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September 23, 2008
NFL accused of ignoring depression in players
In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times (9/21), sports author Dave Zirin wrote about efforts to downplay or ignore National Football League (NFL) players suffering from depression.
Zirin wrote, "In the NFL, there is no worse sin than failure, and players are expected to shake off losses, injuries, and criticism.
In football, it is well understood that performance-enhancing drugs, legal and otherwise, are part of that process -- just not antidepressants." However, "in such a high-pressure sport," like professional football, the fact that depression is prevalent "shouldn't surprise anybody.
Studies show that repeated concussions is linked to depression." Zirin noted one player, Shawn Andrews, of the Philadelphia Eagles, who publicly spoke about his depression. "But the Eagles didn't see Andrews' mental health as a legitimate medical problem and fined him $15,000 for every practice he missed. That wouldn't have happened to a player with a sprained knee."
Zirin concluded that "the NFL, rather than take the opportunity to educate fans about a disease millions of men face, just pumps up the music again. ... Let's hope more people like Andrews break the silence before tragedy strikes."
Related Links:
- "The NFL's in denial about depression," Dave Zirin, Los angeles Times, September 21, 2008.
Posted by admin at 02:23 PM
Maryland Insurance Administration to investigate delays in psychiatric care authorization
The Baltimore Sun (9/20, Brewington, Kohn) reported that the "Maryland Insurance Administration is investigating complaints that some psychiatric patients have been forced to wait hours -- in some cases, several days -- to be hospitalized because their insurance companies have not responded quickly when emergency room doctors called to verify coverage."
The investigation comes after the Baltimore health department "sent the state agency information about 10 cases in recent months in which patients endured long waits to be admitted to hospitals because their insurance companies could not be reached for approval."
If deemed excessive, the insurers would be subject to fines, because such "delays are illegal under a state law, passed in 2006, designed to guarantee that insurance companies don't leave patients in limbo when they need psychiatric treatment."
According to the law, "insurers must be available around the clock and must respond to requests for preauthorization within two hours." Delays may be more prevalent in psychiatric care because "insurers tend to insist on preauthorization. ... Hospitals that provide care without the approval risk being stuck with the bill."
Related Links:
- "Psychiatric care delay in spotlight," Kelly Brewington and David Kohn, Baltimore Sun, September 20, 2008.
Posted by admin at 02:20 PM
September 22, 2008
Economic crisis causes jump in use of mental health services
2006 Ooutstanding Merit Award Winner, Edgar Wiggins and the Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc. received a Distinguished Service Award from the Mental Health Association of Maryland, Metropolitan Baltimore Branch.
Said of the award: "Your dedication to consumers suffering from co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and your tireless efforts to expand crisis services in Baltimore City."
The award was presented at the 56th Metropolitan Baltimore Annual Luncheon on September 12th, 2008.
Related Links:
- Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc.
- "Edgar Wiggins Wins MFP Outstanding Merit Award," Maryland foundation for Psychiatry, April 7, 2006.
Posted by admin at 03:27 PM
September 19, 2008
Economic crisis causes jump in use of mental health services
Bloomberg News (9/19, Waters, Olmos) reports that, according to "operators of telephone crisis lines, insurers, hospital administrators, and therapists interviewed over the last month," the current economic "crisis, which has caused an explosion of foreclosures, is sending everyday people to mental-health services at levels not seen since the 9/11 terror attacks."
For example, "in New York, calls to the Hopeline network for people with depression or suicidal thoughts leaped 75 percent to 10,368 in the 11 months ending in July 2008." Meanwhile, "hospital admissions for psychiatric and substance-abuse services have increased as much as 10 percent this year from last year, and outpatient mental-health treatments have risen as much as five percent in claims submitted to Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth."
Harvey Brenner, Ph.D., of the University of North Texas, explained that "economic recessions typically lead to increased suicides and hospital admissions for psychiatric care, usually within one year of the start of the decline."
Related links:
- "Mental-Health Lines Buzz in U.S. Recession Depression," Rob Waters and David Olmos, Bloomberg News, September 19, 2008.
