Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of March 16, 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?

Optimistic women have healthier lives than those who are pessimistic...more

*TODAY’S NEWS

Surveys Show Recession’s Impact on Mental Health

Two surveys released last week show the negative impact the economic crisis is having on Americans’ mental health. A Gallup-Healthways poll reported that as the economy worsened during 2008, stress levels of U.S. residents worsened. Emotional well-being dropped with the greatest declines in mental health among the poorest individuals. Although there were few racial differences, Hispanics had the worst emotional health during last year. The poll also showed that 21 percent of U.S. residents had difficulty paying for needed medical care or medications in December, up from 18 percent at the start of 2008. The survey shows that those 30 to 55 years old—prime earning years—may be suffering most from the bad economic news, Another survey, conducted online during February, reported that one in five U.S. workers say the recession is causing mental health problems. Workers are also worried about keeping their jobs and if they might be subject to a layoff. (USA Today, Reuters; 3/11/09)

U.S. Gets “D” on Report Card for Mental Health Services

The nation does a poor job in the ways it serves its mentally ill population, earning a D, according to a report card issued by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. A report issued three years gave the same grade with only marginal improvement over that time. State budget cuts are threatening the current level of services, says the report. Fourteen states improved their grade since the last report card; twelve states went down. (CNN, 3/11/09)

Americans Losing Sleep Over Bad Economy

More than a quarter of Americans are having trouble sleeping because of financial worries. The number of people reporting poor sleep has almost doubled since 2001, according a poll by the National Sleep Foundation. Those who reported sleep troubles because of economic concerns were two times more likely to report sleeping less than six hours on a typical workday. (USA Today, 3/12/09)

Budget Cuts Reducing Mental Health Professional in Schools

Budget cutbacks are expected to reduce the number of mental health professionals in schools next fall and result in rising caseloads. Many districts are eliminating school psychologist and social workers, who are the first line of support for children with emotional and psychological problems. However, some states and local school districts are maintaining staff and even adding personnel. (Wall Street Journal, 3/12/09)

Campaign Launched to Influence Comparative Effectiveness Research

A coalition of health industry and patient advocacy groups is starting a campaign to influence how the government implements comparative effectiveness research. Former congressman Tony Coelho, who has epilepsy and helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act, will be the spokesperson for the campaign. The groups want to make sure the research represents minorities and women in studies and is not used to refuse effective treatments because of cost. The recently passed stimulus bill includes $1.1 billion for research comparing the effectiveness of treatments. (Associated Press, 3/13/09)

Report Says High Health Costs Hurt U.S. Competitive Edge

The U.S. is at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy because of high health care costs and low standards in the delivery of care, a new study asserts. The report from the Business Roundtable, which represents the leaders of major corporations, used life expectancy and death rates date among five other advanced countries. The analysis found that the U.S. ranked 23 points behind the other countries, all of which guarantee health coverage for their citizens. According to the study, the annual health care expense in the U.S. is $2.4 trillion and Americans spent $1,928 per capita on health care. That is two-and-a-half times the amount for other advanced countires. (Associated Press, 3/12/09)

Latest Research

Optimistic Women Have Healthier Lives Than Those Who are Pessimistic: Women who are optimistic about life have longer than healthier lives than those who are pessimistic, a study finds. A team headed by Dr. Hilary Tindle of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine analyzed information gathered from more than 97,000 women who did not have heart disease or cancer when they joined the Women's Health Initiative. Optimists expected good things to happen while pessimists were mistrustful of other people. After eight years, optimistic women had a 14 percent lower risk of dying from any cause than their pessimistic counterparts. (The Boston Globe, 3/9/09)

New Evidence Found That Depression Increases Risk of Heart Disease: Although it has been know that depression is common after a heart attack or stroke, a new study reports that depression can lead to heart disease. Scientists tracked 63,000 women from the long-running Nurses' Health Study between 1992 and 2004. None had signs of heart disease when the study began, but nearly eight percent had evidence of serious depression. The depressed women were more than twice as likely to experience sudden cardiac death, according to the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (Associated Press, 3/10/09)

Economic gloom hits men harder than women: Men are more likely than women to suffer mental health problems from economic hard times, according to a new study. Researchers from Cambridge University in England said that while men may outwardly exhibit strength, job insecurity causes more symptoms of anxiety and depression in men than women. (Reuters, 3/10/09)

*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Julio C. Abreu, senior director of government affairs for Mental Health America, thinks the legislative goals in the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 are long overdue. “You would be hard-pressed to find another illness that goes as untreated as mental illness,” Abreu said. “Eighty percent of the children in juvenile detention centers have some form of mental illness, and we wouldn’t stand for that if it were some other disease or complex.” Daily Nebraskan, “Wellstone Act helps mentally ill with insurance-related problems,” March 11, 2009

A recent study by Mental Health America ranked Utah the most depressed state in the country. According to the study, some 10.14 percent of adults in Utah "experienced a depressive episode in the past year and 14.15 percent experienced serious psychological distress. Individuals in Utah reported having on average 3.27 poor mental health days in the past 30 days." The Mental Health America study evaluated information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., and factored in suicide statistics to determine each state's "depression status." ABC News, “Two studies find depression widespread in Utah,” March 16, 2009

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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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