Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of July 6, 2009

*DID YOU KNOW?

Anxiety and depression can increase the incidence of angina...more

*TODAY’S NEWS

HHS Rescinds Harmful Medicaid Rules

The Department of Health and Human Services last week rescinded three Medicaid rules issued by the Bush Administration that advocates had fought because they harmed the poor. The rules would have eliminated reimbursement for school-based administrative and transportation costs; limited the outpatient hospital and clinic service benefit for Medicaid; and restricted beneficiary access to case management services. A moratorium on the regulations had been set to expire on July 1. (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, 6/30/09)

IOM Recommends Priorities For Comparative Effectiveness Research

An Institute of Medicine panel last week released of 100 priorities for comparing the effectiveness of medical treatments as part of $1.1 billion research program. The recommendations include comparing treatments for atrial fibrillation, irregular heartbeat, prostate cancer, age-related hearing loss, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lower back pain. The panel also suggested comparing strategies for reducing hospital-acquired infections and unwanted pregnancies. (The New York Times, 6/30/09)

Cost-Effectiveness of Preventive Care in Health Reform Questioned

Although Senators and the Obama Administration want to include preventive care in a health reform plan and use the savings to improve services, they are being told by congressional budget officials that they aren’t cost-effective. While preventive health care can be costly—treating hypertension, for example—other measures may be less so. Experts argue that community- and employer-based programs aimed at encouraging people to exercise and improve their diets are cost-effective because they don’t involve health professionals. (Congressional Quarterly, 6/29/09)

Report: Treatment of Depression in Adults Should Consider Children

Physicians and other health care professionals who treat adults with depression also should consider the effects of the illness on their patients' children, according to a new report from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. “Depression interferes with quality of parenting and puts children of all age levels at risk for poor health and development," said Mareasa Isaacs, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Alliance of Multi-Ethnic Behavioral Health Associations. "The message is that it's really important to look at depression as something that affects not only the individual, but the children and other members of the family." (AAFP News, 7/3/09)

FDA Requires Black Box Warnings for Two Anti-Smoking Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration will require two smoking-cessation drugs, Chantix and Zyban, to carry the agency's strongest safety warning over side effects that include depression and suicidal thoughts. The requirement, called a "black box" warning, is based on reports of people experiencing changes in behavior while taking the drugs. Despite the stricter warnings, the FDA said consumers and doctors have to weigh the benefit versus the risks of the drugs. (The Washington Post, 7/1/09)

Latest Research

Low IQ Alone Doesn’t Increase Risk of Early Death: Low IQ alone doesn't increase a person's risk of early death, a new study finds. The Swedish study, which appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, used data on nearly 44,000 men who were born between 1949 and 1951 and called up for military duty in 1969 and 1970. It found that other major factors—such as mental health problems, risky behavior during adolescence and social circumstances as an adult—negate the effect of low IQ.  The findings challenge previous research in the area. (The Washington Post, 07/02/09)

No One Gene Variation Underlies Schizophrenia: Common variations in genes may explain underlie schizophrenia, but no one single variation creates the majority of risk, three new studies show. A multinational group of researchers analyzed the DNA of 10,000 people with schizophrenia, and 20,000 without, and found 30,000 common gene variations linked with the mental illness. The findings, which are reported in the journal Nature, show more than anything is that schizophrenia doesn't have a single genetic cause. (Reuters, 07/01/09)

Anxiety, Depression Can Increase Angina: Anxiety and depression can increase the incidence of angina, a new study show. Researchers at the University of Washington studied 191 people with known ischemia who underwent stress testing and heart imaging. They found that 36 percent reported no angina in the previous month, with 35 percent reporting monthly incidents.  Of the 30 percent who had daily or weekly angina, psychological assessments, including a self-reporting anxiety and depression questionnaire, showed that 44 percent had significant anxiety and two-thirds had significant depression. The findings are reported in the online issue of Circulation. (Healthday News, 06/29/090

Mexican Wives Whose Husbands Migrate to U.S. Have Poorer Mental Health: Mexican wives who stay home when their husbands immigrate to the United States for work have poorer mental health than a comparison group. The study, which appears in the journal Health Care for Women International, attributes this condition largely to the nontraditional gender roles that are forced upon the women because of their husbands' absence. “For most of the women, a shift in ideology comes as a necessity, not a choice. This necessity is brought on when their husbands leave and their duties of livelihood and community representation increase,” said Jared Wilkerson, lead study author. (The Los Angeles Times, 07/3/09)

HEADLINES at Mental Health America

New Regional Policy Council Established: Mental Health America has established a new Regional Policy Council made up of 10 affiliate policy leaders from around the country to strengthen its state advocacy work.

*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

David L. Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America, pointed out in testimony before a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that people with mental health and substance use conditions have traditionally not been well served by the current health care system. Such persons have been subject to discriminatory limits on private insurance coverage preventing access to needed therapies, Shern said, expressing the organization's approval of the draft legislation's principle of non-discrimination and parity for behavioral health services. Dotmed News, “Health Reform Round-Up: House Committee Hearings,” July 1, 2009

Mental Health America has found that 30-70 percent of individuals who have committed suicide suffered from some form of depression. Many health professionals and patients have acknowledged the possible risks associated with anti-depressants but it is felt that leaving depression untreated should not be the answer. The Miami Herald, “Treat depression,” July 5, 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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