Posted by admin at 03:51 PM
Bullying methods are no different between boys, girls, study indicates
Canada's Toronto Star (9/16, Rushowy) reported that, according to a study by lead researcher Noel Card of the University of Arizona and colleagues "published in the latest issue of the journal Child Development," boys also engage in the type of bullying referred to as indirect aggression "about as often as girls, and continue to be much more likely than girls to use physical, or 'direct' aggression such as hitting or punching."
For the meta-analysis, researchers analyzed "148 studies of about 74,000 children and teens." They concluded that "there's no meaningful difference in indirect aggression between boys and girls," and "even though boys engage in more physical bullying, 'plenty of girls are physically aggressive.'" Card said, "If anything, I think we might say we're maybe paying too much attention to gender with regard to bullying and need to address that aggressive kids have problems irrespective of gender."
WebMD (9/16, Wilbert) also covered the story.
Related Links:
- "Boy bullies use their claws and their fists, " Kristin Rushowy,
- "Boys, Girls Equal at Social Aggression, " Caroline Wilbert, WebMD Health News, September 16, 2008.
Posted by admin at 01:30 PM
Study indicates newer antipsychotics may be no more effective than older medications for pediatric psychotic symptoms
The New York Times (9/15, A17, Carey) reports that "the medicines most often prescribed for schizophrenia in children and adolescents are no more effective than older, less expensive" medications, according to a study to be published online Sept. 15 by the American Journal of Psychiatry.
For the double-blind study, researchers from the University of North Carolina "recruited 119 young people, ages eight to 19, who suffer from psychotic symptoms." The participants "received either Zyprexa (olanzapine), Risperdal (risperidone), or molindone," an older antipsychotic.
The investigators found that, "after eight weeks, 34 percent of the children taking Zyprexa, 46 percent of those on Risperdal, and 50 percent of those receiving molindone showed significant improvement." By then, however, many in the Risperdal and Zyprexa groups "had gained a lot of weight," and also "showed changes in cholesterol and insulin levels that are risk factors for diabetes." Children taking molindone, however, "gained less than a pound, on average, and had little metabolic changes."
"Prescription rates for...atypical anti-psychotics have increased more than fivefold for children over the past decades, and doctors now use them to settle outbursts and aggression in children with a wide variety of diagnoses, despite serious side effects," the Chicago Tribune (9/15) adds.
Related links:
- "Risks Found for Youths in New Antipsychotics," Benedict Carey, New York Times, September 15, 2008.
- "New anti-psychotics a bigger risk to kids," Chicago Tribune, September 15, 2008.
Posted by admin at 01:25 PM
Experts point out how parents can sharpen their toddlers' executive skills
The New York Times (9/15, H4, Carey) reports that "toddlers are interruption machines, all impulse and little control," because "the brain that is critical to inhibiting urges, the prefrontal cortex, is still a work in progress."
While "some children's brains adapt quickly...others' take time." Now, some "educational and cognitive scientists say that mental exercises of a certain kind can teach children to become more self-possessed at earlier ages, reducing stress levels at home, and improving their experience in school.
Researchers can test this ability, which they call executive function, and they say it is more strongly associated with school success than" intelligence quotient. According to experts, "parents can use a variety of home activities to help children sharpen executive skills."
By "reading to a child while continually establishing eye contact," or "by tilting" a "book so pictures are obscured, parents force youngsters to follow the words carefully, holding more of them in mind at one time -- a function of working memory."
Related links:
- "Training Young Brains to Behave," Benedict Carey, New York Times, September 14, 2008.
Posted by admin at 01:19 PM
Experts say parents should make efforts to restrict access to prescription medications
The Los Angeles Times (9/15, Healy) reports that, "unwittingly, parents who leave...medications unsecured and unmonitored are tempting their children -- and their children's friends -- to try drugs they have heard and read about at school, in movies, and on the Internet."
For some teenagers, "the price is right, and the risks -- of scoring the drugs at least -- are low." Experts say that parents should "dispose of prescription" medications "that remain unused after their purpose has been served."
