Mental Health
National Depression Screening Day
In honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week, the nonprofit organization Screening for Mental Health, Inc. will be sponsoring the annual National Depression Screening Day on October 7, 2010. Since 1991, Screening for Mental Health has been hosting the awareness event that is intended to reach a large-scale proportion of the public by offering free, anonymous mental health care screening, education, and treatment resources both online and at available visitor locations.
HHS Awards Millions to Behavioral Health Care Facilities
On Friday, September 24, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $26.2 million in grants to 43 different community behavioral health agencies across the country in an effort to expand and improve the availability of the public’s substance abuse treatment and mental health services.
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Safer Form of Ketamine Could Be Developed to Quickly Treat Severe Depression
Most anti-depressants take weeks or sometimes months to take effect, which can be difficult for those suffering from severe depression or anxiety. Researchers from Yale University have now found that the drug ketamine can take effect within hours. The drug has already been very effective in treating severely depressed patients, and researchers hope this finding will lead to the development of a safer, easier-to-use form of the drug.
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Stigma Still Surrounds People with Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorders
People who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse problems are still viewed in a negative light by many, despite a greater understanding of the neurobiological causes of these disorders. A study by researchers from Indiana University and Columbia University found that prejudice and discrimination against those with mental health problems, including addiction, have remained the same and may actually be increasing.
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Comorbid Substance Abuse and Mental Illness May Lead to Violent Behavior
Scientists have found that being diagnosed with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia does not necessarily make an individual more prone to violent behavior. Individuals with these psychiatric disorders who also abuse alcohol or drugs, however, do have a stronger relationship with violence, according to a new study.
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More Americans Are Being Treated for Mental Disorders with Medication, not Therapy
A new study has found that the same number of Americans are seeking outpatient treatment for their mental health conditions as the previous decade, yet less are receiving psychotherapeutic treatment.
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Nurses Reporting On-the-Job Assault from Patients
Because many states are cutting their spending on mental health care services, Americans are increasingly losing resources to treat their substance abuse and psychological conditions. Without specialized care, many cases of alcoholism, drug abuse, and psychiatric crises go untreated and worsen, and eventually land these individuals in the emergency room. In recent studies, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has reported on escalating numbers of emergency department (ED) visits across the country due to substance abuse and mental health issues. Not only are ED professionals undergoing heightened levels of stress, pressure, and criticality due to the rising onset of drug intoxication or mental health cases in the emergency room, but they are also experiencing increasing amounts of workplace violence.
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State Department Employees Discouraged from Seeking Mental Health Treatment Due to Stigmatization
A new internal report for the State Department suggests that more needs to be done to desensitize the stigma surrounding mental health treatment for State employees.
Intervention Program Highly Effective in Treating Abused Children in Foster Care
The Fostering Healthy Futures program, a mentoring and skills training program for abused children placed in foster care, has the potential to reduce mental health disorders and associated problems in children with a history of maltreatment, according to a new study.
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Animal Planet Sheds Light on Animal Hoarding in New Series
While recent breakthrough shows such as Hoarders on A&E and Hoarding: Buried Alive on TLC have made the obsessive-compulsive behavior of hoarding gain national attention, Animal Planet focuses the lens on the problem even further in a new television series.
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