« November 2009 | Main | January 2010 »
December 31, 2009
Baltimore Museum of Art Event to Examine Loneliness
Harvard psychiatrists Jacqueline Olds and Richard C. Schwartz, authors of The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century, will discuss how America is losing its sense of community due to its culture that promotes social isolation.
This event is free and open to the public at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 10. The moderator is Tom Hall, WYPR-FM Culture Contributor. Audience participation is encouraged. The program is presented in conjunction with the museum’s Edgar Allan Poe exhibition, which addresses Poe’s themes of love and loss, fear and terror, and madness and obsession.
Related Links:
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- Edgar Allen Poe Exhibition
-
Posted by admin at 01:00 PM
December 20, 2009
Children on Medicaid more likely to receive antipsychotics.
On its front page, the New York Times (12/12, A1, Wilson) reported that, according to a study to be published in the journal Health Affairs, "children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance."
After examining "records for children in seven big states...representative of the nation's Medicaid population, for the years 2001 and 2004," a Rutgers-Columbia team also found that "Medicaid children were more likely than those with private insurance to be given the" medications "for off-label uses like AD/HD and conduct disorders," while "privately insured children...were more likely than their Medicaid counterparts to receive the" medicines "for FDA-approved uses," such as "bipolar disorder."
Related Links:
- .Poor Children Likelier to Get Antipsychotics," Duff Wilson, The New York Times, December 11, 2009.
Posted by admin at 09:45 PM
Anti-epileptic medications not associated with increased suicidality in bipolar disorder.
Medscape (12/11, Brauser) reported that, according to a study published in the Dec. issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, anti-epileptic medications "are not associated with increased risk for suicide attempts in patients with bipolar disorder."
University of Illinois-Chicago researchers "evaluated a cohort of 47,918 patients with bipolar disorder (1,226 with at least one suicide attempt), including 25,432 non-medicated patients who were receiving no" anti-epileptics, "lithium, or central nervous system medication," then used ICD-9 "codes to identify suicide attempts, including deliberate self-harm." The team found "no overall difference in suicide attempt rates for the patients treated with" anti-epileptics, "compared with those not treated with" such medicines "or lithium."
Related Links:
- No Link Between Antiepileptics and Suicidality in Patients With Bipolar Disorder," Deborah Brauser, MedScape, December 11, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:06 PM
Suicide seen as "insidious threat" for US military.
CQ Weekly (12/14, Donnelly) reports, "Added to the stress of eight years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, of chasing guerrillas through the streets and dodging makeshift bombs," US armed forces "are now grappling with an even more insidious threat: suicide in the ranks.
So far this year, at least 349 men and women on active duty and reservists have taken their own lives -- more than have been killed by enemy action in Afghanistan (259) and Iraq (76) combined, according to the records of the individual services as of last week." . The Department of Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, has "said an average of about 50 people who had been discharged after fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide each year between 2002 and 2006."
Time (12/14, Thompson) notes that the Army "is rolling out all sorts of artillery to deal with suicide in its ranks," including a "five-year, $50 million study" on "possible suicide indicators." It adds, "Military suicides have even raised a question for the White House." President Barack Obama's "staff is reviewing a long-standing but unwritten policy that bars him from sending condolence letters to the families of military personnel who have killed themselves."
Related Links:
-
A Mounting Suicide Rate Prompts an Army Response
," Mark Thompson, Times, December 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 06:46 PM
Prescription data mining said to be a growing concern.
The Los Angeles Times (12/14, Zajac) reports on the practice of data mining by drugmakers, explaining that the companies can obtain prescribing "data from pharmacies and health insurers, [allowing them to] learn the prescribing habits of thousands of doctors.
That information has become not just a powerful sales and marketing tool for the pharmaceutical industry but also a source of growing concern among some elected officials, healthcare advocates and legal authorities." The Times explains the controversy surrounding the practice, noting that three states have passed "legislation limiting or outlawing the practice," while 20 others have considered similar provisions. Notably, "the FDA has been silent on prescription data mining," but legislation banning the practice has "been floated by federal lawmakers."
