from Washington University in St. Louis reports on recent findings examining depression in preschool-age children and the importance of early detection.
Nationwide Study Shows Substantial Differences in Adult Substance Use Rates among Various Asian-Amer
05/20/2010
A new national study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows there are significant differences in rates of substance use among adults in various Asian-American populations. For example, the past month binge drinking rate among Korean-American adults is three times higher than among Chinese-American adults (25.9 percent versus 8.4 percent). Similarly the level of past month illicit drug use among Japanese-American adults is nearly three times higher than the level among Asian Indian-American adults (6.2 percent versus 2.1 percent).
05/23/2010
Anorexia and bulimia are probably the most familiar types of eating disorders, but they are not the most common. Some 50 to 60 percent of patients don't quite make the cut to be diagnosed with full-blown anorexia or bulimia, and are instead classified as having an eating disorder "not otherwise specified" (EDNOS).
05/22/2010
The plea was passionate, dramatic and effective: haunted to addiction by memories of a Bosnian mass grave and the shooting of a teen in Honduras, former U.S. Army Capt. Sargent Binkley robbed two Silicon Valley pharmacies for painkillers.
A Santa Clara County jury came back in January 2009 with a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity for the first robbery. Because of that verdict, a San Mateo County judge in March approved a plea bargain between Binkley and prosecutors that called for mental health treatment rather than a lengthy prison sentence for the second pharmacy stickup.
A Santa Clara County jury came back in January 2009 with a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity for the first robbery. Because of that verdict, a San Mateo County judge in March approved a plea bargain between Binkley and prosecutors that called for mental health treatment rather than a lengthy prison sentence for the second pharmacy stickup.
05/22/2010
This column centers on hope and recovery from drug addiction. There is help available and there are agencies and facilities willing to give assistance to addicts in an effort to find a treatment plan suited to his/her particular needs.
05/23/2010
It has been a routine week in my clinical and forensic practice. I evaluated a malpractice case involving a woman on the West Coast whose family doctor from a decade earlier kept prescribing Prozac to her for ten years without ever seeing her again. When she ran into emotional difficulty, she called this doctor who simply raised the dose and added a new drug, still without seeing her for a decade. This woman, a respected professional and parent in her community, then landed in a hospital where her adverse drug reaction was mistaken for a mental illness, more psychiatric drugs were added, and she soon killed herself in a most horrendous
05/24/2010
Sophisticated mobile phone apps are being developed and tested around the world for use in the mental health field.
According to researcher Mark Boschen of Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, the computing power of mobile phones allows them to be used as part of psychotherapy for several mental health problems.
According to researcher Mark Boschen of Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, the computing power of mobile phones allows them to be used as part of psychotherapy for several mental health problems.
05/24/2010
Although millions of Americans take antidepressant drugs, little is known about if and when it's safe to stop.
"This is an area of great importance to patients, and given the very limited data available, there is a clear need for studies to inform clinicians and patients," says Maurizio Fava, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
"This is an area of great importance to patients, and given the very limited data available, there is a clear need for studies to inform clinicians and patients," says Maurizio Fava, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
New Survey Reveals Positive and Respectful Relationship Among Psychiatrists, Patients With Schizophr
05/24/2010
According to a new survey sponsored by Janssen,® Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc, 80 percent of patients with schizophrenia, a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder, say their psychiatrists do well or very well in treating them with courtesy and respect. This positive relationship is particularly important in treating schizophrenia as patients and psychiatrists must work closely together to determine appropriate treatment plans that will help patients manage their symptoms and reduce their risk of relapse. Schizophrenia affects about 1 percent of the U.S. adult population and approximately 24 million people globally. Schizophrenia can have devastating effects throughout a person's life.
05/24/2010
IN THE abstract, everyone who feels the sting of rising health care premiums understands the need to hold down costs. In practice, such efforts may look to medical providers like unwelcome outside interference. The state’s Group Insurance Commission, which provides health care for many state employees, has moved to tighten the reins on out-of-network therapists. This has raised alarm among mental health advocates, who say stricter rules to gain approval for treatment aren’t just intrusive, but may violate federal rules aimed at bringing parity to medical and mental health care.
05/24/2010
Dear Andrew:
Your "Action Plan" rightfully bemoans the "ever proliferating tangle of boards, commissions, councils, departments, divisions, offices, task forces and public authorities" in NYS and then goes on to propose a new commission to study eliminating some, saving money, and improving services.
Your "Action Plan" rightfully bemoans the "ever proliferating tangle of boards, commissions, councils, departments, divisions, offices, task forces and public authorities" in NYS and then goes on to propose a new commission to study eliminating some, saving money, and improving services.
05/24/2010
Steve Barney begins the first day of abnormal psychology class telling his students how he wants to change the world by breaking down stigmas associated with mental disorders. “The biggest stigma is that people with a mental disorder are dangerous,” said Barney, the Southern Utah University Department of Psychology chairman. “But people get most of their information about mental disorders from mass media.” Barney said everything from news reports of a crime being linked to a suspect’s mental health to movies with violent portrayals of someone with a mental disorder have formed society’s opinions and kept it from doing research or meeting someone who has a disorder to dissolve preconceptions.
05/24/2010
We may never know why Austin Gates Benson — a 19-year-old Hellertown resident and airman first class in the U.S. Air Force — took his life earlier this month while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
05/24/2010
Homeless U.S. adults are up to 10 times less likely to get the health care they need than people in the general population, a new survey reveals.
The poll results -- analyzed by researchers from both the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program -- are reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
The poll results -- analyzed by researchers from both the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program -- are reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
PSA Campaign Launches as New Survey Data Shows Only One in Five Young Adults Believes that People ar
05/25/2010
According to a national survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) there are an estimated 9.8 million adults aged 18 or older living with serious mental illness. Among adults, the prevalence of serious mental illness is highest in the 18 to 25 age group, yet this age group is also the least likely to receive services or counseling for mental health issues.
05/21/2010
What do creative people and people diagnosed with schizophrenia have in common? According to new research out of Sweden, both share similar dopamine systems in the brain.
Dopamine, along with serotonin, is a key neurotransmitter - chemicals that are vital to transmitting messages via nerve cells in the brain.
Dopamine, along with serotonin, is a key neurotransmitter - chemicals that are vital to transmitting messages via nerve cells in the brain.
05/25/2010
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca on Tuesday blasted cuts to mental health services in the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget, saying they would burden the county’s already overcrowded jails.
Baca estimated that the Sheriff's Department currently has about 2,500 inmates with mental health problems in its jails, many of them in the Twin Towers facility in downtown Los Angeles. Critics have asserted that the number of mentally ill inmates is much higher, with many landing in Men’s Central Jail, a facility less equipped for mental health care.
Baca estimated that the Sheriff's Department currently has about 2,500 inmates with mental health problems in its jails, many of them in the Twin Towers facility in downtown Los Angeles. Critics have asserted that the number of mentally ill inmates is much higher, with many landing in Men’s Central Jail, a facility less equipped for mental health care.
05/25/2010
As medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness as well as a child psychiatrist, I appreciate this opportunity to address some of the issues raised on May 11 by the California mother who asked, "Who can help my bipolar 6-year-old?"
PSA Campaign Launches as New Survey Data Shows Only One in Five Young Adults Believes that People ar
05/25/2010
According to a national survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) there are an estimated 9.8 million adults aged 18 or older living with serious mental illness. Among adults, the prevalence of serious mental illness is highest in the 18 to 25 age group, yet this age group is also the least likely to receive services or counseling for mental health issues.
To help address this problem and as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, SAMHSA and The Advertising Council today launched a new series of national public service announcements (PSAs) designed to encourage, educate and inspire young adults (18-25 years old) to step up and support friends and family they know are experiencing a mental health problem.
To help address this problem and as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, SAMHSA and The Advertising Council today launched a new series of national public service announcements (PSAs) designed to encourage, educate and inspire young adults (18-25 years old) to step up and support friends and family they know are experiencing a mental health problem.
05/25/2010
Helping kids with autism learn how to communicate doesn't improve their symptoms, British researchers reported at an international meeting on the developmental disorder.
But it does benefit parent-child interaction, the study, which was also published in the journal The Lancet, shows.
But it does benefit parent-child interaction, the study, which was also published in the journal The Lancet, shows.
05/26/2010
A new study paints a disturbing portrait for youth diagnosed and taking medications for mood disorders.
In one of the first studies of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 with mental illnesses and taking medications, Case Western University researchers discovered adolescents may face social isolation.
In one of the first studies of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 with mental illnesses and taking medications, Case Western University researchers discovered adolescents may face social isolation.
05/26/2010
Victims of domestic violence endure significantly higher health costs than other women for three years after the abuse ends, a new study finds.
Abuse victims had health care costs that averaged more than $1,200 above non-abused women for the first two years after the abuse ended and about $400 above others in the third year.
Abuse victims had health care costs that averaged more than $1,200 above non-abused women for the first two years after the abuse ended and about $400 above others in the third year.
05/26/2010
Johnson & Johnson strengthened warnings about the risk of suicide with its Ultram and Ultracet painkillers after deaths were reported in patients who have histories of emotional disturbance or drug abuse. The medicines, which contain the opioid tramadol, may be more potent when combined with alcohol, different painkillers, or drugs that depress the central nervous system, J&J told doctors in letters released yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration.
05/26/2010
Colorado law got tougher for repeat drunken drivers Tuesday afternoon, and another state law will allow "smarter" management of drug users. Gov. Bill Ritter signed the two laws along with eight others as part of what he called an ongoing effort to be tough and smart on crime.
New Report Builds the Case for Actions to Better Serve Youth With Mental Health Issues in the Juveni
05/26/2010
It is estimated that between 40 to 70 percent of youth in California's juvenile justice system have some mental health disorder or illness and the number is steadily increasing. The deficiencies of the system to address the needs of this population have been well documented in studies and media stories. Competing budget priorities at the state and local levels continue to exacerbate the problem.
05/27/2010
"If you mean the demon drink that poisons the mind, pollutes the body, desecrates family life, and inflames sinners, then I'm against it. But if you mean the elixir of Christmas cheer, the shield against winter chill, the taxable potion that puts needed funds into public coffers to comfort little crippled children, then I'm for it. This is my position, and I will not compromise!"
05/27/2010
On September 11, 2001, our nation went to war -- first in Afghanistan and later in Iraq. Nearly nine years later the war rages on and the men, women and families in our military community continue to experience the consequences of this war.
05/27/2010
On September 11, 2001, our nation went to war -- first in Afghanistan and later in Iraq. Nearly nine years later the war rages on and the men, women and families in our military community continue to experience the consequences of this war.
05/28/2010
When adolescents are treated in an emergency department (ED) after being assaulted, they have a significant chance of being involved in another violent encounter soon afterward, according to a study presented May 3 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
05/28/2010
Psychopaths are known to be characterized by callousness, diminished capacity for remorse, and lack of empathy. However, the exact cause of these personality traits is an area of scientific debate. The results of a new study, reported in the May 2010 issue of Elsevier's Cortex, show striking similarities between the mental impairments observed in psychopaths and those seen in patients with frontal lobe damage.
05/28/2010
Not long ago, a doctor friend recounted the story of a patient who had recently died from complications stemming from the treatment of a chronic bleeding problem. “I felt terrible about it,” said my friend, who had cared for the patient for several years. “Something didn’t add up in this case, and I had to wonder if it was my fault, if I had done something wrong.”
05/28/2010
Prescribing heroin to addicts who can't kick their habit helps them stay off street drugs, British researchers said Friday.
So far, doctors have had little hope of treating the 10 percent or more of heroin users who don't respond to methadone, the standard anti-addiction medication. Fueled by drug cravings, those users often spiral downward into crime and diseases spread by dirty needles and unhealthy living.
So far, doctors have had little hope of treating the 10 percent or more of heroin users who don't respond to methadone, the standard anti-addiction medication. Fueled by drug cravings, those users often spiral downward into crime and diseases spread by dirty needles and unhealthy living.
05/31/2010
In women, postpartum depression is well-known, long-studied and blamed in large part on biological factors. After all, pregnancy-related hormone levels plummet after the baby's birth, leaving many new moms weepy on the very day they arrive home from the hospital. From there on out, recovery from labor, bodily changes and nursing (or not) can contribute to, if not trigger, both the milder baby blues and outright clinical depression.
