(513) 205-4118 August 2018 Editor: James D. Dahmann Ph.D.

ARE WE ON YOUR SCHEDULE? TWICE?

It’s already August (summer goes so fast), and if you do not yet have the annual NAMI-NKY/.N Ky CIT Steps Against Stigma walk on your calendar, put it on NOW before it gets filled up!. The walk is October.13th, 10:00 AM, at Pioneer Park. The income from this walk is the main source of income that allows NAMI Northern Kentucky to exist, and it is the only source of income to support the Crisis Intervention Team training that has proven to be so valuable. Registration is $25 with an awesome T-shirt, and $15 without the shirt. Kids 10 and under (and dogs) are free. This is a very good time to start forming your team if you have not yet done so!

AND the week before, October 8-9, is the Statewide CIT Conference being held right here in Northern Kentucky! NAMI is working closely with the rest of the CIT Committee to plan and conduct this conference. We need YOUR help! Call the office, no help is too little to offer!!! MAJOR WONDERFUL NEWS!!! NAMI IN THE LOBBY!!

SUN and NAMI NKY are pleased to announce NAMI in the Lobby!!! NAMI in the Lobby will be supported by generous volunteers who will work in SUN’s lobby during visiting ours for family members. Our volunteers will help these families by escorting them to the visiting area, provide information on resources in their area, and introduce NAMI NKY support programs and classes. If this sounds like something you would be interested in being a part of please contact NAMI NKY:

Phone: 859-392-1730

E-mail: [email protected]

Or, Address: 303 court St., suite 707

Covington KY 41011

We will need all potential volunteers to come fill out and application.

Currently the hours are Tuesdays and Thursday from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Remember, to make this vital program work, we need YOU. Think back to times when you arrived for the first time at a hospital, likely confused and scared. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have someone who had been there themselves assist you? Now it is time for you to be that good Samaritan. MORE GOOD NEWS!!!

Rob Vonckx, Chief of Operations and Talent Management at NorthKey and a NAMI NKY Board members, has advised us that NorthKey is once again offering Therapeutic Rehabilitation (TR) Services at the NorthKey locations at 722 Scott Blvd., Covington and 7459 Burlington Pike, Florence. Long timers will remembers these programs as Sunshine House and Focus House in the past. TR programs are day long programs that help people with mental illness recover in a safe, welcoming environment. Basic and advanced skills are taught as needed by the individual. Executive Director Dorothy Best and your editor are meeting shortly with Sandra George, NorthKey’s new Chief of Services, to get more detailed information which we will share with you.

TR programs have been major benefits in the past to folks. We are decided NorthKey has found a way to resurrect these programs! BUT, SOME SAD NEWS ALSO…

We are deeply, deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Fred Frese. Many of you may know him, as he spoke locally several times. Dr. Frese developed schizophrenia as a young man serving as a Captain in the Marine Corps. Following several hospitalizations, including an involuntary one at Case Western state hospital in Ohio, he achieved remarkable control of his symptoms and was able to return to school, eventually obtaining a doctorate in psychology. Eventually, Dr. Frese ended up running the very hospital where he had been involuntarily committed years before!

Fred was an amazingly friendly and funny individual. How many people can talk about making the journey through the most horrible of mental illnesses and have people rolling in the aisle with laughter? In addition, Fred was a tireless advocate for individuals with severe mental illnesses. Although difficult for him due to remaining remnants of his illness, he traveled the country speaking and being an example of those with these illnesses.

Dr. E. Fuller Torrey called Fred, "an extraordinary person who has helped educate a whole generation about schizophrenia as a brain disease and has demonstrated that it is possible to live a full and productive life despite having it. The loss of Dr. Frese is a huge loss to us all. TOTALLY UNFAIR!!!

NAMI NKY is a nonprofit entity. As such, we have always been a tax-free entity. BUT NOW non-profit, charitable entities like NAMI must pay a 6% tax on all income to the state of Kentucky! This includes things such as dues, donations, etc. In other words, our budget has just suffered a 6% slash. Wonder how much of this money will go towards mental health care? Note this is a Kentucky only change, not a Federal change. Electronic Cigarettes Not Helpful

2 Smokers who also use e-cigarettes may be half as likely to give up tobacco as smokers who never vape at all, a European study suggests. Even when smokers only occasionally experimented with vaping, they were about 67 percent less likely to become ex-smokers. Daily e-cigarette use was associated with 48 percent lower odds of having quit regular cigarettes. Sadly, e-cigarettes are widely promoted as a smoking cessation tool, and, while there is no question that some smokers do successfully quit with e-cigarettes, they keep many more people smoking,

Smokers in the study also used more cigarettes a day when they vaped than when they avoided e-cigarettes altogether. People smoked an average of about 14 cigarettes a day when they didn't vape, and around 16 cigarettes a day when they did.

