A special issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics (AJMG): Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics presents a comprehensive overview of the latest progress in genetic research of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The issue covers major trends in the field of complex psychiatric genetics, underscoring how genetic studies of ADHD have evolved, and what approaches are needed to uncover its genetic origins.
ADHD is a complex condition with environmental and genetic causes. It is characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that has an onset in childhood. It is one of the most common psychiatric diseases, affecting between 8-12 percent of children worldwide. The drugs used to treat ADHD are highly effective, making ADHD one of the most treatable psychiatric disorders.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Those With Advanced Parkinson's Study found both physical function and quality of life improved
The largest study of its kind finds that deep brain stimulation improves both physical function and quality of life after six months in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) performed better than currently available drug treatments, but it did carry some risks, including one death, according to a study in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This basically corroborates what has largely emerged over the last decade from literature and clinical experience showing pretty dramatically the potential benefit of DBS for Parkinson's," said Dr. Fred Marshall, medical director of the deep brain stimulation program at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York.
Despite abundant clinical experience, there have been few controlled trials on the topic, added colleague Dr. Irene Richard, an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "This is corroborative, that surgery is helpful, but it is associated with more risk."
READ MORE @ U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) performed better than currently available drug treatments, but it did carry some risks, including one death, according to a study in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This basically corroborates what has largely emerged over the last decade from literature and clinical experience showing pretty dramatically the potential benefit of DBS for Parkinson's," said Dr. Fred Marshall, medical director of the deep brain stimulation program at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York.
Despite abundant clinical experience, there have been few controlled trials on the topic, added colleague Dr. Irene Richard, an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "This is corroborative, that surgery is helpful, but it is associated with more risk."
READ MORE @ U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Monday, January 5, 2009
Brain scans may aid anxious
U.S. researchers suggest brain scans may help predict how anxiety disorders patients react to drug therapy.
"Hopefully we'll be able to use that eventually to determine what kind of treatment to provide to people," lead author Jack Nitschke, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health said in a statement.
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine patients with generalized anxiety disorder and found high levels of amygdala activity -- a part of the brain involved in memory of emotional reactions
This response in a "safe" lab settings was a disproportionately large response to the idea that something negative might happen, Nitschke said.
READ MORE @ UPI
"Hopefully we'll be able to use that eventually to determine what kind of treatment to provide to people," lead author Jack Nitschke, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health said in a statement.
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine patients with generalized anxiety disorder and found high levels of amygdala activity -- a part of the brain involved in memory of emotional reactions
This response in a "safe" lab settings was a disproportionately large response to the idea that something negative might happen, Nitschke said.
READ MORE @ UPI
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Drug companies seek a cure for their ailing research. With costs and regulation rising, a new way of developing blockbuster treatments is needed.
THERE was warm applause for Lord [James] Black last month when the veteran drug developer stepped up in front of an 800-strong audience of business leaders and VIPs in the City to collect an award. The Nobel prize winner was being honoured by Medical Futures, a healthcare interest group, for his contribution to medical research — he is responsible for developing beta blockers, among other significant breakthroughs.
However, Black wonders whether, if he had been in his professional prime in today’s environment, his various discoveries would have happened. He argues that a safety-first approach is hindering the development of the next generation of blockbuster drugs.
“The problem, in my recent experience of trawling new products round big pharma’s R&D divisions, is that they are only comfortable in well-recognised fields,” he said.
READ MORE @ TIMES ONLINE UK
However, Black wonders whether, if he had been in his professional prime in today’s environment, his various discoveries would have happened. He argues that a safety-first approach is hindering the development of the next generation of blockbuster drugs.
“The problem, in my recent experience of trawling new products round big pharma’s R&D divisions, is that they are only comfortable in well-recognised fields,” he said.
READ MORE @ TIMES ONLINE UK
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Preemies face some risk of psychiatric disorders
Results of a Swedish population-wide study hint that children born prematurely have some risk of developing anxiety, depression or other psychiatric disorder in adolescence and young adulthood.
Children born "preterm" should therefore be watched more closely for these disorders, the investigators suggest.
Among 545,628 Swedish residents born in the 1970s and followed up until 23 to 29 years of age, Dr. Karolina Lindstrom from Sachs Children's Hospital, Stockholm, and colleagues observed a stepwise increase in psychiatric hospital admissions with an increasing degree of preterm birth.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Children born "preterm" should therefore be watched more closely for these disorders, the investigators suggest.
