Mental Health Blog

Weird Mental Condition of the Day: I'ma-Animal Disorder

2007-02-08T02:29:00.000-08:00

A medical journal reports on a case of a man who thought his mother had turned into a wolf. It sounds like it's perhaps the first case of lycanthropy by proxy. (I'm hoping I'm using "proxy" correctly.) According to Mindhacks.com, "Lycanthropy is the name given to the mythical condition that causes someone to turn into a werewolf. However, it's also the name given to the psychiatric syndrome where someone becomes psychotic and believes they have transformed or are transforming into another animal." According to the journal, the man: …stated that he was captured by devil and sometimes his thoughts or body were controlled by its power. Sometimes he had auditory hallucinations and heard the sound of drumming. He said that he had drooling from his mouth for no apparent reason.

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More safeguards needed for mental health bill, say lords and MPs

2007-02-06T02:30:00.000-08:00

The joint parliamentary committee is demanding that more safeguards be written into the mental health bill to prevent those without mental illnesses from being detained. Currently, critics of the mental health bill believe that the government's definition of 'illness' to too vague, which could possibly see people who do not have a mental illness being sectioned despite posing no risk to others or themselves. Plans for social workers and healthcare nurses to be allowed to decide whether or not to renew detention for patients has raised concerns about whether they could be relied upon to give "objective medical advice" on the subject. Labour MP for Hendon Andrew Dismore, who is also chairman of the human rights committee, said that "robust safeguards" were needed to make sure that those without mental illness were not forcibly treated.

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Spitzer Gives Millions To Mental Disorder Research

2007-02-02T02:28:00.000-08:00

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK State Senator Thompas Morahan says Governor Spitzer has allocated more than seven million dollars in his executive budget for capital improvements at the Nathan Kline Research Institute in Rockland County. The institute is at the Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center. Senator Morahan says the additional funding will help the institute better prevent, understand, and treat childrens' mental disorders before they become debilitating issues in adulthood. .

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Hicks' mental health good: psychiatrist

2007-01-31T02:32:00.000-08:00

The Australian government has challenged claims David Hicks is showing signs of mental deterioration, saying a psychiatrist who saw the terror suspect on Monday assessed his mental health as "good". Adelaide-born Hicks, who has been held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for five years, has complained that he is unwell and that conditions at the US military prison are "like a Nazi concentration camp". His Australian lawyer David McLeod, who has met Hicks in recent days, says he is showing signs of mental deterioration and feels despair at his predicament. The Muslim convert refused a visit on Monday from Australia's consul-general in Washington, John McAnaulty, sending a letter through his lawyers that he was frightened of being punished by his captors if he saw the official.

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Titanium Money Clip

2007-01-23T02:52:00.000-08:00

Sleek and modern in handsome brushed titanium, this small rectangular money clip provides a stylish option for carrying bills and credit cards. Its simple hinged closure holds bills securely and snaps open easily for instant access. Crafted from 99% commercially-pure gray titanium, the money clip has a brushed outer surface with a distinctive rich gray tone and a contrasting polished interior. It's exceptionally lightweight, yet its rich sheen gives it a substantial, expensive look. An excellent and fashionable alternative to a bulky wallet, this handsome money clip makes a perfect gift for the style-conscious man. Gray titanium is an exotic-looking metal with exceptional qualities that make it particularly suitable for use in jewelry. It has the impressive durability and strength of steel, yet it is remarkably lightweight--only slightly heavier than aluminum. Titanium is corrosion and scratch resistant and will not react to salt water, sunlight, or any body or common chemistry. Those with metal sensitivities will appreciate the fact that titanium is completely hypoallergenic. Gray titanium is also perfectly suitable for engraving.

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Meeting mental health needs

2007-01-23T02:33:00.000-08:00

Bad things can happen even in small towns. An African-American woman in a rural area of Leake County made an alarming discovery when her 7-year-old granddaughter visited. "When I was giving her a bath, I noticed blood in her panties," said the grandmother. "I asked her (if she had been sexually abused), and then she told me (she had). I did not know what to do, so I carried her to the doctor." The family's names are kept confidential because The Clarion-Ledger does not identify victims of sexual abuse. The doctor at the Dr. Arenia C. Mallory Community Health Center, a federally funded clinic that provides health care to low-income families, treated the child, then referred the family for counseling. Because of the Southern Institute for Mental Health Advocacy, Research and Training - SMHART - finding an affordable counselor was not a problem.