Related Links:
- A prescription for snooping," Andrew Zajac, Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 06:33 PM
FDA approves longer-lasting version of olanzapine.
The AP (12/15) reports, "Eli Lilly & Co. said Monday regulators have approved a longer-lasting version of its top-selling" medication, the "antipsychotic Zyprexa [olanzapine]."
The FDA "approved Zyprexa Relprevv, an injection that can last up to four weeks, for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults." Lilly spokeswoman Janell Smith said for the new version, patients "will visit their doctors every two or four weeks -- depending on their dosage -- to receive the injection."
The Indianapolis Business Journal (12/14) noted that despite some initial concerns from the FDA, Lilly worked with the agency "to develop a mandatory patient care program, which restricts distribution of" the medication "to medical professionals or patients enrolled in the program." HealthDay (12/14) also covered the story.
Related Links:
- FDA OKs longer-lasting version of Lilly's Zyprexa
," Associated Press, December 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 06:22 PM
Massachusetts to cut funding for mental illness program.
The Massachusetts Republican (12/15, Ring) reports Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick (D) is cutting a $2.4 million clinical program intended to assist the severely mentally ill.
Instead, the funding "will be used to finance the jobs of 84 case managers in the state Department of Mental Health." The Program for Assertive Community Treatment includes over 120 patients with "severe mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder," and "uses a team approach to provide intense levels of psychiatry and nursing."
Posted by admin at 06:14 PM
Fifty-five percent of US children with mental-health problems getting help.
HealthDay (12/14, Reinberg) reported that, according to a study published online Dec. 14 in Pediatrics, 55 percent "of the children in the United States who have mental problems, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, get professional help."
Researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health also found that "13 percent of the 3,042 children and adolescents in the study had at least one mental disorder, and about two percent had more than one, usually a combination of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and conduct disorder." Moreover, "anxiety and depression are the most neglected problems."
Related Links:
- Half of U.S. Kids With Mental Issues Are Getting Help
," Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, December 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 06:03 PM
December 11, 2009
Holiday suicide myth may increase anxiety, psychiatrist says.
USA Today (11/30, Painter) reports that it is a myth that "suicides climb during the winter holidays." In fact, "suicide numbers peak in the spring and may even dip in December, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
This "myth may" even "harm people," explained psychiatrist Ronald Pies, MD, of the Tufts University School of Medicine, who said, "It might unnecessarily put people on their guard or increase their anxiety." He added that "some people 'on the brink' of self-harm might feel encouraged to follow through when they read or hear that holiday suicides are common," thereby turning "the myth" into "a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Related Links:
- Why the holiday suicide myth persists," Kim Painter, USA Today, November 29, 2009.
Posted by admin at 02:09 AM
Psychosurgery results seen as unpredictable.
In a front-page story, the New York Times (11/27, A1, Carey) reported that "in the last decade or so, more than 500 people have undergone brain surgery for problems like depression, anxiety, Tourette's syndrome," and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
However, "for all the progress that has been made, some psychiatrists and medical ethicists say, doctors still do not know much about the circuits they are tampering with, and the results are unpredictable: some people improve, others feel little or nothing, and an unlucky few actually get worse." Psychiatrist Darin D. Dougherty, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, stated that "given the history of failed techniques, like frontal lobotomy," should current psychosurgery experiments go wrong, "it'll shut down this approach for another hundred years."
Related Links:
- Surgery for Mental Ills Offers Both Hope and Risk," Benedict Carey, The New York Times, November 26, 2009.
Posted by admin at 02:03 AM
Psychotherapy may increase happiness more than money, researchers say.
HealthDay (11/28, Preidt) reported that, according to a study published online Nov. 18 in the journal Health Economics, Policy and Law, "psychological therapy may be much more effective at making people happy than getting a raise or winning a lottery prize."
University of Warwick "researchers analyzed data on thousands of people who provided information about their mental well-being and found that the increase in happiness from a $1,329 course of therapy was so significant that it would take a pay raise of more than $41,542 to achieve an equal boost in well-being." This "suggests that therapy could be as much as 32 times more cost-effective at improving well-being than simply getting more money," the authors said.