Among 545,628 Swedish residents born in the 1970s and followed up until 23 to 29 years of age, Dr. Karolina Lindstrom from Sachs Children's Hospital, Stockholm, and colleagues observed a stepwise increase in psychiatric hospital admissions with an increasing degree of preterm birth.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Friday, January 2, 2009
Researchers Look for Link Between Brain Injury, Psychiatric Illness
A range of psychiatric symptoms can follow combat-related head injuries, but establishing cause and long-term effect awaits longitudinal research.
Traumatic brain injury, the hallmark wound of the war in Iraq, may cause a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, but more prospective research is needed to understand its long-term effects, a committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported in December 2008.
"There is a paucity of information in the scientific literature regarding the sequelae of blast injury, and there is a need for prospective, longitudinal studies to confirm reports of long-term effects of exposure to blasts," said the report, commissioned by the Department of Veterans Affairs and based on an analysis of 1,900 peer-reviewed studies.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Traumatic brain injury, the hallmark wound of the war in Iraq, may cause a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, but more prospective research is needed to understand its long-term effects, a committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported in December 2008.
"There is a paucity of information in the scientific literature regarding the sequelae of blast injury, and there is a need for prospective, longitudinal studies to confirm reports of long-term effects of exposure to blasts," said the report, commissioned by the Department of Veterans Affairs and based on an analysis of 1,900 peer-reviewed studies.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Novartis spent almost $1.4 million lobbying in 3Q
Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis AG spent nearly $1.4 million lobbying the U.S. government in the third quarter, according to a recent disclosure form.
Novartis (nyse: NVS - news - people ) lobbied on bills designed to ensure the government has a sufficient stockpile of influenza vaccine in case of an outbreak, and that the government helps pay for vaccines for seniors, children and uninsured adults. The company makes flu vaccine, as well as vaccines against rabies, meningitis and several childhood illnesses.
Novartis also lobbied on the Defense Department's budget and another bill involving the military's Tricare program, which insures about 9 million current and retired service members and dependents. The company, which makes two anti-rejection drugs, Neoral and Myfortic, lobbied to provide comprehensive coverage for immune-suppressing drugs for kidney transplant patients.
READ MORE @ FORBES
Novartis (nyse: NVS - news - people ) lobbied on bills designed to ensure the government has a sufficient stockpile of influenza vaccine in case of an outbreak, and that the government helps pay for vaccines for seniors, children and uninsured adults. The company makes flu vaccine, as well as vaccines against rabies, meningitis and several childhood illnesses.
Novartis also lobbied on the Defense Department's budget and another bill involving the military's Tricare program, which insures about 9 million current and retired service members and dependents. The company, which makes two anti-rejection drugs, Neoral and Myfortic, lobbied to provide comprehensive coverage for immune-suppressing drugs for kidney transplant patients.
READ MORE @ FORBES
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Child Psychiatrist to Curtail Industry-Financed Activities
A prominent Harvard child psychiatrist will curtail activities financed by the drug industry while Massachusetts General Hospital investigates his failure for years to disclose the consulting fees he received from drug makers.
The psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, a world-renowned and controversial researcher on childhood mental illness, has agreed to stop participating in speaking engagements and other activities paid for by pharmaceutical companies, and also to stop his work on industry-financed activities within the hospital. That includes clinical trials that are under way at the hospital, said Peggy Slasman, a spokeswoman for Massachusetts General.
READ MORE @ N.Y. TIMES
The psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, a world-renowned and controversial researcher on childhood mental illness, has agreed to stop participating in speaking engagements and other activities paid for by pharmaceutical companies, and also to stop his work on industry-financed activities within the hospital. That includes clinical trials that are under way at the hospital, said Peggy Slasman, a spokeswoman for Massachusetts General.
READ MORE @ N.Y. TIMES
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Father blames son's suicide on 'telemedicine'
In August 2005, John McKay, a 19-year-old Stanford student and former high school debate champion, committed suicide by rolling up the windows in a car at his mother's Menlo Park home and piping in exhaust fumes.
In the next few weeks, a Colorado doctor who had prescribed a generic form of Prozac for McKay after receiving his request over the Internet, without ever seeing or examining him, will go on trial in Redwood City on possibly precedent-setting charges of practicing medicine in California without a license.
A conviction of Dr. Christian Hageseth, 67, "would send a clear message to those individuals who are blindly writing prescriptions to patients they know nothing about," said the youth's father, David McKay, a former Stanford professor now living in Colorado. They would have to ask themselves, he said, "whether quick and easy money is worth the risk of a criminal conviction and permanent loss of their medical license."
