- "Young adult mental illness costs $247B," United Press International, February 16, 2009.

Posted by admin at 04:31 PM

February 14, 2009

US Court of Federal Claims dismisses vaccine link to autism

ABC World News (2/12, lead story, 3:00, Gibson) reported, "For more than a decade, thousands of parents have fervently believed that there is a link between childhood vaccinations and their own children's autism." On Feb. 12, however, "a federal court said, essentially, nonsense, dismissing the claim in blunt fashion."

The CBS Evening News (2/12, story 4, 1:15, Couric) reported, "Some parents believe there is a connection between autism in their children and the combination vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella. But, a special court ruled" Thursday "in three separate cases there is no evidence to support such a link."

NBC Nightly News (2/12, story 8, 1:55, Williams) reported, "The ruling is a huge legal blow to thousands of families with autistic children." In Thursday's rulings, "a federal court said the parents failed to show that vaccinations played any role at all in causing autism. The author of one of the rulings said he had deep sympathy for the parents, but said they were misled by doctors guilty of gross medical misjudgment."

The Wall Street Journal (2/13, A3, Johnson) reports that the US Court of Federal Claims in Washington "ruled...that routine childhood immunizations aren't linked to autism, handing down a landmark decision in the controversy over whether vaccines can cause the neuro-developmental disorder." In doing so, the court "denied damages to three families who alleged that vaccinations led to their children's diseases. Some 5,000 families are seeking damages from a federal program to compensate patients harmed by vaccines, and the three cases the court ruled on Thursday were considered tests for how the others will be handled." The defendant in the three cases, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), "hailed the rulings," saying in a statement. "Hopefully, the determination by the Special Masters will help reassure parents that vaccines do not cause autism." The lead case is Cedillo v. HHS, 98-916, US Court of Federal Claims (pdf).

"Both sides in the debate have been awaiting decisions in these test cases since hearings began in 2007," the New York Times (2/13, A16, McNeil) explains. In each of the three cases, which were "decided by a judge called a special master, the court found that the families had not shown that their children's autism was brought on by substances in the vaccines -- either the measles virus in the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, or its combination with thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was used in most childhood vaccines until 2001." In arriving at their decision, the three judges "considered 5,000 pages of testimony from experts and 939 medical articles." Meanwhile, "lawyers for the plaintiffs have indicated they will appeal."

On its front page, the Washington Post (2/13, A1, Vedantam) adds, "The ruling closes one chapter in a long feud that has pitted families with autistic children against the bulk of the scientific establishment. Those who believe passionately that routine childhood shots are to blame for the rising toll of autism feel they are locked in a David-and-Goliath struggle against vaccine manufacturers, corrupt scientists, federal agencies, and the mainstream media. It remains to be seen whether yesterday's ruling will end the controversy -- or be seen as just more evidence of what some call a conspiracy."

According to the Chicago Tribune (2/13, Huppke), Thursday's ruling that "there is no evidence of a link between autism and childhood vaccines may sound definitive, but in the emotionally charged world of autism, it's unlikely to change many minds."

The AP

Bloomberg News (2/13, O'Reilly) explains that the families "who claim their children's autism was caused by thimerosal" are "seeking compensation from the fund established by Congress in 1996 to shield drug companies, such as Sanofi-Aventis and Novartis AG, from lawsuits over vaccines the US
government requires for children. The money comes from a 75-cent tax on each dose." Bloomberg News also notes that "autism is an umbrella term covering several developmental and communication disorders that affect as many as six of every 1,000 children born in North America."

The Los Angeles Times (2/13, Chong), the Washington Times (2/13, Hudson), and CNN (2/13) also cover the story.

NYTimes: Verdicts suggest fear of autism "never a valid reason to forego vaccinations." The New York Times (2/13, A30) editorializes that "the vast majority of parents ought to accept the" court's "verdicts as persuasive evidence that no child need forgo vaccinations against dangerous diseases out of fear that the vaccines might cause autism." While "many parents had contended that the" MMR "vaccine alone could cause autism...this round of decisions also demolished that theory as well. The court must still rule on test cases contending that thimerosal-containing vaccines alone could have caused autism, a theory that medical authorities have long dismissed as contrary to the evidence." In any case, "thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines for children, allowing fearful parents to dodge it." The Times concludes that Thursday's verdicts "suggest that fear of autism was never a valid reason to forego vaccinations that can protect children from illness and even death."