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Peers To Advise on Mental Health

2007-01-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

Students plan to launch a new program next semester aimed at encouraging discussion of student mental health issues, a subject which has long been considered “taboo" on campus. The Harvard-Radcliffe Mental Health Advocacy and Awareness Group (MHAAG) announced on Jan. 5 its creation of two new resources that will be available to undergraduates: mental health liaisons and mental health mentors. The announcement comes after recent attention to the need for increased mental health resources. A 2004 Crimson investigation found that the College was facing “a pervasive mental health crisis" at the time—80 percent of students reported feeling depressed at least once over the course of the year and 10 percent had seriously considered suicide. University Provost Steven E.

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People with Mental Health Disabilities Fare Worse in ...

2007-01-15T02:40:00.000-08:00

Sixteen years after Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people with psychiatric disabilities are faring worse in court cases against employers for discrimination than are people with physical disabilities, researchers have found in a national study. "People with psychiatric disabilities were less likely to receive a monetary award or job-related benefit, more likely to feel as though they were not treated fairly during the legal proceedings and more likely to believe they received less respect in court," said Jeffrey Swanson, Ph.D., a study investigator and an associate professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. .

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Mental health system criticized

2007-01-11T02:33:00.000-08:00

RALEIGH - N.C. lawmakers, faced with a study describing the state's mental health system as riddled with problems, balked Wednesday at the $2.7 billion a consultant says is needed to fix them. Their reaction came after a Florida-based mental health expert who studied the state's system delivered a report to the General Assembly's oversight committee for mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. The analyst, Christina Thompson of Heart of the Matter Consulting, said the state isn't reaching enough people who need services, and isn't providing continuity of care to those it does treat. She compiled the report after the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services asked for a long-range study to identify and fix deficiencies. Thompson concluded that the state is doing a good job meeting the needs of the developmentally disabled, but mental health and substance abuse services aren't reaching enough of the people who need them.

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UCD offers support to fund mental health conference

2007-01-07T02:37:00.000-08:00

The National Institute of Mental Health has provided a grant to UC Davis to support community-based mental health staff who wish to participate in the upcoming conference, "From Research to Policy: Reducing Disparities in Mental Health Care." Sponsored by the UCD Center for Reducing Health Disparities and the UCD Center for Health Services Research, the conference takes place Jan. 11 at the Sacramento Convention Center. UCD organizers say the generous federal grant will underwrite the registration fees for up to 100 people. The special fund is designated for staff from small, community-based organizations that provide mental health care to disadvantaged populations. The conference is bringing together policymakers, mental health care providers, and researchers who are involved in addressing the mental health care disparities affecting people from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Today's Weird Mental Condition: Schizoaffective Disorder

2007-01-03T02:42:00.000-08:00

A woman in her 20s gives The (London) Times a harrowing description of her life as a person with schizoaffective disorder, a condition that afflicts people with delusions (that's the schiziophrenic part) and symptoms like major depression or the sharp ups and downs of manic (bipolar) people. Here's a sampling of what she goes through: I once sewed nine buttons on to my sleeve because someone said “nine or so" in conversation. It seemed terribly important to do so. It is not uncommon for people with schizophrenia like me to make up new words. It distresses me that my thoughts are broadcast on the radio. My DNA contains the whole of the Milky Way. I am constantly being pursued by enemies and lovers. I have scissored a mark from my skin, knowing it to be a tracking device planted by the Government.

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Editorial: Military Mental Health

2006-12-30T02:35:00.000-08:00

While military prosecutors in California were charging five Marines with murder in the killing of Iraqi civilians last year, Pentagon officials were holding a hearing on mental health services after reports that soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., were not receiving adequate treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The murder charges, while extreme, are an example of how the uncertainty, daily violence and frustration of the Iraq war can cause soldiers to act in reprehensible ways. It also shows why mental health services are vital and that soldiers should not be punished for using them. On Nov. 19, 2005, a roadside bomb exploded as a convoy was passing through the village of Haditha. One Marine was killed. Twenty-four villagers died that day. The Marines initially said the death came from roadside bombs and a firefight between villagers and U.S.

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Do shopaholics have a mental disorder?

2006-12-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

Lucille Schenk bought $20,000 worth of jewelry a year ago, plunging into debt and despair. She knew something was wrong but couldn't help herself. There may be more than 10 million people like Schenk in the United States, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry. They shop compulsively, buy things they do not need and often cannot afford, and jeopardize their work, their families and their mental health. The problem is widespread and serious enough that the American Psychiatric Association, which is updating its influential "bible" of mental disorders, is weighing whether to list compulsive buying as a disorder. Some researchers argue that categorizing binge buying as a medical problem takes the focus away from social factors such as the impact of advertising, easy credit and commercialization.

