Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of November 9, 2009

Mental Health in the Headlines offers summaries of the latest news and views in the mental health field. Coverage of news items in this publication does not represent Mental Health America's support for or opposition to the stories summarized or the views they express.

*DID YOU KNOW?

Racial discrimination makes African American women less psychologically resilient and more prone to depression...more

*HEALTH REFORM UPDATE

Health Care Plan Passes House

The House of Representatives Saturday night passed a sweeping health care reform plan. By a vote of 220 to 215, lawmakers approved a bill that would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years and is paid for through new fees and taxes along with cuts in Medicare. It would extend coverage to 36 million people now without insurance while creating a government health insurance program. The plan would end insurance company practices like not covering pre-existing conditions or dropping people when they become ill. The approval cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on its reform plan. (The New York Times, 11/08/09)

Mental Health Benefits, Parity Included in House Bill

The bill approved by the House significantly improves access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. It also applies mental health and substance use parity requirements to all qualified health benefit plans regardless of whether they are offered in the individual or group market. In addition, the bill includes provision to improve care coordination and increase the number of behavioral health service providers. Many programs to improve access to prevention services would be supported through the legislation, including home visitation programs, school-based health clinics, and employee wellness programs. (MHH Reporting, 11/09/09)

*THE TRAGEDY AT FORT HOOD

The tragedy at Fort Hood is focusing greater attention on the military mental health system and the stresses experienced by troops and professionals.

Continued Deployments Taking Toll on Mental Health of Troops

The stress of multiple deployments is taking a toll on the psychological well-being of the servicemen and women and their families. “These invisible wounds of war are profound and relatively common,” said Dr. Charles Marmar, a psychiatrist and one of the nation’s leading experts on stress-related disorders. “Pound for pound, they may be more disabling than physical wounds. People often don’t seek treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or depression or psychosis, and they are very disabling without proper treatment.” There is also a strong association between having more than one deployment and PTSD, experts say. Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke publicly about the fear among troops that they sill be stigmatized if they seek help for mental health problems. (The New York Times, 11/07/09)

Military Therapists Feel Strain

As an investigation continues into the motives of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, accused of the mass shootings at Fort Hood Army base, the tragic events are putting a spotlight on the strains experienced by military psychiatrists and psychologists. An acute shortage of trained personnel has left these therapists emotionally drained and overworked. The Army has only 408 psychiatrists serving about 553,000 active-duty troops around the world. As a result, some soldiers say they have waited almost a year to see a psychiatrist. Many mental health professionals say they have crushing schedules, seeing 10 or more patients a day. (The New York Times, 11/08/09)

*TODAY’S NEWS

Federal School Program Increases School Safety

A federal program aimed at increasing school safety is achieving results, a government report says. The study found that over three years school districts participating in the program, called Safe Schools/Healthy Students, had a 15 percent decrease in the number of students involved in violent incidents. The number of students who reported experiencing or witnessing violence fell 12 percent. Among school staff, 84 percent said the program improved school safety, 77 percent said it reduced violence on campus and 75 percent said it reduced violence in the community, according to the report. The program includes a community-wide plan that offers mental health services and social and emotional supports that are provided in partnership with local police, juvenile justice systems and mental health agencies. (HealthDay News, 11/05/09)

Survey Shows Kids Are Stressed Than Parents Think

Worries about school and their family’s economic condition are causing the most stress for kids, according to an annual survey. The American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” survey found that parents underestimated the level of stress children feel and the causes of that stress. A third of the 1,206 children in the survey (ranging in age from 8 to 17) reported feeling more stress than they had a year ago. Nearly half are worried about school, while only a third of their parents thought their children saw school as a problem. Thirty percent are worried about family finances; just 18 percent of parents think that their children worry about it. Twenty-nine percent of teens report worrying about what comes after high school—getting into a good college or finding work—but only 5 percent of the parents of teenagers think that is causing stress for their children. (USA Today, 11/03/09)

Suicide Prevention, Mental Health Groups Protest “The Office”

Suicide prevention and mental health organizations are protesting the Halloween episode of NBC’s “The Office” in which Steve Carrell attempted to scare a group of children with the depiction of a hanging. Afterward, his character makes an exaggerated public service announcement: "Kids, just remember, suicide is not the answer. It is the easy way out." The groups are calling for greater sensitivity. They say it is offensive to some people who have lost relatives to suicide by hanging and could prompt vulnerable people to copy the act. (Associated Press, 11/05/09)

Latest Research

Treating Depression in Teens Has Long-Term Benefits: Long-term treatment of depression in adolescents produces continual benefits, even after treatment ends, according to a study. The Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) evaluated the effectiveness of three common treatments for adolescents with depression: an antidepressant Prozac, "talk therapy," and a combination of the two. In contrast to earlier reports on short-term treatments in which worsening after treatment is the rule, the longer treatment in the TADS was associated with continual benefits over one year of follow-up, say researchers, who reported their findings in the American Journal of Psychiatry. (Reuters, 11/03/09)

Chronic Stress Triggers Bad Eating Habits:Women under chronic stress are more likely to eat high-fat foods and to feel they lack control over their hunger and eating, a study finds. Researchers asked more than 600 overweight and obese women about their eating habits and the stress in their lives. They found that participants under chronic stress were more likely to rely on "rigid restraint"—such as skipping meals and vowing to avoid fattening foods—as a form of weight control. (USA Today, 11/02/09)

Racial Discrimination Major Threat to African American Women’s Mental Health: Racial discrimination makes African American women less psychologically resilient and more prone to depression, a study reports. Using data from the National Survey of American Life: Coping with Stress in the 21st Century, researchers analyzed the relationship between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among 2,300 African American adult women. African American women who viewed themselves as being able to exercise some control over their life circumstances reported fewer depressive symptoms. Women who were subjected to higher levels of unfair treatment experienced more depressive symptoms, in part, because day-to-day discrimination undermined their overall confidence in their ability to manage life challenges, researchers report in Springer’s journal Sex Roles. (ScienceDaily, 11/08/09)

Adults Surviving Pediatric Cancer Show an Increased Risk of Suicidal Thoughts: Adults who suffered from cancer during their childhood years present a high probability of developing suicide thinking, even though many years passed since their therapies, a new study finds. The study, which appears in online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology found brain and central nervous system cancer survivors were the most likely to experience suicidal thoughts—10.6 percent—while survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma were the least likely—6.7 percent. The study found 4.5 percent of the control group had suicidal thoughts. (Topcancernews.com, 11/07/09)

HEADLINES at Mental Health America

Mental Health America Mourns Victims at Fort Hood: We extend our sympathies to the family and friends of victims. Our thoughts are also with the men and women who proudly serve in our nation's armed forces and the families who support them.

Mental Health America Praises House Health Reform Bill: Takes ground-breaking steps to expand coverage and significantly improving access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services.

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*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Tough economic times have an impact on the mental health of individuals. “As life becomes more unpredictable, levels of toxic stress increase,” says David L. Shern, the president and CEO Mental Health America. The New York Times, In Anxious Times, Medical Help for the Mind as Well as the Body,” November 7, 2009

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Suicide Awareness Voices in Education joined in protesting a scene in NBC’s “The Office” that made light of suicide. TV Guide, “Suicide Prevention Groups Target The Office,” November 5, 2009

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Mental Health in the Headlines is produced weekly by Mental Health America. Mental Health America's Mental Health in the Headlines staff: Steve Vetzner, senior director, Media Relations.

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