Monday, July 31, 2006 1:14 PM
posted by R. Shock "Bagging" Mothballs Young people have been abusing common, everyday substances to get high as far as anyone can remember. In the past, doctors have treated teens and young adults for huffing gasoline, sniffing glue, and even drinking mouthwash. Now, researchers have identified a new practice; inhaling the vapors from and, sometimes, chewing mothballs. Yes, mothballs.
CNN reports that this discovery comes at a time when abuse of household substances and prescription drugs is on the rise with young people, while abuse of illegal substances (i.e. marijauna, cocaine, etc.) is on the decline.
Click here to read the full report, courtesy of CNN.com
link to this post  12:49 PM
posted by R. Shock A Personal Tale of Bipolar Disorder Orange County Register newspaper reporter Valeria Godines has offered her readers a candid and intimate view into the life of someone with bipolar disorder. On National Public Radio's Day to Day, Godines talks about her five-part series in the Orange County Register on her struggle with bipolar disorder. Says Valeria Godines, "I feel like I'm a storyteller and this was the biggest story of my life."
Click HERE to listen to NPR's interview with Valeria Godines, courtesy of NPR.org
Click HERE to read the entire five-part series by Valeria Godines from the Orange County Register, courtesy of ocregister.com
link to this post Monday, July 24, 2006 1:29 PM
posted by R. Shock FDA Warns Against Taking Antidepressants with Migraine Drugs The federal Food and Drug Administration has issued a public health advisory warning not to take certain types of antidepressant drugs in conjunction with certain types of drugs for treatment of migraine headaches. According to the FDA advisory, mixing the drugs can trigger serotonin-syndrome, a serious, life-threatening condition.
Serotonin-syndrome is characterized by rapid heart beat, sudden changes in blood pressure, and increased body temperature. Other symptoms include restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The FDA has strongly advised that anyone who experiences these symptoms when taking these drugs should seek immediate medical treatment.
Click here for the full article, courtesy of MedPageToday.com
link to this post Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:57 AM
posted by R. Shock Only Half of Suicidal Americans Seek Treatment A study published in the latest issue of General Hospital Psychiatry reveals that only half of people with thoughts of suicide sought significant treatment -- even those who realized that they had a problem with life-threatening thoughts.
Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that 3.6 percent of those surveyed had thought about suicide within the past year, but only about a quarter of that group consulted a mental health specialist.
Of those who thought they needed help for suicidal thoughts or addiction -- 56 percent -- only about six in 10 received adequate care as defined by the study. And of all those with suicidal thoughts, only 52 percent got treatment that consisted of more than a simple assessment.
A similar but unrelated survey, funded by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, found that of 3,542 adults in California, Florida, New York, Ohio and Texas depressed individuals who have limited access to free or low-cost care spend almost three times on depression treatment as people who do have less restricted access ($4,312 vs. $1,496, respectively).
Click here to read the full article, courtesy of HealthDay.com
link to this post Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:51 AM
posted by R. Shock Depression Relapse Reuters Health reports that people who have experienced a recent bout with depression are especially vulnerable to emotional stress or sadness that can reactivate depressive thinking.
In a study conducted by the University of Toronto, researchers examined if mood-linked changes in thinking predicted relapse in 301 adults recovering from a major depressive episode. The findings were quite interesting.
The subjects underwent "mood provocation", or a conscious attempt to induce an emotional state. The subjects were asked to recall a time when they felt sad while at the same time, the researchers played an excerpt from Prokofiev's orchestral piece "Russia Under the Mongolian Yoke" -- music which, when played at 1/2 speed, has been noted to induce feelings of sadness in earlier studies*.
Compared with patients who underwent cognitive behavior therapy, those who received antidepressant medication showed a greater tendency to have depressive thoughts after mood provocation. The magnitude of the mood-linked response predicted relapse during the 18 months, regardless of the type of previous treatment.
