Hogg Foundation for Mental Health News and Grants
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
May, 2012
HOGG FOUNDATION
Mental Health Advocate Brings Expertise to Hogg Foundation's National Advisory Council
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
May 8, 2012
AUSTIN, Texas - The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health welcomes its newest National Advisory Council member, Dennis Mohatt of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The foundation's 10-member council advises staff on strategic direction and potential funding initiatives. Council members have Texas-based or national expertise in mental health, consumer advocacy, philanthropy and other fields related to the foundation's mission of promoting the mental health of all Texans.
http://hogg.utexas.edu/detail/256/.html
TEXAS NEWS
Texas lawmakers review mental health programs
San Antonio Express-News
May 9, 2012
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas lawmakers plan to hear expert testimony on how to improve the state's mental health programs. Mental illness is one of the biggest problems facing the Texas health care system. State-run mental health facilities don't have enough beds and the majority of people in county jails require some form of mental health treatment. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee plans to meet Wednesday morning to discuss what the Legislature can do about it.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Texas-lawmakers-review-mental-health-programs-3544629.php
New group touts Medicaid as 'indispensable' -- and not fiscal villain
Dallas Morning News
May 8, 2012
A new coalition began sounding a contrarian note about Medicaid at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday. My Medicaid Matters said that Medicaid, the government's main health program for the poor and enfeebled, is "indispensable," as one advocate's written testimony to a Senate panel put it. She and a colleague also said that, contrary to conventional wisdom around the Legislature, Medicaid's costs actually have grown more slowly over the past decade than the costs of either the Medicare program for seniors or employer-provided health plans in the private sector.
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/05/a-group-to-raise-public.html
Interactive: Mapping Access to Health Care in Texas
The Texas Tribune
May 8, 2012
The Tribune created this data interactive to illustrate just how lacking access is in some regions of the state. The majority of rural Texas lacks primary care physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists and other specialists, while more populated areas have a sufficient number of providers. The difficulty of recruiting doctors to rural areas means many patients must travel long distances to see a primary care doctor for preventative treatments that could save them from more costly illnesses down the line.
http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/texas-shortage-health-care-providers/
Services lacking at shelters for immigrant kids
Houston Chronicle
May 8, 2012
... Hundreds of children and youths caught crossing the border without their parents or legal guardians have been housed on the Air Force base in the makeshift emergency shelter - one of four now open in Texas - and served hot meals, allowed to play soccer and video games. ...And they are not assigned mental health clinicians, which also is standard practice for those detained in regular shelters, though on-call mental health services are available, officials said.
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Services-lacking-at-shelters-for-immigrant-kids-3544134.php
Study: Juveniles Held in Jails Are Often Isolated
The Texas Tribune
May 9, 2012
Few juveniles in Texas land in county jails, but when they do they are often isolated, in danger from older inmates and without access to educational and rehabilitative programs, according to a report released Wednesday.
http://www.texastribune.org/texas-state-agencies/state-commission-on-jail-standards/study-juveniles-jails-isolated-lack-education/
Parkland hit with new Medicare-Medicaid fraud allegations
Dallas Morning News
May 8, 2012
The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating new allegations that Parkland Memorial Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center doctors defrauded the federal government's health insurance programs for the poor and elderly.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20120508-parkland-hit-with-new-medicare-medicaid-fraud-allegations.ece
El Paso joins study on effects of military deployment
El Paso Times
May 8, 2012
El Paso -- home to one of the largest Army posts in the country -- was selected to be part of a national study on the effects multiple deployments have on communities with large military personnel. ... The first phase of the study, which was done by the Institute of Medicine, has been completed. It discusses the physical and mental health of soldiers who have participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20570359/ep-joins-study-effects-deployment
County supports judicial decision to order mentally ill inmates into state facilities
San Angelo Standard-Times
May 8, 2012
SAN ANGELO, Texas - Getting appropriate treatment for inmates at Tom Green County Jail who have mental health problems in the past has sometimes taken months, Capt. Todd Allen said. No mental health inmates are in the system now, he said, but when they are, the paperwork must be filed, and then the appropriate institution determined, somewhere with the resources to take care of the person.http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/may/08/county-supports-judicial-decision-to-order-ill/
Mental illness stigmas fading but not gone, Abilene experts say
Abilene Reporter-News
May 8, 2012
Understanding of mental health issues is expanding, a pair of Abilene experts said Tuesday, but there is still work to be done before mental illness is viewed without the shroud of stigma that has clouded it. "Knowledge is growing, but there's still a lot of common misconceptions about mental illness in the general public," said Jenny Goode, executive director of the Betty Hardwick Center in Abilene, ruminating on Mental Health Month, which runs throughout May.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/may/08/abilene-experts-say-mental-illness-stigmas-but/
Sheriff election draws 4 in GOP
Houston Chronicle
May 8, 2012
The most heated race in the May 29 Fort Bend County Republican Primary may be the one that will crown the GOP candidate for sheriff who'll face lone Democrat Michael Ellison in the November election. ...Brady, 53, deputy sheriff, said he wants ... to implement a multi-agency gang-and-violent-offender task force and a crisis-intervention unit to address mental illness. "If you're charged with a crime and have a mental illness, nobody can address your mental illness," he said. In such situations, the individuals need to be diverted from the criminal justice system and get the help they need, which will save everybody money, he said.
