New 'Repeat Offender'
Bill Will Help Convicts Rehabilitate
In an effort to address the revolving-door
phenomenon of American prisons - convicts who
return to prison for repeated offenses shortly
after being released - Congress is considering
legislation that will aid both mentally ill
and other prisoners to rejoin society.
The
Second Chance Act (backed by Rep. Rob Portman
of Ohio and Rep. Danny Davis of Illiniois)
calls for $112 million over two years to
create drug treatment and mentoring programs
for newly released felons. According to the
New York Times Editorial article ("The Price
of Prisons", June 26 2004), such an investment
is well worth the potential savings if the
bill helps to reduce repeat offenders. Current
operating costs for overcrowded state prisons
is estimated at $30 billion a year.
Related legislation currently in the House is
aimed specifically at mentally ill offenders.
Recent studies estimate that about one in six
convicts are suffering from mental illness, a
staggering statistic that highlights the
current role of state and federal prisons as
default "mental institutions." The Mentally
Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
(passed by the Senate in 2003) asks for a $100
million investment in inmate mental health
services, particularly special training for
those who work in mental health courts. To
read more about the Mental Health Courts
(special courts specifically designed for
mentally ill offenders that include treatment
and follow-up psychiatric care with
sentencing), see the 6/24/04 schizophrenia.com
newsblog entry:
"Separate Courts For Mentally Ill Focus on
Rehab."
http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/000643.html
Article Source: NY times Editorial Desk,
6/26/04
Headline: "The Price of Prisons"
Children await mental
health services in detention
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif) and Sen. Susan
Collins (R-Maine) have recently commissioned
the first Congressional investigation into
children with mental health needs improperly
incarcerated and forced to wait for services
in juvenile detention centers.
The report findings were staggering. Key
statistics include the following:
-Over a 6-month period, nearly 15,000 youth in
detention centers were waiting for mental
health services. The number of youth waiting
in detention each night for needed services
represents about 7% of all incarcerated youth.
-While waiting in detention for health
services, youth in over 160 facilities
attempted suicide. Research indicates that
youth in detention commit suicide at a rate 4
times greater than that of the general young
population.
-A quarter of the detention centers that
answered the survey indicated that they
provide no or inadequate mental health
services. One administrator from Pennsylvania
stated that "mentally ill youth placed in
juvenile detention facilities stress our
centers more than any other problem."
Moreover, the estimated cost to such
facilities due to mentally ill youth come to
about $100 million.
Suggested legislation to address the problem
includes the Keeping Families Together Act, a
bill supporting state efforts to coordinate
care and improve community-based services for
mentally ill children.
Tammy Seltzer, senior staff attorney at
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law,
supported the bill.
"Today's hearing underscores the critical need
to do something concrete to address the crisis
in children's mental health...Senator [Susan]
Collins' bill is an essential step toward
creating a children's mental health system
where kids get services, not jail time, when
they need help."
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is a
national legal advocate for children and
adults with mental disabilities. For more
information, see
http://www.bazelon.org.
View the survey and its findings at
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/
See the full news article at
http://releases.usnewswire.com
Article:
"Thousands of Children with Mental Illness
Warehoused in Juvenile Detention Centers
Awaiting Mental Health Services" (July 7,
2004)
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=105-07072004
How Far Should
Confidentiality Extend?
Following the suicide of a 24-year-old mental
health patient on the grounds of Calvary
Hospital, the woman's family and the Canberra
coroner are charging that the need to protect
and care for a patient should override a
patient's right to privacy. The woman's
treating psychiatrist did not inform her
parents that her diagnoses had been changed
from bipolar disorder to schizo-affective
disorder, "because of a need to protect
patient confidentiality and maintain her
dignity." They were also not informed by the
hospital staff of their daughter's suicidal
intentions.
Other concerns raised by the family in court
included the lack of an adequate follow-up
plan, at least one that they were informed
about. According to the patient's father, his
daughter waited six weeks after being
discharged from the Calvary psychiatric unit
before meeting for the first time with her
treating psychiatrist.
There are currently forms for patients to
designate certain people to whom medical and
treatment information can be released;
however, different measures may be necessary
in the case of the mentally ill. One of the
hallmarks of many mental disorders is poor
insight of the patient into their own illness
- because of this, they may decline to release
diagnosis and treatment information to family
members. Another problem is that many families
are unaware of current confidentiality
legislation, and the need for such a release
form.