READ MORE @ SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
In the next few weeks, a Colorado doctor who had prescribed a generic form of Prozac for McKay after receiving his request over the Internet, without ever seeing or examining him, will go on trial in Redwood City on possibly precedent-setting charges of practicing medicine in California without a license.
A conviction of Dr. Christian Hageseth, 67, "would send a clear message to those individuals who are blindly writing prescriptions to patients they know nothing about," said the youth's father, David McKay, a former Stanford professor now living in Colorado. They would have to ask themselves, he said, "whether quick and easy money is worth the risk of a criminal conviction and permanent loss of their medical license."
READ MORE @ SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Psychiatric manual's update needs openness, not secrecy, critics say Edition is being prepared with strict oversight, officials counter
Whether revisions to the "bible" of mental illness should be carried out in secret might seem like an academic question.
But the issue carries real weight for parents desperate to address children's difficult behavior or people in distress over their mental state. It also speaks to citizens' concerns over news accounts of an overmedicated America and the troubling financial links between the pharmaceutical industry and some psychiatric researchers.
An update is under way for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM, which defines the emotional problems for which doctors prescribe drugs and insurance companies pay the bills. Psychiatrists working on the new manual were required to sign a strict confidentiality agreement.
Critics say the American Psychiatric Association should lift the curtain of secrecy so outside observers can review the scientific debate behind new and revised diagnoses.
READ MORE @ CHICAGO TRIBUNE
But the issue carries real weight for parents desperate to address children's difficult behavior or people in distress over their mental state. It also speaks to citizens' concerns over news accounts of an overmedicated America and the troubling financial links between the pharmaceutical industry and some psychiatric researchers.
An update is under way for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM, which defines the emotional problems for which doctors prescribe drugs and insurance companies pay the bills. Psychiatrists working on the new manual were required to sign a strict confidentiality agreement.
Critics say the American Psychiatric Association should lift the curtain of secrecy so outside observers can review the scientific debate behind new and revised diagnoses.
READ MORE @ CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Friday, December 26, 2008
Study will try to improve how mentally ill are cared for in ERs Hospitals have seen increase in mentally ill patients.
Mental health experts in Austin are hoping a research project will help them revamp the way psychiatric patients are treated in emergency rooms.
Advocacy Inc., an Austin-based organization focused on disability rights, is examining what happens to mentally ill patients brought to Austin hospitals because of a psychiatric crisis. The organization will look at things such as how they are medically cared for, how staffers treat them personally and how the environment of often-chaotic emergency rooms affects their mental illnesses.
READ MORE @ AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Advocacy Inc., an Austin-based organization focused on disability rights, is examining what happens to mentally ill patients brought to Austin hospitals because of a psychiatric crisis. The organization will look at things such as how they are medically cared for, how staffers treat them personally and how the environment of often-chaotic emergency rooms affects their mental illnesses.
READ MORE @ AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Birth Defects and SSRIs—How's a Mother to Know?
In 2006, Elissa's doctor prescribed Cymbalta to help with her depression. Shortly after starting on the antidepressant Elissa became pregnant. On her doctor's advice she continued taking Cymbalta. But it soon became apparent her baby was developing life-threatening defects.
"I had my first ultrasound at 3 months," Elissa said. "That's when I found out something wasn't right. The doctor explained that my baby appeared to have a heart defect, a hole in her heart. Shortly after Elissa's baby girl was born, prematurely, the infant had to undergo heart surgery to repair the damage that could have been induced by the antidepressant. But Elissa was not aware of the association between SSRIs—or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—and birth defects.
READ MORE @ LAWYERS AND SETTLEMENTS
"I had my first ultrasound at 3 months," Elissa said. "That's when I found out something wasn't right. The doctor explained that my baby appeared to have a heart defect, a hole in her heart. Shortly after Elissa's baby girl was born, prematurely, the infant had to undergo heart surgery to repair the damage that could have been induced by the antidepressant. But Elissa was not aware of the association between SSRIs—or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—and birth defects.
READ MORE @ LAWYERS AND SETTLEMENTS
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Psych Patients With Cost-Sharing Plans Use More Services
People whose insurance plans better share the burden of the cost for mental health services use these programs more than those whose plans pick up less of the bill, a new study says.
