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People coping with the aftermath of mass shootings might find some solace from Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. The couple, whose daughter was gunned down in the 2012 slaughter in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, travels the country to help those whose pain is raw begin processing their grief. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, driven by compassion, hope that sharing their experience will help others. They have started a nonprofit organization called Survivors Empowered to offer advice and kinship in the wake of mass shootings. 
Emergency department visits can prove disorienting for patients with physical illnesses. But for those with mental illness, such visits can feel not only disorienting but disconcerting – particularly if sedation or restraints are involved. “If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery,” said Jack Rozel, MD, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), in an interview with CNN. At about 100 locations across the country, psychiatric EDs staffed by psychiatrists and other physicians, nurses, and social workers are triaging and treating patients with mental illness. The goal is treatment and either release or referral to more specialized care within 24 hours. The approach is the brainchild of Scott Zeller, MD, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity and a past president of the AAEP. The physician-led organization provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide. Dr. Zeller hatched the idea of a psychiatric ED while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Calif. “We need to treat people at the emergency level of care,” he said. “The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.” Dr. Zeller took the reins in transforming the center from a traditional ward, including the use of restraints, to a setting more like a living room that was supportive rather than institutional. The results included improved patient outcomes and cost savings – in part because of the reduced time spent in the ED. CNN.
In Buffalo, N.Y., a new memorial to be installed in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will honor veterans who were lost to suicide. Ground was broken recently for the Battle Within Memorial. The 8-feet-tall sculpture will portray one soldier carrying the empty outline of another soldier as a metaphor for help between comrades and the losses that can be tied to the fallout from combat. “It’s a compelling piece of steel,” because it is designed in such a way that allows viewers to see through it, said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and chief executive officer, in an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate in Buffalo. “By looking through it you’ll be able to look, as you see through it, someone’s soul.” Among veterans and active duty personnel, an estimated 20 commit suicide each day, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. One hope of supporters of The Battle Within Foundation, which is leading the project, is that the memorial will inspire those experiencing psychic pain to seek help.“It is our sincerest hope that this monument will in some way help build public awareness of this ongoing tragedy, provide a lifeline for the suffering, and honor our heroes for their service, no matter where they died,” said Mark Donnelly, PhD, president of the Battle Within Foundation. The unveiling is scheduled for May 27, 2019. WBFO.
The field of psychiatry needs to do a better job of helping some patients come off of psychiatric drugs, said Allen Frances, MD, chairperson of DSM-IV task force, in an interview with the New Yorker. This process of removing drugs, called “deprescribing,” “requires a great deal more skill, time, commitment, and knowledge of the patient than prescribing does.” Another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Giovanni A. Fava, MD, said he has struggled to publish research looking at what happens to patients when they stop taking antidepressants. Yet another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Swapnil Gupta, MD, MBBS, said that, for many patients, coming off their medications “is a loss of identity, a different way of living. Suddenly, everything that you are doing is yours – and not necessarily your medication.” The article chronicles the experiences of Laura Delano, a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed valproic acid (Depakote) while in high school. Over the next several years, Ms. Delano found herself taking numerous medications and with a different diagnosis. Eventually, she removed herself from her many medications, started a blog, and launched a website called The Withdrawal Project. The New Yorker.
The National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to develop a Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program designed to “enhance the mental health of young people,” according to a report on Washington’s WTOP radio. Eight U.S. high schools have been chosen to participate in the program, which will teach students about mental illnesses and addictions. It also will help teenagers respond to friends who might be struggling with a problem with mental health or addiction. The Teen Mental Health First Aid program, a five-step action plan, was adapted from an evidence-based training program from Australia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will evaluate the pilot program to assess its effectiveness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has reported than 20% of American adults and the same percentage of U.S. teens are living with mental health challenges. After the pilot study results are analyzed, the training will be made available to the public. WTOP.
People coping with the aftermath of mass shootings might find some solace from Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. The couple, whose daughter was gunned down in the 2012 slaughter in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, travels the country to help those whose pain is raw begin processing their grief. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, driven by compassion, hope that sharing their experience will help others. They have started a nonprofit organization called Survivors Empowered to offer advice and kinship in the wake of mass shootings.
Emergency department visits can prove disorienting for patients with physical illnesses. But for those with mental illness, such visits can feel not only disorienting but disconcerting – particularly if sedation or restraints are involved. “If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery,” said Jack Rozel, MD, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), in an interview with CNN. At about 100 locations across the country, psychiatric EDs staffed by psychiatrists and other physicians, nurses, and social workers are triaging and treating patients with mental illness. The goal is treatment and either release or referral to more specialized care within 24 hours. The approach is the brainchild of Scott Zeller, MD, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity and a past president of the AAEP. The physician-led organization provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide. Dr. Zeller hatched the idea of a psychiatric ED while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Calif. “We need to treat people at the emergency level of care,” he said. “The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.” Dr. Zeller took the reins in transforming the center from a traditional ward, including the use of restraints, to a setting more like a living room that was supportive rather than institutional. The results included improved patient outcomes and cost savings – in part because of the reduced time spent in the ED. CNN.
In Buffalo, N.Y., a new memorial to be installed in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will honor veterans who were lost to suicide. Ground was broken recently for the Battle Within Memorial. The 8-feet-tall sculpture will portray one soldier carrying the empty outline of another soldier as a metaphor for help between comrades and the losses that can be tied to the fallout from combat. “It’s a compelling piece of steel,” because it is designed in such a way that allows viewers to see through it, said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and chief executive officer, in an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate in Buffalo. “By looking through it you’ll be able to look, as you see through it, someone’s soul.” Among veterans and active duty personnel, an estimated 20 commit suicide each day, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. One hope of supporters of The Battle Within Foundation, which is leading the project, is that the memorial will inspire those experiencing psychic pain to seek help.“It is our sincerest hope that this monument will in some way help build public awareness of this ongoing tragedy, provide a lifeline for the suffering, and honor our heroes for their service, no matter where they died,” said Mark Donnelly, PhD, president of the Battle Within Foundation. The unveiling is scheduled for May 27, 2019. WBFO.