Community Acceptance, Social Support, and Educational Access Provide Safety Net for Former Child Sol
05/31/2010
The Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 estimates that more than 300,000 children are engaged as soldiers around the globe, and more children are recruited every year in ongoing and new conflicts. Although a number of multinational coalitions are aligned to stop the recruitment of child soldiers, some countries persist in not only the recruitment of children but also in exposing children to both the psychological and physical dangers associated with combat.
05/31/2010
I’m sitting in front of a gray plastic console that resembles an airplane cockpit. Each time I move, a small reflector on a makeshift tiara resting on my forehead alerts an infrared tracking device pointing down at me from above a computer monitor.
Our family next week is going to watch the debut of the Washington Nationals’ new pitching sensation
05/30/2010
Our family next week is going to watch the debut of the Washington Nationals’ new pitching sensation, Stephen Strasburg. However he does, there is one certainty: At the end of the third inning, a capacity crowd will rise and cheer the veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq in attendance.
06/01/2010
Although discontinuing use of antidepressant during pregnancy can result in depressive relapse, a new study finds an increased risk of miscarriage in pregnant women using antidepressants.
06/01/2010
A provocative study using genetically altered mice finds a cause-and-effect link between the immune system and a psychiatric disorder.
Mario Capecchi, a Nobel Prize-winning geneticist, discovered that bone marrow transplants cure mutant mice who pull out their hair compulsively.
Mario Capecchi, a Nobel Prize-winning geneticist, discovered that bone marrow transplants cure mutant mice who pull out their hair compulsively.
05/31/2010
As teenagers mature into their senior year of high school, many parents begin to feel more comfortable about letting them drink alcohol. But new research from brain scientists and parenting experts suggests loosening the reins on drinking may not be a good idea in the long run. And, researchers say, parents' approach to addressing teen drinking does influence a teen's behavior.
06/01/2010
Consumer Reports asked its readers who have struggled with depression and anxiety what worked for them. Granted, the 1,544 respondents probably don’t precisely mirror the general population, but the survey results do, as the magazine notes, “provide a window onto mental-health treatment as it’s practiced in the real world.”
06/01/2010
Provocative new research suggests exposure to the common virus that causes cold sores may be partially responsible for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.
06/01/2010
Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced legislation that would require the Pentagon to provide National Guard and Reserve units with embedded mental health counselors to improve mental health care services. The legislation, the Embedded Mental Health Providers for Reserves Act of 2010, would provide a consistent mental health professional in each unit to help earn the trust of soldiers, military leaders, and family members and provide access to support during drill weekends and family readiness events. The legislation comes as Guard and Reserve members continue coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom are suffering from mental health issues that could be treated earlier and more effectively with proper outreach and care.
06/01/2010
There is the "old Sherry" and the "new Sherry" -- the depressed girl who had electroshock treatment after two suicide attempts, and the woman who learned to make a commitment to living. "It was a pretty amazing turnaround," said Sherry Pontosky, now a 35-year-old neonatal nurse from northeastern Pennsylvania who, at her worst, was so drugged on antidepressants and antipsychotics that she said she lost a year of her life.
06/02/2010
People who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less, a new study has found. Scientists from The University of Manchester recruited individuals into the study who had a diverse range of experience with meditation, spanning anything from months to decades. It was only the more advanced meditators whose anticipation and experience of pain differed from non-meditators.
06/01/2010
Attempts to reduce suicide in a population do not always focus enough on high-risk patients, argues an Essay in PLoS Medicine this week that discusses different interventions for "secondary suicide prevention."
06/02/2010
The most popular class of drugs remain the so-called SSRIs such as Prozac, the group found. People found newer, pricier antidepressants less desirable because of side-effects.
Patients benefited just as much from therapy -- almost any kind of therapy, the consumer group found in its survey of 1,500 readers.
Those surveyed said they improved just as much after seven or more sessions of talk therapy as if they took drugs and it did not matter if the therapist was a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker.
Patients benefited just as much from therapy -- almost any kind of therapy, the consumer group found in its survey of 1,500 readers.
Those surveyed said they improved just as much after seven or more sessions of talk therapy as if they took drugs and it did not matter if the therapist was a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker.
06/03/2010
Monica Velez sees no difference in the deaths of her brothers, Jose and Andrew. They both died in an Army uniform while serving their country.
The American Legion doesn’t see it that way.
The American Legion doesn’t see it that way.
06/03/2010
Supervised administration of injectable ‘medical’ grade heroin leads to larger reductions in street heroin use in chronic heroin addicts who are failing on treatment, than does either injectable or oral methadone. The findings of the Randomised Injectable Opiate Treatment Trial (RIOTT ) trial are reported in an article in this week’s Lancet, written by Professor John Strang and colleagues from the National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), King’s College London (KCL).
06/03/2010
Nearly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs—more than those who are abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants combined. Unintentional poisoning deaths involving psychotherapeutic drugs, such as sedative-hypnotics and anti-depressants, grew 84 percent from 1999 to 2004. Every day the exploits of Hollywood stars going to rehab or dying from lethal drug combinations transmit through the airwaves. Clinicians, those prescribing the drugs, have received strong recommendations from the American Pain Society urging random urine drug screens to confirm patients are adhering to their prescribed plan of care. “From over 350,000 results, 61% are not consistent with what is anticipated based on the medications patients are supposed to be taking,” stated Dr. Benjamin Gerson, Medical Director of University Services, a Toxicology Services company, at the Disease Management Managed Care Forum in Orlando.
06/02/2010
A new study from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA suggests that increasing cigarette taxes could be an effective way to reduce smoking among individuals with alcohol, drug or mental disorders.
06/03/2010
Behavior therapy combined with medications is the best approach to reduce social costs of health care among alcohol-dependent individuals.
Researchers looked at the economic impact of combined alcohol dependency treatments, including the treatment costs and the economic costs of other health care use including arrests and motor vehicle accidents.
Researchers looked at the economic impact of combined alcohol dependency treatments, including the treatment costs and the economic costs of other health care use including arrests and motor vehicle accidents.
06/03/2010
Joseph Mucenski Sr. understands that encounters between police and mentally distraught folks can end badly. That's because his son experienced that kind of confrontation firsthand.
Joseph Mucenski Jr. was a chef at the now-defunct Café Terra Cotta back in 2000. The restaurant was relocating, and the pressure was fierce. There were also girlfriend problems.
Joseph Mucenski Jr. was a chef at the now-defunct Café Terra Cotta back in 2000. The restaurant was relocating, and the pressure was fierce. There were also girlfriend problems.
06/04/2010
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) delivered in routine clinical practice significantly improves depression in psychosis patients, with smaller improvements for emotional and cognitive variables, the results of a UK study indicate.
CBT for psychosis reduces symptoms, particularly in medication-resistant patients, leading to recommendations that the treatment be used as an adjunct to medication in all psychosis patients. However, it may be more important to assess distress and disability, as opposed to symptoms, as the primary outcome of CBT in psychosis.
CBT for psychosis reduces symptoms, particularly in medication-resistant patients, leading to recommendations that the treatment be used as an adjunct to medication in all psychosis patients. However, it may be more important to assess distress and disability, as opposed to symptoms, as the primary outcome of CBT in psychosis.
06/04/2010
Midriff-revealing uniforms are linked to a higher risk of eating disorders among college cheerleaders, new research shows.
Toni Torres-McGehee, an assistant professor of athletic training at the University of South Carolina, studied 136 college cheerleaders in Division I and Division II, trying to determine if there were links between their team positions, their clothing requirements (full or midriff uniforms, for example), body image and prevalence of eating disorders.
Toni Torres-McGehee, an assistant professor of athletic training at the University of South Carolina, studied 136 college cheerleaders in Division I and Division II, trying to determine if there were links between their team positions, their clothing requirements (full or midriff uniforms, for example), body image and prevalence of eating disorders.
06/04/2010
A new research study suggests smoking could increase the risk of depression.
The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand, followed over 1,000 people.
The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand, followed over 1,000 people.
06/04/2010
Researchers have discovered children with autism have a different chemical fingerprint in their urine than non-autistic children.
Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of South Australia suggest that their findings could ultimately lead to a simple urine test to determine whether a young child has autism.
Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of South Australia suggest that their findings could ultimately lead to a simple urine test to determine whether a young child has autism.
06/05/2010
I am a member of “Linked in.” It’s one of those social networks, but unlike Facebook or My Space, it’s members are mostly focused on business networking. My profile not only includes my involvement in the mental health community, but I also use it as a tool for real estate related information. (that’s what I do in my “other life.”)
An email came in from Linked in today from a “certified mental health recovery educator” asking for input. I signed on to Linked-in and this is what I found…
An email came in from Linked in today from a “certified mental health recovery educator” asking for input. I signed on to Linked-in and this is what I found…
06/07/2010
Joshua Wheat wants Tucsonans to party for life Wednesday.
It took him seven years to recover from what he described as an emotionally crippling family tragedy. Now he's hoping to help others cope with the effects of a loved one's suicide by celebrating life.
Wheat has put together a night of free concerts, stage acts, auctions and other wacky entertainment at Hotel Congress to raise donations for the nonprofit American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Wheat, 31, was inspired to take action after years of guilt over the murder-suicide of his parents. In 2003, Wheat returned to his parents' Sahuarita home to find his father had fatally shot his mother before committing suicide.
It took him seven years to recover from what he described as an emotionally crippling family tragedy. Now he's hoping to help others cope with the effects of a loved one's suicide by celebrating life.
Wheat has put together a night of free concerts, stage acts, auctions and other wacky entertainment at Hotel Congress to raise donations for the nonprofit American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Wheat, 31, was inspired to take action after years of guilt over the murder-suicide of his parents. In 2003, Wheat returned to his parents' Sahuarita home to find his father had fatally shot his mother before committing suicide.
06/07/2010
The secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in Cleveland on Friday, says he hopes to eliminate homelessness among veterans within the next five years.
Speaking at the Wade Park campus of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Eric Shinseki said homeless veterans are one of his top three priorities, along with improving veterans' access to benefits and services, and reducing the backlog of veterans benefit claims.
Speaking at the Wade Park campus of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Eric Shinseki said homeless veterans are one of his top three priorities, along with improving veterans' access to benefits and services, and reducing the backlog of veterans benefit claims.
06/07/2010
When one of the most important e-mail messages of his life landed in his in-box a few years ago, Kord Campbell overlooked it.
Not just for a day or two, but 12 days. He finally saw it while sifting through old messages: a big company wanted to buy his Internet start-up.
“I stood up from my desk and said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,’ ” Mr. Campbell said. “It’s kind of hard to miss an e-mail like that, but I did.”
Not just for a day or two, but 12 days. He finally saw it while sifting through old messages: a big company wanted to buy his Internet start-up.
“I stood up from my desk and said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,’ ” Mr. Campbell said. “It’s kind of hard to miss an e-mail like that, but I did.”
06/08/2010
Americans are Puritans when it comes to dealing with drug addiction. They get their spines all straight and spout righteous claims like "just say no" or "why coddle an addict?" How much more proof do we need before the rational presides over irrational? How long before those that promote punishment realize this is a disease that needs treatment? Before those with addictions get what we know can help?
06/08/2010
David Weiss sat down on his therapist's couch on Thursday troubled by moments of emptiness that made him ask himself, "Is this it?" After talking it through with her, however, he realized that such experiences could be peaceful, and even welcome, if he viewed them with a different mind-set.
06/08/2010
It’s among the most sensitive subjects for troops stressed out from war while trying to get on with their lives, their families and their careers: whether to tell anyone what’s going on inside.
Now, a unique band of brothers has come together to tell those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that it’s more than OK to tell. The group consists of 35 Medal of Honor recipients – men from America’s past wars who have the credibility to tell those fighting its current wars that help is there for the taking and to take it.
Now, a unique band of brothers has come together to tell those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that it’s more than OK to tell. The group consists of 35 Medal of Honor recipients – men from America’s past wars who have the credibility to tell those fighting its current wars that help is there for the taking and to take it.
06/08/2010
Prescription drug cocktails have led to at least 32 accidental overdoses among Marines and soldiers assigned to their services’ most supervised medical units for wounded troops since 2007.
At least 30 soldiers and two Marines overdosed while under the care of Army Warrior Transition Units or the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, created three years ago to tightly focus care and attention on troops suffering from injuries as a result of combat.
At least 30 soldiers and two Marines overdosed while under the care of Army Warrior Transition Units or the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, created three years ago to tightly focus care and attention on troops suffering from injuries as a result of combat.