For the full news story, see the Canberra
Times (http://canberra.yourguid.com.au).
Article:
"Protection Ahead of Confidentiality"
(July 9, 2004).
For further opinions about changing
confidentiality and commitment laws in the
mental health care system, see
'Getting more say: families want laws changed
in mental health system.' (available at
http://www.psychlaws.org/GeneralResources/article208.htm).
To read about individual state legislation
involving patient confidentiality, commitment
criteria, and other legal issues related to
the mentally ill, see
'Legal Resources' at
http://www.psychlaws.org/LegalResources/index.htm.
Bill to prevent
teen suicide
The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, sponsored
by Oregon senator Gordon Smith in honor of his
late son, would allow $60 million dollars in
funding to help states develop suicide
prevention strategies and create more mental
health services on college campuses.
21-year-old Garrett Smith committed suicide in
his apartment last year. He suffered from
bipolar disorder and various learning
disabilities.
Suicide is an all-too-common tragic end for
people suffering from severe mental disorders
such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or
depression. According to Dr. E. Fuller Torrey
in his book "Surviving Schizophrenia, "suicide
is the number one cause of premature death
among schizophrenics" (p. 271, 3rd ed).
Several senators were touched by senator
Smith's grief-filled account of his son's
death, and shared their own personal
experiences with the suicide of a loved one.
The Senate unanimously passed the bill within
hours of its introduction. It has not yet been
brought to vote in the House.
One high-profile supporter of the measure was
Senator Pete Domenici, who had originally gone
home at the time of the vote, but quickly
returned to show his support. Domenici is the
author of the Mental Health Parity act, and
said he will make another effort to push it
through in the near future.
For the full news article, see MedicineNet.com
(
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=34055
)
Article:
"Senate Suicide Bill Passes" (July 9,
2004).
For more information on suicide prevention and
community crisis resources, see
'Preventing Suicide' at
http://www.schizophrenia.com/suicide.html.
For more information on recent mental health
legislation (authored by Pete Domenici and
Paul Wellstone), see the following news
articles on the schizophrenia.com newsblog:
"An Advocate's Opinion: Equitable Treatment
Act" (concerning the Paul Wellstone Mental
Health Equitable Treatment Act). entry date:
June 27, 2004 at:
http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/000652.html
"When
Politics is Personal" - Senator Pete V.
Domenici and the shaping of the US govt.
policies on brain diseases/mental illness.
Entry date: Schizophrenia update newsletter,
Feb 2003 issue.
http://www.schizophrenia.com/New/Dec02b/politics.htm
Enzyme linked to
suicide
Reduced levels of brain enzyme Protein kinase
C (PKC) may contribute to suicidal behavior,
new research shows.
PKC is an enzyme that promotes neuron
communication in the brain; it has been
previously linked to depression and other mood
disorders.
A
study at the University of Illinois examined
the brains of 34 teenage subjects; 17 had
committed suicide, the others had died from
other causes. The levels of PKC were
significantly lower in the brains of the
suicide victims (9 of which had a history of
mental disorder, and 2 more of which suffered
from substance abuse).
The causal link - whether lowered PKC levels
increases suicidal behavior, or whether
increased suicide risk affects PKC levels - is
still unclear. Moreover, Dr. Peter Parker
(principle scientist at the London Cancer
Research Institute) cautioned that the results
might be skewed if the brain samples were not
taken immediately after death. PKC protein
degrades naturally over time.
However, with this preliminary knowledge, the
research team is investigating treatment
possibilities that might target the PKC enzyme
in suicidal patients.
For the full news article, see news.bbc.co.uk
(
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3866799.stm
)
Article:
"Mood enzyme linked to suicide" (July 5,
2004)
Research Abstract Info (available at
www.pubmed.com): "Altered _expression and
phosphorylation of myristoylated alanine-rich
C kinase substrate (MARCKS) in postmortem
brains of suicide victims with or without
depression" (Pandey GN, Dwivedi Y, et al.; J
Psychiatr Res. 2003:37(5):421-32).
For more research on the neuroscience behind
suicidal tendencies, see the feature article
in the February 2003 edition of Scientific
American:
"Why? The Neuroscience of Suicide" (
www.sciam.com
). This article focuses mainly on the role of
serotonin availability in the brains of
suicide victims.