For "medications [that] need to be retained for future use, experts say parents should keep an inventory of them," then "secure them, either under lock and key, or by keeping them where a curious child won't find them."
Related Links:
- "Youths' drug of choice? Prescription," Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2008.
Posted by admin at 01:12 PM
September 15, 2008
Article discusses Cindy McCain's past abuse of prescription painkillers
On its front page, the Washington Post (9/12, A1, Kindy) reports that Cindy McCain, wife of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) "often cites...her battle with -- and ultimate victory over -- prescription painkillers."
McCain says that her "struggle...taught her valuable lessons about" prescription-medication "abuse that she would pass on to the nation," were she to become first lady. She "has said that she became addicted to Vicodin (acetaminophen/hydrocodone) and Percocet (acetaminophen/oxycodone) in early 1989."
According to McCain, "she hid her addiction from her husband...and stopped taking the painkillers in 1992 after her parents confronted her." But, McCain's "journey through this personal crisis...had more consequences for her and those around her than she has acknowledged."
For example, "her misuse of painkillers prompted an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local prosecutors that put her in legal jeopardy," and the doctor "who supplied her with prescriptions for the" medications "lost his license, and never practiced again."
Related Links:
- "A Tangled Story of Addiction: Consequences of Cindy McCain's Drug Abuse Were More Complex Than She Has Portrayed, Kimberly Kindy, Washington Post, September 12, 2008.
Posted by admin at 12:06 PM
Researchers study impact of traumatic injuries on patients' mental health
UPI (9/12) reports that "suffering a traumatic injury can have serious and long-lasting implications for a patient's mental health," according to a study published in the Annals of Surgery.
For the study, researchers "tracked 2,707 injured patients from 69 hospitals across the country, and found 20.7 percent had" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "and 6.6 percent had depression one year after the injury." In addition, investigators discovered that "injured patients diagnosed with PTSD or depression were six times more likely to not have returned to work in the year following the injury."
Related Links:
- "Traumatic physical injuries can harm mental health, study finds: Stress disorder can lead to inability to hold a job," Cherie Black, Seattle Post intelligencer, September 11, 2008.
Posted by admin at 12:03 PM
NPR segment focuses on helping children cope with mental illness in college
In its Morning Edition program, NPR (9/11, Trudeau) reports that "sending your child off to college can be an anxious time...for parents of children with a mental illness."
In particular, "parents of adult children" worry that they "have no legal standing in their" children's "medical care."
The segment focuses on the Diehl family, of Nashville, Tenn., who "has worked hard to prepare their son for the move from home to college." Roger Diehl, age 18, a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and depression. His parents have "already found a psychiatrist in Madison for Roger."
They have also consulted an attorney who recommended that Roger "sign a HIPPA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] release." In doing so, Roger "agreed to let his parents remain involved in his medical care, as they had been when he was a dependent.
For parents of adult children with mental illnesses, a HIPAA release is critical." And, by choosing to attend university in Madison, where the Diehls have extended family, Roger has a ready-made "social support network."
Related Links:
- "An Autistic Student's Journey To College," Michelle Trudeau, National Public Radio Morning Edition,
Posted by admin at 12:00 PM
Suicide is leading cause of death among young people in China, group says
The BBC (9/10, Reynolds) reported that, according to the Chinese Association for Mental Health, "suicide is the leading cause of death among young people."
In a report "published in advance of World Suicide Prevention Day" on Wednesday, the association said that in China, "young people aged between 15 and 34 are more likely to die at their own hand than by any other means." In addition, "the suicide rate is reported to be higher in the countryside than [in] cities, with more women taking their own lives."
Related Links:
- "Chinese youth 'face suicide risk'," James Reynolds, BBC, September 10, 2008.
Posted by admin at 11:54 AM
Government suicide-prevention hotline fields increasing numbers of calls, director says
The AP (9/11) reports that "the number of Americans calling the government's suicide-prevention hotline has increased every year since its launch, say the program's staff, who attribute that to efforts to promote the number, rather than a rise in people considering suicide."