06/08/2010
The rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22 percent, the highest rate in two decades, according to an analysis by the non-profit Foundation for Child Development. Nearly 17 percent of children were living in poverty in 2006, before the recession began.
The foundation's Child and Youth Well-Being Index tracks 28 key statistics about children, such as health-insurance coverage, parents' employment, infant mortality and preschool enrollment.
The foundation's Child and Youth Well-Being Index tracks 28 key statistics about children, such as health-insurance coverage, parents' employment, infant mortality and preschool enrollment.
06/09/2010
The rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22%, the highest rate in two decades, according to an analysis by the non-profit Foundation for Child Development. Nearly 17% of children were living in poverty in 2006, before the recession began.
06/09/2010
Children whose mothers said they were chronically abused by their partners were more likely to be obese by age 5 than similar children whose mothers did not report such steady family violence, Boston researchers report.
06/07/2010
I FIRST NOTICED the girl because, unlike every other teenager in our neighborhood, she walked everywhere. I'd see her through my kitchen window, coming down from one of the houses at the top of the hill. She always wore headphones and dressed in the same outfit: oversized gray sweat shirt printed with the name of a private high school, black leggings and red running shoes.
06/09/2010
So when the label on your prescription bottle says to “take two tablets by mouth twice daily,” how many pills should you be taking each day?
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/03/1991263/health-literacy-is-touted-to-improve.html#ixzz0qNCaN8VG
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/03/1991263/health-literacy-is-touted-to-improve.html#ixzz0qNCaN8VG
06/09/2010
In Spring 2006 the depression of two very successful men made newspaper headlines in Maryland. Phil Merrill, a renowned publisher, entrepreneur and diplomat in the Washington area, took his own life. Eleven days later Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan withdrew his candidacy for governor of Maryland because of his struggle with depression. For weeks, newspapers covered male depression, including the stories of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Archbishop Raymond Roussin, Mike Wallace, William Styron, Art Buchwald and Robin Williams.
06/09/2010
Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the University of California, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and her colleagues followed more than 180,000 veterans aged 55 and older for seven years. All were free from dementia at the study's outset, while about 30 percent had PTSD.
06/03/2010
One in five high school students in the United States has taken a prescription medication that was not prescribed for them, a new survey shows.
Conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey covers a variety of risky behaviors among American youth.
Conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey covers a variety of risky behaviors among American youth.
06/10/2010
People with a history of manic or hypomanic episodes (MHE) have an increased risk for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), study findings suggest.
“Recognition of manic symptoms and addressing related CVD risk factors could have long-term preventative implications in the development of CVD in the community,” say Christine Ramsey and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
“Recognition of manic symptoms and addressing related CVD risk factors could have long-term preventative implications in the development of CVD in the community,” say Christine Ramsey and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
06/10/2010
Smokers are known to suffer from high rates of depression and other mental health problems, and now a study reports that even people exposed to secondhand smoke are at significantly increased risk — and more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness.
06/10/2010
A new study adds to evidence that pregnancy may worsen or bring on symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in some women -- suggesting, researchers say, that certain cases of the disorder involve abnormal responses to hormonal changes.
06/10/2010
Rising use of the stimulant hallucinogen known as ecstasy led to 18 hospitalizations and one death after a New Year’s Eve dance party attended by 45,000 people in Los Angeles, a U.S. investigation found.
06/11/2010
The effect of seasons and climate on the course of bipolar disorder extends to tropical and subtropical regions, research suggests.
Fernando Madalena Volpe and colleagues from Hospital Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, found that in their region, which has tropic savannah climatic conditions, emergency psychiatric visits for mania were more frequent in late winter/spring, which correspond to the drier seasons.
Fernando Madalena Volpe and colleagues from Hospital Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, found that in their region, which has tropic savannah climatic conditions, emergency psychiatric visits for mania were more frequent in late winter/spring, which correspond to the drier seasons.
06/11/2010
The June 7, 2010, cover story of New York Magazine ("The Leap") told the story of my nephew Teddy Graubard's suicide at the Dalton School in NYC last February, 2009 ("A Suicide at Dalton"). It is a complex story that covers many different aspects of this tragedy -- a tragedy that is reportedly repeated 10 times a day among high school students. For me and my family, one of the best outcomes of the New York Magazine story would be if it could serve as a call to action. A call for parents, teenagers, schools and other institutions responsible for the health, safety, education and well-being of vulnerable and often impulsive adolescents to review and formalize their policies and practices now, both with respect to prevention and also regarding proper crisis management, in the event a tragedy does occur.
06/11/2010
Many transgender people, me included, bristle at the notion that we are mentally ill. This was especially the case when Andrea Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition spoke out in April against allowing teachers who transition genders to retain their jobs:
06/14/2010
New research provides more evidence of a link between depression and extra pounds around the waist, although it's not exactly clear how they're connected.
06/14/2010
Despite some new programs -- a detox center, a rehab program at the jail, a DUI court, a new homeless shelter -- the problem is still costing police, the jail, the hospital, emergency responders and social service agencies thousands of hours a year in services costing millions of dollars.
06/14/2010
When the committee of concerned residents was formed in November 2008, members became dedicated to calling police when they spotted trouble. The result: Fewer arrests in the first six months of 2010 than the same period the year before.
06/13/2010
He is wearing an orange prison jumpsuit during the TV interview, so you figure life hasn't turned out so well for this open-faced young man with an engaging smile.
What you can't see is the Purple Heart Jose Barco earned when, as a teenage soldier stationed in Iraq, he ignored his own wounds and pulled burning wreckage off two Army buddies pinned beneath it, even as his own clothes were aflame.
What you can't see is the Purple Heart Jose Barco earned when, as a teenage soldier stationed in Iraq, he ignored his own wounds and pulled burning wreckage off two Army buddies pinned beneath it, even as his own clothes were aflame.
06/14/2010
Eighty-six percent of Arizona's men say their general health is good, very good or excellent, according to the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, contradicting a ranking by the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Survey, which lists Arizona 30th in men's health nationally.
06/14/2010
A new study reveals that bipolar patients with high blood pressure suffer higher levels of mania than individuals without hypertension.
Researchers discovered nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure.
Researchers discovered nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure.
06/14/2010
I've worked as a psychotherapist and executive coach for the past 20 years, counseling executives at huge companies such as AT&T, MasterCard and HSBC. I've always tried to keep a must-read list of the latest and greatest self-help books to recommend to my clients. Yet, in the past few years, the "latest and greatest" have been dwindling and more often than not, I prefer to suggest an old-standby such as The Road Less Traveled over the glitzy, heavy-on-happiness, light-on-content tomes that seem to blanket today's shelves. Why? Well, the following vignette has happened far too often:
06/13/2010
The sight is common in Flagstaff in the summer. A street alcoholic has passed out drunk in the middle of the sidewalk, or in an alley, or in front of a business.
06/15/2010
Some mentally ill patients who lack health insurance will find their treatment cut or diminished as of July 1.
State cutbacks have county officials scrambling to try to fix the problem, Deputy County Attorney Jack Fields said.
He explained that the county pays about $950,000 per year to screen people for mental illness so their cases can be presented to a judge, who then may order them to get treatment.
But some of those mentally ill people who aren't eligible for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) - including 377 currently served by West Yavapai Guidance Clinic - will see cuts in their treatment program.
State cutbacks have county officials scrambling to try to fix the problem, Deputy County Attorney Jack Fields said.
He explained that the county pays about $950,000 per year to screen people for mental illness so their cases can be presented to a judge, who then may order them to get treatment.
But some of those mentally ill people who aren't eligible for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) - including 377 currently served by West Yavapai Guidance Clinic - will see cuts in their treatment program.
06/15/2010
Inside this issue: Success Story: When Labels Hurt—Fighting Stigma, Schedule an Arizona Dialogue in Your Community!, Work Incentive Coordinator Now at DBHS, Recent Visit by NASMHPD and SAMHSA, Events & Happenings
06/15/2010
Sleep problems, irritability, concentration problems, jumpiness and feeling constantly "on guard" are among the hyperarousal symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with anger and hostility in U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, researchers say.
06/15/2010
A recent bestseller has taken up the cudgels of a longstanding political and religious controversy: Were our founding fathers really religious and, more specifically, Christian? On the one side, humanists point out remarkably little specific mention of Christ in the fathers' (including Lincoln's) public utterances. Rather, they refer to an all-inclusive, generic deity. But advocates for Christianity maintain this should not be taken to dispute our founders' deep, underlying faith in God and belief in the divinity of Christ.
06/15/2010
torytelling has the power to move people toward understanding and inspiration in a way therapy cannot. Aware of storytelling’s magic, Barbara Sinor has assembled a powerful collection of recovery stories to help those struggling with addiction and recovery in “Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul” (Modern History Press, 2010).
06/15/2010
A new report providing state-by-state analyses of substance abuse and mental illness patterns reveals that despite wide variations among the states in the types and levels of behavioral health problems they experience—every state suffers from these problems. For example, among those aged 12 and older, Iowa had less than one third the current illicit drug use rate of Rhode Island (4.1 percent vs. 13.3 percent)—yet Iowa’s population aged 12 and older was among the group of states with the nation’s highest levels of people participating in binge drinking in the past month (27.2 percent).
06/15/2010
A new German study confirms the value of cognitive behavioral therapy for management of depression.
Researchers based at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have been able to demonstrate both the efficacy and the extent of the beneficial effect of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression.
Researchers based at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have been able to demonstrate both the efficacy and the extent of the beneficial effect of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression.
06/15/2010
Young men who attempt suicide before age 18 are much more likely as adults to be aggressive to their girlfriends or wives, including hitting and injuring their partners, according to a new study released June 14th.
06/16/2010
DEAR KELLY: I'm 13 and have an 11-year-old brother who has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
My whole life has been about my parents saying, "No, Russell!" and having to stop my brother's bad behavior.
Russell always comes into my room, takes my stuff, moves my stuff and bothers me. It drives me crazy, and all my parents say is "No, Russell, stop doing that."
My whole life has been about my parents saying, "No, Russell!" and having to stop my brother's bad behavior.
Russell always comes into my room, takes my stuff, moves my stuff and bothers me. It drives me crazy, and all my parents say is "No, Russell, stop doing that."
06/16/2010
America's drug abusers are going gray.
The proportion of people admitted to treatment for drug abuse who are 50 or over nearly doubled between 1992 and 2008, a new government study says.
Alcohol is still the leading cause of admissions in this age group, but sharp increases were noted in those needing treatment for heroin, cocaine and marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported today.
The proportion of people admitted to treatment for drug abuse who are 50 or over nearly doubled between 1992 and 2008, a new government study says.
Alcohol is still the leading cause of admissions in this age group, but sharp increases were noted in those needing treatment for heroin, cocaine and marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported today.
06/16/2010
The proportion of people admitted to treatment for drug abuse who are aged 50 or over nearly doubled between 1992 and 2008, a new government study says.
Alcohol is still the leading cause of admissions in this age group, but sharp increases were noted in those needing treatment for heroin, cocaine and marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports Wednesday.
Alcohol is still the leading cause of admissions in this age group, but sharp increases were noted in those needing treatment for heroin, cocaine and marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports Wednesday.
06/16/2010
The Food and Drug Administration launched a website Tuesday where patients and health care professionals can find safety information about recently approved drugs and vaccines.
On the Postmarketing Drug Safety Evaluations site, the FDA plans to share what it has learned about the safety of a new drug or biologic, such as a vaccine, 18 months after approval or after 10,000 patients have used it, whichever comes later.
On the Postmarketing Drug Safety Evaluations site, the FDA plans to share what it has learned about the safety of a new drug or biologic, such as a vaccine, 18 months after approval or after 10,000 patients have used it, whichever comes later.
06/16/2010
ShareIf you provide group health benefits to the employees of your small business, you may be surprised to learn you are required by law to provide similar benefits for mental health under the Mental Health Parity Act. The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 requires everyone providing a group health plan and health insurance to ensure treatment limitations and benefits applicable to mental health or substance abuse disorders are no more restrictive than similar benefits and limitations to all medical benefits.
06/16/2010
Responding to an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday that he would expand a hearing on soldier suicides to include a more extensive discussion of the military’s handling of traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder.
06/16/2010
If you can't wait to watch the U.S. soccer team take on Slovenia in its next World Cup match on Friday, know that being an avid sports fan may be more than just a lot of fun.
06/16/2010
Cocaine was his drug of choice before he found recovery.