Rapaport, L.a (2018). E-Cigarettes tied to less smoking cessation. Reuters Health Information, March 26, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/894346?src=wnl_edit_tpal NEW PSYCH DRUGS REVISITED

Quite a few months ago, we ran an article about the lack of research and development of new medications for mental illnesses. Recently Eli Lilly’s annual report came to my attention. Lilly has long been active in developing new drugs and giving awards to successful mental health programs—NorthKey’s Greenup Haus won one of them. Lilly developed such blockbuster drugs as Cymbalta, Prozac, and Zyprexa. Zyprexa (a novel antipsychotic) and ;Prozac (the first SSRI antidepressant) were particularly effective and unique drugs. They were also incredibly profitable to Lilly.

Nonetheless, according to its annual report, Lilly has virtually NO new drugs dealing with psychiatric problems other than Alzheimer’s Dementia in its development pipeline. Not a single one. What this means is it is likely going to be decades, if ever, before we see a new psychiatric drug from this company. It is unknown to us if other manufacturers are in such bad shape, but it is VERY discouraging to see a prominent company known for focusing on psychiatric medications take this stance.

Lilly, Eli & Co. (2018). 2017 Integrated Summary Report, pp. 8-9. Relationships: Life-saving?

Psychologists’ research has long established that relationships have the power to influence physical and mental health, for better or worse. New research details how important close emotional connections are for health and well- being, influencing such conditions as cancer, heart disease, depression and addiction. That evidence is leading psychologists to say that strengthening those bonds should be a public health priority.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that lack of social connections can be deadly. Strong social relationships increase the likelihood of survival by 50 percent regardless of age, sex or health status. Social disconnection is at least as harmful to people as such well-accepted risk factors as obesity, physical inactivity and smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Sadly, a lack of social companionship is a widespread problem..

An interesting aspect of relationship research is that it is relevant to the entire lifespan. Supportive relationships in childhood can buffer children against future physical health problems, the authors say. When children experience comforting, emotionally significant relationships with parents or other close family members, they tend to have better health profiles—not only during childhood, but into adolescence and adulthood

Compared with younger adults, older adults report more satisfaction with their social networks. They’re often more proactive about managing their social networks, making efforts to maintain satisfying relationships while winnowing ties with more problematic friends and relatives. On the other hand, older adults might be more susceptible to

3 loneliness and social isolation as their mobility decreases and close friends and family members pass away. In the United States, 20 percent to 43 percent of adults over age 60 experience frequent or intense loneliness.

Weir, K (2018). Life-saving relationships. Monitor on Psychology, March 2018, Vol 49, No. 3, 46- Sex and Depression

Men and women with major depressive disorder (MDD) have opposite genetic mechanisms that contribute to the condition. Brain autopsies revealed that expression of genes related to synapse function was decreased in men but increased in women, and expression of immune genes was increased in men and decreased in women. Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with a single MDD episode and are four times more likely to be diagnosed with recurrent MDD. MDD is more severe in women than in men, and MDD symptomatology differs between the sexes. For instance, women are three times more likely to have atypical depression, characterized by hypersomnia and weight gain. Women and men with MDD also tend to have different comorbidities (additional illnesses). Women are more likely to have an anxiety disorder, whereas men are more likely to have a substance use disorder.

Seney, M.L. et. al. (2018). Opposite molecular signatures of depression in men and women. Biolocial Psychiatry, published online January 31, 2018. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322318300659 UNMET NEEDS

In 2016, 11.8 million American adults believed that they had a need for mental health services during the past year that went unmet. Slightly more than half of them—approximately 6.3 million—received some mental health services, but said they needed more services than they received. Fewer than half (5.5 million) did not receive any mental health services during that time.