The findings were based on a study of Medicare patients, some of whose plans provided equal cost-sharing and others whose plans put a greater cost burden on the patients. The patients in the study had recently received psychiatric discharges from facilities.
The study was published in the Dec. 24/31 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
U.S. health insurers have historically imposed higher out-of-pocket costs and greater restrictions for the use of mental health services than other medical illnesses.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
The findings were based on a study of Medicare patients, some of whose plans provided equal cost-sharing and others whose plans put a greater cost burden on the patients. The patients in the study had recently received psychiatric discharges from facilities.
The study was published in the Dec. 24/31 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
U.S. health insurers have historically imposed higher out-of-pocket costs and greater restrictions for the use of mental health services than other medical illnesses.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Monday, December 22, 2008
Florida Medicaid, Antipsychotics and Small Children
At a time when growing use of atypical antipyschotics in children is under a microscope, Florida’s Medicaid program recently revised rules that makes it possible for doctors to write prescriptions for children of all ages - including those younger than six years old.
Most of these drugs can lead to weight gain and diabetes, and one prominent study found they were no more effective than older meds. Yet the drugs are increasingly prescribed for children, with Medicaid programs in several states reporting rising expenditures for antipsychotics, sometimes to treat ADD or ADHD, which are unapproved uses (look here and here).
In general, the atypical antipsychotics - a newer class that includes AstraZeneca’s Seroquel; Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Abilify; Pfizer’s Geodon; Lilly’s Zyprexa and Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal - were not approved by the FDA to treat small children, or those younger than 10 years old. Risperdal has been approved for children older than 5 years of age, but only for those with autistic disorder. To be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement, a drug has to be used for a medically accepted indication, which means the drug has to be approved for a specific use or supported by specific compendia (this link indicates the three compendia do not list any use of the atypicals in children younger than 5 years old).
READ MORE @ PHARMALOT
Most of these drugs can lead to weight gain and diabetes, and one prominent study found they were no more effective than older meds. Yet the drugs are increasingly prescribed for children, with Medicaid programs in several states reporting rising expenditures for antipsychotics, sometimes to treat ADD or ADHD, which are unapproved uses (look here and here).
In general, the atypical antipsychotics - a newer class that includes AstraZeneca’s Seroquel; Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Abilify; Pfizer’s Geodon; Lilly’s Zyprexa and Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal - were not approved by the FDA to treat small children, or those younger than 10 years old. Risperdal has been approved for children older than 5 years of age, but only for those with autistic disorder. To be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement, a drug has to be used for a medically accepted indication, which means the drug has to be approved for a specific use or supported by specific compendia (this link indicates the three compendia do not list any use of the atypicals in children younger than 5 years old).
READ MORE @ PHARMALOT
Sunday, December 21, 2008
FDA Faults Drug Information for Consumers
The printed consumer information that accompanies new prescription drugs is often difficult to read or understand, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.
In a new report, the FDA said the "consumer medication information" -- intended to spell out the proper use and risks of drugs -- failed to meet a Congressionally mandated goal that 95 percent of all new prescriptions be accompanied by useful guidance.
"The study reveals that consumers are not consistently getting the information they need to promote the safe and effective use of prescription medicines," Dr. Paul Seligman, associate director of safety policy and communication at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said during a Tuesday teleconference.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
In a new report, the FDA said the "consumer medication information" -- intended to spell out the proper use and risks of drugs -- failed to meet a Congressionally mandated goal that 95 percent of all new prescriptions be accompanied by useful guidance.
"The study reveals that consumers are not consistently getting the information they need to promote the safe and effective use of prescription medicines," Dr. Paul Seligman, associate director of safety policy and communication at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said during a Tuesday teleconference.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Medication For Depression Can Also Fight Cancer Drug Resistance
Prozac is regularly prescribed to ease the emotional pain of patients who are being treated for cancer. But can this common anti-depressant help to fight cancer itself?
Dr. Dan Peer of the Department of Cell Research and Immunology at Tel Aviv University is proving that it can. A study he and his colleagues recently completed validates that Prozac (chemical name fluoxetine) dramatically enhances the effectiveness of a widely used anti-cancer drug.
“The good news is that the medical community won't have to wait — Prozac can be used for this purpose right away,” says Dr. Peer, noting that doctors in the U.S. already prescribe it to treat depression in chemotherapy patients.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Dr. Dan Peer of the Department of Cell Research and Immunology at Tel Aviv University is proving that it can. A study he and his colleagues recently completed validates that Prozac (chemical name fluoxetine) dramatically enhances the effectiveness of a widely used anti-cancer drug.