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Address Mental, Health Issues At Workplaces, Says Lam Thye

2006-12-17T02:37:00.000-08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) wants action be taken to address mental and health issues at workplaces involving employers, employees and relevant authorities. Niosh Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the neglect of mental health and psychological factors at workplaces was not only detrimental to an individual worker but also directly affects efficiency, effectiveness and output of any enterprise. "Mental health issues at workplaces must be given due attention as the productivity of staff of any organisation depends on their mental health," he said in a statement Sunday. Lee said more can be done for the mentally-ill in the country, not only in terms of treatment, counselling and care but also support for their next-of-kin and other benefits.

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Tucker dealing with mental disorder

2006-12-15T02:35:00.000-08:00

Right tackle Ryan Tucker has been suffering from a mental disorder, Browns team physician Anthony Miniaci confirmed Friday. "Ryan Tucker has been placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List for a mental disorder not related to football," Miniaci said in a statement. "The nature of Ryan's mental-health issue is one that is commonly experienced by the general population as well as by professional athletes, and it is a treatable disorder. "Ryan has been battling this condition since before the season began and has been actively receiving treatment. At this time, it is in his best interest to focus entirely on his medical treatment and concentrate on his recovery. Ryan has shown a significant amount of courage while battling this disorder and he has expressed his desire to return to football.

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Community Psychiatric Nurse (Grade G) - Adult Mental Health

2006-12-13T02:40:00.000-08:00

An opportunity has arisen for a full-time Community Psychiatric Nurse Grade G to work within the Adult Mental Health Directorate. Applications are invited for this exciting opportunity to work with Dr Hamilton's Community Mental Health Team, based in Peterhead. We are looking for a motivated and skilled practitioner who possesses good clinical assessment and clinical risk assessment skills and someone who has a genuine interest in community mental health issues. You will have managerial and clinical responsibility for a community nursing caseload, where, you will assess the needs of a client group, plan, implement and evaluate care, to a high professional standard. Candidates will have a Mental Health Nursing registration, with substantial experience at Grade E or above.

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Tucker battling a mental disorder

2006-12-09T02:40:00.000-08:00

Browns right tackle Ryan Tucker, currently on the non-football injury list, is reportedly dealing with a mental disorder. Dr. Anthony Miniaci didn't specify the illness in a statement released by the team. "Ryan has shown a significant amount of courage while battling this disorder," the statement reads. "He has expressed his desire to return to football." Tucker is eligible to return in 2007. Dec. 1 - 3:40 pm et Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer .

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Faith plays vital role in mental health recovery

2006-12-07T02:42:00.000-08:00

Dispelling the old adage that politics and religion do not mix, ministers at the forefront of this dynamic new emergence in the Church joined forces to support the work of the human rights campaign group BMH UK (Black Mental Health UK) to put the role of Christian faith in mental health recovery firmly on the medical map. The emergence of a new mental health ministry within Black Majority Churches is not only plugging a care gap in mainstream services but is also saving patients lives. Currently church leaders have been excluded from the consultation process in the review of the 1983 Mental Health Act despite the large numbers of Black people affected by this issue who regularly attend church. Interim findings of the Christian Institute for Research's national census on church attendance indicate that over 75% of African Caribbean's attend church on a regular basis and yet there has been no acknowledgement of the significant role that faith plays in the life of black patients and their carers.

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Putnam mental-health agency wants county to forgive about $32,000 ...

2006-11-27T02:46:00.000-08:00

Putnam Family and Community Services should not have to pay about $32,000 for increases in benefits for county workers who remain on the nonprofit agency's staff nearly a decade after the agency was privatized, according to some Putnam lawmakers. The nine-member Legislature has to vote to forgive the debt but, based on the reaction of legislators at a Health, Social, Educational and Environmental Committee meeting last week, it appears likely that it will. "They have taken on Putnam County employees, and all of these expenses have added up to about $1 million" since privatization in 1997, said Legislator Tony Hay, R-Southeast. "The $32,000 is a very small part of the county budget." County officials agreed during budget deliberations to reimburse PFCS $95,247 in 2007 for the higher compensation and fringe benefits it pays to county workers who remain on its staff.

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Pentagon Upgrades Homosexuality: 'Mental Disorder' Now 'Defect'

2006-11-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

According to the AP, "Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said 'homosexuality should not have been characterized as a mental disorder. A clarification has been issued.'" Instead of being classified alongside "Mental retardation" and "personality disorders" the new classification now puts being gay with "circumstances and defects" that could lead to retirement for a military officer. They are: "stammering or stuttering, dyslexia, sleepwalking, motion sickness, obesity, insect venom allergies and homosexuality." Said Rep. Marty Meehan, (D-MA) of the House Armed Services Committee: "More than 30 years after the mental health community declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder, it is disappointing that the Pentagon still continues to mischaracterize it as a 'defect'." Pentagon Alters Homosexuality Guidelines [nyt] You may have missed...

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Freedom House gets grant funds Mental health board pays for ...

