Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of December 15, 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?
Although almost half of college-age Americans have suffered from some type of mental health problem in the past year, few seek treatment for those conditions...more
*TODAY´S NEWS
Report: States Target Medicaid, SCHIP For Budget Cuts
Nineteen states have proposed or have enacted funding cuts to their Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance programs due to state budget deficits, according to Families USA, an advocacy group that released the finding last week. As a result, more than 1 million Americans could lose their health insurance coverage, and many more could have a reduction in benefits, according to the group. (Reuters, 12/11/08)
Prescription Drug Overdoses Soar In West Virginia
Two-thirds of West Virginia residents who died of overdoses of legal drugs didn’t have prescriptions for those drugs, federal government researchers said last week. The prescription drug methadone, which is used as a pain killer among other uses, was involved in 40 percent of the state’s overdose deaths. Prescription drug overdoses have exploded in other states in addition to West Virginia, especially in rural areas, but the state, with a 550 percent increase in the overdose rate between 1999 and 2004, epitomizes the problem, experts say. (Reuters, 12/9/08)
School Program Helped ‘Disadvantaged’ Kids Succeed
Adults who participated in a program in elementary school designed to help disadvantaged children in the 1980s had higher incomes, more education, and were in better mental and sexual health than their peers who didn’t go through the program, the results of a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine indicate. The goals of the program, the Seattle Social Development Project, which included a balanced mix of boy and girls and racial and ethnic groups, were to help children excel at school and cut their risk of drug use, early pregnancy and getting involved in crime. (Reuters, 12/11/08)
Latest Research
Panic Attacks, Heart Disease Linked: Researchers report in the European Heart Journal that people who have panic attacks are more likely to have heart disease than are people in the general population. The researchers also found an increased risk of heart attacks among people with panic attacks, especially for women younger than 50, although the risk of dying from these heart conditions are much less among people with panic attacks, perhaps because they are more likely than others to seek help for their conditions, the researchers report. (Reuters, 12/11/08)
Decline in Marijuana Use Among Teens Stalls: Although teen drug use has declined by 25 percent since 2001, the decline in marijuana use among teens has begun to level off, according to a University of Michigan study, which was conducted for the federal government. About 11 percent of eighth graders, 24 percent of tenth graders and 32 percent of 12th graders report having used marijuana in the past year, slightly more than the year before. (Reuters, 12/11/08)
Mental Health Problems Common Among College-Age Adults, But Few Seek Help: Although almost half of college-age Americans have suffered from some type of mental health problem in the past year, few seek treatment for those conditions, a new study in Archives of General Psychiatry indicates.Only about one-quarter of young adults—both those who attend college and those who don’t—who have had mental health problems during the past year sought treatment. About 46 percent of college students had experienced mental health problems while about 48 of non-students had problems. (Reuters, 12/12/08)
PTSD Might Have Genetic Roots In Part: The results of a study presented last week at a meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology suggest that the propensity to develop PTSD might have genetic roots in part. The small study shows that the brain of a person who has never been in combat shares many—but not all—of the characteristics of the brain of his or her identical twin who has experienced combat in Iraq. The finding may help guide treatment for people who have the disorder. (Reuters, 12/9/09)
*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
According to Mental Health America, 75 to 95 percent of all doctor visits are somehow stress related. Stress has been linked to many health conditions and illnesses including chronic headaches, backaches, weight gain, high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, infertility, ulcers, insomnia, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, and heart disease. Yoga has the ability to induce the relaxation response which makes yoga for stress management so effective. Bella Online, “Yoga for Stress Management,” December 12, 2008
A number of circumstances can lead working moms into depression, but there are ways to overcome it. Mental Health America is cited as a resource on depression and Mental Health America Board Member William Beardslee, MD, professor of child psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, recommends preventive steps. Working Mother, “Getting Better,” December 2008
According to a 2007 “States of Depression” report by Mental Health America, West Virginia's rates for depression and suicide are among the highest in the country, while another report by NAMI concluded that when it comes to per capita spending on mental health services, West Virginia came in "dead last." Martinsburg Journal, “Mental Health Care in Crisis,” December 14, 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
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- 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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