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April 23, 2010
Adolescent Depression Awareness Program Wins 2010 Outstanding Merit Award
At the MPS annual meeting in April, the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry presented its 2010 Outstanding Merit Award to the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins.
The Board was particularly impressed with this outstanding program, which through student, parent and teacher education seeks to increase awareness of adolescent depression and bipolar disorder while reducing the stigma associated with these illnesses.
In addition, the foundation awarded Honorable Mentions to the Southern Maryland Community Network in Prince Frederick, which offers essential services to persons with severe and persistent mental illness, and to Helping Other People through Empowerment, Inc. Wellness and Recovery Center in Baltimore, which assists adults with mental illness in becoming empowered to rejoin mainstream society by increasing awareness of available resources through peer support.
The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry established the annual Outstanding Merit Award for a worthy program in Maryland that accomplishes one or more of the following:
- Increases public awareness and understanding of mental illness
- Enhances the quality of care for psychiatric illness
- Reduces the stigma of mental illness
The award, open to the entire Maryland community, carries a prize of $500.
related Links:
- Johns Hopkins Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP)
- Southern Maryland Community Network
- Helping Other People through Empowerment
Posted by admin at 03:59 PM
2011 Outstanding Merit Award Entries Open Now
Nominations are now being accepted for the Foundation's 2011 Outstanding Merit Award.
The annual Outstanding Merit Award is given for a worthy endeavor in Maryland that accomplishes one or more of the following:
- Increases public awareness and understanding of mental illness
- Enhances the quality of care for psychiatric illness
- Reduces the stigma of mental illness
Nominations for this award of $500 are being invited from the entire Maryland community. A short nomination form must be submitted with a cover letter by March 1, 2011, to the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, 1101 Saint. Paul Street, Suite 305, Baltimore, MD 21202-6405. The form is available as PDF or Word document.
The 2010 award was presented to the to the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, which through student, parent and teacher education seeks to increase awareness of adolescent depression and bipolar disorder while reducing the stigma associated with these illnesses.
Related Links:
- Download 2011 Outstanding Merit Award nomination form (Microsoft Word document)
- Download 2011 Outstanding Merit Award nomination form (PDF document)
- 2010 Winner: Adolescent Depression Awareness Program at Johns Hopkins
- 2009 Winner: Gaudenzia Park Heights New Vision of Hope Program in Baltimore
- 2008 Winner: Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies program
- 2007 Winner: Bowie Therapeutic Nursery Center, Inc.
- 2006 Winner: Mr. Edgar K. Wiggins
Posted by admin at 02:04 PM
April 22, 2010
CDC Exercise Guidelines Remain Unchanged.
The Oklahoman (4/15, Jahnke) reports that "since 2008, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended adults get 150 minutes -- 30 minutes, five days a week -- of moderate activity. The CDC also recommends twice weekly strength-training sessions."
The article goes on to say the CDC recommendation has not changed, even though a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that more activity is needed.
Related Links:
- CDC guideline unchanged," Krista Jahnke, The Daily Oklahoman, April 15, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:22 PM
Physical Activity May Strengthen The Brain.
ABC World News (4/14, story 11, 2:10, Sawyer) reported, "Federal health experts released a report today showing physical activity strengthens the brain. A study of school kids showed improved grades and test scores."
ABC (Wright) added, "At the University of Illinois, Dr. Charles Hillman's research shows that after a 30 minute stint on the treadmill, students actually do up to ten percent better at problem solving." Dr. Charles Hillman, University of Illinois: "It's good for attention. It's good for how fast individuals process information." Wright added that at one school that emphasizes physical education to strengthen the brain, a program has "been in place five years."
Posted by admin at 08:11 PM
Drug Czar Says Nation Needs New Drug Policy.
CQ HealthBeat (4/15) reports that White House National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske said that "the US needs to discard the idea that enforcement alone can eliminate our nation's drug problem."
Kerlikowske called for a new strategy which would address "our nation's enormous demand for drugs by scaling up our public health policy response, integrating treatment programs into mainstream medicine, and recognizing that effective drug policy requires engagement at the community level."
Posted by admin at 07:57 PM
Depression Associated With Heavy Smoking.
