Psychiatric Associates of Atlanta Mental Health News |
Saturday, June 21, 2003
Doctors: Spring Psychological Lift Missed By JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press Writer June 21, 2003, 6:31 AM EDT WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Summer arrives Saturday, but the psychological lift normally provided by springtime hasn't come yet for people suffering from the winter doldrums or more serious seasonal disorders in the weather-beaten East, some doctors say. "Many of my patients are complaining bitterly," says psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal. "Normally there are long, warm, sunny days in April, May and June, with a predictable resurgence in energy and mood. This resurgence has not occurred." The East has had one of its coldest, wettest springs on record.
Depression therapy found inadequate Associated Press CHICAGO Treatment rates for major depression have improved significantly over the last two decades, but more than half of patients nationwide are getting inadequate therapy, a new study suggests. The findings suggest that while the stigma of mental illness may be easing, many doctors may not be aware of treatment advancements, and many patients may be seeking unproven therapies, said Harvard Medical School researcher Ronald Kessler, the study's lead author. Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Sell v. United States Read the full text of this landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision for forcibly medicating defendants who are incompentent to stand trial.
Court reins in forced medication Criteria to help evaluate defendants By CHARLES LANE Washington Post WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday laid out demanding guidelines for forcibly medicating defendants who are too mentally ill to stand trial, a decision that could alter the balance between the government and individuals in a small but significant category of cases. By a vote of 6-3, the court ruled that lower federal courts had mistakenly authorized prosecutors to require St. Louis dentist Charles Sell to take anti-psychotic drugs so he could face charges of Medicaid fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Sell insisted he had a constitutional right to keep what he called "mind-altering" substances out of his body.
Depression costs firms $31 billion every year By PATRICIA GUTHRIE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution For the first time in years, depression in the workplace has a price tag -- $31 billion a year in lost productivity. And that startling figure might be the impetus employers and workers need to treat this common brain disorder more seriously. Many Americans with major clinical depression don't take sick days. They show up and work through the fog of inattentiveness, irritability and sadness, said Walter Stewart, lead researcher of a new study of the depressive disorder. The research is part of the annual American Productivity Audit, which examines the effect of illness in the workplace, and is published in today's special issue on depression of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Details were released Tuesday at a news conference in Washington. Saturday, June 14, 2003
Many Headache Victims Suffer in Silence SATURDAY, June 7 (HealthScoutNews) -- Headaches are one of the leading causes of missed work and school. The absenteeism, lost productivity and medical expenses cost U.S. industry some $50 billion a year. What's more, at least 40 million Americans suffer chronic or repeated headaches, and some 10 million people visit physicians for headaches annually. Such statistics, from national headache organizations, do little to convey the excruciating pain of many headaches.
The quit-smoking pill By Mariko Thompson Staff Writer, The Press-Telegram Sharon Grosskopf must have tried to quit smoking at least 20 times. Name the method and the 62-year-old Simi Valley resident has done it -- quitting cold turkey, popping hard candies, chewing nicotine gum, slapping nicotine patches on her arm. Even when she weathered the physical withdrawal, the psychological craving for a cigarette overwhelmed her resolve. So Grosskopf had no qualms when her doctor suggested taking an antidepressant medication called bupropion. "I didn't care what it was as long as it worked,' she said. "I've heard that quitting smoking is harder than getting off heroin. I don't know if that's true, but it is difficult.'" Monday, June 09, 2003
Electroshock can be lifesaver Symptoms of depression are relieved by ECT Controversial treatment may be most effective JUDY GERSTEL HEALTH EDITOR The doctor who would be sending electricity into her brain was wearing a suit and tie. How odd, she thought. She was on a stretcher, one of seven lined up like an assembly line. She prayed to go first, to get the electrodes fastened to her temples, to start counting backwards from 100 until she fell asleep (she usually made it to 93), to get it over with because the anxiety was making her sick. Every time she woke up, she forgot where she was and why. But she never forgot that she had two young children who needed her. That was why she was here, where she didn't want to be, waiting to be taken behind the curtain. Sunday, June 01, 2003
Food for Thought: Turlock professor, British scientist link criminal behavior to diet. By John Holland The Modesto Bee (Published Tuesday, May 27, 2003, 8:24 AM) TURLOCK -- British scientist Bernard Gesch recalled one of the prisoners he used in a study, a habitual truck thief with a less-than-model diet. When on the outside, the man typically consumed nothing but sugary coffee until late afternoon, then had an egg with bread and french fries, gulped down more coffee or tea, and passed the evening with beer, sweets and cigarettes. "Try to find something green in there," Gesch said. For the study, Gesch put the man and other inmates on a daily regimen of vitamins and other nutrients in pill form. The result: A significant drop in disciplinary actions and other indicators of misbehavior in prison.
Study: Fish is maternal mood aid By Malcolm Ritter ASSOCIATED PRESS May 24, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO - Pregnant women might be able to lower their risk of becoming depressed before or after giving birth by eating fish, a study suggests. That is because they will get a nutrient called omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in seafood and are also available in fish oil supplements, researchers say. Oily fish such as salmon and sardines are especially rich in omega-3. These particular fish are not on the federal list of fish pregnant women should avoid because of high levels of mercury.
Anxiety 'may increase cancer risk' BBC News May 28, 2003 People who suffer from anxiety may have a higher risk of developing cancer, a study suggests. The controversial finding is based on a study of more than 60,000 people in Norway. It will add fuel to the debate over whether psychological factors play a role in determining who may contract cancer. Scientists are so far divided on the issue, with most saying there is not enough evidence to link stress, depression or anxiety to the disease. |