In August, "Americans called the" the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) "hotline more than 47,000 times," compared to Jan. 2005, when the hotline "received just 1,500 calls, according to director" John Draper, Ph.D., of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which sponsors the hotline. Draper explained, "The increase in calls does not correlate to an increasing number of people who are in psychological distress." Instead, "more people consistently call the hotline after every televised promotion," he said.
Draper "also credits word of mouth, media reports, and online sources." Recently, the hotline "has begun networking with social Internet sites," such as "MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube," to increase its outreach "to young people through its online promotions."
Related Links:
- "More people calling suicide prevention hot line," USA Today,September 10, 2008.
Posted by admin at 11:47 AM
September 11, 2008
Study suggests smokers may underestimate their cravings
HealthDay (9/9, McKeever) reported that "when smokers are not craving, they fail to appreciate just how powerful their cravings will be," which "may lead them to make decisions -- such as choosing to attend a party where there will be lots of smoking -- that they may come to regret," according to a study published in the September issue of Psychological Science.
U.S. researchers examined "the 'cold-to-hot empathy gap' -- that is, the tendency for people in a 'cold' state (one not influenced by visceral factors such as hunger or fatigue) to improperly predict their own behavior when in a 'hot' state (hungry, fatigued)." The investigators recruited 98 smokers, and put them through "two experimental sessions."
In the first session, participants determined "how much money they would need to delay smoking for five minutes in the second session, a time when all participants would be in a 'hot' state." During the second session, the authors found that "the 'cold' smokers from the first session asked for significantly more money to delay smoking for just five minutes, while those originally in a 'hot' state did not request an increase."
Related Links:
- "Study Probes Why Smokers Find It Hard to Quit," Kevin McKeever, HealthDay News, September 9, 2008.
- Association for Psychological Science
Posted by admin at 11:00 AM
Experts say more teens may be abusing over-the-counter medications
WebMD (9/9, DeNoon) reported that "Snurf pills and other 'herbal' euphoria-enhancing drugs are part of a surge in abuse of over-the-counter" medications "by young teens."
It remains unclear "exactly what the Snurf product actually contains," but "the kids' symptoms -- and the effects reported by Snurf takers in online drug-user message boards -- point to dextromethorphan ( DXM), the cough suppressant ingredient in Robitussin and other over-the-counter medicines."
According to Deborah Levine, M.D., of New York's Bellevue Hospital Center, DXM "is a synthetic morphine analog that lacks opioid-like effects." Dr. Levine explained that, "at extreme doses...DXM causes the same kinds of dissociative symptoms -- memory loss, depression, anxiety, detachment from self, sense of unreality, blurred sense of identity -- seen with ketamine, a very dangerous drug of abuse known as 'special K.'"
Michael Windle, Ph.D., of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, explained that "use of DXM and other over-the-counter drugs is on the rise." He warned that "these products can produce a very severe side effect that, under some conditions, could require hospitalization, or even result in death."
Related Links:
- "Experts Say Abuse of 'Herbal' Snurf Pills, Over-the-Counter Drugs Is Up in Young Teens," Daniel J. DeNoon, WebMD Health News, September 9, 2008.
Posted by admin at 10:56 AM
Supreme Court to consider whether pharmaceutical companies should be shielded from lawsuits
The Los Angeles Times (9/7, Savage) reported that "earlier this year, the Supreme Court reinterpreted a 32-year-old federal law as barring suits against makers of government-approved medical devices."
And now, "in a case to be heard this fall, the court will consider whether to extend this shield against lawsuits to the makers of prescription medicines and over-the-counter" medication.
After failing "to persuade Congress or the states to limit such suits, the Bush administration and the pharmaceutical industry went to court, and now they stand on the verge of shutting down tens of thousands of lawsuits that have cost the industry billions of dollars in jury verdicts and settlements."
According to "advocates for the pharmaceutical industry...it makes more sense to have experts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- rather than jurors -- decide whether a" medication "is safe or dangerous." Consumer rights advocates, however, "say lawsuits can compensate patients for injuries, as well as alert the public to dangers the FDA might have overlooked."
