Article Archives: May June August September
Suicide’s genetic key discovered
Toronto Globe and Mail - July 31, 2008 - Canadian researchers may have discovered the underlying cause that leads some people to commit suicide or suffer major depression, a finding that could revolutionize how mental disorders are treated.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080731.wlsuicide31/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Mental and physical exercise keep brain in shape
Schenectady Daily Gazette - July 31, 2008 - When most people think about fitness, they think about the neck down. Gretchen Moore Simmons, professional development specialist for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeast New York, wants to change that.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/jul/31/0731_brain/
California Court Rejects Bid To Halt Medi-Cal Payment Cuts
California Healthline - July 31, 2008 - Late Tuesday, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected health care providers’ petition to block 10% cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursements that took effect July 1, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/31).
Read the rest of the article: http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2008/7/31/California-Court-Rejects-Bid-To-Halt-MediCal-Payment-Cuts.aspx?topicID=37
Traumatic response to bad memories can be minimized: UCI scientists identify the brain-cell mechanisms involved with adverse memories and point way to panic disorder treatments
Today at UCI - July 30, 2008 - UC Irvine researchers have identified the brain mechanism that switches off traumatic feelings associated with bad memories, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to treat panic disorders.
Read the rest of the article: http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=1803
Possible Cause of Postpartum Depression Pinpointed
US News and World Report - July 30, 2008 - Researchers have uncovered a potential cause for postpartum depression, at least in mice.
Read the rest of the article: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/07/30/possible-cause-of-postpartum-depression-pinpointed.html
Increased burden of rare genetic variations found in schizophrenia: 2 new sites of deletions implicated in largest study of its kind
National Institute of Mental Health - July 30, 2008 - People with schizophrenia bear an “increased burden” of rare deletions and duplications of genetic material, genome-wide, say researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Read the rest of the article: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/increased-burden-of-rare-genetic-variations-found-in-schizophrenia.shtml
The express route to mental illness
Toronto Globe and Mail - June 24, 2008 - From the lab to the legislature, the push is on to recognize and treat addiction as a mental illness. A growing body of research finds addiction is not the result of bad behaviour or weak character, but the result of biochemical disruptions in the brain that genetically vulnerable people are, on their own, powerless to overcome. It distorts mood, clear thinking and compulsion control. People who suffer from it, scientists believe, can no more talk themselves out of their dependence any more than people can talk themselves out of depression.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080624.wmh-addictionside0624/BNStory/mentalhealth
Old asylums decay, but some eye pricey restoration
Associated Press - July 29, 2008 - Equal parts graceful and eerie, massive brick and stone asylums once loomed over towns from Maine to California as the 19th century’s ideal for the humane treatment of the mentally ill.
Read the rest of the story http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jB2fUeYECYLgjCaSpCGdnPuHBI7QD927FOR00
When hair stylists become confidants
Keene Sentinel - July 29, 2008 - Mary Jane Doody, owner of MJD & Co. Salon in Keene, said when she’s cutting someone’s hair, she often hears the most intimate details of people’s lives.
Read the rest of the story http://sentinelsource.com/articles/2008/07/29/news/local/free/id_316876.txt
Stress, insomnia seen in flood victims
Chicago Tribune - July 29, 2008 - Mental health professionals in flood-damaged areas are beginning to see the psychological toll last month’s disaster is having on residents.
Read the rest of the story http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-iowafloods-mental,0,6884967.story
Triathletes of Marin: Benefits of competing more than physical for San Rafael’s Moreno
Marin Independent Journal - July 28, 2008 - Imagine being on top of the world. You have a rewarding career, a loving husband and the anticipation of your first child on the way. Life is good. But then suddenly your life changes, literally overnight, and you feel as though the world is crashing down around you. This is the reality that led San Rafael’s Monica Moreno down the path to triathlon.
