Recent posts
The New York Times By Reed Abelson March 5, 2019 In a scathing decision released Tuesday, a federal judge in Northern California ruled that a unit of UnitedHealth Group, the giant health insurer, had created internal policies aimed at effectively discriminating against patients with mental health and substance abuse disorders... read more
The New York Times By Roni Caryn Rabin Feb 25, 2019 “It is a kind of a new snake oil in the sense that there are a lot of claims and not so much evidence,” said one expert. Cannabidiol, or CBD, a nonintoxicating component of the marijuana plant, is... read more
American Psychiatric Association Wed, Feb 27, 2019 Children separated from their families at the border suffer from “toxic stress,” and some of these children will be significantly impaired for the rest of their lives, APA President Altha J. Stewart, M.D., testified on behalf of APA at a House Appropriations subcommittee today. Some of the factors... read more
An Office Designed for Workers With Autism
The New York Times Magazine What happens when people who have trouble fitting into a traditional workplace get one designed just for them? By SUSAN DOMINUS Photograph by RYAN PFLUGER BEFORE BEN HIRASUNA showed up for the first job interview of his life, he went for weeks at a time without leaving his parents’ home in... read more
Scripps Announces New, Larger Behavioral Health Facility
Partnership with leading care provider will increase bed capacity in San Diego County NAMI San Diego February 12, 2109 SAN DIEGO – Scripps Health will develop a new inpatient behavioral health facility in partnership with Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHC) that will provide treatment for three times as many patients as its existing behavioral... read more
APA Calls for Protection of Transgender Rights After Supreme Court Allows Military Service Ban
American Psychiatric Association Thurs Jan 24, 2019 APA has denounced a Supreme Court decision handed down earlier this week that gave a green light to the U.S. military to restrict service by individuals who are transgender. A sharply divided high court handed the Trump administration the victory for its policy banning... read more
Contrary to conservative crabbing, a new study shows Medicaid expansion is really valuable
Los Angeles Times By Michael Hiltzik Jan 29, 2019 A newly published study of the Medicaid expansion in California says that the program substantially reduced in-hospital mortality for patients who gained coverage, put hospitals on a firmer financial footing, and improved access to care, and better care, for millions of residents. Yet Robert... read more
Does Marijuana Use Cause Schizophrenia?
The New York Times By Benedict Carey Jan. 17, 2019 As the drug becomes more popular, concerns have been raised that its use can lead to psychotic disorders. Here’s what scientists know for sure, and what they don’t. Nearly a century after the film “Reefer Madness” alarmed the... read more
Psychiatric News By Mark Moran and Linda M. Richmond Dec 28, 2018 APA called for “a vigorous appeal effort” of last month’s decision by a Texas court that the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. “This ruling has an unconscionable result,” said APA President Altha Stewart, M.D. “Should this ruling... read more
American Medical Association By Tanya Albert Henry December 21, 2018 Physicians are all for increasing patient access to health care, but a U.S. Labor Department rule expanding association health plans (AHPs) will do the exact opposite, doctors tell a federal court in an amicus brief. The Trump administration’s rule will undermine the Affordable Care... read more