Related Links:
- "Drug makers seek shield from lawsuits," David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2008.
Posted by admin at 10:52 AM
Suicide rates for young male Iraq, Afghanistan war veterans hit record high in 2006, VA statistics indicate
USA Today (9/9, Zoroya) reports that "suicide rates for young male Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans hit a record high in 2006, according to statistics to be released Tuesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)."
VA figures for "2006, the last year for which records are available," indicate that "there were about 46 suicides per 100,000 male veterans ages 18-29 who use VA services. That compares with about 20 suicides per 100,000 men of that age who are not veterans."
The VA's records also "show that 141 veterans who left the military after Sept. 11, 2001, committed suicide between 2002 and 2005. In the one year that followed, an additional 113 of the Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans killed themselves."
Army psychiatrist Col. Elspeth Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H., explained that "lengthy and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan cause relationship problems, a leading factor in suicides."
Related Links:
- "VA report: Male U.S. veteran suicides at highest in 2006," Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, September 8, 2008.
Posted by admin at 10:49 AM
September 09, 2008
Researchers say young smokers may be more likely to have behavioral problems
PsychCentral (9/4, Nauert) reported that youngsters "who have tried cigarettes by seventh grade are much more likely to become regular smokers and have behavior problems as teens," according to a study published in the Oct. issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
For the study, Phyllis Ellickson, Ph.D., of the RAND Corporation, and colleagues, "collected data at seventh, 10th, and 12th grade from 2,000 students in California and Oregon who were early smokers in middle school." The researchers "tested the students' saliva samples for tobacco and marijuana to ensure accuracy."
The investigators found that "30 percent of the early smokers had recently used cigarettes, 14 percent were smoking regularly, and 21 percent had multiple school problems." The findings also revealed that "having peers who smoke was a strong risk factor for becoming a regular smoker."
In fact, "at-risk teens were two or more times likely than low-risk teens -- those who hadn't tried smoking by seventh grade -- to have peers who smoke, and five times more likely to have had two or more problems in school."
Related Links:
- "Young Smokers Risk Behavioral Problems," Rick Nauert, PsychCentral, September 4, 2008.
Posted by admin at 01:11 PM
Survey suggests more parents discussing children's emotional, behavioral problems with school staff, healthcare providers
USA Today (9/4, Elias) reports that, according to a survey released Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, "parents of about 15 percent of kids spoke to school staff or healthcare providers about their children's emotional and behavior problems in the last year."
The survey, which was performed in 2005 and 2006, and included "more than 17,000 parents with children four to 17 years old," found that "nearly one out of five boys had parents who discussed such difficulties, and about one out of 10 girls." Psychiatrist David Fassler, M.D., of the University of Vermont, said that "bringing concerns out in the open is all to the good." Dr. Fassler added, "More and more American parents are recognizing the symptoms of emotional and behavior problems, and they're asking for help."
Related Links:
- "Study: Boys' parents more likely to report problems," Marilyn Elias, USA Today, September 4, 2008.
Posted by admin at 01:02 PM
Research suggests high rate of psychiatric disorders may exist among adolescent offenders
HealthDay (8/29, McCoy) reported that the "majority of youths who are tried in criminal courts as adults have a psychiatric disorder," according to a study published in the Sept. issue of the journal Psychiatric Services.
For the study, researchers from Chicago's Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine "examined the cases of 1,715 youths, aged 13 to 18, who were processed in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago. Of the youths, 275 were transferred to adult court." The team "found that more than two-thirds (68 percent) of the transferred youths had a psychiatric disorder, and almost half (43 percent) had two or more types of disorders."
Notably, "the transferred youths who were eventually sentenced to prison had even higher rates of psychiatric disorders." In addition, "black and Hispanic males were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be transferred." This finding "is important, since there is evidence that males from minority groups are among the least likely to receive mental health treatment, either in the community or in prison."
The number of U.S. "teenagers processed in adult criminal court is growing," Medscape (8/29, Busko) added. "In 2004, seven percent of the approximately two million youths who were arrested were transferred directly to adult court."
