Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of March 2, 2009
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?
Pregnant women and new mothers with diabetes have nearly double the risk of developing postpartum depression as women without diabetes …more
*TODAY’S NEWS
Obama Budget Proposes $634 Billion Fund to Expand Health Coverage
President Obama’s budget, which was announced last week, includes a $634 billion “reserve” fund to pay for expanding health coverage for Americans. It will underwrite the cost of expanding insurance coverage—through public programs like Medicaid and subsidies for the purchase of insurance—over next ten years. Despite the size of the fund, it will not be enough to guarantee universal coverage, which experts predict will cost $1 trillion over 10 years. The budget also offers eight guiding principles for reform, including investing in prevention and wellness. (The Washington Post, Politico, 2/26/09)
Budget Plan Would Increase Services for Vets, Deployed Units
The budget also proposes to expand mental health services for veterans with an emphasis on establishing more Vet Centers and mobile health clinics in rural areas. It will also fund a traumatic brain injury registry in the Department of Defense and expand the number of mental health professionals integrated with deployed units. (Army Times, 2/27/09)
Mental Disorders Most Expensive Health Condition in US
A study that for the first time estimates national health spending by medical condition finds that mental disorders are the most expensive in the US. The information comes from research published in the journal Health Affairs. Spending for mental disorders accounted for over $142 billion in 2005—nine percent of personal health spending. Heart conditions were the second most expensive condition with eight percent. (Associated Press, 2/24/09)
Health Spending Rises
The portion of the economy that goes to health spending will rise to $2.5 trillion this year, representing over 17 percent of the economy. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the share of the economy devoted to health spending will rise a full percentage point from 2008. That represents the biggest one-year increase recorded since the government began tracking the data in 1960. Public health spending in programs such as the Medicaid program for the poor is ballooning, while private health insurance spending is slowing as more people lose employer-provided coverage. (Reuters, 2/224/09)
More People to Lose Health Insurance
More citizens will lose their health insurance due to the weakening economy, rising health care costs and reduced coverage by employers, a new report finds. The Institute of Medicine study found that many companies are starting to replace full-time positions with part-time or other situations that do not include health insurance. It also said the rising health insurance premiums are causing more employees to forego participation in employer-provided plans. The average annual employee premium contribution for family coverage increased from $1,543 to $3,354 between 1999 and 2008, according to the report. (Reuters, 2/24/09)
Medical Panel Seeks Congressional Attention for Wellness Care
The Institute of Medicine held a series of meetings last week designed to gain Congressional attention of the importance of wellness care, also known as integrative medicine. "Health is more than the absence of disease," says Dr. Ralph Snyderman, who headed the three-day meeting. Integrative medicine means going beyond standard disease care to involve a range of factors - physical, lifestyle habits, mind-body interaction - that play a role in preventing illness and helping people stick with recommended changes long enough to see a benefit. (Associated Press, 02/25/09)
Latest Research
Diabetic Mothers at Higher Depression Risk: Pregnant women and new mothers with diabetes had nearly double the risk of developing postpartum depression as women without diabetes, a new study reports. The study, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reveals a potential risk factor for a serious psychological disorder that affects more than 1 in 10 new mothers. Although diabetes and depression have been linked before, this is the first study to examine diabetes and depression in new mothers. (Boston Globe, 2/25/09)
Study Documents the Stress of Waiting for Biopsy Results: The waiting time involved in finding out the results of a breast biopsy appear to affect stress hormone levels just as much as learning one has cancer, according to a new study. Harvard researchers tracked 126 women who were undergoing breast biopsy, monitoring their levels of the stress hormone cortisol while they waited. Women who were still uncertain about their diagnosis had abnormal cortisol levels that were “essentially indistinguishable” from the cortisol profiles of the women who were told they had cancer. According to the study, which appeared in the medical journal Radiology, women without a diagnosis had significantly worse cortisol profiles compared to women who had received benign test results. (New York Times, 2/24/09)
After Abuse, Changes in the Brain: For years, psychiatrists have known that children who are abused or neglected run a high risk of developing mental problems later in life, from anxiety and depression to substance abuse and suicide. In a study of people who committed suicide published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers at McGill University in Montreal report that people who were abused or neglected as children showed genetic alterations that likely made them more biologically sensitive to stress. (New York Times, 2/23/09)
Emotional Stress May Raise Older Adults' Fall Risk: While physical frailty puts elderly adults at risk of falls and bone fractures, emotional distress can be the immediate trigger of some of those accidents, new research suggests. In a study of older adults hospitalized for fall-related hip fractures published in the online journal BMC Geriatrics, Swedish researchers found that the patients' odds of suffering a fall were elevated for up to one hour after an emotionally upsetting event. (Reuters, 2/27/09)
*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Depression Screening.org, a site sponsored by Mental Health America, offers a confidential depression screening test; the nine questions ask the user to rate the frequency of various thoughts, emotions and behaviors, such as poor appetite, feelings of failure, low energy levels and difficulty concentrating. Finding Dulcinea, “Top 6 Sites for Coping with Anxiety and Depression,” February 25, 2009
According to Mental Health America, women suffer from SAD three times more often then men, as do those in colder climates and people who work for extended periods without sunlight or work the night shift. Newburyport News, “Beat the winter blues; Six ways to boost mind, body,” February 27, 2009
Stay Up to Date With More News, Views and Tools
- Mental Health America’s 2009 Media Awards to 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
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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 Relation and Sarah Jones, communications coordinator.
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