The Los Angeles Times (4/14, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Despite the now well-known and far-reaching effects of smoking, more than one-fifth of Americans still smoke," and many may find it "hard to quit because they also have depression."
In fact, data compiled by the CDC indicate that "43% of adult smokers age 20 and older" are dealing the condition. "Among men ages 40 to 54, a whopping 55% of those who smoke have depression," while "among women ages 20 to 39 who smoke, 50% have depression."
After analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, investigators also noted that "the number of cigarettes people smoke increases as their depression deepens," WebMD (4/14, DeNoon) reported. In fact, "nearly twice as many depressed smokers as non-depressed smokers average more than a pack of cigarettes each day (28% vs. 15%)." What's more, "smokers suffering depression grab for that first cigarette of the day sooner than smokers who aren't depressed."
"Exactly why depressed people tend to smoke more was beyond the scope of the study," HealthDay (4/14, Doheny) reported. But, Dr. Laura Pratt, "an epidemiologist at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics," pointed out that "some research has suggested they might be self-medicating, with the cigarettes somehow acting as a calming or relaxing mechanism." Stanton A. Glantz, director of the University of California-San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, "agrees that depressed people who smoke may be self-medicating. Part of the problem, he said, is that mental-health professionals have been slow to deal with the tobacco issue." AFP (4/14) also covered the study.
Posted by admin at 07:29 PM
Columnist provides tips on how to recognize, deal with depression in seniors.
In the Los Angeles Times (4/17) Dealing With column, Rosemary McClure discusses depression in the elderly and how many adult children may not even recognize symptoms of depression in their parents.
"Increasingly, health professionals are recognizing that depression among older adults is a serious problem that needs to be treated." Saying that "depression isn't normal at any age," experts point out that people with depression "account for as many as one-fifth of the population of older adults in the United States." The condition, if left untreated, may contribute to alcohol or prescription-medication abuse, illness, or even suicide. McClure provides tips on how to recognize depression in older adults and how to help them deal with it.
Related Links:
- Dealing with depression in seniors," Rosemary Mclure, Los Angeles Times, April 17, 2010.
Posted by admin at 07:18 PM
New research seeks to determine impact of marriage on health.
The New York Times (4/18, Parker-Pope) reports, "Contemporary studies...have shown that married people are less likely to get pneumonia, have surgery, develop cancer, or have heart attacks. A group of Swedish researchers has found that being married or cohabiting at midlife is associated with a lower risk for dementia."
Indeed, "for many years, studies like these have influenced both politics and policy, fueling national marriage-promotion efforts, like the Healthy Marriage Initiative of the US Department of Health and Human Services. From 2006 to 2010, the program received $150 million annually to spend on projects like 'divorce reduction' efforts and often cited the health benefits of marrying and staying married." Yet, "while it's clear that marriage is profoundly connected to health and well-being, new research is increasingly presenting a more nuanced view of the so-called marriage advantage."
Related Links:
- Is Marriage Good for Your Health?," Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times, April 12, 2010.
Posted by admin at 07:00 PM
UnitedHealth begins extending dependent coverage until age 26 today.
The Wall Street Journal (4/19, Johnson) reports that starting today, UnitedHealth Group, Inc. intends to begin allowing graduating college seniors to remain on their parents' health insurance plans, a move which puts the insurer ahead in terms of complying with a health reform provision that will take effect in September.
This change is expected to affect about 150,000 graduating students for whom UnitedHealth provides employer-sponsored coverage. Notably, UnitedHealth said that it already allows dependent coverage until age 26 for its private insurance plans. The Journal says that this change indicates that UnitedHealth is taking swift action to implement the new healthcare law.
Posted by admin at 06:51 PM
Implementation Of Mental Health Parity Law Plagued With Delays.
CQ Weekly (4/19, Zeller) reports, "The mental health care parity law enacted a year and a half ago requires insurance companies to offer comparable benefits for mental and physical health."
CQ adds, "The regulations were finalized in January and took effect this month," but implementation of the law could be delayed because "three companies that manage mental health services on behalf of large insurance companies [have] filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services improperly fast-tracked the rule-making -- and that the rules they came up with would diminish the quality of care for the mentally ill." In contrast, "Mental health groups say the departments have done a pretty good job with the rules and it's time to move on."