Posted by admin at 03:57 PM

Cadets told getting help won't hurt their careers

The AP (2/12, Hefling) reports, "Following four suicides" at the US Military Academy at West Point, officials speaking at a meeting Wednesday on Capitol Hill "said...they are emphasizing to cadets that seeking help for mental health problems won't jeopardize their military careers."

The suicides "are part of a larger trend as the strained military wages war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army had its highest rate of suicide on record in 2008 and is investigating a spike in the number in January." Also Wednesday, "top senators on the Veterans Affairs Committee," Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Richard Burr (R-NC), "issued a statement asking Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to convene a joint oversight committee meeting to address military suicides."

Related Links:

- "Cadets told getting help won't hurt their careers", Kimberly Hefling, AP, February 12, 2009.

Posted by admin at 03:53 PM

February 07, 2009

Illinois mental-health advocates take issue with depiction of Gov. Blagojevich as "crazy."

The Chicago Tribune (1/29, Black) reported that recently, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) "has been branded as sociopathic, delusional, narcissistic, grandiose, and psychotic, as well as cuckoo, crazy, wacko, and off his rocker. And, mental health advocates are upset about it."

They say that the "language offends many and blames mental illness for alleged criminal behavior." In fact, according to Fran McClain, program director for the Josselyn Center for Mental Health in Northfield, IL, "statistics show that people suffering from mental illness are more likely to be victims of crime than they are to be perpetrators."

Barb Maier, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter in northern Cook County, IL, added that "a true diagnosis should be left to a professional," saying, "No one should be slinging around pejorative terms, let alone diagnosing someone they have never met."

Related Links:

- "Calling Rod Blagojevich 'crazy' is offensive - to the mentally ill, health officials say, Lisa Black, Chicago tribune, January 29, 2009.

Posted by admin at 11:21 AM

Army suicide rate reaches highest level in three decades

The New York Times (1/30, A19, Alvarez) reports that "suicides among soldiers in 2008 rose for the fourth year in a row, reaching the highest level in nearly three decades, Army officials said Thursday."

In 2007, "at least 128 soldiers killed themselves...and the Army suicide rate surpassed that for civilians for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to Army statistics." In fact, "including the deaths being investigated," which is expected to increase the suicide count, "roughly 20.2 of every 100,000 soldiers killed themselves. The civilian rate for 2006, the most recent figure available, was 19.2 when adjusted to match the demographics."

The trend is not unique to the Army, USA Today (1/30) notes, as "suicides by soldiers, Marines, and combat veterans have all hit records levels in recent years, records show. Last year, 41 Marines committed suicide, a 24 percent increase from the 33 suicides in 2007, according to Marine Corps statistics."

The Los Angeles Times (1/30, Barnes, Chong) explains that "Army officials believe that contributing factors include emotional and psychological stress caused by repeated combat deployments, along with the toll that the tours have taken on marriages." Psychiatrist Judith Broder, M.D., founder of the Soldier's Project, a counseling service for troops and their families, "said the repeated deployments caused some soldiers and Marines to lose faith in religion or themselves. Some become suicidal after abusing drugs or alcohol and they lose rational judgment."

To prevent this, the Washington Post (1/30, A3, Tyson) reports, the Army is planning to "conduct a 'stand-down' from Feb. 15 to March 15 to identify soldiers at risk for suicide, following an extensive education program on suicide prevention that will last until June." The service has "also announced a $50 million, multiyear study on suicidal behavior among soldiers to be conducted with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) -- the largest single suicide study undertaken by NIMH." Furthermore, the Army has "hired 250 new psychotherapists, psychologists, and social workers and 40 marriage therapists, because relationship problems within the family or military are the leading factor in suicides, followed by financial and legal problems."

"At the Pentagon on Thursday, Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a psychiatric consultant to the Army surgeon general, made a plea for more professionals to sign on to work for the military."

Related links:

- "Suicides of Soldiers Reach High of Nearly 3 Decades," Lizette Alvarez, New York times, January 30, 2009.
- "Officials: Army suicides at three-decade high," USA Today, January 29, 2009.
- "Army sees sharp rise in suicide rate," Julian E. Barnes and Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2009.

Posted by admin at 11:10 AM