August, 2018
Los Angeles Times By Jenny Gold Aug. 27, 2018 Marijuana may be losing its image as a dangerous drug, but mounting research suggests women should steer clear of it if they are pregnant or breastfeeding, according to new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The advice comes as more... read more
With an epidemic of mental illness on the streets, counties struggle to spend huge cash reserves
Los Angeles Times By Thomas Curwen Aug 19, 2018 When California voters passed a tax on high-income residents in 2004, backers said it would make good on the state’s “failed promise” to help counties pay for the treatment of the mentally ill. After nearly 15 years, Proposition 63... read more
The San Diego Union-Tribune By Paul Sisson August 17, 2018 With just days to go before it was to shutter its psychiatric ward, Tri-City Medical Center announced Friday afternoon that its board of directors will hear public testimony and take a fresh vote on the matter next week. The Oceanside... read more
Tri-City Medical Center closes crisis-Stabilization unit
The San Diego Union-Tribune By Paul Sisson August 8, 2018 Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside has closed its 12-person crisis-stabilization unit, a move that precedes plans to shut down the hospital’s 18-bed behavioral health unit later this month. In a short statement made Wednesday afternoon, Tri-City management confirmed that it closed... read more
Task Force on Gene Testing for Antidepressant Efficacy Concludes Tests Not Yet Ready for Widespread Use
Psychiatric News By Mark Moran July 19, 2018 One problem is lack of transparency regarding algorithms used by commercial entities to determine treatment recommendations on the basis of testing of genetic variations. Individualized medicine employing pharmacogenomics to guide psychiatric treatment is the future, experts agree. But the future is not here yet. That’s the... read more
The Great God of Depression
How mental illness stopped being “A terrible dark secret.” The New York Times By Pagan Kennedy Aug 3, 2018 Nearly 30 years ago, the author William Styron outed himself in these pages as mentally ill. “My days were pervaded by a gray drizzle of unrelenting horror,” he wrote... read more
When Medicines Affect a Child's Mind and Behavior
The New York Times By Perri Klass, M.D. July 30, 2018 Whenever I write about children getting medications for anxiety, for depression, or especially for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a certain number of readers respond with anger and suspicion, accusing me of being part of a conspiracy to medicate... read more
American Psychiatric Association Tuesday, July 24, 2018 APA and 13 other medical organizations today called on members of the House and Senate oversight committees to hold hearings as soon as possible with officials of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding... read more