Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of October 27, 2008
Mental Health in the Headlines offers summaries of the latest news and views in the mental health field. Coverage of news items in this publication does not represent Mental Health America's support for or opposition to the stories summarized or the views they express.
*DID YOU KNOW?
The rate of suicide in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade...more
*TODAY´S NEWS
Arizona Governor Seeks To Protect Social Services In Budget
With a projected budget shortfall that would represent 30 percent of next year’s budget, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and state legislators plan to work on proposals to help stead Arizona economically. In doing so, Napolitano is insisting that many state educational and social service programs be exempted from any budget cutting proposals. Others, however, say that these big-ticket items need to be targeted. “The choice is not between cutting and spending,” said the Goldwater Institute’s Bryon Schlomach. “It is between cutting and putting the state into receivership.” (Forbes/The Associated Press, 10/24/08)
Kansas Budget Faces Multiple Stresses
A worsening economy will place pressures on Kansas’ state budget both in the form of tax revenue shortfalls and additional demands for state social services. “There’s a tremendous amount of stress on the economy from every direction,” said state Rep. Kenny Wilk last week. The state’s budget situation may worsen to the point it was in 2002, when cuts were made to both education and social service programs, Wilk and other veteran state leaders said. (Lawrence Journal, 10/23/08)
WHO Leader Calls For Maintaining Health Budgets
World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan last week called on the United States and other countries to refrain from cutting back on budgets related to their nations’ health programs in the face of economic tough times. In such times, healthy populations help to reinforce economies, she said. “Health is the very foundation of economic prosperity and productivity.” (Reuters, 10/21/08)
TMS Might Be Helpful In Treating Some Cases Of Depression
For people with depression who haven’t been able to feel better as a result of taking antidepressant medication or “talk” therapy may feel better after the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS – or they may not. TMS, the use of which was approved for use by the FDA earlier this month, includes applying a magnetic field to a person’s head over several sessions. Although only 24 percent of people in clinical studies said that they felt better after TMS use, it was a response rate twice that of a placebo. Most TMS proponents, however, agree that other depression treatments should be tried first. (The Wall Street Journal, 10/21/08)
People Who Lack Insurance Coverage Not The Cause of ER Overcrowding
A review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of past studies refutes the assumption that the main cause of hospital emergency room overcrowding is people who lack health insurance coverage. People without coverage use emergency rooms less than any other group, the review’s authors found, and when they do seek emergency room help, their health problems are often far more acute than if they had sought treatment earlier. Overcrowding may be due to a number of factors, including fewer hospitals with emergency rooms and fewer inpatient beds in these hospitals than in the past. (Reuters, 10/21/08)
Latest Research
U.S. Suicide Rate Increased: The rate of suicide in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade. Between 1999 and 2005, the suicide rate increased 0.7 percent annually primarily due to an increase in suicides among white middle-aged men (with a 2.7 percent annual) and, especially, among white middle-aged women (with a 3.9 percent annual increase), researchers report in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. In contrast, the number of African Americans who died as a result of suicide fell significantly during this period. (US News & World Report, 10/21/08)
Depression Early In Pregnancy May Lead To Premature Birth: Women who have symptoms of depression early in their pregnancy appear to be twice as likely as women without depressive symptoms to give birth prematurely, researchers reported in the journal Human Reproduction. The researchers found that the risk of premature birth increased in tandem with the severity of the depressive symptoms. Past research shows that depression may affect placental hormones, which in turn affects the normal functioning of the placenta, the researchers note. (Reuters, 10/23/08)
Kids Who Score High On IQ Tests May Be At Risk For Alcohol Problems Later In Life: The higher children at age 10 score on intelligence tests, the more likely they are to have higher alcohol use problems during adulthood, a study in the American Journal of Public Health indicates. The finding is especially true for woman; for every 15 point increase in intelligence test scores, the likelihood for adult alcohol problems increased 1.38 times for girls and 1.17 times for boys. The study’s researchers said that because their findings were unexpected, additional research needs to be done to confirm their results. (Reuters, 10/21/08)
*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Herbert Pardes, the president and chief executive of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health credits the passage of mental health parity legislation to the leadership over the years of Mental Health America and other groups. The New York Times, “Parity for Mental Health Coverage,” October 22, 2008
According to a December 2007 study from Mental Health America that ranked U.S. states from happiest to saddest, New Jersey is the third happiest state. The author said that despite many stereotypes to the contrary, New Jersey is a richly diverse state where most have learned to accept differences and celebrate common causes.
The Trentonian, “If you’re happy in New Jersey, clap your hands,” October 25, 2008
Mental Health America reports that 80 percent of people with clinical depression can be treated successfully. This is good news for the more than 19 million Americans suffer from some type of depressive illness, and to the 92 percent of depressed African-American males who do not seek treatment.
The Atlanta Tribune Magazine, “Matters of the Mind,” October 2008
Stay Up to Date With More News, Views and Tools
- View highlights of Mental Health America’s 2008 Annual Conference featuring the Inaugural Promotion and Prevention Summit
- Save the Date: Mental Health America's Centennial Conference - June 10-13, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- Mental Health America’s 2008 Media Awards honor excellence in reporting of mental health issues
- Survey reveals obstacles to health care for people who have schizophrenia
- New report reveals link between states’ depression status and access to treatment
- Donate to our Resource Center and help save lives
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- Join Mental Health America’s Advocacy Network
- Check out previous issues of Mental Health in the Headlines
Mental Health in the Headlines is produced weekly by Mental Health America. Mental Health America's Mental Health in the Headlines staff: Steve Vetzner, senior director, Media Relations; Sarah Jones, communications coordinator; and Hazel Moran, senior director, Healthcare Reform.
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