But he said he soon got caught up in helping people and forgot to take care of himself.
So Clay Berker came to Flagstaff from Utah in the hopes of finding work.
But he said he soon got caught up in helping people and forgot to take care of himself.
So Clay Berker came to Flagstaff from Utah in the hopes of finding work.
06/16/2010
Cocaine was his drug of choice before he found recovery.
But he said he soon got caught up in helping people and forgot to take care of himself.
So Clay Berker came to Flagstaff from Utah in the hopes of finding work.
But he said he soon got caught up in helping people and forgot to take care of himself.
So Clay Berker came to Flagstaff from Utah in the hopes of finding work.
06/17/2010
Families crowding together into single homes because of the bad economy helped increase the number of homeless families last year, even as the total number of homeless individuals dropped, federal housing officials reported Wednesday.
Roughly 170,000 families spent at least one night in a shelter in 2009, up from 159,000 in 2008 and 131,000 in 2007, according to the Housing and Urban Development Department's annual report to Congress released Wednesday. That increase, the report said, "is almost certainly related to the recession."
Roughly 170,000 families spent at least one night in a shelter in 2009, up from 159,000 in 2008 and 131,000 in 2007, according to the Housing and Urban Development Department's annual report to Congress released Wednesday. That increase, the report said, "is almost certainly related to the recession."
06/17/2010
Nearly as many American troops at home and abroad have committed suicide this year as have been killed in combat in Afghanistan. Alarmed at the growing rate of soldiers taking their own lives, the Army has begun investigating its mental health and suicide prevention programs.
But the tougher challenge is changing a culture that is very much about "manning up" when things get difficult.
But the tougher challenge is changing a culture that is very much about "manning up" when things get difficult.
06/17/2010
Researchers believe a treatment focus that addresses specific post-traumatic stress disorder syndromes may be the best way to treat anger among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
06/17/2010
Current and former staff at Adobe Mountain School in North Phoenix tell New Times the May 25 death of a boy in custody was a suicide — breaking a seven-year, suicide-free streak for the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections.
06/17/2010
America's drug abusers are going gray, according to new government data.
"From 1992 to 2008, the number of seniors who are seeking alcohol and substance abuse treatment has gone up substantially," said Shelly Mowrey with the Arizona Chapter of Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
"From 1992 to 2008, the number of seniors who are seeking alcohol and substance abuse treatment has gone up substantially," said Shelly Mowrey with the Arizona Chapter of Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
06/18/2010
A new study examines the content and messages presented by websites that appear to support or encourage eating disorders.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers discovered the websites use images, text and interactive applications to further knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to achieve dangerously low body weights.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers discovered the websites use images, text and interactive applications to further knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to achieve dangerously low body weights.
06/18/2010
Improved appreciation of the mental and physical effects of trauma has led to the clinical diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Emerging research on PTSD seeks to discover if genetic factors may contribute to developing the condition.
06/18/2010
CrossRoads United Methodist Church in Phoenix has reached a deal with the city that ends an upcoming federal-court battle over the church's Saturday pancake-breakfast service. As a result, the church will drop its federal suit against the city.
The church's Prodigal's Home ministry will continue the Saturday morning service inside the church. The service had been outside. The ministry hopes to relocate the pancake service to the Sunnyslope area within the next six months, said Mike Ricker, executive director of Prodigal's Home.
The church's Prodigal's Home ministry will continue the Saturday morning service inside the church. The service had been outside. The ministry hopes to relocate the pancake service to the Sunnyslope area within the next six months, said Mike Ricker, executive director of Prodigal's Home.
06/18/2010
A $2.2 million renovation project at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital in Scottsdale will create a new center aimed at preventing patients in psychiatric crisis from lingering in emergency departments without proper assessment and care.
Banner Psychiatric Center will include room for 23 patients and an observation area, and will be staffed around the clock with physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, behavioral health technicians and counselors. It is expected to open Aug. 30. Banner Behavioral Health Hospital is on the southwestern corner of Miller Road and Earll Drive.
Banner Psychiatric Center will include room for 23 patients and an observation area, and will be staffed around the clock with physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, behavioral health technicians and counselors. It is expected to open Aug. 30. Banner Behavioral Health Hospital is on the southwestern corner of Miller Road and Earll Drive.
06/18/2010
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology announced today the release of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for applying the Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regulations to Health Information Exchange (HIE).
Masculine ideals of strength coupled with strong family ties can help men combat depression and over
06/18/2010
Masculine ideals of strength coupled with strong family ties can help men combat depression and overcome thoughts of suicide, according to University of British Columbia research.
06/19/2010
At his research clinic in Dallas, psychologist Jasper Smits is working on an unorthodox treatment for anxiety and mood disorders, including depression. It is not yet widely accepted, but his treatment is free and has no side effects. Compare that with antidepressant drugs, which cost Americans $10 billion each year and have many common side effects: sleep disturbances, nausea, tremors, changes in body weight.
06/19/2010
A $2.2 million renovation project at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital in Scottsdale will create a new center aimed at preventing psychiatric patients from lingering in emergency rooms without proper assessment and care.
Banner Psychiatric Center will have room for 23 patients and an observation area, and it will be staffed around the clock with physicians, nurses, behavioral-health technicians and counselors. It is expected to open Aug. 30.
Banner Psychiatric Center will have room for 23 patients and an observation area, and it will be staffed around the clock with physicians, nurses, behavioral-health technicians and counselors. It is expected to open Aug. 30.
06/20/2010
Army Spc. Joseph Sanders was despondent over the breakup of his marriage and feeling alone in the oppressive heat of an Iraqi summer when he turned his rifle on himself and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened. His buddy, Spc. Albert Godding, had disabled the rifle by removing the firing pin after Sanders told him he was thinking of killing himself.
It was a singular but welcome victory in the Army's battle against suicides, which last year claimed the lives of 163 soldiers on active duty and 82 Guard and Reserve soldiers not on active duty.
Nothing happened. His buddy, Spc. Albert Godding, had disabled the rifle by removing the firing pin after Sanders told him he was thinking of killing himself.
It was a singular but welcome victory in the Army's battle against suicides, which last year claimed the lives of 163 soldiers on active duty and 82 Guard and Reserve soldiers not on active duty.
06/21/2010
"I have a biochemical imbalance."
"My kid is ADD."
"I'm Bipolar."
"I suffer from Clinical Depression."
"I have Panic Disorder."
Is there anything wrong with diagnosing ourselves or even accepting the mental health diagnoses of psychiatrists, family doctors, psychotherapists and other health professionals?
"My kid is ADD."
"I'm Bipolar."
"I suffer from Clinical Depression."
"I have Panic Disorder."
Is there anything wrong with diagnosing ourselves or even accepting the mental health diagnoses of psychiatrists, family doctors, psychotherapists and other health professionals?
06/21/2010
For most homeless people, rest is a luxury. When people are unsheltered, they don't have a home within which to retreat for rest and relaxation. Often they are challenged to get the full amount of rest and sleep that human beings need to function effectively in the world.
06/22/2010
What would you say to a survey that asked two questions:
1) Can treatment help people with mental illness lead normal lives?
2) Are people generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness? And would your answers differ if you suffered from a mental illness?
1) Can treatment help people with mental illness lead normal lives?
2) Are people generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness? And would your answers differ if you suffered from a mental illness?
06/22/2010
That quote from a Web site devoted to disordered eating appears in a study published June 17 in the American Journal of Public Health. The study, conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, assesses the content of 180 Web sites that promote or encourage eating disorders.
06/21/2010
Some local military veterans are finding yoga helps them deal with their stress and pain.
For more than two months, the Memphis Veterans Medical Center has offered therapeutic yoga classes to veterans seeking an alternative solution for their physical ailments. The therapy has blossomed to five sessions per week, all led by volunteer Joyce Smith.
For more than two months, the Memphis Veterans Medical Center has offered therapeutic yoga classes to veterans seeking an alternative solution for their physical ailments. The therapy has blossomed to five sessions per week, all led by volunteer Joyce Smith.
06/21/2010
In 2010, almost as many U.S. troops around the world have committed suicide as have been killed fighting in Afghanistan. Through May of 2010, 163 men and women in the Army killed themselves. That rate is on pace to more than double the total for all of 2008.
06/23/2010
On Tuesday, June 22, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released Opening Doors, the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
“We welcome this first-ever, comprehensive federal commitment to end homelessness. The plan has a timeframe and clear, measurable national goals; these will help to drive an organized and committed federal response,” said Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
“We welcome this first-ever, comprehensive federal commitment to end homelessness. The plan has a timeframe and clear, measurable national goals; these will help to drive an organized and committed federal response,” said Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
06/23/2010
War broke out on the day Rina Ranalli and her husband told their 12-year-old anorexic daughter the strict new house rules: three meals and three snacks a day.
Initially, their bright and previously sweet-natured girl cried, screamed insults and raged. She threw things. Punched holes in the wall. And she pretended to eat while plotting ways to hide the food. But when the seventh-grader realized her parents had her trapped — they would sit with her 24/7 if they had to — she ventured down the only available path. She began eating.
Initially, their bright and previously sweet-natured girl cried, screamed insults and raged. She threw things. Punched holes in the wall. And she pretended to eat while plotting ways to hide the food. But when the seventh-grader realized her parents had her trapped — they would sit with her 24/7 if they had to — she ventured down the only available path. She began eating.
06/22/2010
U.S. soldiers are killing themselves at a faster rate than ever before, and the military is worried.
According to the Department of Defense, the historical trend of there being a higher rate of suicide among civilians than among military personnel was reversed in 2008. In that year the suicide rate in the Army exceeded the age-adjusted rate in the civilian population, with 20.2 out of 100,000 in the Army to 19.2 outside.
According to the Department of Defense, the historical trend of there being a higher rate of suicide among civilians than among military personnel was reversed in 2008. In that year the suicide rate in the Army exceeded the age-adjusted rate in the civilian population, with 20.2 out of 100,000 in the Army to 19.2 outside.
06/22/2010
Recent rhetoric in China’s state-run media suggests the government is publicly signing onto the view that rising social imbalances along with insufficient treatment for the mentally ill contributed to a recent spate of attacks on schoolchildren.
06/23/2010
As a therapist in Los Angeles, I've seen more than my share of patients who are dealing with various forms of depression and unhappiness. One common personality trait I've found with them is their unwholesome thoughts and beliefs that come from what I call the "wanting mind." In wanting mind, we feel that our current state of unhappiness can only be cured if we have more money, recognition, fame or power. Often we cause ourselves needless suffering when we ache for something that lies out of our grasp such as a better job, relationship or recognition, or cling in vain to something that has already passed away. Wanting mind can also keep us tenaciously holding on to something negative: an unwholesome belief about how things ought to be or should have been, or an unwholesome emotion such as anger, sadness or jealousy.
06/24/2010
This morning on "Good Morning America" you saw a report about "Obsessed," the new A&E reality series that looks at the daily lives of people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
New National Study Shows that Only Six Percent of Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Offer Special
06/24/2010
A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that only 777 of 13,688 (6 percent) substance abuse treatment facilities surveyed across the nation offer special programs for gay and lesbian clients.
06/24/2010
There are few men in the world who haven't muttered a quiet word of thanks to the other, anonymous man who invented the name tag — that "Hello, my name is" accessory that can serve as such a lifesaver at cocktail parties. It's not certain, of course, that a man did invent it, but the odds are good, since so many males — far more so than females — would be helpless without it.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1998848,00.html#ixzz0rmoOShG8
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1998848,00.html#ixzz0rmoOShG8
06/24/2010
At his research clinic in Dallas, psychologist Jasper Smits is working on an unorthodox treatment for anxiety and mood disorders, including depression. It is not yet widely accepted, but his treatment is free and has no side effects. Compare that with antidepressant drugs, which cost Americans $10 billion each year and have many common side effects: sleep disturbances, nausea, tremors, changes in body weight.
This intriguing new treatment? It's nothing more than exercise.
This intriguing new treatment? It's nothing more than exercise.
06/24/2010
Parents may be surprised, even disappointed, to find out they don't influence whether their teen tries alcohol.
06/24/2010
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) developed a software program that can detect depression in blogs and online texts. The software is capable of identifying language that can indicate the writer's psychological state, which could serve as a screening tool.
06/24/2010
Dr. Daniel Skovronsky sat at a small round table in his corner office, laptop open, waiting for an e-mail message. His right leg jiggled nervously.
