2018

Infections May Raise The Risk Of Mental Illness In Children

Posted on December 5, 2018

NPR

Reports that researchers have traced a connection between some infections and mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, shows that a wide variety of infections, even common ones like bronchitis, are linked to a higher risk of many mental illnesses in children and adolescents. The findings support the idea that infections affect mental health, possibly by influencing the immune system.

Here’s how to conquer holiday depression and stress

Posted on December 5, 2018

Marketwatch.com: Moneyish

Provides expert advice on how to combat stress and depression during the most wonderful time of the year.

There’s a Shortage of Psychiatrists for Those Most in Need

Posted on December 3, 2018

The Hill

An opinion piece that looks at the fact that the shortage of psychiatrists who accept insurance in the United States is a serious problem and makes the case for policies that will encourage psychiatrists to take insurance by improving reimbursement and reducing the headache of taking insurance.

Now Mental Health Patients Can Specify Their Care Before Hallucinations and Voices Overwhelm Them

Posted on December 3, 2018

The New York Times

Provides an in-depth look at the benefits of psychiatric advance directives (PAD) for patients with serious mental illness which allows them to specify the treatment they want if they become too sick to say so.

Suicide is one of the nation’s top killers. When will we start acting like it?

Posted on November 28, 2018

USA Today

Reports that suicide rates are up 30 percent in the U.S., yet funding lags behind that of all other top causes of death, leaving suicide research in its "infancy."

What people taking antidepressants, psychiatric medication want you to know

Posted on November 27, 2018

Today.com

Looks at how saying insensitive or misleading things about psychiatric medicines can make people less likely to seek treatment or take medication as prescribed.

10-year plan envisions hub-spoke model for mental health

Posted on November 21, 2018

Reports on a proposed 10-year plan for New Hampshire’s mental health system envisions a regional hub-and-spoke model that provides access to a continuum of services, from prevention and early intervention to crisis and inpatient care.

Gun Control Vs. Mental Health Care: Debate After Mass Shootings Obscures Murky Reality

Posted on November 19, 2018

Kaiser Health News

Reports that public health and mental health experts counter that blaming the violence on the mentally ill is unfair and inaccurate, pointing instead to lax gun laws.

When Will We Solve Mental Illness?

Posted on November 19, 2018

The New York Times

Reports that despite billions of dollars in research funding, and thousands of journal articles, biological psychiatry has given doctors and patients little of practical value, never mind a cause or a cure. Millions of individuals who develop a disabling mental illness either recover entirely or learn to manage their distress in ways that give them back a full life. They constitute a deep reservoir of scientific data that until recently has not been tapped. To push beyond the futility of the last 40 years, scientists need to work not only from the bottom up, with genetics, but also from the top down, guided by individuals who have struggled with mental illness and come out the other side.

States Can Now Offer Broader Mental Health Treatment Thanks to Medicaid Changes

Posted on November 15, 2018

Slate.com

Reports on the decision by CMS to allow states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping Medicaid.