*Exactly why does "Russia Under the Mongolian Yoke" played at half speed elicit this kind of response? No one is entirely sure, but Jonathan Brown, a University of Washington psychologist and co-author of the study in which the music's effects were discovered, called the music "slow, sad, laborious and boring." Interestingly, Brown's study found that a jazz arrangement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 put his subjects in a generally happy mood.
link to this post Monday, July 17, 2006 4:27 PM
posted by R. Shock Nicotine-like Drug in Schizophrenia Treatment An experimental drug that acts on the same parts of the brain as nicotine is showing promise in helping people with schizophrenia, researchers say. In animal trials, the new drug showed a range of beneficial effects; most notably improved thinking ability.
Although advances have been made in the treatment of schizophrenic symptoms such as delusions and withdrawal and apathy, problems with attention and thinking processes persist. According to the researchers, this drug was tested due to a hypothesis that the heavy rates of smoking among schizophrenics (seen in 80% of all cases) might be a form of self medication.
Click here for the full article courtesy of Rueters Health
link to this post Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:19 PM
posted by R. Shock Alcoholism: Starting Young A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine has uncovered some shocking data about children and alcoholism. For each year earlier than age 21 individuals started drinking, the greater the risk that they would eventually become alcoholics, researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health reported.
The study focused upon interviews with 43,000 adults aged 18 and over and found that those who started drinking before age 14 were 78% more likely to become alcohol dependent. People in this category were also more likely to experience episodes of alcoholism lasting a year or longer, more likely to exhibit more dependence symptoms, and more likely to develop dependence within 10 years of starting to drink. These associations even transcended boundaries of age, sex, race, ethnicity, educational attainment, marital status, smoking, drug use, and history of antisocial behavior.
Click here to read the full article, courtesy of MedPageToday.com
link to this post Thursday, July 06, 2006 2:12 PM
posted by R. Shock Is Obesity Linked to Depression? The stereotype of the "jolly fat person" may be nothing more than a figment of cultural imagination, according to Dr. Gregory Simon, a researcher with Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, a large nonprofit health plan in the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Simon's study of more than 9,000 adults, published in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, found that mood and anxiety disorders including depression were about 25 percent more common in the obese people studied than in the non-obese.
Conversely, obese people were about 25 percent less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than slimmer participants.
Click here for the full article, courtesy of CNN.com
link to this post Monday, July 03, 2006 11:27 AM
posted by R. Shock New Hampshire Enacts Mandatory Mental Health Screenings for Returning Soldiers The "Reunion and Reentry" program of the New Hampshire National Guard requires soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq to undergo mental heatlth testing to determine which soldiers might be suffering adverse combat related effects including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The centerpiece of the regimen is compulsory one-on-one personal counseling with a mental health professional.
The goal of Reunion and Reentry is to give soldiers access to therapy and counseling while avoiding the stereotypes that some might associate with mental health wellness. Colonel Deborah Carter, a human resources officer with the New Hampshire Guard elaborates on the program, "We were looking for a comfortable environment where soldiers could have a place to talk about dark times during transition. We wanted to make sure soldiers knew what the normal transition things are."
Click here to read the full article, courtesy of the Boston Globe.
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Rolf B. Gainer, Ph.D., Diplomate ABDA, is the Chief Executive Office at Brookhaven Hospital and the Vice President of Rehabilitation Institutes of America. Dr. Gainer has been involved in the design and operation of treatment programs since 1977.
Stephen Harnish, MD is the Medical Director of Brookhaven Hospital. Dr. Harnish is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is well known in Oklahoma for his informative radio and television appearances.
Aric Thorpe, MHR, is Brookhaven Hospital's Pastoral Liaison Representative. He conducts the quarterly Minister's Lifeline series and provides mental health information to pastors and clergy.
Sarah McGee serves as the Community Education Provider for Brookhaven Hospital. She provides information on mental health and drug and alcohol treatment to healthcare professionals in Oklahoma and surrounding states. |