06/24/2010
Although parents may not be able to stop their teen from experimenting with alcohol, a new study suggests that they do have a lot of influence when it comes to preventing their child from developing a heavy drinking habit.
06/28/2010
Each day, Deborah Ferry takes a tablet from her dwindling supply of antipsychotic medicine, grateful for another day without hallucinations or thoughts of suicide.
She has enough Seroquel to last her through mid-July. But as a result of state budget cuts, the Sun Lakes resident will no longer have access to the medication from the state.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/06/28/20100628arizona-budget-cuts-health-mental.html#ixzz0s9w3NN5n
She has enough Seroquel to last her through mid-July. But as a result of state budget cuts, the Sun Lakes resident will no longer have access to the medication from the state.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/06/28/20100628arizona-budget-cuts-health-mental.html#ixzz0s9w3NN5n
06/28/2010
As oil continues to seep into the Gulf of Mexico, psychological traumas caused by the catastrophe similarly seep into the minds of the residents, fishermen and shrimpers of the region. Judging by past environmental mishaps and anecdotal evidence gathered over the last few weeks, this oil scourge is more than just a disaster for the wildlife and beauty of the region -- it is also a prelude to a long line of damaging mental health effects for the people of the surrounding area.
06/28/2010
Senators pressed senior military leaders Tuesday to improve their efforts to address traumatic brain injuries, suicide and other wounds suffered by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
06/28/2010
While the number of suicides among active-duty Soldiers has fallen, the Army's vice chief told lawmakers that the progress is not enough.
Despite a 30-percent decrease this year, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the Army still has "much more to do."
Despite a 30-percent decrease this year, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the Army still has "much more to do."
06/28/2010
Why is it that only some drug users become addicts? This is the question that has been addressed by the teams of Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Olivier Manzoni, at the Neurocentre Magendie in Bordeaux (Inserm unit 862). These researchers have just discovered that the transition to addiction could result from a persistent impairment of synaptic plasticity in a key structure of the brain. This is the first demonstration that a correlation exists between synaptic plasticity and the transition to addiction.
06/29/2010
With a nudge from the new health care law and pressure from Medicare, hospitals, doctors and nurses are struggling to prepare for explosive growth in the numbers of high-risk elderly patients.
National Report Reveals Dramatic Pattern Shifts in Admission to Substance Abuse Treatment among Preg
06/29/2010
A nationwide report issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that from 1992 to 2007 there were significant changes in the patterns of substance abuse treatment admissions among pregnant teens both in terms of the kinds of substances involved and among different ethnic and racial groups.
06/29/2010
The girl’s parents, wild with outrage and fear, showed the principal the text messages: a dozen shocking, sexually explicit threats, sent to their daughter the previous Saturday night from the cellphone of a 12-year-old boy. Both children were sixth graders at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J.
06/29/2010
IT BELONGS to every citizen to have in mind what the nation’s present wars are doing — not only to US troops, Iraqis and Afghans, and the faceless enemy, but to the American character. We have come to understand that the brutalities of combat can shatter participants psychologically as well as physically.
06/29/2010
A new study from the UK, a country where 66 percent of all physicians are primary care providers, reveals that brief therapy in this setting can effectively treat anxiety and depression.
06/29/2010
To many parents’ chagrin, researchers have found the mentoring they provide to their children does not influence whether their teen chooses to drink alcohol.
06/29/2010
Psychiatrists call it the “trial and error factor”: when they set out to prescribe an antidepressant, they have no clinically proven way of knowing which one to choose. Any given antidepressant tends to help only about a third of patients; the other two-thirds end up doing the prescription shuffle, trying one drug, then another, then a third or fourth in hopes of finally hitting on a treatment that works.
06/30/2010
Some of the most vulnerable mentally ill patients in the state will soon have to get by with a lot less help.
"I feel like the state sent me a letter saying, 'We don't think you are worthy of recovery, have a nice life,'" said Tito Espinoza, who takes antipsychotic pills along with many others.
"I feel like the state sent me a letter saying, 'We don't think you are worthy of recovery, have a nice life,'" said Tito Espinoza, who takes antipsychotic pills along with many others.
06/30/2010
With a new fiscal year beginning July 1, the effects of difficult budget decisions made by the state Legislature in the last session will become evident in our community. One involves approximately 3,800 people in Southern Arizona who have a serious mental illness and are ineligible for the state's Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
06/30/2010
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Share Comments 86 I don't understand why anyone would go to a psychotherapist after witnessing how they are portrayed in the media. Especially the know-it-all shrinks who are sure they are right when you agree with them and are sure they are right when you disagree with them. (In the latter case, they would probably say you are using a "defense mechanism" that prevents you from recognizing the truth.) I just cringe when I hear that.
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Share Comments 86 I don't understand why anyone would go to a psychotherapist after witnessing how they are portrayed in the media. Especially the know-it-all shrinks who are sure they are right when you agree with them and are sure they are right when you disagree with them. (In the latter case, they would probably say you are using a "defense mechanism" that prevents you from recognizing the truth.) I just cringe when I hear that.
06/30/2010
In the past, daydreaming was often considered a failure of mental discipline, or worse. Freud labeled it infantile and neurotic. Psychology textbooks warned it could lead to psychosis. Neuroscientists complained that the rogue bursts of activity on brain scans kept interfering with their studies of more important mental functions.
06/30/2010
Everyone warns parents about the drama of the teen years—the self-righteous tears, slamming doors, inexplicable fashion choices, appalling romances.
But what happens when typical teen angst starts to look like something much darker and more troubling? How can parents tell if a moody teenager is simply normal—or is spinning out of control? This may be one of the most difficult dilemmas parents will ever face.
But what happens when typical teen angst starts to look like something much darker and more troubling? How can parents tell if a moody teenager is simply normal—or is spinning out of control? This may be one of the most difficult dilemmas parents will ever face.
06/30/2010
A team of health researchers from The University of Nottingham are spearheading a new project to reduce tobacco use in an area which has one of the highest rates of smoking in the country.
07/01/2010
Officials say there are 12,000 mental health patients in Arizona who do not qualify for the state's Medicaid program.
07/01/2010
Some of the most vulnerable mentally ill patients in the state will soon have to get by with a lot less help.
"I feel like the state sent me a letter saying, 'We don't think you are worthy of recovery, have a nice life,'" said Tito Espinoza, who takes antipsychotic pills along with many others.
"I feel like the state sent me a letter saying, 'We don't think you are worthy of recovery, have a nice life,'" said Tito Espinoza, who takes antipsychotic pills along with many others.
07/01/2010
Hundreds of millions of dollars in state budget cuts will take effect Thursday, impacting services for people across Arizona.
Some of the hardest hit programs are in health services, all day kindergarten, state parks, state tourism, Dial-A-Ride transportation assistance, and mental illness assistance.
Some of the hardest hit programs are in health services, all day kindergarten, state parks, state tourism, Dial-A-Ride transportation assistance, and mental illness assistance.
07/01/2010
Gov. Jan Brewer is asking Congress to let Arizona out of its obligation to fund health care for 300,000 low-income Arizonans, given that temporary relief from the federal government appears unlikely.
In a letter to members of Arizona's congressional delegation, the Republican governor on Wednesday lamented the demise last week of a bill that would extend Medicaid assistance to the states through June 2011.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/07/01/20100701medicaid0701.html#ixzz0sSibSwkK
In a letter to members of Arizona's congressional delegation, the Republican governor on Wednesday lamented the demise last week of a bill that would extend Medicaid assistance to the states through June 2011.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/07/01/20100701medicaid0701.html#ixzz0sSibSwkK
07/01/2010
Weight gain as a side effect of antidepressants is very common and distressing. Patients may even stop their medication because they have gained so much weight. No one has a good explanation for how these drugs increase eating. Nonetheless, people report never feeling satisfied after a meal and continually craving carbohydrates. Sometimes they find themselves binging.
07/01/2010
national physician recruiting firm says the demand for psychiatrists is climbing faster than for any other medical specialty.
From April 2009 to March 2010, the company Merritt Hawkins received 179 requests for psychiatrists — a 47% increase from the previous year and 121% increase from the 2006-2007 survey.
From April 2009 to March 2010, the company Merritt Hawkins received 179 requests for psychiatrists — a 47% increase from the previous year and 121% increase from the 2006-2007 survey.
06/30/2010
Given the inequality in healthcare in the United States, it's no surprise that some groups of people suffer far worse health outcomes than people with better resources. But if there is one group that has been especially overlooked in this equation, it's black and Latino boys. The major factor in their poor health, according to a new report by the California Endowment, is where they live. Growing up in poor and stressful neighborhoods with limited healthcare resources leads to poor health.
07/01/2010
Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking nearly double during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study reveals that daily underage drinking-related visits to hospital emergency departments are 87 percent higher during the Fourth of July weekend than they are on an average day in July. The report estimates that on an average day in July, there are 502 hospital emergency department visits involving underage alcohol use. For the three day Fourth of July weekend however, the number of daily hospital emergency department visits jumps to 938.
07/02/2010
A coalition of national and local groups enlisted the help Tuesday of a popular MTV program to target teen pregnancy and give Latinas the tools to make family-planning decisions.
Hispanic women have the highest teen pregnancy and birth rate of any major ethnic group in the United States, nearly twice as high as the national average, with 52 percent of them becoming pregnant at least once before they reach 20, according to National Council of La Raza's Institute for Hispanic Health.
Hispanic women have the highest teen pregnancy and birth rate of any major ethnic group in the United States, nearly twice as high as the national average, with 52 percent of them becoming pregnant at least once before they reach 20, according to National Council of La Raza's Institute for Hispanic Health.
07/02/2010
When it comes to treating eating disorders and addictions, the path to recovery may be even harder -- and less straightforward -- for children and teens than it is for adults, experts say.
07/02/2010
Dennis Davenport, 61, is homeless and living in a transitional bed at the Flagstaff Shelter Services shelter on Phoenix Avenue.
Awhile back, he was working; now, he is not, he said. He's done restaurant work, cooking, even some photography work. But at his age, he is finding it hard to get a job.
Awhile back, he was working; now, he is not, he said. He's done restaurant work, cooking, even some photography work. But at his age, he is finding it hard to get a job.
07/06/2010
The link between depression and dementia has always been unclear, but a new study supports the theory that depression increases dementia risk.
The findings, published in the journal Neurology, are based on nearly 1,000 people who were studied for up to 17 years. Researchers evaluated them for depression and dementia using standard clinical tests. Those who were depressed when first examined almost doubled their risk for dementia and also increased their risk for Alzheimer's disease.
The findings, published in the journal Neurology, are based on nearly 1,000 people who were studied for up to 17 years. Researchers evaluated them for depression and dementia using standard clinical tests. Those who were depressed when first examined almost doubled their risk for dementia and also increased their risk for Alzheimer's disease.
07/06/2010
This Fourth of July, the U.S. National Cancer Institute is drawing attention to the public health issue of women and smoking by encouraging American women to take a "Smokefree Pledge" to kick the habit.
The institute said that women are more aware than ever of the dangers of cigarettes, and three out of four female smokers say they would like to quit.
The institute said that women are more aware than ever of the dangers of cigarettes, and three out of four female smokers say they would like to quit.
07/06/2010
Studies have found that upon entering an office, people behave more competitively when they see a sharp leather briefcase on the desk, they talk more softly when there is a picture of a library on the wall, and they keep their desk tidier when there is a vague scent of cleaning agent in the air. But none of them are consciously aware of the influence of their environment.
07/06/2010
Suicide rates are rising for men and women between the ages of 45 and 54, but according to a report recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rates are highest for men. The problem is especially troublesome in Arizona, where the rate of death from suicide is almost 40 percent higher than the national average.
07/06/2010
Abuse and neglect during childhood appear to be associated with increased rates of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders among young adults, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
07/06/2010
Telemedicine is allowing North Country HealthCare to expand its primary care services across a very large service area from Lake Havasu City on Arizona's California border to Springerville on the New Mexico border.
The technology makes it possible for patients to visit medical providers miles away via direct video conference links coupled with high tech instruments such as hand-held examination cameras or digital stethoscopes.
The technology makes it possible for patients to visit medical providers miles away via direct video conference links coupled with high tech instruments such as hand-held examination cameras or digital stethoscopes.
07/07/2010
Anxiety disorders may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and death in people with heart disease, a new Dutch study suggests.
The research included over 1,000 people with stable coronary heart disease who were assessed for anxiety disorder at the start of the study and then followed for an average of 5.6 years.