2006-11-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

Homeless veterans at Freedom House will continue to receive services connecting them to mental health and substance abuse treatment with the increase of a grant that the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County awarded to Family and Community Services, Inc. "Family and Community Services and the Freedom House advisory board appreciate the additional grant funds that will allow us to continue these critical services for six months until our grant from the Veterans Administration kicks in," said Mark Frisone, executive director of Family and Community Services. Freedom House is a program of Family and Community Services, Inc. The Mental Health & Recovery Board is funding an advocate position at the shelter to provide assessments, referrals and support for veterans when needed.

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Transexual to fight 'mental disorder' statement

2006-11-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

A transexual man is preparing to file a lawsuit with the Administrative Court against the army's statement in a conscription certificate (Sor Dor 43) which exempted him from service for having a "mental disorder". Samart Meecharoen, a 22-year-old student of Ban Somdej Chao Phraya Rajabhat University, said the document, issued two years ago, deprived him of career opportunities as a private firm turned down his application for a part-time job, citing it as the reason. His petition to the court, supported by the National Human Rights Commission, the Lawyers Council of Thailand, the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand and the Saphan Group representing same-sex lovers, will be submitted to the court on Nov 10. If the court accepts the case for consideration, it will be the first of its kind in the country.

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Breast Cancer Patients Need More Mental Health Care

2006-11-19T02:31:00.000-08:00

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Nearly half of women faced with a breast cancer diagnosis suffer from emotional distress or psychiatric disorders. Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H., say emotional reactions among women facing a difficult diagnosis is common -- 100 percent of the women in a new study reported their new diagnosis was a source of stress. Researchers assessed the emotional and mental health of 236 women who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer and had not started treatment yet. In 47 percent of the women, the stress was significant enough to possibly merit treatment. Psychiatric disorders were identified in 21 percent of the women, with 11 percent showing symptoms of major depression and 10 percent with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Featured Article: Mental disorder: Main Arjun? Gandhi hoon?

2006-11-17T02:37:00.000-08:00

Boy Suprit of Ahmedabad forgets his own identity to say that he is Arjun Singh Gandhi murder of his look like Suprit 4 years ago. Are Arjun Singh Gandhi Hinduism Killers to hide their identities? Today’s news & politic-mental disorder Today news channels screened a tragedy of a Sikh family of Ahmedabad. Family reported to police for the lost of his 15 years old Suprit, student of Class X. Police caught the boy in Himmatnagar. Parents of the boy became happy. But when they began to talk him then they found that he has forgotten totally his identity. Thus there happiness turned again in the sad tragedy. He wrote in a letter that he is Arjun Singh Gandhi murderer of his look like Suprit and after that lived as Suprit to hide his own identity of Arjun Singh Gandhi.

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Mental health reform evolving

2006-11-15T02:36:00.000-08:00

When a grand social experiment is being conducted, you just have to wait. And be patient. Nothing illustrates this point more clearly than the sweeping changes occurring in the public mental health system. State governments across the nation are shutting down state mental hospitals and closing community mental health systems. The new approach is to privatize mental health services. The essential idea is private providers will be paid state and federal dollars to provide the care once provided by community mental health centers and state mental hospitals. The transition to the new system hasn't been smooth. Mental health care is in effect being decentralized. Comprehensive services once provided by community health centers are being handed off to private providers, social services, courts, prisons, assisted living facilities and hospitals.

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Officials: Mom sought mental health treatment before poisoning ...

2006-11-09T03:10:00.000-08:00

PEKIN, Ill. Officials say a central Illinois mother sought treatment at a mental health center before allegedly trying to kill her four-year-old daughter. An intake counselor testified at 33-year-old Kellie Waremburg's murder trial yesterday that the Pekin woman went to the Tazwood Mental Health Center twice in June complaining of various physical and emotional ailments, including depression. Waremburg has admitted to giving her daughter, Lexus Fuller, 100 sleep aids and depressants on June 21st. She allegedly told officials she didn't want her daughter to suffer. Lexus, who is now five years old, has cerebral palsy, physical disabilities and mental retardation. Defense attorneys say Waremburg was legally insane when she tried to take her daughter's life, a claim prosecutors say they can disprove.

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Long waits, fights for care complicate dealings with mental health ...

2006-11-05T02:29:00.000-08:00

THREATENING to commit suicide to get help for mental illness seems a drastic step. But thats the route Dale Haynes has had to take and more than once. "Its not until you go into the emergency department and threaten suicide that theyre even going to pay attention to you and, I mean, thats horrible," the 38-year-old Halifax man told The Chronicle Herald. "Thats unfortunate because nobody wants to really to harm themselves. I mean, Im too chickens--t for that." One suicide threat about two years ago led Mr. Haynes to the Dartmouth General Hospital emergency room and on to a three-day assessment in the Nova Scotia Hospital. "They just kind of said, Youre good to go and there was no treatment, no follow-up, nothing," he said. "I told the lady that when I was on my way out the door.