Posted by admin at 01:56 AM
Study indicates skunk may pose higher risk of psychosis than regular cannabis.
BBC News (12/1) reports that, according to a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, "people who smoke potent skunk are more at risk of psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia than those who simply use cannabis."
After screening "280 patients admitted to their hospital with psychotic symptoms for the first time," 80 percent of whom "were heavy skunk users," researchers from the UK's Institute of Psychiatry discovered that "regular users double their risk of psychosis, but heavy skunk users increase theirs seven-fold." The authors theorized that "skunk's composition...contains more" THC, which "has been shown to produce psychotic symptoms like hallucinations and delusions in experiments."
Related Links:
- Skunk 'bigger psychosis risk' than other cannabis types," Michelle Roberts, BBC News, December 1, 2009.
Posted by admin at 01:50 AM
Court notes VA Secretary's testimony, special proceedings for troubled veterans.
The Washington Post (12/1, Barnes) notes that in a footnote, the court "cited the testimony of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki that nearly a quarter of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking treatment at a VA medical facility had received PTSD diagnoses. In another, it noted that California and Minnesota had set up special sentencing proceedings for those who alleged their crimes were influenced by PTSD."
Related Links:
- Death-row inmate's military service is relevant, justices say," Robert Barnes, The Washington Post, December 1, 2009.
Posted by admin at 01:45 AM
Supreme Court cites PTSD in throwing out veteran's death sentence.
The Los Angeles Times (12/1, Savage) notes that on Monday, the US Supreme Court "threw out a death sentence for a decorated Korean War veteran, ruling for the first time that combat stress must be considered by a jury before it hands down the harshest punishment."
The decision "appears to be the first in which the court has said post-traumatic stress disorder was the type of circumstance that called for leniency. It comes as thousands" of US "soldiers are being treated for PTSD suffered as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Related Links:
- Supreme Court throws out Korean war veteran's death sentence," David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2009.
Posted by admin at 01:38 AM
Consumers may need more information about laws mandating mental health parity.
The Los Angeles Times (12/1, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that, according to a review published Dec. 1 in the journal Psychiatric Services, "consumers need more information regarding new laws that mandate insurance coverage for mental-health treatment."
After using "data from interviews and focus groups to draw conclusions about the success and failures of the California" mental-health parity "law from 2000 to 2005," investigators found that while "most health plans responded to the parity law by lifting limits on the annual number of days allowed for inpatient treatments and the number of visits allowed for outpatient treatment," there was still some concern "over the use of 'medical necessity' clauses to authorize treatments and control costs."
Related Links:
- Mental-health parity laws require oversight," Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times Booster Shots, December 1, 2009.
Posted by admin at 01:31 AM
NFL imposes new rule on managing concussions.
On its front page, the New York Times (12/3, A1, Schwarz) reported that on Dec. 2, the National Football League (NFL) "announced that it would impose its most stringent rules to date on managing concussions, requiring players who exhibit any significant sign of concussion to be removed from a game or practice and be barred from returning the same day."
Previously, "despite widespread criticism," the NFL had "maintained...that it was safe to allow players to return to the field as soon as their symptoms were gone -- even in the same game in which the injury occurred." The "new rule, which will take effect in this week's games," requires immediate removal of players with "amnesia, poor balance, and an abnormal neurological examination," regardless of whether "or not those symptoms quickly subside."
Related Links:
- N.F.L. Changes Play Rules for Concussions," New York Times, December 2, 2009.
Posted by admin at 01:25 AM
West Virginia launching program for veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI.
On its website, WBOY-TV Clarksburg, WV (12/2, Lieu) reported, "A new program is being launched in West Virginia to help veterans who suffer from traumatic brain injuries" (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The program is "being coordinated by the West Virginia Division of Veterans Affairs and is the first of its kind in the nation to operate on a statewide level." It is "expected to start in January." WOWK-TV Charleston, WV (12/2, 7:06 p.m. ET) aired a similar report.
Posted by admin at 01:22 AM
Medical discrimination laws go into effect.
McClatchy (12/7, Hunt) reports the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 will go into effect on Monday, and will prohibit "insurance companies from using family medical histories or genetic testing to deny medical insurance or set rates."