“The good news is that the medical community won't have to wait — Prozac can be used for this purpose right away,” says Dr. Peer, noting that doctors in the U.S. already prescribe it to treat depression in chemotherapy patients.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Friday, December 19, 2008
Older Antidepressants May Be Better for Parkinson's Patients
For Parkinson's disease patients with depression, an older tricyclic antidepressant outperformed a newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, one of a class that is commonly prescribed, according to researchers here.
In a randomized trial, the older tricyclic antidepressant, nortriptyline, significantly improved symptoms of depression after eight weeks compared with placebo (P<0.002) Matthew Menza, M.D., of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School here, and colleagues reported online in Neurology. A newer SSRI, paroxetine CR, did not (P=0.165) help.
The percentage of patients who had at least a 50% reduction in their depression symptoms was significantly higher in those taking nortriptyline than in those taking paroxetine CR (53% versus 11%, P=0.034).
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
In a randomized trial, the older tricyclic antidepressant, nortriptyline, significantly improved symptoms of depression after eight weeks compared with placebo (P<0.002) Matthew Menza, M.D., of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School here, and colleagues reported online in Neurology. A newer SSRI, paroxetine CR, did not (P=0.165) help.
The percentage of patients who had at least a 50% reduction in their depression symptoms was significantly higher in those taking nortriptyline than in those taking paroxetine CR (53% versus 11%, P=0.034).
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
FDA Adds Suicide Warning to Epilepsy Drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it was adding a label warning on heightened suicide risk for users of antiepileptic drugs.
The move, which follows the advice last summer of an FDA advisory panel, stops short of slapping the strongest "black box" warning on this class of drugs, which includes widely used medications such as clonazepam (Klonopin), phenytoin (Dilantin) and topiramate (Topamax).
"Patients being treated with antiepileptic drugs for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior," Dr. Russell Katz, director of the division of neurology products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
The move, which follows the advice last summer of an FDA advisory panel, stops short of slapping the strongest "black box" warning on this class of drugs, which includes widely used medications such as clonazepam (Klonopin), phenytoin (Dilantin) and topiramate (Topamax).
"Patients being treated with antiepileptic drugs for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior," Dr. Russell Katz, director of the division of neurology products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Studies Try to Tease Apart the Links Between Depression and Heart Disease
People who are depressed are literally sick at heart: they have a significantly increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and no one knows exactly why. Now three new studies have tried to explain this, and they arrive at subtly different conclusions.
The first, led by Dr. Mary A. Whooley of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco, studied 1,017 patients with coronary artery disease for an average of more than four years. Although the study found an association of depression with heart disease, when researchers statistically corrected for other medical conditions, disease severity and physical inactivity, the association disappeared.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
The first, led by Dr. Mary A. Whooley of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco, studied 1,017 patients with coronary artery disease for an average of more than four years. Although the study found an association of depression with heart disease, when researchers statistically corrected for other medical conditions, disease severity and physical inactivity, the association disappeared.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Monday, December 15, 2008
'Not enough support' for mentally ill people to work
Government risks 'writing off' people with mental health problems due to lack of trained professionals
The government needs to take urgent action to make sure support and training is available to get more people with mental illness into work, say campaigners in a new report today.
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) and the College of Occupational Therapists have published a joint paper arguing that the government risks "writing off" people with mental health problems during the recession if it doesn't take action on employment support immediately.
The paper, 'Vocational Rehabilitation: what is it, who can deliver it and who pays?' claims there is a serious shortage of professionals "with the skills they need to offer expert help" to people who need it most. It says that without expert advisers trained to assess the employment needs of people with mental illness and to offer necessary support once jobs are found, the government will fail to keep its promise to help millions of people with mental health problems long term employment.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
The government needs to take urgent action to make sure support and training is available to get more people with mental illness into work, say campaigners in a new report today.
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) and the College of Occupational Therapists have published a joint paper arguing that the government risks "writing off" people with mental health problems during the recession if it doesn't take action on employment support immediately.
The paper, 'Vocational Rehabilitation: what is it, who can deliver it and who pays?' claims there is a serious shortage of professionals "with the skills they need to offer expert help" to people who need it most. It says that without expert advisers trained to assess the employment needs of people with mental illness and to offer necessary support once jobs are found, the government will fail to keep its promise to help millions of people with mental health problems long term employment.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
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