See also the
NIMH Suicide Research Consortium
(at
www.nimh.nih.gov )
Bi-Polar and
Schizophrenia Both Lack Myelin Genes
Bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia share some
of the same symptoms - notably hallucinations
and delusions (during manic episodes for
bipolar patients, during depressive or
psychotic episodes for schizophrenia
patients). Especially in children, it can be
difficult to distinguish between the two
conditions on the basis of clinical
presentation alone. And schizoaffective
disorder is even more similar, characterized
by both the psychotic symptoms of
schizophrenia and the moodswing component of
bi-polar.
In a recent autopsy study at the Department of
Neurobiology, Babraham Institute, (Cambridge,
UK), in collaboration with Johns Hopkins
University, (PubMed Abstract:
'Oligodendrocyte dysfunction in schizophrenia
and bipolar disorder' Lancet 2003 Sep
6:362(9386):798-805), scientists identified a
similar genetic foundation for the two
disorders. When the genetic information in the
brains of 30 affected patients (15 with
schizophrenia, 15 with bi-polar) were compared
with that of 15 normal subjects, several genes
responsible for the synthesis of myelin were
expressed in the normal subjects but in
neither group of affected patients. The
"missing" genes were not exactly the same for
schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, but there
was significant overlap.
Myelin, or the lack thereof, has been
implicated in other research as a possible
cause of schizophrenia symptoms. During normal
development it sheaths neurons processes,
protecting them and vastly increasing the
speed and efficiency of signal transmission.
Myelination is important for maturing
development and behavior. A large portion of
this process in the brain takes place during
the teenage years; however, brainscans of
adolescents with schizophrenia show prominent
abnormalities in the myelin 'white matter' of
the frontal lobes.
Scientists are now looking to determine
whether the brain regions showing abnormal
myelination are similar in both schizophrenia
and bipolar patients.
To read more about abnormal myelination in
adolescents with schizophrenia, see
'Faulty wiring in the brain may cause
early-onset schizophrenia' (Schizophrenia
Update, Jan 2004; available at 'Newsletter
Back Issues' at
www.schizophrenia.com )
To see more research about the similar genetic
profiles of schizophrenia and other disorder
such as bi-polar, see
'Schizophrenia and Manic Depression Share Gene
Flaw' (Schizophrenia Update, Sept 2003;
available at 'Newsletter Back Issues' at
www.schizophrenia.com)
Source: Harvard Mental Health Letter, Jan 1
2004
HEADLINE: In Brief - Bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia: A common basis?
Database for Brain
Disorders
IBM and the Brain Resource Company (Sydney,
Australia) have recently released the "IntegNeuro"
kiosk, a desktop lab that will allow trained
practitioners to test patients for a variety
of brain disorders from within a hospital or
clinic, simply by matching the patient's data
to a comprehensive international database.
Dr. David Dembo of IBM's health informatics
unit is encouraging about shifting healthcare
to a "proactive science" that utilizes data
management technology to screen and diagnose a
wider variety of patients.
"Because of our new understanding of genetic
predispositions and having a database like
BRC's where you have a comparator of normative
function, we're able to predict which patients
are likely to get a disease and therefore do
pre-symptomatic testing and intervention," he
says. Information for disorders such as ADHD,
dementia, Alzheimer's schizophrenia, and
post-traumatic stress and conduct disorders
are already stored in the brain database.
Developers are looking to add depression and
head injury data next.
The hope is that such a large, comprehensive
database will help to standardise clinical
data and reveal specific markers for certain
disorders, something that smaller existing
databases are unable to do because of
insufficient information.
The database can be helpful not only to screen
at-risk populations, but also to customize
treatments to specific biological and genetic
profiles.
For the full news article, see Australian IT
(
http://australianit.news.com.au ).
Article:
"Brain disorders put in order" (July 13,
2004).
To read more about the
BRC IntegNeuro database, and other
products in development, please visit their
website
(
http://www.brainresource.com ).
Electro-Stimulation of
Brain Cells Causes Chemistry Change
Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) has been a
contraversial, not infrequently used treatment
for serious depressions and some cases of
psychotic disorders for some time, but doctors
did not know the cause of its beneficial
results.