http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/fortbend-news/article/Sheriff-election-draws-4-in-GOP-3543743.php
Fort Hood touts mental health services during May workshop
Killeen Daily Herald
May 8, 2012
FORT HOOD - With information-packed workshops and seminars, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center plans to showcase its array of mental health services throughout the month. ... As part of National Mental Health Awareness Month, seminars on various behavioral health topics are scheduled each Thursday in May. Each class will include a presentation by local mental health care professionals followed by a question-and-answer session.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=66185
NATIONAL NEWS
Psychiatry Manual Drafters Back Down on Diagnoses
The New York Times
May 8, 2012
In a rare step, doctors on a panel revising psychiatry's influential diagnostic manual have backed away from two controversial proposals that would have expanded the number of people identified as having psychotic or depressive disorders. ... They also tweaked their proposed definition of depression to allay fears that the normal sadness people experience after the loss of a loved one, a job or a marriage would not be mistaken for a mental disorder. But the panel, appointed by the American Psychiatric Association to complete the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or D.S.M., did not retreat from another widely criticized proposal, to streamline the definition of autism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/health/dsm-panel-backs-down-on-diagnoses.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120509
Lawmakers question VA's plans to hire more staff
San Antonio Express-News
May 8, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of Congress expressed doubts Tuesday on plans by the Department of Veterans Affairs' to hire 1,900 additional workers to improve access to mental health care. Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House committee with jurisdiction over veterans' issues, said the VA's plans to beef up staffing looked like a knee-jerk reaction to a critical inspector general's investigation that was in the works.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Lawmakers-question-VA-s-plans-to-hire-more-staff-3542723.php
Report: D.C. children who need mental health services not getting help they need
The Washington Post
May 8, 2012
Thousands of District children who need mental health services are not getting them, and the city's complex system relies too heavily on institutionalizing and medicating those who do receive care, according to a report issued this week by a leading advocacy group. Released less than three months after the District settled a four-decade-old class-action lawsuit, the report from the Children's Law Center calls for routine mental health screenings in pediatricians' offices, more school-based treatment programs and other measures to make it easier for children to access services.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/report-dc-children-who-need-mental-health-services-not-getting-help-they-need/2012/05/08/gIQAbsknBU_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines
NY fines 15 insurers over mental health notices
San Antonio Express-News
May 8, 2012
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York regulators have fined 15 insurers $2.7 million for failing to notify small businesses they were eligible to buy special coverage for mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/NY-fines-15-insurers-over-mental-health-notices-3543007.php
Kelly Thomas video a turning point for mental health care?
Los Angeles Times
May 8, 2012
... This week, after the tape was played for the first time in court, it exploded in the public consciousness - one YouTube version had been viewed 91 times each minute - and became an instant touchstone for those who advocate for a more robust and effective mental health system. Advocates for the mentally ill said they viewed the recording, the centerpiece of the prosecution's case against two officers accused in Thomas' death, as something akin to their Rodney King video.