In addition, a separate provision, prohibiting employers from using genetic information in hiring practices, "went into effect Saturday." Linda Robinson, a genetic counselor supervisor with the University of Texas said the new law could "really ease concerns about discrimination that is keeping people from getting these genetic tests."
Related Links:
- New law bans use of genetic testing to deny health insurance," Dianna Hunt, Cleveland.com, December 3, 2009.
Posted by admin at 01:12 AM
Children of deployed military more likely to experience increased anxiety.
The Wall Street Journal (12/7, A4, Power) reports that, according to a study to be published Dec. 7 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, children with parents in the military who are deployed abroad may have more behavioral or emotional problems than the children of civilians.
After interviewing approximately 1,500 military families in which one parent was either currently deployed or had been deployed, RAND Corporation researchers found that children of deployed parents were about twice as likely to experience increased anxiety.
Posted by admin at 01:05 AM
Confidentiality of psychotherapist-patient relationships in the military seen as porous.
The New York Times (12/7, A12, Dao, Frosch) reports that "many soldiers, lawyers, and mental health workers say that the rules governing confidentiality of psychotherapist-patient relations in the military are porous."
"The rules breed suspicion among troops toward therapists, those people say, reducing the effectiveness of treatment and complicating the Pentagon's efforts to encourage personnel to seek care." Experts point out that "military rules...do not safeguard the confidentiality of mental health communications and records as strongly as federal rules of evidence for civilians," as exemplified by the fact that "military rules states that confidentiality can be breached without a patient's consent when 'federal law, state law, or service regulation imposes a duty to report information,'" or "to ensure the safety of military personnel and 'the accomplishment of a military mission.'"
Related Links:
- Military Rules Said to Hinder Therapy," James Dao and Dan Frosch, New York Times, December 6, 2009.
Posted by admin at 12:58 AM
Alternative therapies seen as getting undeserved credit.
The Los Angeles Times (12/7, Tsouderos, Callahan) reports that stories of "children who could suddenly speak" are, "for many parents...more persuasive than what experts say."
Nevertheless, "in evaluating a therapy, the challenge is determining how much, if any, of the progress can be credited to the treatment," because, "over time, children with autism do develop, said" pediatric neurologist and autism expert Max Wiznitzer, MD." In fact, "between 10% and 20% of children with autism who were diagnosed early may make so much progress that they are indistinguishable from peers," and whether or not they are "undergoing alternative therapies," said Susan Levy, MD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, progress which parents may attribute to alternative therapies.
Related Links:
- Autism therapies can get undeserved credit
," Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2009.
Posted by admin at 12:52 AM
Chelation seen as emblematic of alternative therapies for autism.
The Los Angeles Times (12/7, Tsouderos, Callahan) reports, "No treatment is more emblematic of the world of alternative therapies for autism than chelation."
But, according to "pediatric toxicology experts...all chelation" medications "carry risks -- even when used to treat severely lead-poisoned children." Barbara Strupp, PhD, of Cornell University, said that when "rats with no lead exposure were treated with succimer, a common chelator given to children with autism, the animals showed lasting impairments of cognitive function and emotional regulation." In fact, after Strupp "learned that the National Institutes of Health planned to conduct a clinical trial of chelation in children with autism, she alerted the researchers to her findings," and the "study was later canceled."
Related Links:
- Chelation based on faulty premise," Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2009.
Posted by admin at 12:39 AM
Many autism therapies seen as unproven, risky.
In a series exploring autism and its treatments, the Los Angeles Times (12/7, Tsouderos, Callahan) reports that "after reviewing thousands of pages of court documents and scientific studies and interviewing top researchers in the field, an investigation by the Chicago Tribune found that many of these treatments amount to uncontrolled experiments on vulnerable children."
According to results of the investigation, "the therapies often go beyond harmless New Age folly," with many being "unproven and risky, based on flawed, preliminary or misconstrued scientific research." Moreover, "lab tests used to justify therapies are often misleading and misinterpreted," and "the few clinical trials conducted to evaluate the treatments objectively" have yielded "disappointing results."