New research from the University of
California, San Diego may shed some light on a
possible mechanism. When scientists
manipulated the electrical currents flowing
through the nerve cells of frog embryos, they
were able to change the levels of released
neurotransmitters depending on whether
electrical activity was increased or
decreased. The affected neurotransmitters
played a role in forming new connections
between nerve cells.
"Different frequencies of signals lead to the
appearance of different neurotransmitters,"
said Nicholas Spitzer, a UCSD neuroscientist.
"The concept then would be to stimulate the
nervous system (through treatments like
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS)
with the relevant frequencies of electrical
stimulation to try to alter the balance of
transmitters."
Neurotransmitter imbalance, such as dopamine
levels in schizophrenia and serotonin levels
in depression, has been implicated in numerous
research studies as being behind some of the
disabling symptoms of the disorders.
The next step before mental illness patients
see any direct benefit will be to determine
whether the same findings hold true in adult
organisms with mature, more complex nervous
systems. Clinical trials in humans are still
several years away.
However, scientists look toward the future
with hopes of developing alternative
treatments to medication therapies. "If we
could find a way to stimulate the function (of
neurons) electrically instead of with drugs,
that may actually be a much more . . . natural
remedy," said Gabrielle Leblanc, a program
director at the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which
helped fund the study.
For the full-text news article, please see
'Scientists at UCSD report on electrical
stimulations of the brain' in the San
Diego Union Tribune
(
http://www.signonsandiego.com ), June 3
2004.
Read more on
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, an
alternative therapy that shows early promise
in the treatment of mental illness (available
under "Other Treatments" on the
schizophrenia.com website).
Internet Audio and Video Files on ECT
(available under "Internet-Based Videos" on
the Schizophrenia.com website):
--ECT
Current Practice and Guidelines (U. New
Mexico grand rounds presentation)
--Patient
Opinions of ECT (researcher interview)
See the following articles for more
information on electroconvulsive therapy
(available under 'Recovery and Resources' on
the schizophrenia.com website):
Electroconvulsive Therapy Overview
Pills to Boost
Brainpower
With all the anti-aging, appearance-altering,
and self-improvement products currently on the
market, maybe it's no surprise that scientists
are in the early stages of developing drugs
meant to improve mental ability.
There's no doubt that such a drug would appeal
to many people trying to avoid the natural
"cognitive decline" that comes with aging,
particularly in a world that is moving faster,
working longer, and sleeping less. However,
the people with clear potential to benefit are
those living with cognitive deficits outside
the normal range - traumatic brain injury
victims and the mentally ill.
According to John Tallman, CEO of
Helicon Therapeutics which is currently
developing such a drug, "The hallmark...is
[that] they don't create more memory. What
these drugs really do is enhance the
conversion process of short-term to long-term
memories."
Other companies with research teams in the
game include
Sention and
Memory Pharmeceuticals.
Memory Pharmeceuticals indicates that it is
developing the drugs with brain-impaired
patients in mind. However, the company
"acknowledges that the potential market for
its compounds, one of which is being tested in
humans, might extend far beyond patients with
Alzheimer's and other memory-robbing ailments.
Though 37 million people worldwide have
Alzheimer's disease, the company says, more
than 180 million — or half of all people over
65 — are experiencing 'age-associated
cognitive decline.' "
The decision that every individual has to
make, whether healthy or ill, is whether the
potential benefits of this or any other drug
outweigh the risks. Judging by the number of
students who are willing to take
energy-enhancing drugs or supplements (e.g.
ritalin, vitamin B12, or "BrainQUICKEN
capsules") for an extra boost, the potential
market for memory-enhancing drugs could be
huge.
For the full news article, see USA Today
(
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/ )
Article: 'Smart
pills' make headway' (July 7, 2004)
Abnormalities in Children
of Sz Mothers
New evidence just in for the role of heredity
in schizophrenia.
A
study in the American Journal of Psychology
shows that an significantly increased
percentage of offspring from mothers with
schizophrenia have neurological abnormalities,
as compared to the offspring of normal mothers
OR to the offspring of mothers with affective
psychosis.
The study evaluated the children of mothers
with schizophrenia, mothers with affective
psychosis, and mothers with no history of
psychiatric disorder. The children were tested
for neurological abnormalities (such as
primitive reflexes, involuntary movement, and
cranial nerve abnormalities) at infancy, age
6, and young adulthood (mean age 22.4 years).
