Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of September 21, 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?
Depression can affect a cancer patient’s likelihood of survival...more
*HEALTH REFORM UPDATE
The Senate Finance Committee will begin work Tuesday on a bill unveiled by Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would cover 94 percent of Americans but excludes a public option. Although the bill has been criticized by some fellow Democrats and Republicans, observers believe it does provide continued momentum for health care reform and a basis for negotiations. In addition to the omission of a public plan, advocates are critical of the “employer mandate” provision, which would tie each employer’s fee to the subsidies its own employees end up getting. That would make companies reluctant to hire lower-income workers. Affordability is another area that needs fixing, critics say, pointing out that lower-middle-class families would pay too much under the plan. (MHH Reporting, 9/21/09)
Snowe To Propose Trigger for Public Option; Gives Good Marks to Obama
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), whose vote is seen as critical in passing health reform, is giving good marks to President Obama’s efforts and the Baucus proposal. A member of the Senate Finance Committee, Snowe will offer an amendment to Baucus’ bill that would create a trigger for a public plan if private coverage remains too costly. She has also drafted an amendment that would make it easier for low-income people to afford insurance. (The New York Times, 9/20/09)
Lack of Health Insurance Associated With 45,000 Deaths
Research released last week estimates that 45,000 deaths per year among working-age Americans in the United States are associated with the lack of health insurance. The study, which was reported in American Journal of Public Health, followed 9,005 adults under 65 years old who took part in a national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1986 through 1994. After 12 years, 351 people had died. Sixty of them were uninsured, and 291 were insured. After accounting for differences in age, education, income, and other factors, the researchers found that people without private insurance had a 40 percent higher risk of dying than people with private insurance. (CNN, 9/18/09)
Companies Reducing Health Benefits; Passing on Costs to Employees
More companies are reducing health benefits or passing rising health care costs onto employees, a new survey finds. The Kaiser Family Foundation, in its annual review of health costs, found that 21 percent of about 3,200 companies surveyed nationwide reduced benefits or increased cost sharing this year because of the economy. Another 15 percent raised workers' share of premiums. The average health care coverage for the average family now costs $13,375, according to Kaiser. Over the past decade, premiums have increased by 138 percent. And if the trend continues, by 2019 the average family plan will cost $30,083. (The Wall Street Journal, 9/16/09)
*TODAY’S NEWS
Military Head Says More Progress Needed on Mental Health Needs
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that he is frustrated with the slow pace of government progress to treat military mental health needs. He said the Defense Department and the VA must do a better job to jointly solve the problem. The chairman said that while millions of dollars have been invested into research on PTSD, traumatic brain injuries and mental health issues, military leaders have not produced enough treatment options and outreach programs to stay ahead of the problems. (Associated Press, 9/16/09)
Study: 8 million Americans Consider Suicide
More than 8 million Americans seriously consider suicide each year, according to a new government study. About 32,000 suicides occur in the United States each year, but the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey indicates that many more give the idea serious thought. People 18 to 25 years old were far more likely to have seriously considered suicide in the previous year (6.7 percent) than those 26 to 49 (3.9 percent). Among people with a substance abuse disorder, 11 percent had considered suicide, compared to 3 percent for people without such disorders. (Associated Press, 9/17/09)
Education Bill Would Boost Early Childhood Learning
An $87 billion higher education bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week included a new federal initiative aimed at raising quality in the early learning and care programs. The program, the Early Learning Challenge Fund, would provide over $8 billion over eight years to states with plans to improve standards, training and oversight of programs serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The Senate is expected to pass similar legislation this fall. President Obama proposed the Challenge Fund during the presidential campaign. (The New York Times, 9/19/09)
Latest Research
Children Who Are Bullied More Likely to Have Psychiatric Problems Later On: Children—especially girls—who are bullied or victimized are more likely to have psychiatric problems later in life, a new study finds. Researchers at Turku University Hospital in Finland examined more than 5,000 children who took part in a national survey. Frequent victim status at age 8 years among females independently predicted psychiatric hospital treatment" and use of psychiatric drugs, the authors write. The study, which appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found the relationship more complex among boys. (HealthDay News, 9/16/09)
Depression Increases Cancer Patient’s Risk of Survival: Depression can affect a cancer patient's likelihood of survival, an analysis finds. But there is no clear association yet with how quickly the cancer progresses, according to a report published in the journal published in the online edition of Cancer. Death rates are nearly 40 percent higher for cancer patients diagnosed with major or minor depression, according to University of British Columbia researchers who surveyed more than two dozen international clinical studies. (Reuters, 9/14/09)
Spanking Toddlers Causes Worse Behavior: Children who are spanked as 1-year-olds are more likely to behave aggressively and perform worse on cognitive tests as toddlers than children who are spared the punishment, new research shows. Researchers looked at data on 2,500 white, Mexican American and black children from low-income families, including parents' reports about their children's behavior and their use of spanking. The study, which appears in Child Development, found that children who were spanked at age 1 had more aggressive behaviors at age 2 and performed worse on measures of thinking abilities at age 3. Being spanked at age 2, however, did not predict more aggressive behaviors at age 3, possibly because the spanking had begun at age 1 and by age 2 the kids were already more aggressive. (CNN, 9/16/09)
Drinking, Weight, Depression Linked in Young Women: Drinking, overeating and depression are all tied to each other, according to new research. A study which appears in General Hospital Psychiatry find that women with alcohol abuse issues at age 24 had three times the risk of obesity by age 27. And women who were obese at 27, the researchers found, were twice as likely to be depressed by the time they turned 30. "When you look across time, alcohol use and obesity predicted later depression,” said lead study author Carolyn McCarty, a research associate professor at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Research Institute. Men in the same age groups did not have the same increased risks, according to the study. (U.S. News & World Report, 9/17/09)
HEADLINES at Mental Health America
Mental Health America Adopts Policy Opposing Life Sentences Without Parole for Juveniles: Such punishment is “inconsistent with any of the purposes which ordinarily guide sentencing.”
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*Mental Health America MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Many people are unfamiliar with the symptoms of depression. Many people feel that it is “just the way I am." Says Dr. David Shern, president and CEO of Mental Health America: "They don't realize that what they have might in fact be a treatable condition. That's because the symptoms can develop slowly and be kind of insidious." Parade, “Could Your Symptoms Be Depression?” September 20, 2009
Depression may well be the most disabling disease in the world, according to the World Health Organization. David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America points out that it is a huge public health issue. "Continuing to have these inane debates about whether we should have insurance coverage for mental health care, in the light of data like these, is just silly," he said. HealthDay News, “Depression May Be World's Most Disabling Disease,” September 7, 2009
Stay Up to Date With More News, Views and Tools
- Survey reveals obstacles to health care for people who have schizophrenia
- New report reveals link between states’ depression status and access to treatment
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- Check out previous issues of Mental Health in the Headlines
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 Relation and Sarah Jones, communications coordinator.
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