Discussing the study with Medscape, Louis J. Kraus, M.D., chair of the American Psychiatric Association Corresponding Committee on Juvenile Justice Issues, said that "the results are cause for concern." Dr. Kraus stated, "What's really important about this study is the tremendous percentage of kids who have mental-health issues, and how little is going to be done to help them. The tragedy here is that, in many of these kids, mental-health concerns are not going to be addressed."
Related Links:
- "Most Youths Tried as Adults Had Psychiatric Disorders," U.S. News and World Report, August 29, 2008.
- Abstract: "Psychiatric Disorders Among Detained Youths: A Comparison of Youths Processed in Juvenile Court and Adult Criminal Court," Jason J. Washburn, Ph.D., et. al., Psychiatric Services, 59:965-973, September 2008. (Full article available for fee/subscription.)
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Posted by admin at 12:47 PM
September 02, 2008
Improving Emergency Department and Community Care for People with Psychiatric Disabilities
A report funded by the Blaustein and Stulman Charitable Foundations was developed by the Maryland Disability Law Center and the Center for Public Representation.
It utilized surveys and focus groups, and was assisted by the Mental Health Association of Maryland, On Our Own representatives of the Maryland Hospital Association, several hospitals in the region, the Director of the Mental Hygiene Administration and Core Service Agencies.
In several sections there was high praise for the Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc. of Baltimore City which was recognized by the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry's Outstanding Merit Award in 2006.
At one point the report concludes: "A model that should be replicated exists in Baltimore City with BCRI, which has mobile teams to conduct assessments of persons in psychiatric distress. People assessed as appropriate for a crisis bed are taken directly to the residential crisis program. Another significant aspect of BCRI is that it operates detox beds, so that persons needing to detox can do so under medical supervision and then, if necessary, transfer to a crisis be in the same facility."
Related Links:
- Report Information at the Maryland Disability law Center (includes how to get a copy of the report)
Posted by admin at 12:26 PM
Survey indicates 13 percent of older Americans may suffer some form of abuse
HealthDay (8/28, Preidt) reported that "13 percent of American seniors suffer mistreatment from various forms of abuse," according to a study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.
Researchers at the University of Chicago reached this conclusion after analyzing "national survey data from 3,005 community-dwelling adults, ages 57 to 85." They "also found that adults in their late 50s and 60s are more likely to report verbal or financial mistreatment than those who are older."
Notably, "women were twice as likely as men to report verbal abuse; Hispanics were about half as likely as whites to report verbal abuse, and 78 percent less likely to report financial mistreatment; and blacks were 77 percent more likely than whites to report financial mistreatment."
The survey also revealed that "of those who reported verbal abuse, 26 percent said their spouse or romantic partner was responsible, 15 percent said it was their children, and the remainder of respondents said friends, neighbors, co-workers, or bosses were responsible."
Related Links:
- "13% of Seniors Report Being Mistreated," Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 28, 2008.
Posted by admin at 12:23 PM
Study explores drinking habits among college students celebrating 21st birthday
USA Today (8/28, Jayson) reports that "college students today celebrate 21st birthdays with an average of 12 drinks for men and nine for women," according to University of Texas-Austin researchers.
Among "more than 2,200 students in the four-year drinking study that began in 2004, researchers randomly selected 152 students for an in-depth analysis focused on 21st-birthday drinking, including in-person interviews.
All but two said they drank to celebrate." The investigators found that "78 percent of students cited ill effects, including hangovers (54 percent)." Among "44 percent who had blackouts, 22 percent found out later they had sex, and 22 percent got in a fight or argument."
Meanwhile, "39 percent didn't know how they got home." While just "12 of the 152 students reported 21 or more birthday drinks," USA Today adds that "at the University of Missouri, a study of 2,518 students published in June found 34 percent of men and 24 percent of women had 21 or more."
Related Links:
- "Students mark 21st birthdays with 'extreme' drinking binges," Sharon Jayson, USA Today, August 28, 2008.
Posted by admin at 12:19 PM