By Jerold Leblanc
The coolness of the onslaught of fall weather did not deter a special event designed to shine light on a problem that has been kept in the dark for far too long.
Just over a dozen people took part in the first ever candlelight vigil illuminating mental illness, held Oct. 7 at Jubliee Park in Wetaskiwin.
The sunset ceremony was hosted by officials of the local Touchstone Place Clubhouse, one of six such facilities in Alberta.
Director Colleen Angus said Mental Illness Week is a national initiative, which the group takes part in on an annual basis.
Vigil a bright idea
“This year, (it was) how can we reinvent the wheel each time, and do something different. Maybe we should start something annual, and we can make it grow, and people expect it every year and look forward to it.
Full story at The Wetaskiwin Times
By CNN Health
“Cut him some slack. He’s just a teenager.”
How many times have you heard a parent utter that phrase to explain away a child’s moodiness? It’s no secret that teenagers are prone to mood swings and sometimes like to keep to themselves. But according to a study published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, some adolescents’ feelings extend beyond normal human shyness to a debilitating psychiatric disorder: Social phobia.
The authors of the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, analyzed a previously conducted face-to-face survey of more than 10,000 adolescents, aged 13 to 18 years. They found that roughly 1 in 10 of those who identified themselves as shy also met the criteria for social phobia.
Shyness is defined by the American Psychological Association as “the tendency to feel awkward, worried, or tense during social encounters, especially with unfamiliar people.”
Full story at CNN Health
By Amanda Chan
Nearly 20 percent of Americans — 44.5 million adults — experienced some sort of mental illness over the last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency (SAMHSA).
The report details state by state the percent of the population who has suffered a mental illness.
“Mental illnesses are treatable and people can recover to live full, productive lives. Unfortunately in the past year only 37.9 percent of adults with mental health problems received any type of care,” SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a statement. “The chasm between need and care is costly both in terms of personal health because of missed opportunities to prevent disability and health care expenditures related to illness such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.”
Full story at Huffington Post
By ABC News
The Health and Community Services Union received a briefing with senior Health Department officials yesterday on the latest round of savings measures.
The union’s Tim Jacobson says it became clear another $2.3 million will be slashed from mental health services, on top of $5.7 million previously announced.
Mr Jacobson says $800,000 of savings will be made by achieving state office efficiencies and $1.6 million in operational staffing efficiencies.
“The two savings strategies clearly go to staffing. We know that in mental health the lion share of staffing is in frontline services.”
Full story at ABC News
By Nancy Walsh
The use of stimulant medications among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to rise, particularly among adolescents, a nationally representative survey showed.
In 2008, these medications were used by 3.5% (95% CI 3.0 to 4.1) of children ages 18 and younger compared with 2.4% (95% CI 1.8 to 2.9) in 1996, according to Samuel H. Zuvekas, PhD, of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Md., and Benedetto Vitiello, MD, of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md.
But among those ages 13 to 18, the rate of use increased by 6.5% annually, rising from 2.3% (95% CI 1.5 to 3.1) in 1996 and reaching 5% (95% CI 3.9 to 6.1) by 2008 (P<0.001), the researchers reported online in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Full story at Med Page Today
The coolness of the onslaught of fall weather did not deter a special event designed to shine light on a problem that has been kept in the dark for far too long. 