The research included over 1,000 people with stable coronary heart disease who were assessed for anxiety disorder at the start of the study and then followed for an average of 5.6 years.
07/07/2010
The state of Louisiana is still asking BP for $10 million to fund mental health programs for those impacted by the Gulf oil spill. State health officials have made the request not once, but twice. The first time the oil company said it looks forward to "continuing the dialogue." But there's been no more dialogue. BP has not said whether it will fork over the money or not. Meanwhile, fishermen and others continue to suffer.
07/07/2010
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled an innovative new online tool on July 1, 2010, which will help consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage Called for by the Affordable Care Act, HealthCare.gov is the first Web site to provide consumers with both public and private health coverage options tailored specifically for their needs in a single, easy-to-use tool. This site has a central database of health coverage options, combining information about public programs, from Medicare to the new Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan, with information from more than 1,000 private insurance plans.
"HealthCare.gov helps consumers take control of their health care and make the choices that are right for them, by putting the power of information at their fingertips," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "For too long, the insurance market has been confusing and hard to navigate. HealthCare.gov makes it easy for consumers and small businesses to compare health insurance plans in both the public and the private sector and find other important health care information."
As the health care market transforms, so will HealthCare.gov. In October 2010, price estimates for health insurance plans will be available online and, moving forward, new information on preventing disease and illness and improving the quality of health care for all Americans also will be posted.
"People need to see what choices are offered, what options cost, and how coverage works in practice," said Karen Pollitz, Deputy Director for Consumer Support, Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "Today, HealthCare.gov takes an important first step in that direction. In the coming months and years, we will add pricing and plan performance information so that consumers can see and understand and make meaningful choices about their health coverage."
"HealthCare.gov helps consumers take control of their health care and make the choices that are right for them, by putting the power of information at their fingertips," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "For too long, the insurance market has been confusing and hard to navigate. HealthCare.gov makes it easy for consumers and small businesses to compare health insurance plans in both the public and the private sector and find other important health care information."
As the health care market transforms, so will HealthCare.gov. In October 2010, price estimates for health insurance plans will be available online and, moving forward, new information on preventing disease and illness and improving the quality of health care for all Americans also will be posted.
"People need to see what choices are offered, what options cost, and how coverage works in practice," said Karen Pollitz, Deputy Director for Consumer Support, Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "Today, HealthCare.gov takes an important first step in that direction. In the coming months and years, we will add pricing and plan performance information so that consumers can see and understand and make meaningful choices about their health coverage."
SAMHSA and the Ad Council Launch National Campaign To Raise Awareness About Mental Health Problems i
07/08/2010
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in collaboration with The Advertising Council, announced today the launch of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to promote recovery from mental health problems within the Hispanic/Latino community by educating and inspiring young adults to talk openly about issues of mental health. The culturally-targeted PSAs seek to motivate societal change towards social acceptance and decrease negative attitudes that may surround mental illness. These PSAs are part of a larger multicultural public service effort designed to reach Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Chinese American and African American communities during National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
07/09/2010
ANNUAL check-ups and company “wellness programmes” have become a familiar part of the corporate landscape. More than half of America’s larger companies offer advice on stopping smoking and fighting flab. More than a third have gyms. Some have rechristened their canteens as “nutrition centres”. IBM is among a growing band of companies that offer workers financial incentives (such as cheaper medical co-payments) to encourage them to lose weight and exercise regularly. AstraZeneca has installed treadmills in its offices so workers can exercise their legs, albeit gently, while holding meetings. PricewaterhouseCoopers provides massage and yoga sessions
07/09/2010
The decline in the number of U.S. high school students who smoke has slowed significantly, following dramatic drops starting in the late 1990s, according to a new federal report.
07/12/2010
Improved living and diet habits — including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels — could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies presented Sunday.
"These are encouraging," says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "
"These are encouraging," says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "
07/12/2010
U.S. government researchers found that adding the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) to alcohol treatment and behavioral therapy worked better than the latter two alone in reducing anger and aggression among alcoholic men with a history of violence toward their partners.
The clinical trial was small -- only 24 men completed the study -- and lasted only three months, but the findings lay the groundwork for larger trials, according to Dr. David T. George and colleagues at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The clinical trial was small -- only 24 men completed the study -- and lasted only three months, but the findings lay the groundwork for larger trials, according to Dr. David T. George and colleagues at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
07/12/2010
Depression is widely accepted as a medical diagnosis, but focusing exclusively on the biological side misses important points about why people become depressed
07/12/2010
When the sun dips below the Rocky Mountains and the streets of Denver go dark, Lokki, his girlfriend Magic and their friend Tripp head home.
They climb in between the rafters of a highway overpass, crouching as they sit under the concrete structure that rumbles with every car that crosses overhead.
It is where they will sleep tonight. It is where they say they can live safely after escaping from abusive homes.
"It's pretty hard," says Magic, 18, when asked about living on the streets. "But most of the time it's just life, you know. Life's not going to be easy."
They climb in between the rafters of a highway overpass, crouching as they sit under the concrete structure that rumbles with every car that crosses overhead.
It is where they will sleep tonight. It is where they say they can live safely after escaping from abusive homes.
"It's pretty hard," says Magic, 18, when asked about living on the streets. "But most of the time it's just life, you know. Life's not going to be easy."
07/12/2010
Last month, the Obama administration released a plan designed to end homelessness in 10 years. The goal reflects new optimism among academics and advocates that homelessness is not an intractable feature of urban life, as it has sometimes seemed, but a problem that can be solved. This belief is fueled by recent research debunking a number of long-standing myths about homelessness in America -- and showing that many of our old policies were unwittingly making the problem worse.
07/12/2010
A new study suggests African-American women’s beliefs about depression and depression care are consistently and systematically influenced by racism.
07/12/2010
The US Army is using an innovative approach to help solders recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — canine therapy.
Historically, horse or equine therapy has helped recovery from physical and mental impairments including alcohol/drug addiction, depression, trauma, eating disorders and a variety of physical conditions and disabilities.
Historically, horse or equine therapy has helped recovery from physical and mental impairments including alcohol/drug addiction, depression, trauma, eating disorders and a variety of physical conditions and disabilities.
07/12/2010
Researchers report success in helping psychotic patients improve their self-efficacy, thereby reducing stress and improving quality of life.
Self-efficacy, a tenet of positive psychology, is based on the belief that individuals can learn to take control of their behavior and that their own actions and decision influence the events that shape their life.
Self-efficacy, a tenet of positive psychology, is based on the belief that individuals can learn to take control of their behavior and that their own actions and decision influence the events that shape their life.
Millions of yearly visits to the ER involve patients with mental disorders and substance abuse probl
07/09/2010
Not every emergency room visit involves a physical problem. Out of 95 million visits made to emergency rooms by adults in the U.S. in 2007, 12 million, or 12.5%, had to do with mental disorders, a substance abuse problem, or both.
07/13/2010
When Jerry Jewler turned 60, he celebrated his "coming of age" with a splashy party -- and a glorious high. The next day, he awoke to a hell he had never known: sad and depressed, unable to make even idle chatter with his houseguests, and angry at the world.
07/13/2010
More than 240,000 female service members have been deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but for many, reintegrating into civilian life and trying to find employment is not within their reach.
The Department of Veteran Affairs has acknowledged that women are nearly four times as likely as men to end up homeless.
The Department of Veteran Affairs has acknowledged that women are nearly four times as likely as men to end up homeless.
07/13/2010
PITY the military or academic brat. Research suggests that an array of adult woes could be rooted in the early dislocation of moving house. Psychologists, sociologists and epidemiologists have long recognized that children who move often tend to perform worse in school and have more behavioral problems than those with a firmly rooted picket fence. Now, in an article last month, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology tracks the damage into adulthood.
07/12/2010
Many years ago, when I was a resident in pediatrics, an adolescent patient asked me if I had ever smoked pot. It wasn’t a friendly question, more an oh-yeah-says-you response to my own inquiries, warning me off.
07/13/2010
“Have you ever used drugs?”
In today’s 18 and Under column, pediatrician Dr. Perri Klass offers advice for parents and doctors on how best to answer a child’s question about their own past behaviors.
In today’s 18 and Under column, pediatrician Dr. Perri Klass offers advice for parents and doctors on how best to answer a child’s question about their own past behaviors.
07/13/2010
Several states are preparing to make deep cuts to Medicaid as a federal stalemate over funding for the poor drags on—even as states face mandates to expand the program under the new health-care law.
07/14/2010
Gloria Hernandez has struggled with mental illness all her life, but the 50-year-old single mother recently found a way to forget her mental anguish, even if for just a few moments.
Through art, Hernandez has discovered she can lose herself in the creative process. She can express emotions too difficult to voice.
Hernandez says that when she's painting, woodworking or making jewelry, she finally feels ``normal.'
``I thought I was not as normal as other girls,' she told the Yuma Sun.
Hernandez credits People/Service/Action (PSA) Art Awakenings, a new art therapy program in Yuma for adults who face serious behavioral health challenges. The program promotes empowerment and recovery through creative expression.
Through art, Hernandez has discovered she can lose herself in the creative process. She can express emotions too difficult to voice.
Hernandez says that when she's painting, woodworking or making jewelry, she finally feels ``normal.'
``I thought I was not as normal as other girls,' she told the Yuma Sun.
Hernandez credits People/Service/Action (PSA) Art Awakenings, a new art therapy program in Yuma for adults who face serious behavioral health challenges. The program promotes empowerment and recovery through creative expression.
07/14/2010
The Russian capital's shiny new metro station is called Dostoevskaya, after author Fyodor Dostoevsky. But that's not what's getting the buzz in the international press.
The Moscow station has grayscale mosaics depicting scenes from Dostoevsky's stories, which are characteristically dark and violent. One image shows the "Crime and Punishment" protagonist murdering two women with an ax, and another shows a man holding a gun to his head. The latter isn't the focal point of the station; it's one of several artistic renderings of Dostoevsky's fiction on the walls.
The Moscow station has grayscale mosaics depicting scenes from Dostoevsky's stories, which are characteristically dark and violent. One image shows the "Crime and Punishment" protagonist murdering two women with an ax, and another shows a man holding a gun to his head. The latter isn't the focal point of the station; it's one of several artistic renderings of Dostoevsky's fiction on the walls.
07/14/2010
Two years ago, psychiatrist Daniel Carlat wrote a piece in the New York Times Magazine called Dr. Drug Rep, in which he told his story of being paid to push the anti-depressant Effexor to his colleagues.
Carlat joins Fresh Air contributor Dave Davies today to talk about his new book, called Unhinged: The Trouble With Psychiatry. But the book isn't just concerned with the influence of drug companies in the profession
Carlat joins Fresh Air contributor Dave Davies today to talk about his new book, called Unhinged: The Trouble With Psychiatry. But the book isn't just concerned with the influence of drug companies in the profession
07/14/2010
I have problem with a 30-year-old male in my family who is constantly in a state of high. He is prescribed Adderall by his doctor and his friends have told me he snorts it. His condition is escalating to the point of violence against relatives. I am very concerned because he has sole custody of a 9-year-old child. I have asked his doctor to cease prescribing Adderall to him but he continues. He stays awake for as long as five nights and his doctors tell us that is physically impossible. The doctors see him occasionally and we see him daily. I know he is going to end up dead or in jail. I'm so afraid of what is happening to him.
07/14/2010
New York's Riker's Island, Chicago's Cook County Jail and the Los Angeles County Jail are the largest mental health institutions in the nation, a study found.
Members of the International Association for Forensic and Correctional Psychology say 15 percent of the inmates of those three jails are mentally ill, making penal institutions -- not hospitals -- the three largest U.S. mental health institutions.
Members of the International Association for Forensic and Correctional Psychology say 15 percent of the inmates of those three jails are mentally ill, making penal institutions -- not hospitals -- the three largest U.S. mental health institutions.
07/14/2010
Mental illness can take years off a person’s life, but perhaps not as many as previously thought.
Recent research shows that serious and persistent mental illness can result in patients losing up to four years of life compared to individuals without mental illness.
Recent research shows that serious and persistent mental illness can result in patients losing up to four years of life compared to individuals without mental illness.
07/14/2010
Researchers have discovered that a history of sexual abuse is frequently linked with a lifetime diagnosis of multiple psychiatric disorders.
Scientists discovered this association held true regardless of the victim’s gender or age when the abuse occurred.
Scientists discovered this association held true regardless of the victim’s gender or age when the abuse occurred.
