Rochester Post Bulletin: New law equalizes mental health insurance coverage

By Jeff HanselPost-Bulletin, Rochester MN Insurance that covers 80 percent of the cost for an appendectomy might pay only 50 percent for mental-health care.After a decades-long battle, that disparity is about to change.The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act used the $700 billion economic rescue package to gain enough votes. Along with financial rescue came federally mandated insurance equality for people with mental illness."Finally it's being recognized," said Pat Schwartzhoff of Rochester, who has experienced depression and talks at school assemblies about mental illness. The bill passed in October and was signed into law by Pres. George W. Bush.The mental-health equality portion of the bill is just as significant for many...

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Laura redefines insanity ... and sheds some light on our modern world

My buddy Laura (or my close personal friend Laura, as I refer to her when I'm trying to bask in reflected glory) writes a fascinating blog about birds called "Laura's Birding Blog" and edits an equally fascinating but whimsical blog called "Twin Beaks" (actually, i think she writes that one, too, but I have learned NEVER to antagonize our local chickadees) when she's not writing books -- or instant messages to me. This week I happened to share that when you tell IT urchins (the Information Technology students who work at the University where I do) that you have renamed "My Computer" to "Pete," it bewilders them. Which prompted this thoughtful reply from Laura: IT urchins are always bewildered. They expect the world to work exactly opposite of the definition of insanity--there is supposed...

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The Orange County Register: Giant poodles save the day

The canine versions of Jimmy Stewart and Rita Hayworth help a Santa Ana psychologist work with children.LORI BASHEDAThe Orange County RegisterThere I sat on psychologist Amy Stark’s couch with her sidekick Jim sitting practically on top of me. I had only known Jim for a couple of minutes and already his face was so close to mine.I could smell his breath as he stared hard into my eyes.Longingly? Wistfully? Sadly? I couldn’t tell.I wondered what he was thinking. That I was clearly in need of some counseling? Or was he just wondering if I had a can of Purina in my purse?Jim is a giant poodle.Standard poodle is the correct name. But Jim is 4-feet tall from his enormous toe pads to his curly head. That’s only a foot shorter than I am. So to me,...

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SFGate: Brain workout may help anxiety, study suggests

Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff WriterWednesday, December 17, 2008Could Sudoku be a balm for anxious people?A new study suggests that intellectually demanding challenges like crossword puzzles or chess may be more successful at keeping worry-prone people from worrying than supposedly relaxing pastimes like watching TV or shopping.Contrary to theories that "as things get harder, anxious people fall apart, this suggests it's the opposite way around," said UC Berkeley psychologist Sonia Bishop, lead researcher on the study published online this week by Nature Neuroscience.The study showed that anxious people performed just as well as others when facing tasks that demanded concentration, but they took more time than others to complete tasks that...

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Stuck: Cut, Then Run

By Anneli Rufus on December 14, 2008 in Stuck One poignant thing about the holiday season is all those Ghosts of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa past: folks who were once essential features around your table or tree but now ... aren't.Why are they no longer with you? Some are literally gone; they're deceased, and you miss them and mourn them and know you'll never get them back. Others have drifted away. From some friends and relatives, you've grown apart. Yet others ... well, you snipped those bonds for what seemed like good reasons at the time but now you wonder, as the years go by and the gaps around that table or tree increase: Was losing that once-loved one really worth it? What fight was it, what quirk, what offhand remark in the wrong place, at the wrong time?Sometimes the answer is...

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Thea Gilmore: Songs were Thea's way out of depression

THEA GILMOREBefore the release of Harpo’s Ghost, Thea had been diagnosed with depression. During this time Thea had split with her previous record label and (temporarily) with her long term partner. Prior to Liejacker, Thea was faced with further hard-times when she parted company with her manager of ten years standing, split with her “new” and biggest record label yet after one album - and, almost as if for good measure, gave birth to her first child.Liejacker is the testament to that journey. It began with Thea still battling off the shadows from her illness, writing her darkest, starkest songs ever. Liejacker also sees Thea at her most direct, “where in the past I’ve probably been guilty of hiding a little bit, falling back on an image...

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Ventura County Reporter : Uncomfortably numb

Mental health, illness and wellness in Ventura CountyBy James Scolari 12/11/2008Last week my aunt found herself crying in a restaurant for no reason that she could discern, and found that she couldn’t stop. She was with her husband of nearly four decades, a man whom she loves, and their life is good — they raised four daughters, all of whom have more kids than I can count, every one of them well and whole and hale. The bills are paid; by nearly any measure she is blessed, and yet there she sat, in the Olive Garden, unable to stop crying. As I loaned a sympathetic ear to her malaise, I couldn’t help but hear the strains of Pink Floyd, of Roger Waters singing from the landmark album Dark Side Of the Moon:The lunatic is on the grassThe lunatic...

