|
|
 | | |
News from NAMI Arkansas
PRESCHOOLERS WITH THREE OR MORE COEXISTING DISORDERS SHOW NO RESPONSE TO ADHD MEDICATION TREATMENT
Preschoolers who are diagnosed with ADHD are not likely to respond to treatment
with the stimulant methylphenidate, regardless of dosage, if they also have
three or more coexisting disorders, according to a recent analysis of data from
the Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS). PATS was funded by the
National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Previously reported PATS results showed that overall, low doses of
methylphenidate were safe and effective in treating 3-5-year-olds diagnosed with
ADHD.
This most recent study, one of seven new PATS articles published November 5,
2007, in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, sought to
identify individual characteristics that may affect how a child would respond to
treatment. The other articles examine topics such as the effectiveness of
methylphenidate over a follow-up phase, the effects of the medication on
functional outcomes for the preschoolers, and others.
Press release:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/preschoolers-with-three-or-more-coexisting-disorders-show-no-response-to-adhd-medication-treatment.shtml
UNCLAIMED CHILDREN REVISITED: THE STATUS OF CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES
The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) recently released a report, Unclaimed Children Revisited: The Status of Children's Mental Health Policy in the United States, which documents how current mental health policies across the United States respond to the needs of children and youth with mental health treatment needs, those at-risk, and their families. The report identifies the best policy practices that support family and youth-focused, research-informed, developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically competent services and supports. It also discusses the extent to which new knowledge has been incorporated into the policy and practice frameworks governing children’s mental health today.
To access the report, visit the NCCP homepage at http://www.nccp.org/.
(If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste it to your browser.)
Unclaimed Children Revisited is afollow up to a NCCP report released 25 years ago titled, Unclaimed Children: The Failure of Public Responsibility to Children in Need of Mental Health Services. In the proceeding report, NCCP documented policy and program disconnects that prevented children and youth with mental health treatment needs and their families from receiving needed services.
NIMH UPDATE: NEW GUIDE ON BIPOLAR DISORDER IN CHILDREN AND TEENS
The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) has posted on their website a new easy-to-read booklet on bipolar disorder in children and teens that explains what it is, when it starts, and how to get help. As an outreach partner with NIMH, NAMI Arkansas has this available to you - we can order it and ship copies to you. Just give us a call and we'll put you on the list!
U.S.DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: NEW GUIDE ON REDUCING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM
The U.S. Department of Education has developed a new guide for elementary school educators and school and district-level administrators that offers prevention, implementation, and school-wide strategies that can be used to reduce problematic behavior that interferes with the ability of students to attend to and engage fully in instructional activities. The guide is part of their “What Works Clearinghouse,” which is a source of scientific evidence for what works in education.
To access the guide, visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/behavior_pg_092308.pdf.
GETTING AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS FOR YOUR CHILD: TEN STEPS FOR FAMILIES
NAMI has developed a new fact sheet for families titled, Getting an Accurate Diagnosis for Your Child: Ten Steps for Families. We know families sometimes face numerous challenges when getting an accurate diagnosis for their child. Fortunately, there is still plenty families can do to help their child get an accurate diagnosis and ultimately receive the most effective treatment, supports, and services. We hope this new fact sheet helps families through the challenging process of getting an accurate diagnosis for their child.
The fact sheet can be accessed at http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Child_and_Teen_Support&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=63784
NAMI Applauds Legislation Based on GAO Report on Transition-Age Obstacles
Statement of Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Under the best of circumstances, the transition years from adolescence to adulthood are rarely easy. They are infinitely harder for young adults, ages 18 to 26, who live with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Their transitions are also made more difficult by the separation and differences that exist between the nation’s child and adolescent and adult mental health care systems.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued today estimates that 2.4 million young Americans living with mental illnesses fall within transition ages, but this estimate does not include young adults who are funneled into the criminal justice system, institutionalized or living homeless on the streets. Overall, the result is tremendous costs across different sectors of society, and a terrible toll on individuals and their families. There must be a better path to adulthood.
The GAO report highlights the challenges confronted by this special population of young adults, who live with mental illnesses through no fault of their own. It also focuses on programs in four states—Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Mississippi—that are specifically trying to help them. But the challenges of transition are a national issue. They exist in every state and community.
We need a 50-state commitment and strategy to provide life skills, education, housing, supported employment and other services that can serve as a foundation for the future for young adults in transition who live with mental illness.
NAMI applauds Senators Gordon Smith and Chris Dodd and Representative Pete Stark for their leadership in introducing federal legislation today that will help provide that national foundation. It is an important step forward. The legislation will provide state-wide planning grants to support states who seek to meet an urgent need.
The legislation is an investment in the future.
It will help young adults reach their full potential.
To read the GAO's origional report visit their website HERE.
The CASSP Newsletter is now available!
In this issue find out more about:
FRONTLINE Presents The Medicated Child
Please Note: NAMI has not had an opportunity to view the program in advance and did not provide any input into its content. However, here is information FRONTLINE provided us with about the show:
The program explores how in recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with serious psychiatric disorders and prescribed medications that are just beginning to be tested in children. The drugs can cause serious side effects, and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. FRONTLINE producer Marcela Gaviria confronts psychiatrists, researchers and government regulators about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs for troubled children. The biggest current controversy surrounds the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder was long believed to exist only in adults, but, in the mid-1990s, bipolar in children began to be diagnosed at much higher rates, sometimes in kids as young as 4 years old.
FRONTLINE has launched a Web site where you can watch a preview of the program and read a full description. Here is the link to the Web site:
http://www.pbs.org/frontline/medicatedchild
DEPRESSED ADOLESCENTS RESPOND BEST TO COMBINATION TREATMENT; PSYCHOTHERAPY COMBINED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION MOST EFFECTIVE
A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication appears to be the
most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder—more
than medication alone or psychotherapy alone, according to results from a
major clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the October 2007
issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
The long-term results of the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study
(TADS) found that when adolescents received fluoxetine (Prozac) alone or in
combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over the course of 36
weeks, they recovered faster than those who were receiving CBT alone.
Full press release: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/depressed-adolescents-respond-best-to-combination-treatment.shtml
STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON MEDICATION TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER
For depressed people with bipolar disorder who are taking a mood stabilizer, adding an antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), according to results published online on March 28, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results are part of the large-scale, multi-site Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), a $26.8 million clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/stepbd-medication.cfm
Two additional items of interest on the NIMH website:
OPENING STATEMENT of Dr. Thomas R. Insel at the Senate Appropriations: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for mind, brain and behavioral research at NIH.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/testimony/2007-senate-appropriations.cfm
INSIDE NIMH: FUNDING NEWS FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE NIMH AWARDEES
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/researchfunding/newsletter/index.cfm
|
|
|
| | |
|
Arkansas
News
