Author Archive
In veterans, even a mild case of traumatic brain injury is linked to an increased risk of dementia
Los Angeles Times By Karen Kaplan May 07, 2018 Mild traumatic brain injury may sound like an oxymoron, along the lines of "jumbo shrimp" or "random order." But a new study shows that mild TBIs can have serious consequences for military veterans by raising their risk of dementia. Researchers who... read more
Psychiatric Services by Patrick W. Corrigan, Psy.D. May 02, 2018 Mental illnesses become serious when they are disabling, when symptoms and dysfunction prevent people from achieving their life goals. Although rehabilitation providers often list education as an important goal, rarely has the field done innovative work here. My 400-page textbook on psychiatric rehabilitation includes only four... read more
Los Angeles Times By Thomas Curwen April 18, 2018 When Gov. Ronald Reagan signed the Mental Health Act of 1967, the legislation signaled a new era in the treatment of mentally ill Californians. Also known as the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, the law recognized that not everyone with a mental illness needed... read more
Mariah Carey reveals her bipolar disorder diagnosis: 'I lived in denial and isolation'
Apr. 11, 2018 By NARDINE SAAD Los Angeles Times Mariah Carey opened up about her mental health on Wednesday and confirmed her longstanding battle with bipolar II disorder. “Until recently, I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” the 48-year-old singer told People. “It was too heavy... read more
Beyond medical costs, a trip to the hospital can mean a permanent reduction in income for many Americans, new research shows. By Margot Sanger-Katz March 21, 2018 New York Times A Hospital Visit Can Hit Your Paycheck Among people in their 50s who were hospitalized, about 10 percent never went back to work. Some others scaled... read more
American Psychiatric Association March 5, 2018 Counties in and adjacent to states with stronger gun laws have fewer firearm deaths than counties in and adjacent to states with weaker laws, according to findings published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. The study suggests that strengthening state firearm policies may prevent firearm suicide and homicide, with benefits that... read more
Treating and housing the mentally ill is harder than jailing them. But it might actually work
By THE LOS ANGELES TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD February 28, 2018 Les Jones, 62, on his daily walk in Santa Monica. Jones has lived in supportive housing at Step-Up on Second for 11 years. (Los Angeles Times) If only we could make Les Jones’ story more commonplace. As the 62-year-old Texas native... read more
Dana Littlefield San Diego Union-Tribune April 29, 2017 About a year ago, Michelle Moriarty noticed that her husband was acting strangely. It was right after the San Diego County couple’s anniversary — their 18th — when her husband Heron seemed to change suddenly. His behavior seemed frantic, he wasn’t sleeping and he was talking... read more
In response to the passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a vote of 217-213 in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, APA joined five other major medical organizations in releasing a statement urging the Senate to “put aside” the AHCA and instead work with them to “achieve real bipartisan... read more
American Psychiatric Association Tells Congress That AHCA Replacement Bill Still Falls Far Short
April 27, 2017 APA and five other major medical organizations are urging Congressional leaders to reject the latest Republican effort to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), saying the newly amended replacement bill for the American Health Care Act (AHCA) “would dramatically increase costs for older individuals, result in millions of people losing their health... read more