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June 23, 2008
Supreme Court eases rules for challenging denied health benefits
The Christian Science Monitor (6/20, Richey) explains that the "ruling is important, because it offers guidance to federal judges presiding over lawsuits challenging medical disability and health insurance determinations in group policies." The Court said "that an apparent conflict of interest is only one of many factors that a reviewing judge must consider."
The case involved "an Ohio woman who sued MetLife, Inc. over a disability claim," the AP (6/20) notes. "She contended insurance companies have a financial incentive to deny claims, and that conflict of interest should weigh heavily in employees' favor when they challenge benefit claims in court." Dissenting to the ruling, "Justice Antonin Scalia said the court is using the wrong standard in dealing with potential conflicts of interest." He argued that "there must be evidence that a conflict improperly motivated a denial of benefits." Ohio's Columbus Dispatch (6/20, Torry) also covers the story.
Related LInks:
- "Court clarifies standards for denial of disability benefits," Warren Richey,Christian Science Monitor, June 20, 2008.
Posted by admin at 03:06 AM
June 12, 2008
Data indicate nearly half of all violent deaths are suicides
In the Vital Statistics column in the New York Times (6/10, F7), Nicholas Bakalar writes that "[m]ore than half of all violent deaths are suicides, a quarter are homicides, and the typical victim is an African-American man in his 20s," according to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Violent Death Reporting System, and published Apr. 11 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Lead author Debra L. Karch, Ph.D., and colleagues, said that "three major factors were common in violence of all kinds: intimate partner relationships, substance abuse, and mental disturbances." The 2005 data (the latest available) included reports from 16 states, and were gathered from "state health departments, medical examiners, and police departments sharing their data...with the national reporting system."
Lead author Debra L. Karch, Ph.D., and colleagues, said that "three major factors were common in violence of all kinds: intimate partner relationships, substance abuse, and mental disturbances." The 2005 data (the latest available) included reports from 16 states, and were gathered from "state health departments, medical examiners, and police departments sharing their data...with the national reporting system."
Related Links:
- "Suicide Rate High in Violent Death Data," Nicholas Bakalar, New york Times, June 10, 2008.
Posted by admin at 03:45 AM
June 11, 2008
Research suggests one in 10 girls may engage in binge-eating, purging
Medscape (6/6, Anderson) reported that "[m]ore than 10 percent of adolescent girls, and three percent of boys, binge-eat or purge at least once a week," according to a study published in the June issue of the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
Alison E. Field, Sc.D., of Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass., and colleagues, "analyzed data from 6,916 girls and 5,618 boys" aged nine to 15, "who were part of the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS)." The researchers found that "more girls started to purge at least weekly (5.3 percent) than started to binge-eat (4.3 percent)." But, "among boys, binge-eating, at 2.3 percent, was more common than purging, at 0.8 percent."
Notably, "very few youngsters in the study engaged in both disordered-eating behaviors." In addition, the researchers "also investigated risk factors for developing these behaviors." They "found that among girls, frequent dieting, especially in those younger than 14 years, was a predictor of starting to purge or binge-eat, as was concern about weight." PsychCentral (6/6, Nauert) also covered the story.
Related Links:
- (Free registration required) " One in 10 Girls Engages in Frequent Binge Eating or Purging ," Pauline Anderson, Medscape Medical News, June 6, 2008.
- "Risk of Eating Disorders Varies By Gender," Rick Nauert, Ph.D., PsychCentral, June 6, 2008.
Posted by admin at 10:59 AM
Poll suggests many Americans believe myths about schizophrenia
USA Today (6/9, 5D, Elias) reports that "[s]chizophrenia carries a lot of stigma, and many Americans believe myths about it that may lead them to steer clear of people with the disease, suggests a Harris Interactive poll to be released Tuesday."
In an "online survey includ[ing] 1,012 adults, supplemented by polling of 258 people with schizophrenia and 256 caregivers who had visited the National Alliance on Mental Illness website," the majority of respondents said that "they would want friends to tell them if they were diagnosed with schizophrenia," but fewer "than half would tell friends if they had the disease." Nearly "a third wouldn't want a schizophrenic boss who has received treatment, and half say they wouldn't date someone who had been treated for the disease."
Moreover, approximately "one in four Americans say they would feel uncomfortable around adults who have been treated for schizophrenia." But, "[o]n the positive side..., eight out of 10 Americans think adults with the illness can lead independent lives."
Related Links:
- "Schizophrenics battle stigma, myths in addition to disease," Marilyn Elias, USA Today, June 9, 2008.
Posted by admin at 10:49 AM
June 07, 2008
Maryland creates program to fill gaps in federal mental health treatment of veterans
The Washington Post (6/5, G2, Vogel) reported that "Maryland launched a program this week to help service members get treatment."
Named the Veterans Behavioral Health Bill, the legislation "help[s] Maryland veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars get access to mental health treatment from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs," and if those "services are unavailable or too slow, the state will pay private providers for the services."
The program provides "[c]oordinators hired by the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene [to] serve as liaisons between veterans and the federal government," and attempt "to get veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder access to information about behavioral, health and substance-abuse services." It also creates "a Veterans Behavioral Health Advisory Board to identify gaps in services."
Related Links:
- "Md. Offers Vets Back From War Guidance to Mental Health Help," Steve Vogel, Washington Post, June 5, 2008.
Posted by admin at 12:00 PM
Patients with early Alzheimer's demand better care, more research
The AP (6/3, Neergaard) reports that in "a shift with big ramifications," Alzheimer's patients "diagnosed early enough to still be articulate" are now "demand[ing] better care and better research." Currently, high-functioning Alzheimer's patients in the earliest stages of their disease are "lobby[ing] Congress for more money to hunt treatments."
Currently, high-functioning Alzheimer's patients in the earliest stages of their disease are "lobby[ing] Congress for more money to hunt treatments." Some patients "are advising top scientists to push for higher-stakes research, even if it means higher risks."
While over "five million Americans are estimated to be living with Alzheimer's disease,...research suggests [that] as many as half of [them] may be in the disease's early stages." This week, "the Alzheimer's Association begins pilot-testing a campaign...aimed at increasing early diagnosis." The idea is to give "people a chance to plan for their future care while they still have the mental capacity to do so." And, "increasing early detection also is key to better research into ways to prevent Alzheimer's, or at least slow its worsening, several dozen of the disease's top specialist wrote in last month's journal Alzheimer's & Dementia."
Related Links:
- "Earlier diagnosis giving Alzheimer's a new voice," Lauren Neergard, Associated Press, June 2, 2008.
Posted by admin at 11:54 AM