Thirty-eight percent of people who reported an unmet need said that they could not afford the cost of treatment, 28 percent said that they thought at the time that they could handle the problem without treatment, 21 percent said that they did not know where to go for services and 20 percent said that they did not have enough time for treatment.

4 5

Christidis, P. et. al. (2018). An unmet need for mental health services. Monitor on Psychology, 2018, 49(4)., p. 19. Original data source: 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Parenting Resources

Are you seeking advice on how to raise children, seeking guidance on how to prompt kids to follow through with such everyday responsibilities as doing their homework and cleaning their rooms, as well as insights on the best ways to help them stave off unhealthy behaviors, such as too much screen time and substance use?

We can help! Here are some resources to explore on the internet.

INFOABOUTKIDS.ORG This website is a clearinghouse of behavioral science on children and adolescents, developed by the Consortium for Science-Based Information on Children, Youth and Families, a group of psychologists that want to increase public access to quality information on children and families. Geared toward parents, educators and behavioral health specialists, the site covers common parenting concerns, such as sleep difficulties, drug and alcohol use, puberty and much more. Every resource has been vetted by psychologists to ensure its advice is based on solid research and is bias-free. The site also features a monthly blog that explores common issues parents face, such as when to worry about a child’s mood and how best to help children of military families cope with a parent’s deployment. Perhaps most useful of all, the site can help parents determine for themselves which childhood behaviors are part of normal development and which might need a psychologist’s attention. Go to infoaboutkids.org.

EFFECTIVECHILDTHERAPY.ORG Developed through a partnership between the American Psychological Association and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, this website offers information on the symptoms of and treatments for behavioral and mental health problems in children and adolescents. The site also helps parents determine whether a child’s behavior is normal or is a sign of a bigger issue, and offers guidance on selecting a child psychologist. Go to effectivechildtherapy.org

3 ACT RAISING SAFE KIDS PROGRAM Developed by the American Psychological Association’s Violence Prevention Office, this eight-week class teaches positive parenting skills to parents of young children to foster safe, stable, healthy and nurturing environments and relationships that prevent children’s exposure to abuse and adversities. The ACT website, www.apa.org/act, provides caregivers with insights into the class curriculum, information on how to find a local ACT class and child-development worksheets that list the basic cognitive and social/emotional skills expected at different ages and stages of development. Caregivers can also find tips on how to handle typical scenarios they may encounter with their children, such as school bullying or a tantrum.

EVERYDAY PARENTING: THE ABCS OF CHILD REARING This is afree online parenting course was developed by the director of the Yale Parenting Center. The course provides 20 how-to videos explaining parenting techniques that address problem behaviors at home and school. In each video, parents are instructed on the importance of speaking to their children in a calm or playful tone and allowing kids to make choices whenever possible, and appropriate use of praise. Scores of studies back these approaches. Go to alankazdin.com and search for "ABCs."

RESILIENCE BOOSTER: PARENT TIP TOOL This site provides parents and caregivers with tips on how to boost children’s resilience in the face of adverse experiences. The site is organized around the various places where children spend their time—home, school, child-care settings, neighborhoods and communities—and outlines how each environment can help build resilience among children living in poverty. Tips include establishing routines in the home, modeling self-control and problem-solving, getting to know your neighbors, and seeking out and/or requesting a classroom with children of differing ability levels. The site also features a discussion of the importance of reading,

6 singing and dancing with young children and tips on how to help older children achieve positive developmental outcomes, despite negative and even traumatic experiences. Go to www.apa.org and search for "Booster."

MAGINATION PRESS This is the American Psychological Association’s children’s book imprint, offering more than 180 titles that help practitioners, educators, parents and other caregivers guide their children through a variety of challenges, such as starting school, shyness, death. While some books are written exclusively for therapists to use in sessions with their clients, many are for children and parents to read together. Every book includes a section for parents and caregivers, written by a psychologist, that provides the psychological science behind the story as well as practical tools and strategies that parents can use with their children. Go to www.apa.org and search for "Magination." DEALING WITH COMPLICATED GRIEF

Complicated grief due to suicide, accident, homicide, or natural causes is better treated with grief oriented therapy than with medication, new research shows. Complicated grief is a painful, debilitating condition characterized by prolonged acute grief and complicating psychological features In other words, it is more intense and longer lasting than the normal grief reaction, and interferes with daily life functions. All participants in the therapy group experienced improvement in the number and severity of grief symptoms, suicidal ideation, grief-related impairment, avoidance, and maladaptive beliefs, and about 50% fewer dropped out of treatment than in the group getting just antidepressant medication. Furthermore, adding medication to therapy was no better than adding a placebo medication (fake drug) to therapy.