Results found a high percentage of offspring
who showed abnormalities at 6 years old still
retained these abnormalities at age 22. This
correlation was not observed for those
offspring who only showed abnormal neurologic
symptoms at infancy, but not during later
stages of development.
Researchers concluded that the familial risk
of schizophrenia "is associated with
neurodevelopmental disturbance that is
manifest throughout life and belongs to a
different biological continuum from that of
affective psychosis."
I
personally interpret this as: Try not to be
overly concerned about the tendencies of
infants and very young children - wait and see
how they continue to develop.
For the full news article, see
'Neurological Problems Common in Offspring of
Schizophrenia Mothers' (Medscape News -
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/482291,
July 6 2004)
For more info about the heritability of
schizophrenia in families, see
'Heredity and the Genetics of Schizophrenia.'
(
http://www.schizophrenia.com/research/hereditygen.htm
)
For info on what you can do to help lower your
(and your children's) risk of developing
schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders,
see
Schizophrenia - Causes and Prevention
(
http://www.schizophrenia.com/hypo.html )
Experts Forecast Mental
Health Crisis Due to UK Diet
Previous research has already established a
link between a Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency
(found in fish, and "green" foods such as
cabbage) and an individual's risk of
developing schizophrenia. For example, a study
released from the Royal College of
Psychiatrists showed that people who ate lots
of sugar and dairy, but not much oily fish,
were more likely to develop severe mental
disorders.
Now medical experts are predicting a future of
burgeoning mental health issues, due to
gradual changes in the national UK diet over
the last 20 years.
Shifts in farming and food techniques, such as
feeding livestock on processed grain and
vitamin instead of omega-3 rich foods like
grass, have decreased the presence of omega-3
acids in foods that a majority of people
consume on a regular basis. Low consumption of
fruits and vegetables is also compounding the
issue.
Studies have also shown that expectant mothers
with low intakes of omega-3 are more likely to
have children who will later develop mental,
behavioral, or developmental problems. The
mothers themselves were more prone to
depression.
The UK is attempting to divert what is being
forecasted as a "major health crisis" by
encouraging increased consumption of oily fish
(example; fresh salmon - but not
farmed salmon which is higher in toxins -
and sardines). Officials are also considering
fortifying other foods with omega-3
supplements. Scientists are working on methods
to increase the natural production of omega-3
in cow milk.
Read the full report,
'Change in UK Diet Could Trigger Mental Health
Crisis' (June 28, 2004) at
news.independent.co.uk
For more information on the role of diet
(particularly omega-3 fatty acids) in
schizophrenia and brain development in
general, please see:
http://www.schizophrenia.com/treatments.htm
- sections on Omega-3, vitamins and
anti-oxidants, gluten-free diet, and more.
See also
'Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mental Health: Is It
Just a Fish Tale?' from St. John Health
website (
www.stjohn.org ). Describes the research
linking omega-3 levels with several mental
disorders and their symptoms (including
schizophrenia), and has a list of
recommendations and caveats concerning omega-3
in the diet.
Diet and Schizophrenia - By Dr. Malcolm
Peet, University of Sheffield
(
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/omega3/dietand.htm
)
To learn about the possible detrimental
effects of a high-sugar, high-fat diet on
mental health, see
'Nutrition Affects Long-Term Schizophrenia
Outcome' (DailyNews Blog on
Schizophrenia.com, June 20 2004)
Mentally Ill Turning to
Helplines
As it becomes harder and harder for the
mentally ill and their families to gain
entrance into the formal healthcare system,
phone services such as Australia's SANE
helpline are seeing significant increases in
their call volume.
SANE recieved 15,330 calls during the last
year, nearly a 200% increase from the 8560
calls recieved in 2002.
Probable reasons for flooded helplines include
ambiguous legislation barring entrance into
mental health facilities, and overworked,
understaffed resource centers, two factors
that make it difficult for patients and their
families to receive and maintain the care they
need.
Said SANE executive director Barbara Hocking,
"A significant number [of callers] would be
people who know they're unwell or their family
members are becoming unwell and are told,
'You're not sick enough'," she said.
