Editor's Note- August 11, 2005 My apologies for the dearth of postings this week, as I've been down and out with a nasty summer virus. Postings will resume (and make up the lost ground) as soon as I'm back on my feet. Thanks very much for your ongoing interest in PULSE ........... Billhttp://radio.weblogs.com/0108660/2005/08/10.html#a5389 Congress to Consider Major Medicaid Changes in September, Grassroots Advocacy Campaign Needed During Congressional Recess- August 9, 2005 Action Alert at the NAMI web site - " This week the House and Senate began a month long summer recess, during which members of Congress will be in their states and districts across the country. One of the major issues Congress will confront upon their return to work in September is how to reduce future Medicaid expenditures by $10 billion over the next five years. These reductions to Medicaid will be considered as a part of a massive budget 'reconciliation' measure that Congress is...http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=August_2005&Template=/ContentManagement/Conte... FDA Responds to Criticism With New Caution- August 9, 2005 August 6 New York Times article - "Stung by a series of drug safety scandals, the Food and Drug Administration has in recent months issued a blizzard of drug-safety warnings and approval times for new drugs are slower. The agency is issuing twice the number of public advisories about drug risks as it did a year ago and adding five times as many black box warnings - its most serious alert - to drug labels. And drugs approved in the first half of this year took almost twice as long to get...http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/06/politics/06fda.html Data Behind Antidepressant Advisory Don't Give Clear-Cut Answers- August 9, 2005 Psychiatric News story - "The FDA's most recent public health advisory regarding antidepressants appears to have been based on seemingly contradictory studies published earlier this year. The FDA's June 30 public health advisory concerning antidepressants was prompted, the advisory said, by 'several recent scientific publications' that suggested 'the possibility of an increased risk for suicidal behavior in adults who are being treated with antidepressant medications.' FDA spokesperson...http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/15/19-a?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits... FDA Alert Covers Cymbalta- August 9, 2005 Psychiatric News story - "In conjunction with its release of the public health advisory regarding increased risk of suicide in adults taking antidepressants, the FDA issued a separate FDA Alert involving duloxetine (Cymbalta) and suicidality in pediatric and adult patients. The alert largely echoes the language of the advisory, noting that the FDA is 'highlighting that adults being treated with any type of antidepressant medication, particularly those being treated for depression, should..http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/15/19-b?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits... Texas Health Official Explains Effort To End Mental Illness Stigma- August 9, 2005 Psychiatric News story - "Deep in the heart of Texas, NAMI members learn about several new initiatives on destigmatization and prevention of mental illness for those living in the state. Government officials in Texas, the state that hosted the 2005 annual conference of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), are setting an example for other states by taking steps to eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Part of their focus will be on implementing strategies for...http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/15/4-a?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits=... Identifying Patients' Treatment Goals Helps Overcome Noncompliance- August 9, 2005 Psychiatric News story - "Though many patients with anosognosia refuse to take psychotropic medications because they don't believe they are ill, some may take them to quell loved ones' concerns. To stem what some call an 'epidemic; of medication noncompliance for patients with serious mental illness, psychiatrists must tie treatment directly to patients' goals. This was a key message delivered to mental health consumers, family members, psychiatrists, and mental health professionals who...http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/15/6-a?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits=... Quarter of Prop. 36 drug offenders complete treatment, UCLA finds (California)- August 9, 2005 AP story at the Mercury News - "About a quarter of drug offenders diverted from prison completed their alternative treatment under a program approved by California voters nearly five years ago, with results similar to other treatment programs, according to a UCLA study released Monday. The results of the third year of independent tracking of offenders sentenced under Proposition 36 came as lawmakers debate renewing funding for the program and whether to allow judges to incarcerate...http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_californi... Minorities less likely to seek mental health help: local therapists cite reasons, solutions (Arkansas)- August 9, 2005 Northwest Arkansas Times story - "... Donna Van Kirk, a licensed psychologist for the Behavior Therapy & Counseling Clinic in Fayetteville, said minorities are "certainly underrepresented compared to the white population" in terms of how many seek treatment from a mental health professional. The Surgeon General&146;s report, a supplement on mental health issued in 1999 and drawn from numerous scientific studies, said that once differences in income and background are accounted for,...http://nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=30963 Latino Behavioral Health Institute to Present Eleventh Annual Conference- August 9, 2005 Prime Zone press release - "Latino Behavioral Health Institute (LBHI), one of the nation's largest non-profit organizations dedicated to eliminating discrimination against Latinos in need of behavioral health services and health care, will present its eleventh annual international conference, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 20 -- 22, at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City, Calif. Themed, 'Transformation: Towards Access and Quality in Latino Behavioral Health,' the event...http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news.html?d=83385 |