May, 2015

California Medical Association Removes Opposition to Physician Aid in Dying Bill

By editor
May 20, 2015

Now neutral on SB 128, CMA is nation’s first state medical org to change decades-long position on issue Sacramento –Today, the California Medical Association (CMA) announced that it has become the first state medical association in the nation to change its position on the long-debated issue of physician aid in dying. By removing decades-old organizational...   read more


PTSD FOUND TO ACCELERATE AGING PROCESS

By editor
May 18, 2015

A new analysis has linked posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with accelerated aging, a biological process that can lead to a wide range of medical problems. These findings, reported in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, suggest that PTSD may not just be a mental illness, but a full systemic disorder. A research team led by former APA...   read more


LONG-TERM DEPRESSION, EVEN WHEN TREATED, MAY RAISE STROKE RISK FOR OLDER ADULTS

By editor
May 14, 2015

(Reuters Health) - Chronic depression may more than double the risk of stroke for older adults, and the danger remains high even when mental health improves, a large U.S. study suggests. While previous research has linked depression to greater odds of having a stroke, the current study offers fresh evidence that mood-improving treatments like counseling...   read more


California Senate votes to expand powers of nurse practitioners

By editor
May 13, 2015

May 7, 2015 Reporting from Sacramento Addressing a doctor shortage that is especially dire in rural parts of California, the state Senate voted Thursday to let nurse practitioners do much more for patients, including diagnosing and ordering treatment and prescribing drugs, without supervision by a physician. Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) said his bill will...   read more


MOST US CHILDREN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS GO UNTREATED

By editor
May 9, 2015

by Fran Lowry May 07, 2015 More than 17 million children in the United States have or have had a diagnosable mental illness, yet most are not treated, according to the first annual Children's Mental Health Report released by the Child Mind Institute (CMI) in New York City. The fact that so many children are struggling with...   read more


American Psychiatric Association replies to the NY Times article on Torture

By editor
May 2, 2015

The APA response written by Saul Levin, MD to the NY Times Torture Article As you may know, following actions taken by our government in the wake of Sept. 11, there have been numerous reports and questions about a wide range of health professionals’ involvement in interrogation and torture.  Most recently, yesterday, the New York Times reported...   read more