The rising volume of calls can also be
attributed to factors such as increased
awareness of mental illness, and increased
incidence of disorders such as psychosis,
anxiety disorders, and depression.
The breakdown of calls to SANE in 2003 are as
follows:
*
Undiagnosed 26 per cent
*
Depression 22.5 per cent
*
Schizophrenia 20.7 per cent
*
Bipolar 12.5 per cent
*
Anxiety disorders 8.5 per cent The remainder
of calls were for issues such as borderline
personality disorder, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder and autism.
For the full text article, see
'Mentally ill turning to helplines' in The
Age (
www.theage.com.au ), June 22 2004.
Schizophrenia Anonymous toll-free helpline:
1-800-482-9534 x 108
NAMI information and referral service:
1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
For more national and international support
resources, please see
Support Groups on schizophrenia.com
(
http://www.schizophrenia.com/coping.html )
The Long Haul: Fighting Day-to-Day Mental
Illness Stigma
Although we are all tempted at times to tease
our friends with good-natured name-calling -
obsessive, nut-case, whacko, psycho -
Stigmabusters at NAMI remind us that these
terms can perpetuate harmful stigmas held
against the mentally ill population.
The Stigmabusting team at NAMI takes issue
with insensitive images and slogans that they
find in the media - everything from Disney to
Nintendo to the Boy Scout magazine 'A Boy's
Life'
Robert Lundin, active NAMI stigmabuster and
schizophrenia patient, is a prime example of
someone seeking change in issues that directly
affect his own life. Lundin speaks simply
about his illness and his life at police
departments, schools, companies, nursing
homes, and community centers, believing that
"There is no more powerful way to change
attitudes than to make positive contact with
people with mental illnesses."
Lundin has also co-authored his own story in
"Don't Call Me Nuts: Coping With the Stigma of
Mental Illness", in an effort to bring that
positive contact to a larger audience.
Lundin finds that after hearing him speak,
many people with similar problems feel
encouraged enough to come forward and seek
help. Others who are not diagnosed themselves
find better understanding for the mentally ill
they encounter at work, at school, or in their
neighborhoods.
Schizophrenia.com is proud and happy
to be doing our part to foster positive
contact between those with mental illness and
those that interact with them. This positive
impact comes largely from the active
participation of our members, who freely and
generously share experience, stories, advice
and support. Thank you all for being
stigmabusters!
To read Robert Lundin's own account of his
illness and his struggles with stigma, see
'Coping With A Major Mental Illness' at
http://schizophrenia.com/stories/ludkin.html
See also an
online video presentation by Dr. Patrick
Corrigan, co-author with Robert Lundin of the
book "Don't Call Me Nuts! Coping With the
Stigma of Mental Illness. Available at
http://www.schizophrenia.com/video/index.htm#stigma
To read more about NAMI's stigmabusting
efforts, or to become an official NAMI
Stigmabuster yourself, see
'Fight Stigma: Become a StigmaBuster!' at
www.NAMI.org
Source: Chicago Final Edition, Section Q ;
Zone C; Pg. 7
Article Headline: Mental Health Stigma
Obscures Real, Vital People (Byline: Julie
Deardorff).
An Advocate's Opinion:
Equitable Treatment Act
The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable
Treatment Act, currently stalled in Congress,
is a ticket to mental health parity from
health insurers.
The bill would prevent limits on mental-health
benefits (such as higher deductibles or higher
co-payments for services) that are currently
not imposed for physical health conditions.
Janet McCracken is a psychologist at
Highland's Association in State College and an
associate professor at Penn State. She is of
the opinion that such a bill, rather than
causing excessive increases in insurance
costs, would actually improve the financial
situation by relieving the public health
sector from providing costly services for the
mentally ill whose private insurance benefits
have run out.
Her opinion piece in the Centre Daily Times
(originally submitted on May 26, 2004)
compares the projected increases to health
care insurance under full mental-health parity
(less than 1% increase in premiums) to the
estimated $80 billion current annual loss to
our economy in sick leave, unemployment, and
lost productivity of the mentally ill.
For Dr. McCracken's complete opinion piece in
the Centre Daily Times (www.centredaily.com),
please see the article:'We
Can Do More to Help Those with Mental
Illness.'
For more information on the Mental Health
Equitable Treatment Act, and how you can help
support its passage by contacting your
congress member, see
'Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable