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-kelly-thomas-mental-20120509,0,4023045.story
Database To Warn Cops Of Dangers
Chicago Tribune
May 7, 2012
The latest attempt to reduce the number of shootings by the Albuquerque Police Department, expected to be announced today, is aimed at the way officers deal with people living with mental illness. "Project Guardian" is essentially a database-driven system that will alert officers who are serving warrants or responding to other types of calls that the officer is about to encounter someone with a mental illness, Police Chief Ray Schultz said Friday.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-mct-database-to-warn-cops-of-dangers-20120507,0,7490722.story
HEALTHCARE REFORM
Nonprofit US hospitals to do more with less-Moodys
Reuters
May 9, 2012
Nonprofit hospitals in the United States face a future of rising costs and dwindling funds as the healthcare reform is implemented and the Congress battles over the budget, according to a Moody's Investors Services report released on Wednesday.To survive what the rating agency is calling a "transition period," the hospitals, which frequently provide free or discounted care for lower-income patients, will have to drastically cut spending.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/usa-healthcare-nonprofits-idUSL1E8G8DDM20120509
These Health Law Bets Are No Figure Of Speech
NPR
May 8, 2012
Bernstein Research stock analyst Ana Gupte laid 50 percent odds recently on chances that the court will strike down the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate along with strict coverage requirements. Over at Intrade, a "prediction market" for current events, the betting Tuesday morning gave chances of about 58 percent that the court will disallow the mandate, which requires people to obtain health coverage or pay a fine.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/05/08/152279840/these-health-law-bets-are-no-figure-of-speech
OPINIONS
Awareness is needed on dealing with mental illness
El Paso Times
May 4, 2012
Over 60 million Americans experience a mental-health disorder. ... However, institutional systems are rarely responsive to the crises which erupt and family members are rarely adequately prepared to recognize and address the onset of an episode. Nor are we aware of the resources available in the community to assist us in addressing our mental-health needs or those of our family members.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_20542421/ouisa-davis-awareness-is-needed-dealing-mental-illness?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com
Addressing mental health through the public health lens
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
May 8, 2012
... SAMHSA projects that the cost of treating mental health and substance abuse is projected to reach $239 billion within the next few years. It is clear that our nation is not doing enough to improve this perilous situation facing communities across the country today. We're not devoting enough attention to improving care for those suffering from a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder, nor are we doing enough to find solutions to prevent the onset of these challenges.
http://blog.samhsa.gov/2012/05/08/addressing-mental-health-through-the-public-health-lens/
RESEARCH
Psychotic symptoms linked to poorer health in general population
MedWire News
May 9, 2012
The presence of at least one psychotic symptom has a significant negative effect on health status, even among individuals who do not meet diagnostic criteria for psychosis, research shows.
http://www.medwire-news.md/47/99270/Psychiatry/Psychotic_symptoms_linked_to_poorer_health_in_general_population.html
How Cannabis Use During Adolescence Affects Brain Regions Associated With Schizophrenia
ScienceDaily
May 8, 2012
New research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) published in Nature's Neuropsychopharmacology has shown physical changes to exist in specific brain areas implicated in schizophrenia following the use of cannabis during adolescence. The research has shown how cannabis use during adolescence can interact with a gene, called the COMT gene, to cause physical changes in the brain.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508112748.htm
Fewer Suicides After Antidepressive Treatment for Schizophrenia
ScienceDaily
May 8, 2012
Antidepressive drugs reduce the mortality rate of schizophrenic patients, while treatment with bensodiazepines greatly increases it, especially as regards suicide. Giving several antipsychotics simultaneously, however, seems to have no effect at all. This according to a new study examining different drug combinations administered to patients with schizophrenia.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508103943.htm
Psychiatric Medications' Effect On Brain Structure Varies
ScienceDaily
May 8, 2012
It is increasingly recognized that chronic psychotropic drug treatment may lead to structural remodeling of the brain. Indeed, clinical studies in humans present an intriguing picture: antipsychotics, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis, may contribute to cortical gray matter loss in patients, whereas lithium, used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania, may preserve gray matter in patients.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508103915.htm
Bipolar symptoms may begin in teen years
Reuters
May 8, 2012
The number of teenagers who have experienced mania -- a hallmark of bipolar disorder -- is close to the number of adults estimated to have the mood disorder, suggesting that for many the condition begins during adolescence, according to a new study.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/08/us-bipolar-idUSBRE84719V20120508
FEATURES & RESOURCES
Closing the Gap for Children's Mental Health
National Alliance on Mental Illness
May 8, 2012
Half of all mental illness begins by age 14. Many people do not know that. They also do not know that, on average, eight to 10 years will pass from the onset of symptoms to the time of intervention for those living with these conditions. In the life of a child, those are critical developmental years. ...This week, as we observe National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (May 9), there are two ways we can work to close the gap.
http://blog.nami.org/2012/05/closing-gap-for-childrens-mental-health.html
Depression, Relatively Speaking
The Wall Street Journal
May 7, 2012
Consider two people: One feels "depressed, said, blue, tearful" five days a month - but thinks this puts him in the top 30% of depressed people. Another feels depressed for fully 10 days a month, but thinks that the average person fees just as miserable even more often. Which of these two people is likely to feel disabled by their depression? A new study, highlighted by Neuroskeptic, underscores the importance of the relative evaluation of one's symptoms. Independent (within reason) of such symptoms, what counts is whether you believe you suffer from an abnormal amount of sadness, remorse, or anxiety.
http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2012/05/07/depression-relatively-speaking/?KEYWORDS=mental