The study is particularly important because losing a loved one to suicide is more traumatic than losing a loved one to natural causes or even accidents and homicides because of the shame, guilt, and stigma that often accompanies this type of loss. Despite the presence of active suicidal ideation in more than 40% of suicide grieving participants prior to treatment, there was no reported active suicidal ideation post treatment in this group. In the study, therapy ran 16 sessions over 2- weeks.

Said one reviewer: , "Unfortunately, there is no pill for grief, and clinicians should be discouraged from starting medications without clear indications.” One researcher encouraged clinicians to "ask people who have lost loved ones how they are doing with their grief, if they are stuck in it, and if they are healing." He noted that "complicated grief usually does not get better on its own."

Zisook, S. et. al. (2018). Treatment of Complicated Grief in Survivors of Suicide Loss: A HEAL Report, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2018, 79(2). http://www.psychiatrist.com/JCP/article/Pages/2018/v79n02/17m11592.aspx RESOURCES FOR HANDLING STRESS People respond to traumatic events in a number of ways. They may feel concern, anger, fear, or helplessness. These are all typical responses to a traumatic event. These events can cause a full range of mental and physical reactions. You may also react to problems that occur after the event, as well as to triggers or reminders of the trauma. Learn what to expect following a traumatic event and how to manage stress reactions at the VA’s National Center for PTSD https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public

Self-Care After a Traumatic Event  Resources for Survivors and the Public Following Disaster and Mass Violence: Key information, handouts for disaster survivors, and self-help resources.  Common reactions to mass violence and how to get help.

7  Coping with Traumatic Stress Reactions. Active ways to cope with traumatic stress, with tips for coping with specific PTSD symptoms.  Negative Coping and PTSD. Ways of coping with PTSD that cause problems and should be avoided.  Self-Care After Disasters. Ways to cope when you have been through a disaster.

Self-Help Options

 Trauma Recovery Coach. A new app (iOS only - link goes to iTunes) based on Skills for Psychological Recovery to help trauma survivors manage their symptoms.  PTSD Coach. This mobile app has self-assessments, symptom-tracking, and coping skills to help you address and monitor stress. Available for iOS and Android.  PTSD Coach Online: A series of online video coaches will guide you through 17 tools to help you manage stress. (desktop)

Seeking Professional Help If you think you have PTSD, your best chance of getting better is by working with a mental health or medical provider. Good treatments are available that have been shown to help all kinds of people.  Tips on Finding a Therapist.  What's Stopping You? Overcome Barriers to getting Care for PTSD.

For Providers

Consult with PTSD Experts

The PTSD Consultation Program offers free PTSD consultation to any provider who treats Veterans in any setting.

MENTAL ILLNESS MYTHS

Experiencing a psychotic break means you are broken.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is simple

Depression should be hidden

Bipolar disorder is a single condition

What do all of these statements have in common? They are completely false! Yet, many people believe them. If you are interested in more information, it is obtained in the national NAMI newsletter…but to get it, you must be a ember of NAMI! Join today, as you will then get much more information than we can provide in this monthly newsletter. Information on joining is on page 1. Overdose? Or Suicide Attempt?

8 Many drug users hit the point when the disease and the pursuit of illegal drugs crushes their will to live. At least 40 percent of active drug users wrestle with depression, anxiety or another mental health issue that increases the risk of suicide. (Local treatment providers put the number closer to 80%--or higher. Ed ) Based on the literature that’s available, it looks like anywhere between 25 and 45 percent of deaths by overdose may be actual suicides. The opioid epidemic is occurring at the same time suicides have hit a 30-year high, suggesting a connection.

Is it that patients have mental health issues that lead to addiction, or did a life of addiction then trigger mental health problems? Nobody knows the answer to this. That’s why it’s so important to provide treatment that covers both.

