http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mentalhealth/ en-us Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:00:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419581/posts During a recent talk regarding my book, “Blessed with Bipolar,” I was stumped by the question, “How does a person get to where you are now from where you were in the psych ward?” I actually have a 380 page answer to that question. What stumped me was the question behind the question: “How do I get my bipolar daughter into treatment?” Article Alley http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419581/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:00:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406363/posts New federally financed drug research reveals a stark disparity: children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance. And the Medicaid children are more likely to receive the drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts, the data shows... --snip-- The F.D.A. has approved antipsychotic drugs for children specifically to treat schizophrenia, autism and bipolar disorder. But they are more frequently prescribed to children for other, less extreme conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, aggression, persistent defiance or other so-called conduct disorders — especially when the... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406363/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:07:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401236/posts The Army is severely short of enough mental health professionals to properly attend to soldiers after eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Pentagon and Congress are asking whether that shortage may have played a role in the ability of the accused Fort Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, to elude detection despite a spotty work record and suspicious behavior. Hasan’s competence and radicalism stirred concern among his fellow students and superiors and he was counseled for proselytizing to his patients, but he nevertheless progressed in his schooling and his military career throughout his six years at... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401236/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 00:00:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400817/posts Autism and schizophrenia may be two sides of the same coin, suggests a review of genetic data associated with the conditions. The finding could help design complementary treatments for the two disorders. Though autism was originally described as a form of schizophrenia a century ago, evidence for a link has remained equivocal. One theory puts the conditions at opposite ends of a developmental spectrum. To investigate, Bernard Crespi, an evolutionary biologist at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues gathered data on all known genetic variants associated with each condition, then looked for patterns of co-occurrence. The researchers found... New Scientist. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400817/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 08:38:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392343/posts Early signs suggest the number of suicides in the U.S. crept up during the worst recession in decades, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of states that account for about 40% of the U.S. population. Available data, still incomplete, suggest that this recession, like past ones, coincided with an uptick in suicides. The data from 19 states find an increase in suicides in the recessionary year of 2008 from 2007. Those states historically account for about half of annual suicides in the U.S. Calls to suicide hotlines are rising. And suicides in the workplace and the military -- a... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392343/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:02:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379503/posts WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Associated Press is reporting that a source has told them the shooting suspect in Thursday's attacks on the Fort Hood Army Post in Texas is Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, an Army mental health professional. The attacks on Ft. Hood left 12 people dead and 31 wounded. Authorities killed the gunman, who is said to be Hasan, and apprehended two other soldiers suspected in the attack. According to the AP, a defense official said Hasan was a mental health professional—either an Army psychologist or psychiatrist. It's not known if he was treating people at the post. The... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379503/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 23:24:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377574/posts Study: 85 Percent of Women Say Abortions Cause Mental Health Issues London, England -- A new report from researchers at a university in New Zealand indicates 85 percent of women who had abortions report negative mental health issues as a result. The report is the latest from professor David Fergusson and his team showing abortions cause problems for women. http://www.LifeNews.com/int1371.html LifeNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377574/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:35:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369388/posts Northwestern research finds drugs aim at wrong target CHICAGO --- More than half the people who take antidepressants for depression never get relief. Why? Because the cause of depression has been oversimplified and drugs designed to treat it aim at the wrong target, according to new research from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The medications are like arrows shot at the outer rings of a bull's eye instead of the center. A study from the laboratory of long-time depression researcher Eva Redei, presented at the Neuroscience 2009 conference in Chicago this week, appears to topple two strongly held... Northwestern University http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369388/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:20:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2357211/posts The evidence is mounting that the President is suffering from depression or worse. Here is a summary of the observable evidence: a. Anger is a classic symptom of depression. Remember the terribly angry speech on health care President Obama gave in September? b. Distancing oneself from reality is another symptom. Is not this clearly going on with the President and his apparent inability to address the serious issues in the war in Afghanistan? How is it otherwise conceivable that the Commander-in-Chief doesn’t even speak to his general in 70 days? Perhaps if things were going well in the war, we... self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2357211/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 01:24:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2357098/posts Because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have. Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now... NET http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2357098/posts#comment Wed, 7 Oct 2009 22:28:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2354642/posts The prevalence of mental health disorders in this country has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. Who is treating all of these patients? Clinical psychologists and therapists are charged with the task, but many are falling short by using methods that are out of date and lack scientific rigor. This is in part because many of the training programs—especially some Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD) programs and for-profit training centers—are not grounded in science. A new report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, by a panel of distinguished clinical scientists—Timothy Baker... Association for Psychological Science http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2354642/posts#comment Sun, 4 Oct 2009 16:35:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2347573/posts SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A woman charged in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping who was court-ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment will have a competency review hearing next month. A Utah district court calendar shows Wanda Eileen Barzee will appear before Judge Judith Atherton on Oct. 23. It will be the first time Barzee has appeared in court since doctors at the Utah State Hospital began to forcibly medicate her in May 2008 in an effort to make her competent. If Barzee remains incompetent for trial, the state could seek to have her civilly committed. hosted http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2347573/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:43:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307755/posts WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Use of antidepressant drugs in the United States doubled between 1996 and 2005, probably because of a mix of factors, researchers reported on Monday. About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to more than 10 percent or 27 million people by 2005, the researchers found. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307755/posts#comment Tue, 4 Aug 2009 11:19:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307617/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Use of antidepressant drugs in the United States doubled between 1996 and 2005, probably because of a mix of factors, researchers reported on Monday. About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to more than 10 percent or 27 million people by 2005, the researchers found. "Significant increases in antidepressant use were evident across all sociodemographic groups examined, except African Americans," Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University in New York and Steven Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia wrote in the Archives of General Psychiatry. "Not... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307617/posts#comment Tue, 4 Aug 2009 02:42:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2305527/posts HAVING BIPOLAR vs. BEING BIPOLAR (excerpt from the book, "Blessed With Bipolar: 36 God-Given Gifts of Manic Depression) I have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder does not have me. Bipolar disorder is not, my identity. It is not who I am. Bipolar disorder impacts my personality, emotions, and behavior. It does not dictate what I think, believe, say, or do. There are blessings that come with “having bipolar disorder.” “Being bipolar,” on the other hand, would be nothing but a burden. If I think of myself as “being bipolar” (or of bipolar as being my being), then I am controlled by... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2305527/posts#comment Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:25:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298312/posts RICHMOND, Va. – Missing mental health records of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho have been discovered in the home of the university clinic's former director, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. Cho killed 32 people on April 16, 2007, then committed suicide as police closed in. His mental health treatment has been a major issue in the investigation of the shootings. A memo from Gov. Tim Kaine's chief legal counsel to victims' family members says Cho's records and those of several other Virginia Tech students were found July 18 in the home of Dr. Robert... Yahoo News-AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298312/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:45:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2290942/posts I cracked up – for the first time - on June 4, 1988, three weeks short of completing my Masters degree in Psychology. Some would say I had a nervous breakdown. The psych ward doctors said it was major depression. I say that I saw just how evil my sin is in the eyes of God and it scared the hell out of me. I cracked up, broke down, and de-pressed. I cobbled together some mad reality and blew a fuse. I despaired, decompensated, detached, and derailed. I lost my mind, never to be the same again. Thanks be to... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2290942/posts#comment Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:53:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275011/posts NEW HAVEN — SNIPPET: "Thompson was charged over the weekend with the June 6 carjacking at Church and Chapel streets and is under investigation for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail over the fence at the Yale power plant at 18 Tower Parkway June 7. He told Detective Wayne Bullock that Allah instructed him how to “melt down” the plant, according to documents filed in court Monday. It didn’t cause any damage." SNIPPET: "Police recovered the stolen Nissan Sentra. After Thompson’s confession, bomb technicians spent hours in a wooded grove near the Kimberly Avenue bridge after he claimed he had buried... NH REGISTER.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275011/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:57:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2262793/posts Arlington, VA (AHN) - Mental health experts are recommending the reclassification of prolonged bitterness as a mental disorder. They are proposing the inclusion of post traumatic embitterment disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for the fifth edition due for publication in 2012. The mental ailment is described is a pathological reaction to one negative life event like conflict at work, being laid off, divorce, ailment or separation in which the victim views the event as unjust and a violation of his basic belief and values. Dr. Michael Linden, the German psychiatrist who named the behavior, explained... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2262793/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jun 2009 12:06:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260222/posts Sacramento, CA (AP) -- The Schwarzenegger administration and a federal court appointee have agreed to the framework of a legal settlement to overhaul the way medical care is delivered to prison inmates. The outline of the proposal was given Thursday to The Associated Press and would be the first step toward ending a long-running legal drama that appeared headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The proposed agreement, if accepted by the federal courts and the Legislature, would call for a sharply scaled-down and far less expensive plan to improve poor inmate medical care than the one the federal receiver previously... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260222/posts#comment Fri, 29 May 2009 01:02:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253317/posts There is none more deserving of stress testing than the proposed MOTHERS Act. On the surface, the MOTHERS Act reflects its sponsors overwhelming compassion and empathy for women suffering from alleged mental health disorders resulting from childbirth – often referred to as Postpartum Depression. But when one conducts a brief stress test on important sections of the legislation, taxpayers may find that this costly and sweeping mental health legislation actually fails women of America, but goes a long way in inflating the balance sheets of one of the most lucrative industries in the nation – big Pharma. For instance, the... Natural News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253317/posts#comment Mon, 18 May 2009 18:01:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2250887/posts Any parent would be appaled to learn their child was taken out of the classroom for a mandatory mental health evaluation without their knowledge or consent. But such is the case in Florida where more than 3 out or every 1000 children, on average will be involuntarily committed for psychiatric examination. 3,365 separate involuntary commitments were performed, in 2007 directly from school grounds. Over 3000 separate incidences of children being escorted, mandatory, from school to a psychiatric receiving facility and held in a secured ward, separate from their parents, and without their parents consent in one year. The Voice magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2250887/posts#comment Thu, 14 May 2009 16:39:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249860/posts BAQOUBA, Iraq | The U.S. commander of the Multi-National Force -- Iraq on Tuesday ordered a top-to-bottom review of mental health services for U.S. troops in the country after the worst act of U.S. soldier-on-soldier violence in the Iraq war. Army Lt. Col. Brian Tribus, media relations chief for Multi-National Force - Iraq, told The Washington Times that Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby ordered procedures "to look into [mental health] services available and delivery of those services." Gen. Jacoby also requested that the Army inspector general review all mental health services available to troops in Iraq, Col. Tribus said. Five U.S.... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249860/posts#comment Wed, 13 May 2009 10:15:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2181774/posts On several forums and blogs such a freerepublic, there have been debates about civil commitment and expanding laws and state hospitals and hospital psyche wards. What is disturbing is that many, even Conservatives and libertarians are more than willing to sacrifice civil liberties and safeguards against government tyranny to clear the streets of the homeless mentally ill and other similar individuals. But the truth is that there is on the books in nearly every state, provisions that allow the involuntary commitment of those who are unable to care for themselves due to so called mental illnesses that they suffer from... Mainestategop http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2181774/posts#comment Mon, 9 Feb 2009 20:32:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2178467/posts Alien Hand Syndrome. Fans of "Dr. Strangelove" will recall the title character's inability to control his right hand, which kept trying to give a Nazi salute. Real-life sufferers of AHS (only a few dozen to date) lose conscious control of a limb, probably due to a lost connection between brain hemispheres. The "alien" hand may thwart what the other hand is doing, such as unbuttoning a shirt the other hand is buttoning, or tamping out a cigarette the other hand has just lit. Symptoms can be managed by keeping the rogue hand preoccupied by giving it an object to hold... wsj http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2178467/posts#comment Wed, 4 Feb 2009 22:33:12 GMT