Articles, Leading Stories
Health care reform offers options
By Nan Shnitzler
The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act remains under legal attack even while its provisions begin to take effect. While there’s plenty of information about the PPACA and behavioral health at the American Psychological Association Web site, among others, two health policy analysts with New England connections noticed that not much had been written in the popular press. So they compiled a three-page précis in The New England Journal of Medicine, published online Aug. 17, that lays out how health care reform will improve access to care and address system fragmentation – and describes the challenges that remain. “We [More]
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Can medical students afford mental health treatment?
By Janine Weisman
Medical students experience higher rates of depression, burnout and other mental illnesses yet a new study shows insurance coverage offered by U.S. medical schools significantly limits their treatment for mental health disorders and substance abuse. Only one out of five medical schools provides complete coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment without co-pays or coinsurance, researchers at the Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance found in their study published in the Sept. 7, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The first ever survey of such coverage found most medical schools imposed annual visit and dollar limits and [More]
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Study: Drug does not reduce PTSD severity
By Pamela Berard
A recent study showed that a widely-prescribed medication within the Department of Veterans Affairs used in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder did not reduce overall PTSD severity Risperidone (Risperdal) is the second most widely prescribed second-generation antipsychotic within the VA for PTSD. Two serotonin reuptake inhibitors have FDA approval for the treatment of PTSD, but they appear to be less effective in men than women and less effective in chronic PTSD than acute PTSD, according to the study. Second-generation antipsychotics like Risperidone (which is not approved by the FDA to treat PTSD) are commonly prescribed as an add-on treatment [More]
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Change means MassHealth covers in-home and community services
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Over the past four years, the face of mental health care for lower income children has changed in Massachusetts. In 2002, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a group of eight children claiming that the Commonwealth did not meet federal Medicaid requirements for preventive and rehabilitative care. The federal law requires Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment behavioral health screening for children ages 0 to 21 and coordinated community-based services to maintain children with serious emotional disturbance at home rather than in residential settings. The Rosie D. lawsuit, as it became known, was a landmark case [More]
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Storm forces evacuation
By Phyllis Hanlon
On August 28, Tropical Storm Irene barreled through the state of Vermont, leaving behind impassable roads, toppled buildings, broken bridges and – most significantly – a flooded state hospital. Established in 1891, Vermont State Hospital (VSH) has been at the center of heated discussions regarding its future. Mother Nature may have the last word in determining the fate of this antiquated facility. Prior to the late summer storm, Vermont’s Department of Mental Health had debated options for best serving the needs of those with mental health issues, according to Mental Health Commissioner Christine Oliver. “We are still on that path, [More]
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Disaster mental health plays key role in emergencies
By Nan Shnitzler
Psychologist Ann Raynolds, Psy.D., is a trauma specialist, but she was not prepared for Hurricane Irene’s floodwaters that devastated her corner of Vermont, washing out roads and bridges and inundating her office in Quechee. She lost books, files, equipment and personal items accumulated over a 30-year practice. “I had to recognize this was quite a displacement, my beautiful office condo, which I owned,” Raynolds says. “It’s kind of a shock to lose things like that. I just had to take a deep breath and ask, `what do we do next?’” Disasters, whether natural or man-made, might each be different, but [More]
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Program trains veterans to treat their counterparts
By Pamela Berard
A new program in Massachusetts aims to train military veterans who are interested in mental health careers and pair them up with veterans in need of services. “Train Vets to Treat Vets,” a partnership between the Department of Veterans’ Services and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), started this summer and will place and supervise veterans who are MSPP graduate interns in veterans’ outreach services centers. The partnership strives to provide culturally sensitive services and also offer veterans interested in mental health care the credentials to make it a career. “Our expectation is that a person who has had [More]
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Careers in military behavioral health: opportunities for growth
By Phyllis Hanlon
Psychologists seeking to serve their country, use their clinical skills to help a most deserving demographic, enhance their professional expertise and achieve personal fulfillment may find what they are looking for by earning a commission in the Army. To enhance recruiting efforts, the U.S. Army offers a number of opportunities with significant incentives and benefits for psychologists who join the service. Ingrid Lim, Psy.D., command psychologist, U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky., says, “The increased need for psychologists, both uniformed and civilian, is related to changes in how forces are structured, such as increases in authorization/requirements and because [More]
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Validity of gene-by-environment studies questioned
By Catherine Robertson Souter
In the eternal discussion between nature or nurture, as to which has greater input on health and well-being, the answer may well be… both. Scientists generally believe that there is a physical interaction between genetics and the environment that may be identified down to the specific gene. Over the past decade, numerous studies have been done and published in leading journals to pinpoint the exact effect of these interactions. But when Harvard School of Public Health post-doctoral fellow Laramie Duncan, Ph.D., began to look closely at the literature in preparation for initiating a gene-by-environment interaction study, she started to have [More]
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Sexual reactive behavior: myth or fact?
By Phyllis Hanlon
Children are one of life’s greatest mysteries – just ask any parent. Since the inception of psychological reflection, children have been one of the demographics that have come under a microscope. While some advances and understanding has been achieved, many areas remain unclear, in particular, the subject of sexuality in children. According to Robert A. Dell, Psy.D, private practitioner in West Hartford, Conn., it often comes as a big surprise to some people that children are sexual creatures. “There is a good amount of positive/prosocial types of sexual behavior that goes under the radar of the parents,” he says. “The [More]
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