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Shopaholic - - a mental disorder?

2006-11-03T03:04:00.000-08:00

Lucille Schenk bought $20,000 worth of jewelry a year ago, plunging herself into debt and despair. She knew something was wrong but couldn't help herself: For hours each day, she watched a jewelry channel and the Home Shopping Network, until the salespeople felt like family. She did most of her binge buying late at night. Often, after her purchases arrived, she returned them, knowing she could not afford them. Then she would see the same items on TV and buy them again. When Schenk finally sought help, New York psychologist April Lane Benson advised her to have a ``conversation'' with the jewelry before she made her next purchase, as a way to put some distance between herself and her compulsion. ``I would say, 'You are so beautiful, I can't live without you; I love the way you sparkle,' '' recalled Schenk, 62, in an interview.

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Shopaholic - - a mental disorder?

2006-10-30T02:45:00.000-08:00

IHCA ‘dreading’ Mental Health Act roll-out

2006-10-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

The IHCA has described as unsatisfactory responses from the HSE to their concerns on the roll-out of the Mental Health Act. Despite the imminent roll-out of the Act, IHCA Secretary General Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick has described the situation as all patchwork and fire-fighting. Everybody knows theyre not ready. Were dreading it, he told IMN. He said the IHCA has been highlighting specific items for the past two years and the situation is still lacking clarity at the eleventh hour. He said it is a relatively simple matter to have arrangements ready for tribunal hearings. He added that the structure for second opinions is not in place and the IHCA still does not know how long or for how many hours per day a help-line set up by the Mental Health Commission to coincide with the roll-out of the Act will operate.

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Comedian, author to speak at Clarion about mental health

2006-10-24T03:22:00.000-07:00

CLARION - A nationally-renowned motivational speaker and author will share his personal experiences with a mental health disorder next week at Clarion University as part of National Depression Screening Week. Paul Jones is scheduled to appear at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Gemmell multi-purpose room and speak about his continuing battle with bi-polar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness. The free public event is being sponsored by the university's Keeling Health Center and Counseling Service. On Thursday, the center will offer free, confidential screenings for anxiety, depression, bi-polar, and post-traumatic stress disorder from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 250-252 of the Gemmell student center. It provides an opportunity for individuals to meet with a counselor one-on-one to discuss the results of personal screenings or talk about how to help a friend or family member.

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Dr. Anita Kablinger: Mental health clinical trials expand ...

2006-10-16T03:18:00.000-07:00

According to the U.S. surgeon general, up to 10 percent of American children may have emotional problems that need to be addressed. Medications for the management of these emotional difficulties are under investigation. Many psychiatric medications are utilized in the child/adolescent population, but very few have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Children and adolescents have different metabolisms compared to adults or geriatric patients and may respond to medications differently. In addition, side effects may be different in this group from those found in adults, and careful examination of drug administration is essential for the best care of the patients. .

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Mental health funds allocation tipped to favour NT

2006-10-10T03:18:00.000-07:00

The federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, has tipped the Northern Territory to be one of the big winners when the Commonwealth carves up its $50 million of funding for mental health. The Federal Government yesterday announced it would spend the money on promoting mental health professionals in rural and remote areas. Mr Pyne says the money will be distributed on the basis of needs not population, so the funding will go to areas where there are the least number of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and occupational therapists. Mr Pyne says it will take about a month to finalise the allocation of funding, but expects the Northern Territory to get a big slice of the cake. "The Northern Territory would be one of the worst-off areas in the country because of the low population," he said.

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Seasonal Affective Disorder: Free, Anonymous Mental Health ...

2006-10-08T03:20:00.000-07:00

The leaves are changing; the long, carefree days of summer are coming to an end; and casual Fridays at the office are a mid-summer nights dream. For many people, adapting from post-summer vacation mode back to real life can prove difficult. And for others, a change in climate weather that is can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder or what is commonly known as SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is a depression that occurs each year at the same time, usually starting in fall or winter and ending in spring or early summer. This mood disorder is often attributed to the lack of light during the colder months of the year. In addition, during the shorter, colder days of winter, people spend more time in their homes, leading to less socialization and increased isolation. This shift in routine can enhance the negative effects of seasonal changes and put individuals at a higher risk for SAD.

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Mental health bed crisis lingers: report

2006-10-06T03:27:00.000-07:00

THE Victorian mental health system is suffering from a serious shortage of beds, "inadequate" facilities and is chronically understaffed, a report has found. The report by the Public Advocate's community watchdog, the Community Visitors, found some patients had been locked in wards for five years because no other accommodation was available. In another case, a hospital had no choice but to nurse patients with a range of psychiatric illnesses in general hospital beds. The report, tabled in State Parliament this week, said the shortage of high dependency beds, needed to manage the most disturbed patients or those at risk of absconding, meant whole units at times had to be locked. "This means other patients are nursed in a more restrictive environment than is warranted," it said.