07/14/2010
The Obama administration on Wednesday will unveil new rules specifying which preventive health services will be free to consumers under the new health law.
Cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as obesity prevention services, immunizations, blood pressure screenings and tobacco cessation services are among those that will be available to consumers without a copayment or other direct costs for consumers on new health plans after Sept. 23.
Cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as obesity prevention services, immunizations, blood pressure screenings and tobacco cessation services are among those that will be available to consumers without a copayment or other direct costs for consumers on new health plans after Sept. 23.
07/15/2010
American kids who suffer from anxiety or depression may not be getting the help they need.
Mental health experts say the reasons are complicated, but fixable.
More than one in 10 children age 9 to 17 years old -- girls more often than boys -- experience some sort of mood disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And about half of them are receiving no therapy or treatment, reported a study in Pediatrics conducted by researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
Mental health experts say the reasons are complicated, but fixable.
More than one in 10 children age 9 to 17 years old -- girls more often than boys -- experience some sort of mood disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And about half of them are receiving no therapy or treatment, reported a study in Pediatrics conducted by researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
07/15/2010
When police arrested him for domestic violence, Iraq war veteran Parker Tibbetts knew it was time to get help.
For years after his 2004 homecoming, he tried to suppress his combat stress symptoms.
For years after his 2004 homecoming, he tried to suppress his combat stress symptoms.
07/15/2010
Air pollution and asthma symptoms may increase suicide risk, two new studies from Asia suggest.
According to Taiwanese researchers, as many as 1 in 14 suicides among Taiwanese youth may have been caused by asthma, a condition that affects about 10 percent of children.
"It points out another negative part of air pollution," said Dr. Wayne Katon, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"In a way, suicide is a proxy for a bad effect on the whole society," added Katon, who was not involved in the new research.
According to Taiwanese researchers, as many as 1 in 14 suicides among Taiwanese youth may have been caused by asthma, a condition that affects about 10 percent of children.
"It points out another negative part of air pollution," said Dr. Wayne Katon, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"In a way, suicide is a proxy for a bad effect on the whole society," added Katon, who was not involved in the new research.
Health Providers Need to Do More to Understand and Support Lesbians Who Are Overweight, Experts Urge
07/15/2010
Healthcare professionals need to develop greater understanding of the specific needs of lesbian patients and adopt a more sensitive approach to the advice they give them, according to research in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing
07/15/2010
Cancer patients' ability to cope with pain and depression was improved through a program that included home-based automated symptom monitoring and telephone-based care management, a new study has found.
07/15/2010
Over the eight years that Mary Cusack has been raising her son, Nicky, she's become familiar with finger 'stims' -- the repetitive hand movements that Nicky and others with autism often display. If left unchecked, Nicky's stimming can interfere with everyday activities.
07/15/2010
Across the world, but especially in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, young people are taking action to protect themselves from HIV, says a new study by UNAIDS.
"Young people have shown that they can be change agents in the prevention revolution," the agency said in asupplement to the OUTLOOK Report 2010, released ahead of the International AIDS Conference starting in Vienna, Austria, on 18 July.
"Young people have shown that they can be change agents in the prevention revolution," the agency said in asupplement to the OUTLOOK Report 2010, released ahead of the International AIDS Conference starting in Vienna, Austria, on 18 July.
07/16/2010
As behavioral health advocates, our goal is pretty clear: help people suffering with a mental illness to recover and lead normal lives. Through proper therapy and medication, we've proudly achieved that goal time and again.
But on July 1, state lawmakers allowed yet another penny-wise, pound-foolish move to hurt Arizona's most vulnerable residents. With little public input or fanfare, Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature stripped away critical behavioral health medications for thousands of people and forced doctors to provide substandard and medically unsound treatments.
But on July 1, state lawmakers allowed yet another penny-wise, pound-foolish move to hurt Arizona's most vulnerable residents. With little public input or fanfare, Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature stripped away critical behavioral health medications for thousands of people and forced doctors to provide substandard and medically unsound treatments.
07/16/2010
U.S. officials reported a 400 percent increase over 10 years in the proportion of Americans treated for prescription painkiller abuse and said on Thursday the problem cut across age groups, geography and income.
07/16/2010
The stigma associated with mental illness is a tough one to battle. In most cases, the idea that a person with a mental illness is unstable, even possibly dangerous, is not true. For some, it's hard to see past that.
Alicia Brown, however, can see past the stereotype. As the director of Community Relations for Triple R Behavioral Health, a statewide organization that aims to help those suffering from mental illness, she sees all kinds.
Alicia Brown, however, can see past the stereotype. As the director of Community Relations for Triple R Behavioral Health, a statewide organization that aims to help those suffering from mental illness, she sees all kinds.
07/19/2010
When an elderly Chicago couple were found buried alive in their debris-filled home recently, their plight became a public example of a poignant situation that faces millions of people: the inability to sort through and discard possessions, some of them truly just garbage.
07/19/2010
Dozens of readers had questions for the Consults blog about the long-term effects of taking sleep medications. Here, Dr. Michael Thorpy and Shelby Freedman Harris of the Montefiore Medical Center Sleep Disorders Center respond.
07/19/2010
In the past, when young adults in Flagstaff needed a private, residential treatment center to kick an addiction to alcohol or drugs, they would have to look to other cities.
But now, that has changed.
In May, Back 2 Basics Sober Living opened its doors in Flagstaff.
But now, that has changed.
In May, Back 2 Basics Sober Living opened its doors in Flagstaff.
07/20/2010
Drug therapy and making a switch in schools- to one better prepared to work with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – are the most effective treatments for those with the condition, a Consumer Reports Health survey finds.
The analysis included parents of more than 900 children or adolescents under the age of 18 who had ADHD, which is characterized by excessive and prolonged inattentive behaviors, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The CDC estimates that 4.5 million children aged 5-17 in the U.S. had an ADHD diagnosis in 2006.
The analysis included parents of more than 900 children or adolescents under the age of 18 who had ADHD, which is characterized by excessive and prolonged inattentive behaviors, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The CDC estimates that 4.5 million children aged 5-17 in the U.S. had an ADHD diagnosis in 2006.
07/20/2010
An analysis of soundtracks from a recording system worn by young children might detect differences in vocalization and help researchers identify those children who may have autism or language delays, a new study suggests.
07/20/2010
Poverty is perhaps the most important factor in whether inner-city heterosexuals are infected with the AIDS virus, according to the first government study of its kind.
The study, released Monday, suggests that HIV is epidemic in certain poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods. And, more significantly, poor heterosexuals in those neighborhoods were twice as likely to be infected as heterosexuals who lived in the same community but had more money
The study, released Monday, suggests that HIV is epidemic in certain poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods. And, more significantly, poor heterosexuals in those neighborhoods were twice as likely to be infected as heterosexuals who lived in the same community but had more money
07/20/2010
Advocates for the homeless were out in force Monday to protect people living on the streets from the stifling summer Valley heat.
Workers with the Southwest Behavioral Health Homeless Outreach Program hit the pavement Monday carrying water, food and sanitary kits for the homeless.
Workers with the Southwest Behavioral Health Homeless Outreach Program hit the pavement Monday carrying water, food and sanitary kits for the homeless.
07/20/2010
Does your husband or wife constantly forget chores and lose track of the calendar? Do you sometimes feel that instead of living with a spouse, you’re raising another child?
Your marriage may be suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
An A.D.H.D. marriage? It may sound like a punch line, but the idea that attention problems can take a toll on adult relationships is getting more attention from mental health experts. In a marriage, the common symptoms of the disorder — distraction, disorganization, forgetfulness — can easily be misinterpreted as laziness, selfishness, and a lack of love and concern.
Your marriage may be suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
An A.D.H.D. marriage? It may sound like a punch line, but the idea that attention problems can take a toll on adult relationships is getting more attention from mental health experts. In a marriage, the common symptoms of the disorder — distraction, disorganization, forgetfulness — can easily be misinterpreted as laziness, selfishness, and a lack of love and concern.
07/20/2010
Can mistreatment during childhood cause mental illness later in life?
New research results indicate that a documented history of maltreatment as a child is a risk factor for the development of psychological problems as an adult.
New research results indicate that a documented history of maltreatment as a child is a risk factor for the development of psychological problems as an adult.
07/21/2010
Flawed relationships may cause more than drama — a new study finds that people who feel anxious about relationships or avoid them could be predisposed to certain health problems.
The study, published in the July issue of the journal Health Psychology looked at data on 5,645 people who took part in the nationally represented survey of adults ages 18 to 60. Participants were surveyed about their relationships to determine if they had secure attachments (being comfortable depending on others and being close to others), avoidant attachments (feeling uncomfortable being close to others and having difficulty trusting others) or anxious attachments (feeling reluctant about getting close to people and worrying about not being loved).
The study, published in the July issue of the journal Health Psychology looked at data on 5,645 people who took part in the nationally represented survey of adults ages 18 to 60. Participants were surveyed about their relationships to determine if they had secure attachments (being comfortable depending on others and being close to others), avoidant attachments (feeling uncomfortable being close to others and having difficulty trusting others) or anxious attachments (feeling reluctant about getting close to people and worrying about not being loved).
07/21/2010
Representatives from the Cottonwood Police and Sedona Police Departments, Camp Verde Marshal's Office and Yavapai County Sheriff's Office met July 8 with representatives from the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic and Mingus Center to discuss the potential impact of decreased funding available for the mentally ill.
07/21/2010
There are a record 313 drugs under research and development to treat mental illness, the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ association says in a new report.
The drugs, either in clinical trials or seeking approval by the Food and Drug Administration, are being tested for conditions from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia.
The drugs, either in clinical trials or seeking approval by the Food and Drug Administration, are being tested for conditions from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia.
07/22/2010
Since the days of Reefer Madness, scientists have sought to understand the complex connection between marijuana and psychosis. Cannabis can cause short-term psychotic experiences, such as hallucinations and paranoia, even in healthy people, but researchers have also long noted a link between marijuana use and the chronic psychotic disorder, schizophrenia.
07/22/2010
Recently the federal government moved to make disability benefits more accessible to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It's a welcome step, but it does not go far enough. The government should actively encourage private hospitals and other nonprofits to partner with the Veterans Administration (VA) in efforts to destigmatize this disorder, and to make adequate care more widely available in every community across the country.
07/26/2010
With more than 1 million troops leaving active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2002 and 2009, the need to help soldiers keeps growing, and more private hospitals are tailoring their services to aid the troops.
07/26/2010
As the nation prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Monday, a new survey finds that the law has not made meaningful progress in improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
07/26/2010
Teens with sunnier outlooks also tend to be healthier, a new study finds.
University of South Florida researchers found that teens' positive emotions and moods, as well as their satisfaction with life, may be more important than either anxiety or depression levels for predicting physical health.
The study included more than 400 American students in grades 6 to 8 at a suburban middle school. The participants provided information about their physical health and feelings about a number of things.
University of South Florida researchers found that teens' positive emotions and moods, as well as their satisfaction with life, may be more important than either anxiety or depression levels for predicting physical health.
The study included more than 400 American students in grades 6 to 8 at a suburban middle school. The participants provided information about their physical health and feelings about a number of things.
07/26/2010
They first met in 1993, when she was 20 and he was 34 and they were both in recovery programs, undergoing treatment for mental illness. He was shuttling between home and inpatient psychiatric units and spotted Laura at a day clinic.
07/26/2010
Suicides among Army and Air National Guard and Reserve troops have spiked this year, and the military is at a loss to explain why.
Sixty-five members of the Guard and Reserve took their own lives during the first six months of 2010, compared with 42 for the same period in 2009. The grim tally is further evidence that suicides continue to plague the military even though it's stepped up prevention efforts through counseling and mental-health awareness programs.
"Suicides among military personnel and veterans are at an epidemic rate, and it's getting worse," said Tim Embree, a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and is now a legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.
Sixty-five members of the Guard and Reserve took their own lives during the first six months of 2010, compared with 42 for the same period in 2009. The grim tally is further evidence that suicides continue to plague the military even though it's stepped up prevention efforts through counseling and mental-health awareness programs.
"Suicides among military personnel and veterans are at an epidemic rate, and it's getting worse," said Tim Embree, a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and is now a legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.
07/26/2010
Researchers have discovered an association between industrial compounds and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
07/26/2010
To understand what a responsible level of alcohol use is, one needs to know the warning signs of problem drinking.