Related Links:
- Autism: Kids put at risk," Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2009.
Posted by admin at 12:30 AM
December 10, 2009
Democratic lawmakers investigate "price hikes" for brand-name prescription medicines.
The Wall Street Journal (12/9, Burns) reports that a recent AARP study which shows that brand-name prescription medicine prices have risen significantly in the past year has prompted Democratic lawmakers to launch a probe to determine if pharmaceutical companies are engaging in price gouging.
CQ HealthBeat (12/9, Reichard) reports, "Price hikes by" pharmaceutical makers "in anticipation of healthcare overhaul legislation are 'exhibit A' why the Senate healthcare overhaul bill is too weak in protecting seniors and other taxpayers against rising prescription drug costs, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) said at a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday." Waxman's statement was based on "an assessment by AARP," which "specifically found that average manufacturer prices for widely used brand-name drugs rose 9.3 percent between October 2008 and September 2009. 'In contrast, prices for common generic drugs declined by 8.7 percent over the same time period,' Bonnie Cramer, AARP's board chairwoman, said in written testimony." But, Richard I. Smith, of PhRMA, "disputed the figures," saying that "eight of the drugs used in the top 25 brands tracked by the AARP report are now sold as generics." Reuters (12/9, Heavey) also covers the story.
Posted by admin at 05:03 PM
Researchers examine depression in caregivers for BD patients with increasing suicidal ideation.
MedWire (12/9, Grasmo) reports that, according to a study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders, "people who care for bipolar disorder (BD) patients with increasing suicidal ideation (SI) over time and depressive, rather than manic, symptoms are prone to suffering from depression and worsening health."
After evaluating "500 patients" with BD "and their primary caregivers (including 188 parental and 182 spousal) for up to one year," researchers at the University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine found that "higher SI scores at baseline and at six and 12 months were associated with lower caregiver health scores at all time points." Notably, "higher patient depression scores at all follow-up points were" also "associated with higher caregiver depression scores."
Related Links:
- Caregivers of BD patients show ill health and depression," Ingrid Grasmo, MedWire News, December 9, 2009.
Posted by admin at 04:51 PM
December 03, 2009
Research explores health benefits of gratitude.
The AP (11/25) reports, "Academics have long theorized that expressions of thanks promote health and happiness and give optimism and energy to the downtrodden."
Now, "research indicates being thankful might help people actually feel better." A recent study published in the Current Directions in Psychological Science found that gratitude "builds social support, which...is tied to both physical and psychological wellbeing." Meanwhile, "Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California-Davis, said those who offer gratitude are less envious and resentful," and may "sleep longer, exercise more, and report a drop in blood pressure."
Related Links:
- Research: Giving thanks brings health, happiness," Matt Sedensky, The Alliance Revie, November 24, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:06 PM
Maternal depression may be independent risk factor for children's asthma severity.
Medscape (11/24, Kelly) reported that, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, children's "asthma symptoms did not predict maternal depressive symptoms."
After analyzing "data from interviews with 262 mothers of African American children with asthma," Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that "children whose mothers had more depressive symptoms had more frequent asthma symptoms during the six months of the study, and that children whose mothers reported fewer depressive symptoms had less frequent asthma symptoms." But, because "the child's asthma severity did not predict later maternal depressive symptoms," the authors suggested that "maternal depression is an independent risk factor for children's asthma severity."
Related Links:
- article_title_here," Janis C. Kelly, Medscape Today, November 24, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:00 PM
Patients with schizophrenia, psychotic disorders may have higher risk of heart disease.
HealthDay (11/24) reported, "Patients with psychotic disorders are at higher risk of death from heart disease than people who do not have a mental disorder, according to a study in the November/December issue of General Hospital Psychiatry."
Researchers from the Veterans Administration in Ann Arbor, MI, "analyzed data from 147,193 respondents in the 1999 Large Health Survey of Veterans who were diagnosed with a mental disorder...or with no mental disorder." After the team controlled "for clinical and sociodemographic factors," they found that "the risk of death was higher for patients with schizophrenia...or other psychotic disorders."
Posted by admin at 02:51 PM