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Mental disorder among pre-teens rising

2006-10-04T03:20:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Cases of mental disorder among children aged below 13 have been increasing in recent years, giving rise to concern. Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said today (Oct 3, 2006) such disorders include autism, conduct disorder, depressive disorder, attention deficit, school refusal and schizophrenia. He said a study conducted 10 years ago showed that 13% of Malaysian children faced some sort of mental disorder or another. "I am sure this figure is higher now despite there being no recent study on it," he said after opening a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic (MeKar) and transit home known as 'Anjung Kasih' in Selayang Hospital. Chua said since the one-stop centre - the first in the country - was operational, it has seen an increasing number of patients.

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Mental health resources

2006-10-02T03:19:00.000-07:00

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill maintains a helpline for information on mental illnesses and referrals to local groups. The local self-help groups have support and advocacy components and offer education and information about community services for families and individuals. For information about the alliance's affiliates and activities in your state, contact: NAMI Maine 1 Bangor St. Augusta, ME 04330 (207) 622-5767 (800) 464-5767 (Statewide) E-mail: info@namimaine.org www.namimaine.org NAMI-Family York (for family, friends and people with mental illness) meets the second Tuesday of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Center for Life Enrichment, 518 U.S. Route 1, in Kittery (above Domino's Pizza, enter from the back).

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Hiring people with mental disorder doesn't have to be risky ...

2006-09-24T03:26:00.000-07:00

As a licensed mental health counselor and management consultant, it saddened me to see the Sept. 15 headline "Suit accuses Starbucks of discrimination." In an effort to champion a worthy goal -- protecting the millions of Americans with mental health disorders who can nonetheless be very valuable employees -- the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit will end up punishing one of the most proactively non-discriminatory corporations in the country. It is unfortunate, but the lesson that will be drawn by most corporate managers is: "If you don't want to risk discrimination lawsuits and negative PR for your brand name, you should avoid hiring people with mental health diagnoses." That conclusion is mostly false. But it has a seed of truth that will cause the vast majority of managers, unable to make a finer distinction, to act prudently, guided by an overgeneralization that results in further discrimination against the very people the EEOC is trying to help.

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New Studies to Be Unveiled at Mental Health Forum

2006-09-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

Results of three new studies on mental health appearing in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health will be released at a forum on mental health Sept. 28 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. A panel of experts will discuss new research implications and barriers to mental health prevention and treatment. The forum is sponsored by the American Public Health Association and the Community Voices Initiative of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine, and is cosponsored by the National Mental Health Association. WHO: -- David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities, Poussaint-Satcher-Cosby chair in Mental Health, Morehouse School of Medicine -- Georges Benjamin, M.D., F.A.C.P., executive director, American Public Health Association -- David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO, National Mental Health Association -- Henrie Treadwell, Ph.D., senior social scientist and associate, director of development, National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine -- Robert E.

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Alabama needs more mental health professionals

2006-09-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

New studies indicate persons with serious mental illness may live an average of 25 years less than the rest of the population. Most of these illnesses are highly treatable, but patients must be evaluated and managed by psychiatrists. Unfortunately, Alabama has a serious shortage of these lifesaving doctors, and this problem hurts our citizens. A recent survey placed Alabama in the bottom 15 percent of states for the number of psychiatrists. This shortage is creating a health care emergency that clouds the dreams of parents who want their child with mental illness to experience a happy and full life. Mental illness is a common health problem. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one-quarter of adults in our country will suffer from some form of mental disorder.

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Animal Hoarder Claims Mental Disorder In Court

2006-09-16T03:33:00.000-07:00

(WJZ) WHITEFORD, Md. The woman accused of abusing more than 100 dogs in her two Whiteford homes went before a Harford County judge this morning as her lawyer argued that a mental disorder is really to blame for the crime.Donna Bell, 59, was arrested in May when police raided her ranch and found over 70 malnourished dogs and cats living in deplorable conditions. The bodies and skeletal remains of over 40 dogs were also found inside the two homes. Bell was charged with more than 118 counts of animal cruelty.Bell's actions are known as "animal hoarding," a mental problem in which a person rescues an abundance of animals, but does not have the supplies needed to take care of each animal. Regardless, the person believes they're actually helping the animals nonetheless. Bell's lawyer says she had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to demolish two of the buildings the animals were housed in, and says she's already undergoing treatment for the mental disorder commonly blamed for many cases of animal hoarding."Because of the obsessive compulsive disorder, she couldn't say no to people.