07/27/2010
Arizona once again lags most of the country when it comes to key indicators of child health, development and well-being, according to an annual report released today.
And child-welfare advocates fear the state's ranking will only get worse given recent cuts to the state budget that impact health and education.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/07/27/20100727arizona-child-health-ranking.html#ixzz0uuJO0Hmc
And child-welfare advocates fear the state's ranking will only get worse given recent cuts to the state budget that impact health and education.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/07/27/20100727arizona-child-health-ranking.html#ixzz0uuJO0Hmc
07/27/2010
Dr. Charles Raison, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, offers thoughts today on new research on diagnosing bipolar disorder in children. Every Tuesday, he answers viewer questions on mental health on CNNHealth.com.
I get a lot of reader questions on bipolar disorder, particularly bipolar in children. In fact in May we had quite an interesting conversation about whether bipolar disorder can really be diagnosed in young children and the stress and guilt that parents feel in these situations.
I get a lot of reader questions on bipolar disorder, particularly bipolar in children. In fact in May we had quite an interesting conversation about whether bipolar disorder can really be diagnosed in young children and the stress and guilt that parents feel in these situations.
07/27/2010
It was a dream, of course, and after Emily Gurule, a 50-year-old high school teacher, related it to Dr. Barry Krakow, he did not ask her to unpack its symbolism. He simply told her to think of a new one.
07/28/2010
Next to its tarry opiate cousin, "hillbilly heroin" appears clean and trustworthy — pastel tablets neatly engraved with the dosage digits of modern medicine.
But oxycodone packs a painkilling wallop with a strong addictive force. It hooked Rush Limbaugh, and these days it has gained a firm foothold in the youth party scene — with grim consequences.
But oxycodone packs a painkilling wallop with a strong addictive force. It hooked Rush Limbaugh, and these days it has gained a firm foothold in the youth party scene — with grim consequences.
07/28/2010
Arizona's anti-hunger agencies will get a boost starting this fall, as two paid national interns spend six months helping to increase awareness and participation in the food stamp program. Arizona Community Action Association director Cynthia Zwick says the recent college grads, known as "Hunger Fellows," will concentrate on serving Arizona's Hispanic and Latino communities.
07/28/2010
Despite some improvement, Arizona continues to rank in the bottom half of states when it comes to indicators of children's well-being. The latest Kids Count Data Book puts Arizona 39th among the states in areas such as school dropouts, teen pregnancy and childhood deaths.
07/28/2010
Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States -- are less likely to finish high school on time than students with other mental-health disorders that often are considered more serious, a large national study by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found. The study found that nearly one third of students with ADHD, twice the proportion as students with no psychiatric disorder, either drop out or delay high school graduation.
07/28/2010
Using a train-the-trainer program that enlists healthcare providers to train their colleagues, the National Environmental Education Foundation recently launched an initiative designed to help pediatric healthcare professionals improve children’s health by “prescribing” outdoor activity
07/29/2010
Judi Maikoff worked for 25 years as a registered nurse, until she could no longer nurse herself through a bipolar disorder. She spent several chaotic years after that, careening from paralyzing depressions to giddy, exhausting highs.
Then Maikoff found an anti-psychotic drug called Abilify.
"I was able to live my life normally," she says, "get things done and just live in a happy fashion."
Then Maikoff found an anti-psychotic drug called Abilify.
"I was able to live my life normally," she says, "get things done and just live in a happy fashion."
07/29/2010
Teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at more risk of dropping out of school or having a delayed high school graduation than students with other mental disorders
07/29/2010
A new study suggests infants who receive strong affection from their mothers are well equipped to cope with life stressors as adults.
Although the sample is small, the research is meaningful. Most prior studies have relied on recall; few have tracked participants from childhood to adult life, say the authors.
Although the sample is small, the research is meaningful. Most prior studies have relied on recall; few have tracked participants from childhood to adult life, say the authors.
08/02/2010
Australian researchers linked the "Western-style" diet -- processed, fried and refined foods -- and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Researchers at Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research say a diet high in the Western pattern of foods high in fat, refined sugar and sodium -- is associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern.
Researchers at Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research say a diet high in the Western pattern of foods high in fat, refined sugar and sodium -- is associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern.
08/02/2010
Rescue workers drilled a hole in the roof of a suburban Chicago home to extract an 82-year-old woman's body this month.
They couldn't get through the doorway because her home was filled almost to the ceiling with cardboard boxes, furniture, clothing and other junk. She and her daughter had been crawling through tunnels to move around the Skokie, Illinois, house.
They couldn't get through the doorway because her home was filled almost to the ceiling with cardboard boxes, furniture, clothing and other junk. She and her daughter had been crawling through tunnels to move around the Skokie, Illinois, house.
08/02/2010
It's late at night and you're watching TV when an infomercial comes on. You don't need a food dehydrator, but there's a part of you that wants it anyway. You look at your phone.
What happens next may come down to how impulsive you are. Impulsiveness is about more than shopping — impulsive people are vulnerable to substance abuse and some forms of mental illness.
What happens next may come down to how impulsive you are. Impulsiveness is about more than shopping — impulsive people are vulnerable to substance abuse and some forms of mental illness.
08/02/2010
Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health assessed the geographical distribution of the long-term burden of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in a region of Liberia and report that the prevalence of PTSD remains high nearly two decades after the principal conflict there and five years after war in Liberia ended entirely.
08/02/2010
At a time of record-high military suicides, commanders are ignoring the mental health problems of American soldiers and not winnowing out enough of those with records of substance abuse and crime, a United States Army report has concluded.
08/02/2010
The searchers carved skid row into quadrants and advanced in small groups, aiming flashlights into the cold.
They moved between nylon tents and cardboard lean-tos in the Toy District, where junkies had stripped the streetlights and left whole blocks in darkness. They roused the human bundles scattered around the tumbledown hotels and freshly painted lofts on Main Street, wasted faces blinking into their flashlights.
They moved between nylon tents and cardboard lean-tos in the Toy District, where junkies had stripped the streetlights and left whole blocks in darkness. They roused the human bundles scattered around the tumbledown hotels and freshly painted lofts on Main Street, wasted faces blinking into their flashlights.
08/03/2010
In another sign that autism is at least partly inherited, a new study reveals that close relatives of people with the disorder share something in common: their eyes are much more likely than those of other people to function abnormally.
"There are brain abnormalities that run in families with autism," said study co-author John A. Sweeney. "These findings might be telling us that there's an important genetic contribution to autism."
"There are brain abnormalities that run in families with autism," said study co-author John A. Sweeney. "These findings might be telling us that there's an important genetic contribution to autism."
08/03/2010
Teenagers who spend excessive amounts of time on the Internet are one and a half times more likely to develop depression than moderate web users, a study in China has found.
08/03/2010
Whether it’s a glass of wine at dinner or a martini during happy hour – Americans are consuming alcohol at the highest rate in 25 years, according to a new Gallup Poll.
The poll found 67 percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol, which is the highest percentage since 1985. Beer remains the favorite choice, followed by wine and liquor.
The poll found 67 percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol, which is the highest percentage since 1985. Beer remains the favorite choice, followed by wine and liquor.
08/04/2010
On July 1st the state cut funding support for 12,000 mental health patients who do not qualify for the state's Medicaid program. In fiscal 2008, the state put $127 million into caring for adults who are deemed seriously mentally ill but not poor enough to qualify for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and federal funding. For the coming fiscal year, the budget is $62 million. Those affected will be expected to cope with their illnesses, without most of the services that have been in place for decades.
08/04/2010
Nightmares , which are more common in children, affect about 4 to 8 percent of adults, sometimes as often as once a week or more. They can make insomnia worse and even cause psychiatric distress. Some of the most important research is coming from studies of the rising number of war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress -- 90 percent of whom have nightmares.
08/04/2010
Signs of autism may show up in babies as young as 1 month old, a new study shows.
But the tip-offs are not the usual red flags, such as a lack of eye contact or smiling, the researchers noted.
Instead, they found babies who needed neonatal intensive care and were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have abnormal muscle tone and differences in their visual processing than babies who went on to develop normally after time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
But the tip-offs are not the usual red flags, such as a lack of eye contact or smiling, the researchers noted.
Instead, they found babies who needed neonatal intensive care and were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have abnormal muscle tone and differences in their visual processing than babies who went on to develop normally after time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
08/05/2010
Having a therapist talk to kids who go to an emergency room with a violent injury and who also admit to previous alcohol use can reduce repeat episodes, new research finds.
The authors calculated that for every 10 kids seen, a single 30-minute intervention would prevent one violent episode in the future.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The authors calculated that for every 10 kids seen, a single 30-minute intervention would prevent one violent episode in the future.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
08/05/2010
All those years, all that money, all that unrequited love. It began way back when I was a child, an anxiety-riddled 10-year-old who didn’t want to go to school in the morning and had difficulty falling asleep at night. Even in a family like mine, where there were many siblings (six in all) and little attention paid to dispositional differences, I stood out as a neurotic specimen. And so I was sent to what would prove to be the first of many psychiatrists in the four and a half decades to follow — indeed, I could be said to be a one-person boon to the therapeutic establishment — and was initiated into the curious and slippery business of self-disclosure. I learned, that is, to construct an ongoing narrative of the self, composed of what the psychoanalyst Robert Stoller calls “microdots” (“the consciously experienced moments selected from the whole and arranged to present a point of view”), one that might have been more or less cohesive than my actual self but that at any rate was supposed to illuminate puzzling behavior and onerous symptoms — my behavior and my symptoms.
08/05/2010
Hispanic-American adults have lower rates of alcohol and illicit drug use than the national averages, a federal government study has found.
The research revealed that 46.1 percent of Hispanic-American adults drink alcohol and 6.6 percent use illicit drugs, compared with national average rates of 55.2 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.
The research revealed that 46.1 percent of Hispanic-American adults drink alcohol and 6.6 percent use illicit drugs, compared with national average rates of 55.2 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.
08/06/2010
U.S. Army specialist Ethan McCord was one of the first on the scene when a group of suspected insurgents was blown up on a Baghdad street in 2007, hit by 30-mm bursts from an Apache helicopter. "The top of one guy's head was completely off," he recalls. "Another guy was ripped open from groin to neck. A third had lost a leg ... Their insides were out and exposed. I'd never seen anything like this before." Then McCord heard a child crying from a black minivan caught in the barrage. Inside, he found a frightened and wounded girl, perhaps 4. Next to her was a boy of 7 or so, soaked in blood. Their father, McCord says, "was slumped over on his side, like he was trying to protect the children, but he was just destroyed." McCord couldn't look away from the kids. "I started seeing images of my own two children back home in Kansas."
08/06/2010
From the day they pulled him off the pavement, Paul Sigler, a haunted-looking man with striking pale blue eyes, presented a mystery to Carrie Bach's team. He wasn't like the rest of the skid row crowd, he insisted.
"I used to be a millionaire," he muttered. "I fell off the Empire State Building. They just fell off the curb."
"I used to be a millionaire," he muttered. "I fell off the Empire State Building. They just fell off the curb."
08/06/2010
No one truly chooses to be homeless.
Certainly, the nearly 50 percent of homeless people who are women and children don't choose homelessness over being housed.
Further, the 25 percent to 40 percent of homeless people who are reportedly veterans would presumably prefer to re-establish the lives that they had before their military service rather than choose to become homeless.
Certainly, the nearly 50 percent of homeless people who are women and children don't choose homelessness over being housed.
Further, the 25 percent to 40 percent of homeless people who are reportedly veterans would presumably prefer to re-establish the lives that they had before their military service rather than choose to become homeless.
08/06/2010
Journal of Abnormal Psychology and the other in Psychological Science. Unlike many previous efforts focused on biological markers of suicidal behavior, their work identifies two behavioral markers: subjects’ attention to suicide-related stimuli, and the extent to which they associate death or suicide with themselves.
In one study by Nock’s group, 124 patients in a psychiatric emergency department were administered a modified Stroop test measuring speed in articulating the color of words on a computer screen. Suicidal individuals were found to pay more attention to suicide-related words than to neutral words.
In one study by Nock’s group, 124 patients in a psychiatric emergency department were administered a modified Stroop test measuring speed in articulating the color of words on a computer screen. Suicidal individuals were found to pay more attention to suicide-related words than to neutral words.
08/08/2010
The Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona Healthcare are proud to sponsor YogaTHRIVE! classes. Yoga has helped many people improve their physical and mental health while learning breathing techniques and relaxing positions.