Recent posts
Scientists discover how dozens of genes may contribute to autism
The Washington Post By Mark Johnson October 5, 2023 Using a host of high-tech tools to simulate brain development in a lab dish, Stanford University researchers have discovered several dozen genes that interfere with crucial steps in the process and may lead to autism, a spectrum of disorders that affects about one inevery 36 Americans, impairing their ability... read more
The Washington Post By Caitlin Gibson October 24, 2023 For years, Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, has been closely following two disturbing trends: the dwindling of independent activity and play afforded to children over the past half-century, and the accelerating rise in mental health disorders and suicides among youth... read more
F.D.A. Issues Warning Over Misuse of Ketamine
The New York Times By Andrew Hones Oct. 11, 2023 Unsupervised treatment — fueled by telemedicine prescriptions — for various psychiatric problems poses a number of health risks, the agency said. The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert on Tuesday about the dangers of treating psychiatric disorders with compounded versions of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic that... read more
Kaiser agrees to $200 million in fines, fixes after failing to provide timely mental health care
Los Angeles Times By Andrew J. Campa Oct. 13, 2023 Kaiser Permanente agreed to a $200-million settlement and major changes to its mental health services after investigations revealed the healthcare giant canceled tens of thousands of appointments and failed to provide timely care, the California Department of Managed Health Care announced Thursday. The agreement includes... read more
The Washington Post By Cathy Free October 18, 2023 Her doctor, Earl D. King, said he wrote it down ‘because people sometimes don’t follow your instructions’ Robin Sipe’s eyes filled with tears as soon as her doctor entered the examining room. “My cat had recently died and I was feeling really sad and depressed,” Sipe... read more
California is reinventing how it deals with mental illness. Now the locals have to make it work
Los Angeles Times By Thomas Curwen Oct. 12, 2023 Earlier this year, when Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out the agenda for his second term, he made clear his ambition to reform the state’s behavioral health system. By signing into law on Tuesday an expansion of conservatorship criteria, and then approving a ballot measure on Thursday to increase... read more
San diego psychiatric society fall Cme
pathways to recovery: understanding and addressing substance use disorders
Peace Corps Sued Over Mental Health Policy
The New York Times By Ellen Barry Sept. 27, 2023 Applicants have challenged the Peace Corps practice of rescinding invitations to applicants on the basis of mental health conditions. Lea Iodice was thrilled to hear that the Peace Corps had accepted her application and was sending her to Senegal as a community health care worker.... read more
HEAT'S HIDDEN RISK
The Washington Post By Shannon Osaka, Erin Patrick O'Connor and John Muyskens Sept. 6, 2023 PHOENIX On an isolated street a few steps from the looming, cactus-peppered slopes of South Mountain, there was nowhere to hide from the heat. It was one o’clock on a Thursday in July 2022, and temperatures had already climbed to... read more
After the blaze, coping with 'fire brain'
The Washington Post By Marlene Cimons and Kim Bellware August 20, 2023 Research suggests that survivors of the Maui wildfires face a long road of physical and cognitive challenges after the trauma and physical effects of fire and smoke particles. Many people escaped the deadly Maui wildfires — some in harrowing fashion — but their... read more