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Psychologist says Rodriguez has mental health problems

2006-09-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. suffers from a number of mental and behavioral problems stemming from a childhood that included sexual abuse, drug abuse, exposure to chemicals and racism, a psychologist told jurors. "It's like a teeter-totter," Marilyn Hutchinson said, holding one hand higher than the other. "At some point, it just gets too heavy." Hutchinson, a psychologist from Kansas City, Mo., testified Wednesday in federal court, where jurors are considering whether to sentence Rodriguez, 53, of Crookston, Minn., to death for the killing of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin. The jury also heard testimony from Rodriguez's sister, Sylvia D'Angelo, who said her brother was molested when he was 4 years old and that she remembered "a lot of times being hungry, being scared," as the migrant family struggled with poverty in the Red River Valley.

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Study finds jail mental health programs exceed standards

2006-09-12T03:10:00.000-07:00

EUREKA -- An Institute of Medical Quality report has found that inmates in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility are receiving good mental health services from the county's Department of Health and Human Services. Similar findings were made for Juvenile Hall and the Regional Facility which led to a two-year accreditation for the facilities. The Institute for Medical Quality reviewed a variety of health standards in the facilities and all were met. According to a department statement, round-the-clock services are provided for inmates' psychiatric care. A multi-disciplinary team made up of four full-time staff is assigned to the jail. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department provides funding for one of those positions, while the other three are supported by the mental health branch of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Dalai Lama speaks with mental health scientists about stress

2006-09-12T03:09:00.001-07:00

VANCOUVER (CP) - The Dalai Lama, the jovial leader of millions of Buddhists worldwide who believes the purpose of life is to be happy, joined scientists on Saturday to discuss how stress can affect health. The 71-year-old monk, clad in traditional robes, answered questions from three prominent scientists who work in fields related to mental health. Among them was celebrity scientist Deepak Chopra, who noted that rising violence and terrorist attacks are increasing the world's yearning for peace. The Dalai Lama replied that early stress in life from poverty or abuse leads to negative emotions such as fear, jealousy and anger which turn into violence. Essentially, the Dalai Lama believes world peace begins with inner peace, tolerance and compassion.

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Child mental health problems rising

2006-09-12T03:09:00.000-07:00

A CONFERENCE has been told almost one in seven teenagers and children have mental health problems and will swamp Australia's health system if the problem is not addressed. The warning has been put to the four-day international conference on infant, child and adolescent mental health in Melbourne. University of Queensland director of child and adolescent psychiatry Professor Graham Martin says disadvantaged children are set to become a new generation of mentally ill adults. He says about 14 per cent of children and adolescents have mental health problems. Share this article (What is this?) .

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Funding boost for mental health programs (1:12 pm)

2006-09-12T03:08:00.000-07:00

The Alberta government is investing $39 million over three years into five projects aimed to improve the mental health of children and teenagers. One project will offer "first aid training" for teachers and other school personnel on how to detect mental health problems in young kids. Up until now, teachers have focused on finding children with learning disabilities, while students have made efforts to include children with physical disabilities, said Health Minister Iris Evans. Now, she said more work needs to be done in the mental health field. "We don't have enough child psychiatrists. We don't have enough networks in communities," said Evans, quoting statistics from 2003 that an estimated 10,500 Canadian children under 18 went to mental health clinics, community care centres and emergency departments because they had mental health issues.

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Dalai Lama speaks with mental health scientists about stress and ...

2006-09-12T03:07:00.001-07:00

VANCOUVER (CP) - The Dalai Lama, the jovial leader of millions of Buddhists worldwide who believes the purpose of life is to be happy, joined scientists today to discuss how stress can affect health. The 71-year-old monk, clad in traditional robes, answered questions from three prominent scientists who work in fields related to mental health. Among them was celebrity scientist Deepak Chopra who says the world urgently yearns for peace as violence and terrorism proliferate. The Dalai Lama says stress in early life from poverty or abuse leads to negative emotions such as fear, jealousy and anger, which turns to violence. At one point Chopra, who studies the mind-body connection in relation to good health and has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show many times, asked the Dalai Lama whether world peace would be fostered if society elevated the profession of motherhood.

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Breakthrough brain scans could aid mental health treatment ...

2006-09-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

Australian researchers say they have become the first to show that brain scans can be used to predict whether people can recover from mental illness. Researchers from the University of Melbourne say the breakthrough will help predict whether a patient's first psychotic episode is an isolated episode or a lifelong illness. Dr Stephen Wood says the diagnosis could then result in better treatment for patients. "We'll be able to develop tailored treatments for them so that we might be able to measure the brain chemical and say, 'okay, you'll probably have a good outcome, we can give you lower doses of the medication,' whereas somebody else might look like they're going to have a much worse outcome," he said. "We can perhaps have a lower threshold for increasing their dose or for changing their medication if they don't seem to be getting better." Schizophrenia The Melbourne researchers have also found that brain scans can predict how well young people will recover from the early stages of schizophrenia.