Bebinger, M. (2018). How many opiod overdoses are suicides? Medscape Psychiatry, March 28, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/894547?src=wnl_edit_tpal#vp_2

Briefly Noted Interesting Tidbits From the Research World and Beyond Stress Reduction Reduces Seizures

Despite advances in pharmacotherapy, at least one-third of individuals with epilepsy continue to experience seizures. Stress reduction techniques appear to reduce seizure frequency in patients with medication-resistant epilepsy. Adults with medication-resistant focal seizures used in one of two interventions: progressive muscle relaxation or focused attention with a movement component. After 12 weeks, seizure frequency was reduced by roughly one quarter in both groups, although the progressive muscle relaxation technique was more effective than focused attention in reducing self-reported stress.

Yasgur, B.S. (2018). Stress Reduction Techniques Cut Seizure Rate in Severe Epilepsy. Medscape Neurology News, March 26, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/894430?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=200967PN Suicide Powder

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in the Netherlands. In 2016, the latest year for which figures are available, there were more than 6,000 reported cases of euthanasia or medically assisted suicide in the Netherlands, roughly 4 percent of all deaths there that year. As a result they now have a new problem. Following the death of a teenager whose parents say she killed herself with a substance she ordered online, Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday launched a criminal investigation into a group that has been advising people on using a "suicide powder." Prosecutors had been looking at the Final Wish cooperative since September, they said in a statement, and were prompted to act in March due to suspicions that the group was about to order enough powder for use by some 1,000 members. According to Dutch newspaper Trouw, the substance is made with legally available ingredients used to preserve food and combat bacteria and molds in laboratories.

The Dutch have really gone down the slippery slope.

Reuters Health Information (2018). After Teen's Death, Dutch Investigate Group Promoting 'Suicide Powder’ Medscape, March 26, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/894319?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=200967PN PTSD and Hypertension

Members of the military who received severe combat wounds and have chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a heightened risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) as well, according to a U.S. Veterans Affairs study. The increased hypertension risk was dependent on the severity of the veteran's injuries and frequency of

9 PTSD episodes. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that as many as 10 percent of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans and 11 percent of veterans who were deployed in Afghanistan suffer from PTSD.

Weinstock, C.P. (2018). Severe Combat Wounds, PTSD Tied to Hypertension. Reuters Health Information, March 26, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/894364?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=200967PN Importance of Drug Names

People will take a higher dose of medications–sometimes dangerously high--when the name is easy to pronounce, whether it is labeled as “synthetic”, or “herbal”.

Dohle, S. and Montoya, A.K. (2017). The dark side of fluency: Fluent names increase drug dosing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. 2017, 23(3), 231-239.’\

Exercise, Depression, and Anxiety

People with depression and anxiety WANT to get more exercise—80% said that physical activity helped improve their symptoms much of the time and 85% said they want to get more active. Yet, fewer than half met CDC guidelines or 150 minutes/week of moderate physical activity. Only 37% reported their health care providers discussed physical activity with them. (In some cases, exercise has been shown to be just as effective as antidepressant drugs—Ed.)

Janney, C.A. et. al. (2017). Moving towards wellness: Physical activity practices, perspectives, and preferences of users of outpatient mental health service. General Hospital Psychiatry, 2017, 49, 63-66.

Socialization and Aging

“Super Agers”—adults older than 80 with the cognitive abilities of a much younger person—were found to be different from those with poorer cognitive skills on only one factor: having positive relations with others. Other aspects, such as autonomy, purpose in life, and self acceptance were the same in both groups.

Maher, A.C. et. al. (2017). Psychological well-being in elderly adults with extraordinary episodic memory. PLOS One, October 10, 2017. https://doi.org/10.2=1371/journal.pone.0186413

When Antidepressants Don’t Work

The SSRI antidepressant Zoloft (sertraline) has been found to be ineffective for people with chronic kidney disease. Other research has found various antidepressants to be ineffective in people with heart disease and asthma. While this article suggests using cognitive behavioral therapy instead when someone has a chronic illness, in fact the most recent clinical guidelines recommend use of psychotherapy first in all cases of depression, then adding drugs if the therapy is not helping. At that point, using genetic testing to pick potentially more effective drugs can save a lot of time and money on trial and error.

Hedayati, S.S. et. al. (2017). Effect of sertraline on depressive symptoms in patients with chronic kidney disease without dialysis dependence: the CAST randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2017, 318(19), 1876-1890.

