Recent posts
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
Apr 27, 2017 Kevin B. O'Reilly Editor American Medical Association Wire The most recent effort to broaden support for the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which comes in the form of an amendment proposed by New Jersey Rep. Tom MacArthur, does not address the most serious flaws in the bill and would also undermine critical... read more
American Psychiatric Association Joins Medical-Scientific Community in Support of March for Science
APA has joined 24 other medical and scientific organizations in a statement of support for the March for Science taking place Saturday, April 22, in Washington, D.C., and in other cities around the country. APA and the other groups said support of scientific education and research is vital. “As the world's leading organizations representing clinicians,... read more
One Family's Story of Mental Illness and What Came After
Book Review | Nonfiction By RON SUSKIND APRIL 4, 2017 New York Times NO ONE CARES ABOUT CRAZY PEOPLE The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America By Ron Powers 360 pp. Hachette Books. $28. In the opening chapter of his extraordinary and courageous book, the author and critic Ron Powers writes about a... read more
By Yvonne Villarreal March 19, 2017 Los Angeles Times She’s the wide-eyed little Muppet with a big smile who has made it to “Sesame Street.” Her name is Julia and she has autism. Julia was first introduced in 2015, playing alongside Elmo and Abby Cadabby, as part of an online-only Digital Storybook story called... read more
Patient Voices: Bipolar Disorder
By KAREN BARROW New York Times Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition affecting around 60 million people worldwide that causes unusual and sudden shifts in mood and energy. What is it like to have bipolar disorder? How do you balance the mental ups and downs of this disease? Here, in their own words,... read more