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Mental health authority, sheriff's office partner to deliver ...

2006-09-12T03:06:00.001-07:00

Two local agencies are partnering to better address calls to law enforcement that are generated by incidents involving people suffering from mental illness. The partnership between the Vance County Sheriff's Department and the Five County Mental Health Authority, which has been developing over the past year, has culminated in the designation of Deputy Todd Flowers as a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) coordinator. In that capacity, Flowers is helping guide the sheriff's office in diverting mentally ill people into appropriate services. Gina Dement, public information officer for Five County Mental Health, was excited about the spirit of the two agencies working together. &#8220The success of this new program will be measured by its ability to divert the mentally ill away from jail and to appropriate services," she said.

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Members of merging mental health agencies to meet

2006-09-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

Members of the boards of directors of three area mental health agencies planning to merge in July 2007 will sit down to talk for the first time in Greenville Thursday. The organizations — Neuse Center serving Craven, Pamlico and Jones counties, Ahoskie-Chowan, and Pitt — have agreed to merge as part of North Carolina's restructuring of mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services. About 50 people are expected at the 6:30 p.m. dinner at Pitt County Agriculture Building in Greenville, said Roy Wilson, Neuse Center CEO, who is expected to head East Carolina Behavioral Health. “We are excited about this partnership in order to better manage the quality of services provided to our citizens and take advantage of economies of scale," said Wilson. The new regional organization will meet state requirements that public local management entities, or LME's, serve at least six counties or 200,000 people.

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Ex-chair pans makeup of mental health board

2006-09-12T03:04:00.001-07:00

Robert Byrd says he's not particularly upset about being passed over for a vacancy on Ottawa County's Community Mental Health board, but he does have an opinion on its geographical makeup. Byrd, a former CMH board chairman who lives in the small community of Lamont, in the northeast part of the county, says the 12-member board is weighted heavily with representation from the Holland-Zeeland area. He says he has shared that concern with several members of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners. Ten of the 12 members of the CMH board, including four members appointed in just the past few months, have mailing addresses of Holland or Zeeland. The other two board members -- Mark Bombara and Cornelius Vander Kam, a county commissioner -- have Hudsonville mailing addresses.

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New York Mental Health Parity Law To Be Voted On This Month

2006-09-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

The New York state Senate this month is expected to approve legislation that would require insurance companies to provide mental health coverage at the same level and out-of-pocket cost as other coverage, the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports. The Senate and Assembly two months ago reached an agreement on the measure, "but there was not enough time to vote on it," the Press & Sun-Bulletin reports. The proposal features the following provisions: Every insured person would receive coverage for a minimum of 20 outpatient visits for mental health care and 30 inpatient days per year; The state would pay the additional mental health care costs for businesses with 50 or fewer employees -- estimated up to $60 million; Larger employers would be required to provide unlimited treatment for adults with schizophrenia, psychotic disorders, major depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, delusional disorders, panic disorder, bulimia and anorexia; Larger employers would have to provide coverage for the above conditions for people younger than age 18, in addition to coverage for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, disruptive behavior disorders and pervasive developmental disorders; and Smaller employers would be allowed to opt into the extended coverage required for large employers.

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Federal grant to improve mental health services for students

2006-09-12T03:03:00.000-07:00

Eight Chittenden County school districts will share a $320,000 federal grant to improve mental health services for their students. The money will be used to fund a program called Chittenden County Students FIRST, which stands for Fully Integrated Resources for Schools/Mental Health Teaming, and aims to improve collaboration between schools and mental health services and provide more and better services. Eight county school districts applied for the grant as consortium members, with South Burlington School District serving as the applicant organization. The ninth district -- Burlington -- as a federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative recipient, is ineligible to direct training and services but will serve as an advisory member to the consortium. South Burlington Co-acting Associate Superintendent JoAn Canning said it is the school districts' responsibility to educate children, but emotional and behavioral issues can get in the way of learning.

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Mental health strategy will 'save lives'

2006-09-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

A new $39-million mental health strategy by the Klein government will save lives and improve the quality of life of both children and adults, says a senior school official. Susan Chomistek, an assistant superintendent in Grasslands Public Schools in Brooks, drove to Edmonton yesterday to applaud the announcement. "I'm so excited about it," she said. "This is awesome. "There's no question it will save lives." Alarmed by statistics showing increasing suicides and mental illness in children and youth, Alberta Health Minister Iris Evans announced the new mental health strategy at a south side health facility. .

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