Read the rest of the story http://www.marinij.com/ci_10023936?source=most_viewed
Suicide rates higher in desert, data reveal
Riverside Press-Enterprise - July 28, 2008 - People who live in the desert are far more likely to kill themselves than those who live in more temperate regions of the Inland area.
Read the rest of the story http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_suicide29.3baf3f3.html
Veterans’ Hot Line Prevented 1,221 Suicides in One Year
Washington Post - July 28, 2008 - A suicide hot line launched a year ago has received calls from more than 22,000 veterans of the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars and has prevented 1,221 suicides, according to U.S. government figures being released Monday.
Read the rest of the story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072801143.html
Depression abates with constant electrical stimulation, study finds
Los Angeles Times - July 26, 2008 - Of 20 patients with chronic major depression resistant to drugs, a dozen were helped by stimulation in a part of the brain believed to regulate sadness.
Read the rest of the story http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-depression26-2008jul26,0,192234.story
‘Mad pride’ fights mental illness stigma
New York Times - July 26, 2008 - YouTube video, Liz Spikol is smiling and animated, the light glinting off her large hoop earrings. Deadpan, she holds up a diaper. It is not, she explains, a hygienic item for a giantess, but rather a prop to illustrate how much control people lose when they undergo electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, as she did 12 years ago.
Read the rest of the story http://www.projo.com/health/content/lb_mental_illness_being_heard_07-27-08_FCA3IS_v11.215884f.html
After the tragedy: Vent? Not necessarily
Los Angeles Times - July 26, 2008 - In the aftermath of the April 16, 2007, fatal shootings of 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech, Ablow was simply voicing post-Freudian conventional wisdom: When something horrible happens, vent.
Read the rest of the story http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-talk28-2008jul28,0,1392376.story
Five Best: Paul McHugh on books about the factions and follies of psychiatry
Wall Street Journal - June 28, 2008 - Dr. McHugh is a University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.
Read the rest of the story http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121461316011612643.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
After the battle: Soldiers dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Brief article and 17 min audio interview
Radio Netherlands - July 25, 2008 - Ex-sergeant marine Peter Bercx’s life is improving. He has a stable job and is studying for a qualification in business management. But it hasn’t always been like that. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) came close to destroying him. He tells his story of guns, drugs and psychiatrists.
Read the rest of the story http://www.radionetherlands.nl/thestatewerein/otherstates/tswi-080725-soldiers-ptsd
Happier Sex: Does Viagra help women who take antidepressants?
Slate - July 23, 2008 - Problem: Antidepressants like Prozac and Paxil, which work by controlling the availability of the brain chemical serotonin, are the most widely prescribed medications for adults in the United States, accounting for 160 million prescriptions a year. They’re hugely important, but about 70 percent of women who take these medications suffer sexual dysfunction as a side effect. This disruption of good sexual function is so distressing that it is a common reason for patients to stop treatment, which often results in a worsening of depressive symptoms and a poorer level of function.
Read the rest of the story http://www.slate.com/id/2195863/
“The Pain Behind the Badge”: Powerful new documentary explores officers’ trips to the edge—and back
Force Science News - A few hours earlier, Sgt. Clarke Paris, a veteran of 22 years on the Las Vegas Metro Police, had finished a shift on which he’d responded to 5 suicide calls, the victims ranging from a 70-year-old man to a 13-year-old boy.
Read the rest of the story http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/Force-Science/articles/1707415-The-Pain-Behind-the-Badge-Powerful-new-documentary-explores-officers-trips-to-the-edge-and-back/
Mania: A Short History of Bipolar Disease by David healy, MD (book review)
The Epoch Times - July 23, 2008 - Has the pharmaceutical industry become the Pied Piper of Hamelin—ridding us of lethal diseases only to turn around and “take” our children?
Read the rest of the story http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/health/book-review-mania-a-short-history-of-bipolar-disease-1582.html
East Anglian Daily Times, UK - July 23, 2008 - A woman who suffered from bulimia for 30 years has finally beaten her illness to become a championship bodybuilder.