Posted by admin at 06:41 PM
Alcohol may cause, worsen asthma, hay fever symptoms.
In the New York Times (4/20, D5) Really? column, Anahad O'Connor writes, "Studies have found that alcohol can cause or worsen the common symptoms of asthma and hay fever, like sneezing, itching, headaches and coughing."
Yet, it is not "always the alcohol itself" that exacerbates the condition. "Beer, wine, and liquor contain histamine," a "chemical that sets off allergy symptoms." Beer and wine "also contain sulfites, another group of compounds known to provoke asthma and other allergy-like symptoms."
Related Links:
- The Claim: Alcohol Worsens Allergies," Anahad O'connor, New York Times: Really Collumn, April 19, 2010.
Posted by admin at 06:29 PM
One-Third Of Young People Who Use Tanning Beds May Be Addicted To The Behavior.
The Los Angeles Times (4/20, Roan) reports that, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of Dermatology, "as many as a third of young people who use tanning beds may be addicted to the behavior."
While "it's unclear how or why tanning can become compulsive...exposure to UV light triggers production of brain chemicals called endorphins that boost mood. One study, published in 2006 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, found that frequent tanners experience some withdrawal symptoms when given naltrexone, a drug that blocks endorphins."
Despite the fact that "indoor tanning can cause skin cancer, premature skin aging, and eye damage, according to the US Food and Drug Administration," Bloomberg News (4/20, Randall) explains that "about one-third of college students who tried indoor tanning facilities were addicted to the artificial rays, and the addicts drank more alcohol and smoked more marijuana than other students, researchers found."
Time (4/19, Park) reported, "In a study of 421 college undergraduates, researchers in psychiatry and psychology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the University of Albany, State University of New York, found that a subgroup of indoor tanners showed classic signs of substance-related disorder: they were hooked on their tanning-booth sessions the same way others are dependent on alcohol or drugs. The frequent tanners were also more likely to report moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and depression than peers who were not addicted to tanning or did not tan at all."
According to HealthDay (4/19, Gardner), if the study's conclusions are true, then "addiction treatments might actually help prevent skin cancer, experts say." HealthDay quoted study co-author Catherine E. Mosher, PhD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as saying, "Counseling could be a logical intervention for these people who have excessive visits to tanning salons."
Focusing on reaction to the study, WebMD (4/19, Mann) quoted dermatologist Darrell S. Rigel, MD, of New York University Medical Center, as saying, "Tanning is an addiction, just like smoking, and there is a cancer outcome just like there is with smoking." But, "John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association in Washington, DC, says labeling something as an addictive behavior is becoming something of a trend. 'It is really popular to label a group or activity as an addiction such as Internet addiction, pornography addiction, or video game addiction, and this is a form of condemnation by labeling and I am not sure it is scientifically sound,' he says."
Reuters (4/20, Levitan), BBC News (4/20), the UK's Daily Mail (4/20, Hope), the UK's Telegraph (4/20), and the UK's Press Association (4/20) also cover the story, as did Medscape (4/19, Brooks).
Related Links:
- Indoor tanning may be addictive," Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2010.
- Tanning Addicts Drink More Alcohol, Smoke More Pot, Study Finds
," Tom Randall, Bloomberg News, April 19, 2010.
- Tanning Bed Use Might Become Addictive
," Amanda Gardner, HealthDay, April 19, 2010.
- Indoor Tanning Addiction Linked to Anxiety, Drug Abuse," Denise Mann, WebMD, April 19, 2010.
Posted by admin at 05:50 PM
Limits On Health Insurance Coverage Under New Law Discussed.
In response to a reader's question about whether insurance companies can still limit coverage for categories, such as physical therapy and mental illness, Michelle Andrews wrote in the New York Times (4/20) Prescriptions blog, "Yes, it's likely that your insurer will be able to continue to limit physical therapy and mental health benefits under the new health law."
