Articles, Leading Stories
Psychologists bring insights to stage
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Was Hamlet depressed or suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder? Would Medea, who turned a vengeful hatred for her ex-husband toward her own children in the ancient Greek tragedy, be diagnosed today with borderline personality disorder? How would other heroes or anti-heroes, fare on today’s therapeutic coaches? In creating a new theater company, Boston’s Psych Drama, clinical psychologist Wendy Lippe, Ph.D., decided to use the theater as a way to both take a closer look at the psychology behind these classic and classical plays and to give audiences insight into their own psyches. Starting with a modern take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” [More]
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Legislative, other priorities are highlighted
By Pamela Berard
Editor’s note: A team of reporters from New England Psychologist recently spoke with key state association members to learn about legislative and practice issues important to them in 2012. Connecticut Legislators in Hartford last year approved the establishment of a quasi-public agency to develop a health insurance exchange, making Connecticut one of 14 states to set up marketplaces for consumers to shop for health insurance either online or by telephone. The move meets a requirement of federal healthcare reform. The Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange would serve individuals not enrolled in an employer-sponsored insurance program, Medicare or Medicaid and small businesses [More]
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Prevention methods part of new law
By Phyllis Hanlon
It’s been a long road since Gov. Deval Patrick introduced his proposal to bring gambling to Massachusetts on Sept. 17, 2007. But after more than four years of additional study, debate and compromise, Patrick signed a bill on Nov. 22 that will allow construction of three casinos and a slot machine operation in the Commonwealth. Although supporters hail the new legislation, some consumers and advocacy groups have expressed concern about potential negative social consequences. While much of the wrangling over the casino issue has taken place on the political stage, some community-minded agencies have been working diligently to prevent repercussions [More]
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Insurance fight for eating disorder patients continues
By Jennifer E Chase
Some New England companies support population For 10 years, James Greenblatt, M.D. has fought a near-daily occupational hazard. It has followed him from his last job to his current one and has robbed him of hours he’ll never get back while highlighting unfairness in the country’s managed care system – case by upsetting case. As the new medical director of the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center in Massachusetts, instead of spending more time with patients who need CEDC’s aggressive residential care, Greenblatt is often subsumed with arguing the severity of their cases to prove that their diagnosis of having an acute [More]
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New DSM-5 highlights presented
By Jennifer E Chase
In correspondence with New England Psychologist, the DSM-5 Task Force chair David J. Kupfer, M.D., confirmed and elaborated on the following highlights of what practitioners can expect in the newest DSM. Category: “Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence” Changes: The Task Force has considered adding the following five disorders: Language Impairment, Late Language Emergence, Specific Language Impairment, Social Communication Disorder and Voice Disorder. The following have been suggested for elimination: Expressive Language Disorder, Mixed Receptive-expressive Language Disorder and “Communication Disorder Not Otherwise Specified” (which is being moved to a different category). Kupfer’s Comments: “A noteworthy change…is that [More]
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Changing times shape the real DSM-5
By Jennifer E Chase
Considered the bible of psychiatric disorders, practitioners know the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association, describes symptoms and criteria for diagnosing mental disorders and provides a valuable common vernacular for discussing diagnoses. The DSM has been revised four times since its first printing in 1952 with a new iteration scheduled for May 2013. But according to the Psychiatric Association, the last 20 years have provided such an unparalleled spike in information about the brain and human behavior that the collective understanding of mental illness is greater than any point in history, making [More]
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Petition concerns proposed manual changes
By Catherine Robertson Souter
First published in 1952, the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” is used throughout the U.S. and in many places around the world, in the diagnosis of mental illness and, as such, each revision is carefully debated and dissected. DSM-5, scheduled to be completed by May 2013, has prompted feedback and criticism. Several American Psychological Association divisions have added their voices to the discussion. In an open letter/petition posted online in October, the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32) and five other APA divisions raised concerns about both the process and revisions themselves. “The main concerns we have [with [More]
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New AAP guidelines recommend collaboration
By Pamela Berard
New American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines recommend primary care physicians initiate an evaluation/treatment for ADHD for children ages four to 18 who present with symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity. The previous AAP guidelines covered children six to 12, but AAP says emerging evidence makes it possible to diagnose and manage children as young as four and the organization wants to stress that ADHD is a “chronic” condition, and therefore, consider children with ADHD as having special health care needs. Area psychologists see pros and cons to these new guidelines. “Mostly, I think it’s a positive change,” says Rachel [More]
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Grant focuses on housing, health needs
By Janine Weisman
The Providence Center has received a $1.5 million federal grant to work with housing providers and homeless advocates to secure access to behavioral and primary health care services for chronically homeless people in three Rhode Island cities. The three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration allows Providence Center staff to launch Home Base, a program that offers individualized services to those with a history of homelessness over a span of several years and veterans who have a co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorder. Working with nearly 20 partner agencies, The Providence Center is coordinating case [More]
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Cap recommended on addiction treatment
By Pamela Berard
Maine state budget task force recommended a two-year MaineCare limit on Suboxone – a replacement drug used for the treatment of opiate addiction – as part of an effort to trim $25 million from the state budget. The recommendation was one of the many cuts submitted to the Streamline and Prioritize Core Government Services Task Force by the Department of Health and Human Services, which was asked to submit proposed cuts to the task force. The overall package included administrative efficiencies like reduction of the cost of leased space and reduced travel expenditures and reductions in funding of certain programs. [More]
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