Read the rest of the story http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=News&itemid=IPED22%20Jul%202008%2017:28:32:643
Elizabeth Nelson Announces the Publication of Brain Matters (book review)
PRWEB - July 23, 2008 - Elizabeth Nelson’s new book Brain Matters covers twenty years of first-hand experience with suicide, severe depression and bipolar disorder. The book includes information about the seven types of illnesses, the history of psychiatry, psychotherapy, substance abuse, bipolar children, depression and women, depression and work, recovery and getting help.
Read the rest of the story http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/7/prweb1131594.htm
China’s earthquake: Invisible wounds
Pasadena Star-News - July 19, 2008 - `What do you say to a child who has lost one leg and both parents?” The question was posed to me by a young surgeon at the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center. As a clinical psychologist, I had been invited to offer training for doctors and nurses on disaster recovery counseling, including treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This hospital, like many others all over China, was admitting children from Sichuan who had been severely wounded by the devastating 8.0 magnitude earthquake of May 12. What they were finding was that treating the physical wounds was the easy part. Much more difficult was figuring out what to do to help with the overwhelming grief and terror that so weighed on these poor little ones.
Read the rest of the story http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_9935711
California Helps Teachers Prevent Suicide
San Francisco Sentinel - July 18, 2008 - Today Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Jason Flatt Act, SB 1378 by Senator Robert Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga), which seeks to help prevent youth suicide. The bill authorizes school districts to use a portion of their Professional Development Block Grant funding to pay for suicide prevention training for school teachers.
Read the rest of the story http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14787
Women’s brains are different from men’s – and here’s scientific proof
The Independent, UK - July 18, 2008 - Men and women show differences in behaviour because their brains are physically distinct organs, new research suggests. Male and female brains appear to be constructed from markedly different genetic blueprints.
Read the rest of the story http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/womens-brains-uareu-different-from-mens-ndash-and-heres-scientific-proof-870849.html
Food for Thought: Eat your way to a better brain
The Economist - July 18, 2008 - Children have a lot to contend with these days, not least a tendency for their pushy parents to force-feed them omega-3 oils at every opportunity. These are supposed to make children brainier, so they are being added to everything from bread, milk and pasta to baby formula and vitamin tablets. But omega-3 is just the tip of the nutritional iceberg; many nutrients have proven cognitive effects, and do so throughout a person’s life, not merely when he is a child.
Read the rest of the story http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11745528
US News and World Report - July 17, 2008 - There’s some little-noticed good news for patients in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 that became law with Congress’s override of President Bush’s veto on Tuesday: Medicare beneficiaries in need of mental health services will soon face lower coinsurance payments and will have improved access to certain medications.
Read the rest of the story http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2008/07/17/mental-health-costs-to-drop-after-override-of-medicare-veto.html
Mental health legislation now at risk
Politico - July 17, 2008 - Everyone can relate to mental illness. Whether it’s a brother with schizophrenia, a parent with bipolar disorder, a severely depressed child or someone else to whom you’re close, these conditions cause sadness and many health care challenges, no matter what side of the political aisle you sit on.
Read the rest of the story http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11805.html
Book helped mothers deal with problem (book review)
The Leader-Post, Canada - July 8, 2008 - After speaking out about postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder and joining a support group, Carla O’Reilly and Tania Bird decided to take the next step and approach a publisher. The result of that meeting is The Smiling Mask — The Truth About Postpartum Depression and Parenthood, a book for mothers and fathers that tells the stories of three mothers and their struggles to cope with the disorder. Bird and Elita Paterson are from Regina, while O’Reilly lives in Moose Jaw.
Read the rest of the story http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=d115fc1c-bc61-406e-9c8c-d544b947c4a0
Alabama man turns 112, still spends days drawing
Associated Press - July 21, 2008 - Bent over or sitting at a table, gripping a ballpoint pen, marker or crayon, Frank Calloway spends his days turning visions from his youth into lively murals — and at 112 years old, the images of his childhood are a window to another time.
Read the rest of the story http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iZOFH1X_5E3ylepqBI97a9vNZmFgD921PCBGA
R-E-S-P-E-C-T spells reduced stigma, more choices
US Army News Service - July 21, 2008 – According to Army medical officials, the new Re-Engineering Systems for the Primary Care and Treatment of Depression and PTSD in the Military program is designed to help providers recognize warning signs and treat those disorders early while eliminating Soldiers’ fears about the stigma of psychological illnesses and their treatment.
Read the rest of the story http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/07/21/11042-r-e-s-p-e-c-t-spells-reduced-stigma-more-choices/
Battle Over Medi-Cal Payments to Pharmacists Set To Continue
California Healthline - July 21, 2008 - Pharmacists expressed disappointment at the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to revoke a temporary injunction that would have halted a 10% Medi-Cal pay cut for pharmacists, but the court will hear arguments in the matter again this week, the Oakland Tribune reports. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program.
Read the rest of the story http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2008/7/21/Battle-Over-MediCal-Payments-to-Pharmacists-Set-To-Continue.aspx?topicID=37
NZ Doctor - July 21, 2008 - New Zealand has managed to achieve what other countries have yet to – produce a broad-scope mental health guideline for primary care. Guidelines
Read the rest of the story http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news?article=fd6ccba2-95d7-428d-8858-325009a7dd03
Houston Chronicle - July 21, 2008 - At the Harris County Jail, deputies and health care workers have a name for them — frequent fliers. They are mentally ill homeless people who return to jail so often, sometimes on minor charges, that they become familiar to the psychiatric staff.
Read the rest of the story http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5898439.html
Bulimia Nervosa: So Empty, Yet So Full: Eating Disorders Are the Deadliest Mental Illness
Officer.com - July 20, 2008 - Deputies respond to a local grocery store for a report of a petty theft. A young woman had been detained by management after entering the store’s bathroom with a shopping basket containing several food items; she had left the bathroom empty handed 35 minutes later. In the trash can employees had found the wrappers of a box of a dozen Entenmann’s Country Powdered Donuts, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, and two TWIX Caramel Cookie Bars. The rest of the evidence, shall we say, was flushed. The suspect, Katie, was sobbing, very ashamed, and extremely remorseful.
Read the rest of the story http://www.officer.com/web/online/Police-Life/Bulimia-Nervosa–So-Empty–Yet-So-Full/17$42414
Backers hopeful for vote on mental health bill
Los Angeles Examiner - July 20, 2008 - Proponents of mental health insurance long championed by the late Senator Paul Wellstone are hoping that Congress will finally pass the bill this week. The legislation would mandate equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses when policies cover both, known as mental health parity.
Read the rest of the story http://www.examiner.com/a-1496436~Backers_hopeful_for_vote_on_mental_health_bill.html
Marine recruits learn to battle suicide
Los Angeles Times - July 20, 2008 - The basic rule for Marine boot camp is simple: Keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. But it’s different when the subject is suicide.
Read the rest of the story http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-suicide20-2008jul20,0,4306936.story
Rutgers research identifies brain cells related to fear
Rutgers University - 14 July 2008 - The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that in any given year, about 40 million adults (18 or older) will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, including debilitating conditions such as phobias, panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that nearly 15 per cent of US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan develop PTSD, underscoring the urgency to develop better treatment strategies for anxiety disorders. These disorders can lead to myriad problems that hinder daily life - or ruin it altogether - such as drug abuse, alcoholism, marital problems, unemployment and suicide.
Read the rest of the story http://www.medicexchange.com/Neuro/news.aspx/14548/Rutgers-research-identifies-brain-cells-related-to-fear
Court Halts Medi-Cal Pay Cut for Pharmacists During Lawsuit
California Healthline - July 15, 2008 - On Friday, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling in a challenge to Medi-Cal cuts to pharmacists and blocked the reduced payments from taking effect until at least August 11, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program. The cuts were scheduled to take effect on July 1.
Read the rest of the story http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2008/7/15/Court-Halts-MediCal-Pay-Cut-for-Pharmacists-During-Lawsuit.aspx?topicID=37
A Safe Approach to Mental Health Care: Label-Free, Disorder-Free, Drug-Free
TransWorld News - July 15, 2008 - Many people find themselves partially informed about their rights when it comes to mental health. Topics that range from whether they should agree to being screened for mental health services to their rights as a parent when dealing with their child’s mental health to the psychiatric medications that are prescribed for anything from sleep problems, to anxiety, to depression and more are at the forefront of their minds.
Read the rest of the story http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=53459&cat=1
Asians Who Immigrated To US Before Age 25 Have Poorer Mental Health Than Older Immigrants
ScienceDaily - July 14, 2008 - Asian-American immigrants who came to the United States before they were 25 years old have poorer mental health than their compatriots who came to this country when they were 25 or older, according to data from the first national mental health survey of Asian-Americans.
Read the rest of the story http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714142746.htm
Self-help for bulimia sufferers
Courier Mail, Australia - July 13, 2008 - Sufferers of bulimia and binge-eating are now able to use a daily do-it-yourself treatment plan to help cure them of any eating disorder.
Read the rest of the story http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24008332-3102,00.html
No smoking policy takes effect at Napa State Hospital
Napa Valley Register - July 12, 2008 - Hoping to send a trend rippling throughout California’s Department of Mental Health, officials at Napa State Hospital pioneered a ban on tobacco products at the sprawling campus this week.
Read the rest of the story http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/07/12/news/local/doc487824e2d90f7804768885.txt
The Bipolar Buddha: Meet Tazz Norris, who wants to ‘give stigma a bad name’
Toronto Globe and Mail - July 11, 2008 - When “Big Daddy” Tazz Norris peppers his stand-up routine with jokes about hanging himself, he can predict the audience’s reaction. They laugh without thinking, then hush: Wait, that’s a suicide joke. Then they laugh even harder because, Mr. Norris chuckles, they don’t want to depress him by letting his punchline fall flat.
Read the rest of the story http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080711.wmhbi-polarcomic1107/BNStory/mentalhealth/
Drug may help anorexic patients gain weight
Chatham Daily News, Canada - July 11, 2008 - A Canadian study is examining the use of an anti-psychotic drug to help anorexic patients gain weight.
Read the rest of the story http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1109399
Evaluating Anxiety From an Early Age
New York Times - July 11, 2008 - Dr. Daniel Pine, a psychiatrist, directs the research program on mood and anxiety disorders of children and adolescents at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md. The research seeks to identify the genetic and environmental factors underlying these mental illnesses so clinicians can identify who might be prone to them, spot early symptoms and tailor treatments more precisely to individual patients.
Read the rest of the story http://health.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/health/healthguide/esn-anxiety-expert.html?em&ex=1215921600&en=e1b4111188776a6b&ei=5087
Book Helps Teen Moms Battle Postpartum Depression
PR Web - July 10, 2008 - Licensed Professional Counselor and Postpartum Support Specialist endorses new book to help adolescent mothers cope with the challenges of teenage pregnancy.
Read the rest of the story http://www.prweb.com/releases/teenage/motherhood/prweb1087994.htm
The True Story of One Man’s Struggle With Binge Eating Disorder (book review)
metapsychology - July 8, 2008 - This is an extraordinarily well-written autobiography of a man who as a boy developed the strategy of becoming a binge-eater in order to find some pleasure in an otherwise fairly desolate world. The book tells of how it took him thirty roller-coaster years before he found true happiness and was able to break the destructive habit.
Read the rest of the story http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=4336&cn=392
Wellstone son launches push on mental health bill
LA Examiner - July 9, 2008 - The son of the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone made a big push Wednesday for mental health insurance long championed by his father, leading a call-in effort urging Congress to take up the legislation before its August recess.