"Existing health plans won't ever have to provide the 'essential health benefits' that will be mandatory in the health insurance exchanges and for individual and small group plans starting in 2014." Yet, "even health plans subject to the essential benefits provisions are unlikely to offer unlimited coverage in these areas, said Jennifer Tolbert, associate director of the Kaiser Family Foundation."
Related Links:
- Can Insurers Still Cap Physical Therapy Visits?," Michelle Andrews, The New York Times: Perscription Blog, April 20, 2010.
Posted by admin at 05:38 PM
Prescription-Medication Abuse Growing Exponentially, Expert Says.
In a commentary in the Baltimore Sun (4/21), Nancy Rosen-Cohen, PhD, executive director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Maryland, writes about prescription-medication abuse, which is "growing at an exponential rate. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased by 61 percent, but the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent." Rosen-Cohen asserts, "Meaningful change will require that we raise awareness on the dangers of prescription medicine and add substantial resources for treatment and prevention."
To that end, "the Obama administration...has proposed a 6.5 percent increase for prevention and treatment in the fiscal 2011 budget," a decision applauded by mental-health professionals across the state of Maryland.
Related Links:
- The quiet epidemic," Nancy Rosen-Cohen, The Balitmore Sun, April 21, 2010.
Posted by admin at 05:29 PM
Cannabis Use In Prior Year Associated With More Acute Onset Of FEP.
MedWire (4/21, Czyzewski) reports that, according to a study published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, "in patients presenting with a first episode of psychosis (FEP), cannabis use in the previous year is associated with a more acute onset of illness."
In a study of "468 individuals from the Aetiology and Ethnicity of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses (AESOP) study who presented to UK health services with a FEP between 1997 and 1999," then obtaining information about substance use in the year before the study, researchers found that cannabis use "was associated with a more acute mode of illness onset, after adjustment for age, gender and ethnicity (OR=2.03)."
Related Links:
- Cannabis use associated with acute illness onset in psychosis," Andrew Czyzewski, MedWire, April 21, 2010.
Posted by admin at 05:22 PM
April 14, 2010
Cognitive Behavioral Techniques May Help Binge Eaters Gain Control.
CNN (4/1, Park) reported, "Many patients who suffer from" binge eating, a disorder that "could be added as a psychiatric condition in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," may "believe they are overeating and seek weight-loss treatment rather than mental health help, experts" say.
"Even when they receive a proper diagnosis, the treatments for binge eating are expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes difficult to obtain." So, researchers at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research decided to "examine whether a self-guided program would help 123 study participants."
According to the Los Angeles Times (4/1, Dennis) "Booster Shots" blog, those "who went through a 12-week, eight-session program" meant to change their thinking and behavior "were much more likely to gain control of their eating than those participants who simply received the various types of treatment they'd normally get in a managed-care setting." Specifically, "after 12 weeks, 28.3% of the treatment-as-usual group and 63.5% of the cognitive-behavioral-therapy group had managed to stop binging," according to the paper in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. "After a year, those numbers were 44.6% and 64.2%, respectively."
Related Links:
- Self-help treatment effective for binge eating, researchers say," Madison Park, CNN News, April 1, 2010.
- Diagnostic criteria for eating disorders is too narrow, researchers say," Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:49 PM
Alcohol study unearths unexpected underage results.
The Washington Post (4/1) The Checkup blog reported that although recent research shows that moderate consumption of alcohol by adults "can confer cardiovascular benefits," a new survey shows that over "a quarter (27.6 percent) of people aged 12 to 20 had consumed alcoholic beverages in the month before being questioned.
The survey of 19,176 people in that age group, conducted from 2006 to 2008 by SAMSAH, also found that in some states, that number topped 40 percent." The data also revealed that the "District of Columbia had the highest percentage of young people -- 18.8 percent -- who'd bought their own booze the last time they drank. The national average was 8.6 percent." Notably, "SAMHSA, in cooperation with the Ad Council, has launched an updated version of their five-year-old public-service campaign to address the issue."
Related Links:
- Underage drinking abounds," Jennifer LaRue Huget, The Washington Post, April 1, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:40 PM
FAA Drops Ban On Pilots Taking Four Antidepressants.
Bloomberg News (4/2, Hughes) reports, "Pilots taking Prozac [fluoxetine] will be permitted to fly as US regulators drop a decades-old ban on four antidepressants."
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, in an interview, said this change, which will start April 5, was due to a "better understanding" of the medications' effects. "FAA policy bans pilots from flying if they have depression because the condition can be distracting in the cockpit and pose a safety risk, according to the agency. Under the new policy, pilots with depression can seek treatment with one of the four medications and keep flying." FAA health specialists will also monitor the pilots. This rule "may cover as many as 10,000 pilots...said Fred Tilton, the federal air surgeon."
Related Links:
- Prozac Pilots May Fly as FAA Drops Ban on Medicines ," John Hughes, Bloomberg News, April 2, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:36 PM
Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety Associated With Lower 12-Month Mental Development Scores In Offspring.
In the Wall Street Journal (3/31) Work & Family column, Sue Shellenbarger observes that, according to a study recently published in the journal Child Development, excessive worry about pregnancy itself in mothers-to-be, called pregnancy-specific anxiety, was associated with lower 12-month mental development scores in their babies.
Therefore, obstetricians are counseling expectant mothers to reach out to friends and family for support to help lessen any anxiety.
Health Reform Law Expands Mental-Health Parity To Millions More People.
Posted by admin at 08:32 PM
Psychiatrists Seeing Some People Asking To Be Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder.
The UK's Daily Mail (3/30) reports that in light of celebrities recently admitting they have bipolar disorder "to help raise awareness" of the condition, thereby "giving the condition an air of glamour and creativity," now some "psychiatrists and GPs are seeing a disturbing new fashion: people asking to be diagnosed as bipolar."
Worse yet, according to a report published in the Royal College Of Psychiatrists' official journal, many people are now "confusing normal mood swings with" bipolar disorder.
Related Links:
- Is celebrity soul-baring spreading depression?," John Naish, UK Daily Mail, March 30, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:23 PM
April 13, 2010
VA Offers Lifeline To Troubled Veterans.
On its website, CNN (3/26, Ure) reported that the "Veterans Affairs Department's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the upstate New York town of Canandaigua," which is "staffed around the clock seven days a week, opened in July 2007, largely borne from widespread criticism that the department was not responding adequately to veterans in crisis."
After noting that Janet Kemp, the "Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coordinator, says the phones haven't stopped ringing since" the crisis center's inception, CNN said the "center's newest feature is a chat line for those who prefer computer-oriented communication, especially young vets such as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Related Links:
- For veterans in crisis, a lifeline," Laurie Ure, CNN, March 26, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:30 PM
Prescription Medication Use "Soaring" For Deployed US Troops.
ABC World News (3/24, story 6, 2:40, Sawyer) broadcast that on Wednesday, a "Senate panel heard that more than 20% of service members" at war "now report psychological distress and their use of prescription" medications "is soaring," with "at least eight percent of the force...using pills, including" antidepressants, "prescribed right on the front lines.
Psychologist Jason Prinster," who "served in Afghanistan," expressed concern, saying, "We're sending soldiers on combat missions who are depressed, who are suicidal, and we are prescribing medication that has significant side effects." ABC added, "The military is making an effort to provide therapy to service members having mental health issues, but given the remoteness of some" bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is "not always possible and remains a real concern."
Posted by admin at 08:23 PM
US Battlefield Medics To Conduct Mandatory Concussion Exams.
The AP (3/25, Dishneau) reports, "Battlefield medics will soon conduct mandatory examinations of service members who may have sustained concussions instead of waiting for them to complain of symptoms, the military's brain-injury experts said Wednesday.
The medical leaders developing new guidelines say early diagnosis will lead to better treatment and tracking of concussions, the most common form of traumatic brain injury from the improvised bombs used by militants in Iraq and Afghanistan." Lt. Col. Lynne Lowe, "manager of the Army Traumatic Brain Injury Program," said, "What we hope is that these efforts ensure that every service member that does sustain a possible concussion, or is diagnosed with concussion, gets early detection, the initial treatment they need and then a very rapid return to duty."
Related Links:
- Military aims for better concussion detection," David Dishneau, Yahoo News, March 24, 2010.
Posted by admin at 08:14 PM