The field of psychiatry needs to do a better job of helping some patients come off of psychiatric drugs, said Allen Frances, MD, chairperson of DSM-IV task force, in an interview with the New Yorker. This process of removing drugs, called “deprescribing,” “requires a great deal more skill, time, commitment, and knowledge of the patient than prescribing does.” Another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Giovanni A. Fava, MD, said he has struggled to publish research looking at what happens to patients when they stop taking antidepressants. Yet another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Swapnil Gupta, MD, MBBS, said that, for many patients, coming off their medications “is a loss of identity, a different way of living. Suddenly, everything that you are doing is yours – and not necessarily your medication.” The article chronicles the experiences of Laura Delano, a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed valproic acid (Depakote) while in high school. Over the next several years, Ms. Delano found herself taking numerous medications and with a different diagnosis. Eventually, she removed herself from her many medications, started a blog, and launched a website called The Withdrawal Project. The New Yorker.
The National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to develop a Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program designed to “enhance the mental health of young people,” according to a report on Washington’s WTOP radio. Eight U.S. high schools have been chosen to participate in the program, which will teach students about mental illnesses and addictions. It also will help teenagers respond to friends who might be struggling with a problem with mental health or addiction. The Teen Mental Health First Aid program, a five-step action plan, was adapted from an evidence-based training program from Australia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will evaluate the pilot program to assess its effectiveness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has reported than 20% of American adults and the same percentage of U.S. teens are living with mental health challenges. After the pilot study results are analyzed, the training will be made available to the public. WTOP.
People coping with the aftermath of mass shootings might find some solace from Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. The couple, whose daughter was gunned down in the 2012 slaughter in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, travels the country to help those whose pain is raw begin processing their grief. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, driven by compassion, hope that sharing their experience will help others. They have started a nonprofit organization called Survivors Empowered to offer advice and kinship in the wake of mass shootings.
Emergency department visits can prove disorienting for patients with physical illnesses. But for those with mental illness, such visits can feel not only disorienting but disconcerting – particularly if sedation or restraints are involved. “If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery,” said Jack Rozel, MD, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), in an interview with CNN. At about 100 locations across the country, psychiatric EDs staffed by psychiatrists and other physicians, nurses, and social workers are triaging and treating patients with mental illness. The goal is treatment and either release or referral to more specialized care within 24 hours. The approach is the brainchild of Scott Zeller, MD, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity and a past president of the AAEP. The physician-led organization provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide. Dr. Zeller hatched the idea of a psychiatric ED while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Calif. “We need to treat people at the emergency level of care,” he said. “The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.” Dr. Zeller took the reins in transforming the center from a traditional ward, including the use of restraints, to a setting more like a living room that was supportive rather than institutional. The results included improved patient outcomes and cost savings – in part because of the reduced time spent in the ED. CNN.
In Buffalo, N.Y., a new memorial to be installed in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will honor veterans who were lost to suicide. Ground was broken recently for the Battle Within Memorial. The 8-feet-tall sculpture will portray one soldier carrying the empty outline of another soldier as a metaphor for help between comrades and the losses that can be tied to the fallout from combat. “It’s a compelling piece of steel,” because it is designed in such a way that allows viewers to see through it, said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and chief executive officer, in an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate in Buffalo. “By looking through it you’ll be able to look, as you see through it, someone’s soul.” Among veterans and active duty personnel, an estimated 20 commit suicide each day, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. One hope of supporters of The Battle Within Foundation, which is leading the project, is that the memorial will inspire those experiencing psychic pain to seek help.“It is our sincerest hope that this monument will in some way help build public awareness of this ongoing tragedy, provide a lifeline for the suffering, and honor our heroes for their service, no matter where they died,” said Mark Donnelly, PhD, president of the Battle Within Foundation. The unveiling is scheduled for May 27, 2019. WBFO.
The field of psychiatry needs to do a better job of helping some patients come off of psychiatric drugs, said Allen Frances, MD, chairperson of DSM-IV task force, in an interview with the New Yorker. This process of removing drugs, called “deprescribing,” “requires a great deal more skill, time, commitment, and knowledge of the patient than prescribing does.” Another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Giovanni A. Fava, MD, said he has struggled to publish research looking at what happens to patients when they stop taking antidepressants. Yet another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Swapnil Gupta, MD, MBBS, said that, for many patients, coming off their medications “is a loss of identity, a different way of living. Suddenly, everything that you are doing is yours – and not necessarily your medication.” The article chronicles the experiences of Laura Delano, a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed valproic acid (Depakote) while in high school. Over the next several years, Ms. Delano found herself taking numerous medications and with a different diagnosis. Eventually, she removed herself from her many medications, started a blog, and launched a website called The Withdrawal Project. The New Yorker.
The National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to develop a Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program designed to “enhance the mental health of young people,” according to a report on Washington’s WTOP radio. Eight U.S. high schools have been chosen to participate in the program, which will teach students about mental illnesses and addictions. It also will help teenagers respond to friends who might be struggling with a problem with mental health or addiction. The Teen Mental Health First Aid program, a five-step action plan, was adapted from an evidence-based training program from Australia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will evaluate the pilot program to assess its effectiveness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has reported than 20% of American adults and the same percentage of U.S. teens are living with mental health challenges. After the pilot study results are analyzed, the training will be made available to the public. WTOP.