And Now: TMS for Music Appreciation!

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has proven to be an effective and well tolerated treatment for depression. But now, we have learned that people exposed to music while undergoing TMS like the music better—and are more

10 likely to buy it—than those listening but not exposed to TMS. The article did not discuss why in the world anyone would care about this, much less study it.

Mas-Herrero, E. et. al. (2018). Modulating musical reward sensitivity up and down with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Nature Human Behavior, 2018, 2, 27-32.

Exercise your brain

Exercise may help preserve memory and other functions as we age by slowing deterioration of the left hippocampus. Notable about this study is that it included individuals with depression and schizophrenia as well as “normal” adults.

Firth, J. et. al. (2018). Effect of aerobic exercise on hippocampal volume in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis Neuroimage, 2018, 166 (Feb 1), pp. 230-238.

Self-harm increase

The number of girls and young women who end up in the emergency room for self-inflicted injuries, including suicide attempts, has increased. Visits for self-inflicted injuries rose an average of 8.4 percent per year between 2009 and 2015 among girls and young women. The rise was steepest for girls ages 10 to 14, whose ER visits rose by 19 percent per year. The number of self-injury ER visits for boys and young men remained stable during that time.

Mercado, M.C. et al. (2017). Visits for Nonfatal Self-inflicted Injuries Among Youth Aged 10 to 24 Years in the United States, 2001-2015/ JAMA, 2017, 318 (19), 1931-1933.

Autism and Race

Black parents may be less likely to report concerns about autism symptoms in their children than white parents are, which could partly explain why far fewer black children are diagnosed with autism.

Donahue, M.R. et. al. (2017). Race influences parent report of concerns about symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 2017, first published online November 3. About Those Video Games…

Teens who spend more than five hours a day on electronic devices are at greater risk for depression and suicidal thoughts.

48 percent of teens who spent five or more hours per day with computers, tablets or smartphones reported at least one suicide-related thought. In comparison, 28 percent of teens who spent only one hour per day with these devices reported such thoughts. More screen time also correlated with more symptoms of depression

Twenge, J.M. et. al. (2017). Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents After 2010 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time Clinical Psychological Science, 2017, first published November 14. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167702617723376 Not Just SAD?

Full spectrum light therapy, also called Bright Light Therapy (BLT) has long been the treatment of choice for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is the change in moods many experience in the winter due to the decline in

11 sunlight—particularly depression. It is much more common in northern climes—for example, the incidence in Alaska is ten times that in Florida. Now it seems other kinds of depression may also response to bright light therapy. In results from a recently published randomized clinical trial, researchers reported significant gains in patients with bipolar depression after just 6 weeks of BLT.

Watson, J. Brighter Days Ahead: Light Therapy Effective for Bipolar Depression. Medscape Psychiatry, March 27, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/894358?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=200967PN Jailings Declining

Over the last ten years, the number of people incarcerated has declined by 10%. However, about 70% of people in our local jails are people who are technically innocent of any crime! They are awaiting trial and have not yet been convicted of anything. Given the numbers of people with mental illness in our jails, it is likely they comprise a large number of these people.

Ashbroock, R.M. and Sinha, D. (2018). Ethics and the Law in Clinical Settings. Presentation to the Cincinnati Academy of Professional Psychology, April 13, 2018.

No More Psychosomatic Medicine!

In October 2017, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), acting on recommendations by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), American Psychiatric Association (APA), and Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine (APM), voted to change the name of the subspecialty Psychosomatic Medicine to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. The change is effective this month (August 2018).

Rundell, J.R. (2018) What’s in a Name? Name Changes for Subspecialty and the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine Psychiatric Times, March 20. 2018. http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychopharmacology/whats-name-name-changes- subspecialty-and-academy-psychosomatic-medicine?rememberme=1&elq_mid=856&elq_cid=893422

Not Just Concussions

Football players who start the sport before age 12 are at an increased risk for mood and behavior disorders—twice the risk of problems with behavioral regulation, apathy and executive functioning, and three times the incidence of depression as players who started after age 12. This held regardless of how long they played (participants in the study ranged from high school to pro) or how many concussions they had.

Alosco, M.L. et. al. (2018). Age of first exposure to American football and long-term neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes. Translational Psychiatry, 2017, 7, page e1236 . https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2017197

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