Read the rest of the story http://www.examiner.com/a-1479918~Wellstone_son_launches_push_on_mental_health_bill.html
Wall Street Journal Market Watch - July 9, 2008 - Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals: A Complete Guide to Responsible Practice, with HIPAA Update, 2nd Edition” report to their offering.
Read the rest of the story http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/research-markets-essential-portable-ethicist/story.aspx?guid={65C2B313-73BE-40B4-A0A4-473D06D1A114}&dist=hppr
City health department reaches out to teens on MySpace
New York Daily News - July 7th 2008 - Kids might not go to the doctor but they do go to MySpace. So the city Health Department is meeting teens where they live - online - with a site to reach kids who are depressed, using drugs or experiencing violence.
Read the rest of the story http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2008/07/07/2008-07-07_city_health_department_reaches_out_to_te.html
Patients text messages win award
Oxford Mail- July 8, 2008 - A text messaging system for Oxfordshire mental health patients has won a national award.
Read the rest of the story http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.2382994.0.patients_text_messages_win_award.php
Huge Risk for Substance Abuse Found Among Teens With Bipolar Disorder
MedScape - July 7, 2008 — A case-control study in youth with bipolar disorder with a mean age of 14 years found a significantly higher risk of substance-use disorder (drug or alcohol abuse or dependence) (31%) compared with controls (4%).
Read the rest of the story http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/577117
The Times, UK - July 8, 2008 - I need to do some thing about myself. I have known this for some time, but never realised until a few months ago that what I needed help with was being abused as a child.
Read the rest of the story http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article4288261.ece
Parents Of Twins Report More Mental Health Symptoms Than Parents Of Singletons
ScienceDaily - July 8, 2008 - Mothers and fathers of twins conceived either spontaneously or with assisted reproductive technology (ART) suffer more mental health symptoms after delivery and one year later than do parents of singleton babies, according to research presented to the 24th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona July 7.
Read the rest of the story http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707100159.htm
The Daily Mail (UK) - July 7, 2008 - More than one million women in Britain have eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating - and I am one of them. I am a binge eater and sometime bulimic and I have been for 25 years. Aged 34, I now weigh more than 15 stone - the biggest I have ever been.
Read the rest of the story http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1032583/Confessions-compulsive-eater-How-secret-bingeing-crisps-Jaffa-cakes-ended-fight-bulimia.html?ITO=1490
Hattiesburg American - July 7, 2008 - Everywhere you go it seems people are talking about soaring gas prices and sharp increases in the cost of food and other consumer products.There is increasing speculation about recession, the housing crisis, stock market declines and unemployment rates.
Read the rest of the story http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080707/OPINION01/807070318
Pregnancy Alone Not A Risk for Mental Health Problems
Washington Post - July 7, 2008 - Pregnancy alone isn’t associated with an increased risk of mental health disorders, a new study says.
Read the rest of the story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR2008070701913.html
Head fake: How Prozac sent the science of depression in the wrong direction
Boston Globe - July 6, 2008 - Prozac is one of the most successful drugs of all time. Since its introduction as an antidepressant more than 20 years ago, Prozac has been prescribed to more than 54 million people around the world, and prevented untold amounts of suffering.
Read the rest of the story http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/07/06/head_fake/
New Scholarship for Leaders of Bipolar Lives
PRWEB - July 6, 2008 - The Bipolar Lives Scholarship is a new scholarship created specifically with the bipolar community in mind. Many people with bipolar disorder are extremely talented but fail to realize their potential. The $500 cash award is intended to provide practical support for seekers of higher education. for info on scholarships http://www.bipolar-lives.com/bipolar-scholarships.html
Read the rest of the story http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2008/7/prweb1077254.htm
Minneapolis Star-Tribune - July 5, 2008 - Imagine this scenario: To control costs, a giant health insurer announces that it’s singling out heart disease patients. From now on, it will charge them higher co-pays and put lifetime limits on the number of times they can see a doctor for their condition.
Read the rest of the story http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/22884739.html?location_refer=Editorials:highlightModules:3
Science News - July 4, 2008 - To fight off an infection or illness, the body shifts into a slow-down mode that mirrors some symptoms of depression. In fact, scientists now think the immune response itself may even cause the mood disorder.
Read the rest of the story http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/33835/title/Sick_and_down
Author with bipolar disorder relates grim and humorous details (book review)
Kansas City Star- July 5, 2008 - Marya Hornbacher remembers her “endless nights” as a child as young as 4, when she says she first began to show symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Read the rest of the story http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/story/689399.html
Federal appeals court rules Rehabilitation Act extends to post-traumatic stress
Jurist, Univ of Pittsburgh School of Law - July 3, 2008 - The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Wednesday reversed a district court ruling and found that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may qualify as a disability under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Read the rest of the story http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/07/federal-appeals-court-rules.php
Some psych patients wait days in hospital ERs
Associated Press- July 3, 2008 - When staffers at a Brooklyn hospital spotted a middle-aged woman lying face-down on a waiting room floor last month, it hardly seemed like cause for alarm.
Read the rest of the story http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIoYnxXq8yJWvhmQn9RgKNgh2fIAD91MJRN80
Tiny scanner may monitor astronauts’ mental health
NewScientistSpace - July 3, 2008 - With jam-packed schedules and a video feed to Earth, astronauts enjoy precious little privacy as it is. Soon, doctors might peek into an astronaut’s last bastion of solitude, thanks to a portable brain scanner that could one day go into orbit.
Read the rest of the story http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14247-tiny-brain-scanner-may-monitor-astronauts-mental-health.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news5_head_dn14247
PTSD for kids: Just another tough topic for Nick News
Kansas City Star - July 2, 2008 - Even before the TV networks started closing their Baghdad bureaus, it was obvious that nothing got viewers reaching for the clicker faster than the words, “In Iraq …”
Read the rest of the story http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/columnists/aaron_barnhart/story/688826.html
Note: Although this is in regards to a seminar in another state, it is included it as it contains pertinent resources
University of Michigan Health Systems - July 2, 2008 - For the 5.7 million Americans with bipolar disorder, finding effective treatments can pose a serious challenge. But recent research has shown promise for expanding the number of medicines that can be used to prevent the manic “highs” and depressed “lows” that characterize this condition
Read the rest of the story http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=420
Harris Interactive - July 2, 2008 - Seeing a psychologist or other mental health professional isn’t an unusual thing; in fact it’s relatively common. Nearly three in ten U.S. adults (29%) report that they have received treatment or therapy from a psychologist or other mental health professional. The survey also found that younger adults are more open to seeking mental health treatment than those over 50 and that many adults are not discouraged from seeking treatment because of stigma or fear of others finding out.
Read the rest of the story http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Mental_Health_430/Mental_Health_Treatment_It_s_Commonly_Accepted_Yet_Not_So_Easy_to_Obtain_or_Understand.shtml
When someone’s at risk, there are ways you can help
New York Daily News- July 1, 2008 - When supermodel Ruslana Korshunova took her life last weekend in a tragic plunge from her ninth-floor apartment, it came as a shock to her closest friends and family. While Korshunova’s brother Ruslan didn’t think his sister “capable of such things,” a telling entry by the model on a social-networking site hints at depression: “I’m so lost. Will I ever find myself?”
Read the rest of the story http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2008/07/01/2008-07-01_when_someones_at_risk_there_are_ways_you.html
Bradenton Herald - July 1, 2008 - An expectant mother is often filled with excitement as she picks out names, clothes, and nursery themes. However, many women experience profound sadness during their pregnancy. While family members are eagerly preparing for the brand new addition to the family, a soon-to-be mom may spend much of her pregnancy feeling unhappy, detached and even disconnected from the world around her