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Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder: Penetrating the isolation of mental illness

by Susan Budig Minnesota Spokesman-RecorderReaching those who need help requires dispelling old prejudicesLike a lot of kids, Ramon gave his folks trouble. And like any earnest parent, Lanice Palmer-Cole tried various methods to rein him in. She thought she knew her son well, although he was “different.” Palmer-Cole says, “He was a deep, deep thinker.” She felt hopeful that her son would grow up to be a productive member of society.But then a significant thing happened to this Detroit family and “Ramon lost his mind,” Palmer-Cole tells us in a confessional voice, speaking for the first time in public as she narrates the story of her mentally ill son.Last Thursday evening, December 4, while most people were hunkered down in their homes, a couple dozen concerned citizens...

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Financial Post: Margaret Trudeau to write about struggle with mental illness

Paul Gessell, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa CitizenOTTAWA - Margaret Trudeau is writing a memoir, to be published in the fall of 2010, detailing her many years struggling with bipolar depression.News of the forthcoming book was announced Wednesday by Ms. Trudeau's Toronto-based publisher, HarperCollins Canada."The memoir, intended to guide and inspire others suffering from mental illness, will also describe in some detail how the Canadian medical system helped her and where it fell short," according to a statement from HarperCollins.Iris Tupholme, vice president, publisher and editor-in-chief of HarperCollins, says the former wife of the late Pierre Trudeau will be offering "a very...

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FOXNews: Japan Princess' Mental Depression Improving, After 5-Year Absence From Public Eye

TOKYO — Japan's reclusive and troubled Crown Princess Masako said Tuesday that her health is improving and she is feeling more able to take part in social activities.Her father-in-law, Emperor Akihito, is also suffering from stress and inflammation of the stomach, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday. Akihito, who turns 75 later this month, had surgery for prostate cancer in 2003.Masako, who married Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993, has skipped much of her duties in the last five years, mostly because of stress-related symptoms and mental depression."My performance still is not at its best, but I'm beginning to feel I'm now able to do more things, little by little," she said in a statement for her 45th birthday on Tuesday.Royal doctors...

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Science Daily: Depression Treatment: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy As Effective As Anti-depressant Medication, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (2008-12-02) -- Research shows for the first time that a group-based psychological treatment, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, could be a viable alternative to prescription drugs for people suffering from long-term depression. In this study, MBCT proved as effective as maintenance anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well in the longer-term. Read the full article ...

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Santa Barbara Independent: Tender Hearts, Tender Times

Goleta Church Helps the Grieving Through the HolidaysBy Elena Gray-BlancSunday, December 7, 2008For most, the holiday season is one of cheer. For others, most notably those who have suffered a loss — be it the death of a loved one, a divorce, or other trauma — Christmas, Hanukkah, the New Year, and all the attending merriment can be insult added to injury, a constant and contrasting reminder of grief.Reverend Erika Hewitt, minister at Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Goleta, has set out to provide a comforting, open, and pressure-free environment for anyone in the community who might be grieving, and is holding a “Tender Hearts, Tender Times” service on Sunday, December 14.“Sometimes,” Hewitt said in a recent phone conversation,...

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Science Daily: Depression Treatment: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy As Effective As Anti-depressant Medication, Study Suggests

Depression Treatment: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy As Effective As Anti-depressant Medication, Study Suggests ScienceDaily (2008-11-30) -- Research shows for the first time that a group-based psychological treatment, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, could be a viable alternative to prescription drugs for people suffering from long-term depression. In this study, MBCT proved as effective as maintenance anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well in the longer-term. ... read full arti...

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Reuters UK: Sick leave for mental illness linked to early death

By Amy Norton NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who need to take time off from work for a mental health problem may live shorter lives than those in better psychiatric health, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 20,000 French workers they followed, those who'd taken at least 1 week's sick leave for a mental health disorder had a higher death rate over 14 years. At the outset, 41 percent of the workers -- all public utility employees -- had taken at least 1 week's sick leave over the past 3 years. Those who'd taken time off specifically for depression or other mental health disorders were one quarter to one third more likely to die over the study period than workers with no mental-health absences. "Basically the...

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