BUTNER – Five workers at a state mental hospital who violated rules by strapping a patient face-down to a bed charged this morning that they were being treated as scapegoats for the hospital’s management problems.
The five — a nurse and four health care technicians — are on paid leave of up to 30 days from their jobs at Central Regional Hospital while state officials conduct an internal investigation.
The incident occurred early Wednesday morning Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Almost half of college-age Americans have suffered from some type of mental health problem in the past year, but few seek treatment, a survey finds.
The survey, of more than 5,000 U.S. adults ages 19 to 25, found that mental health disorders were common among both college students and those not in college. But neither group was likely to have had the problem addressed; overall, one-quarter had sought treatment for their Read the rest of this entry »

Complaints about Georgia’s mental health system may soon draw independent state investigations, as the launch of an ombudsman office has suddenly gained momentum.
Gov. Sonny Perdue this week announced a panel that would nominate candidates for mental health ombudsman, a post established by last year’s General Assembly but left unfilled amid the state’s budget crunch.
State officials for months had given no indication that Read the rest of this entry »

Another mental health-related bill pending in the Legislature would reconstitute the board and revise the qualifications of the executive director of the state Department of Mental Health.
The nine-member state Board of Mental Health would add a nurse and two consumers, under a bill now before the House Public Health Committee.
The current board includes three psychiatrists, two family members, a social worker and a clinical psychologist.
Randy Read the rest of this entry »

January 21, 2009:
My mom hates exercise. Not just dislikes it, but avoids it as actively as someone who attempts to be as inactive as possible can. So I was floored last week when the words “I’m sweating” — as  a result of actual muscle use — came out of her mouth. Did I mention she was smiling?
Nope, I wasn’t dreaming. I was in the Chevy Chase Ballroom, a District of Columbia dance studio where she had dragged Read the rest of this entry »

Federal authorities will rely on a self-interested source to oversee Georgia’s progress in fixing its state psychiatric hospitals.
The Department of Human Resources — the agency that operates the seven state hospitals — will monitor its own compliance with a settlement agreement reached last week with the U.S. Justice Department. The agreement calls for the state to correct deficiencies that caused hundreds of injuries and illnesses Read the rest of this entry »

This month, Harris County’s criminal district judges voted to create a felony mental health court, the first one in the county’s history to focus exclusively on felony defendants diagnosed with such serious conditions as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression.
This is a smart move on several levels. Introduced about a decade ago, mental health courts, which now number more than 150 nationwide, seek to provide more humane Read the rest of this entry »

     I would like to call attention to a great approach to Mental Health Care that has been enacted through Family Health Teams. These teams are located throughout Ontario and take an interdisciplinary approach to health care. Teams of health care providers include nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, dietitians, mental health counselors and physicians to provide convenient and comprehensive health care. The Family Health Team approach to Read the rest of this entry »

(NOTE: This is part 4 of a six-part series looking at child welfare issues in Hale County and across the state.)
Quality mental health care can prevent a child from entering adulthood with untreated or undiagnosed mental health challenges, says a report recently released by Texans Care for Children.
However, Texas ranks the 49th in the United States for children’s mental health care. Only 18 percent of eligible children, the report says, received Read the rest of this entry »

A Pierce County man accused of killing four people in a Des Moines home in 2001 will be returning to the state mental hospital for another round of treatment.
Leemah Carneh has been shuffled between Western State Hospital and the King County Jail since his arrest in 2001 for allegedly killing Richard and Jane Larson, their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Josie Peterson, in the Larsons’ home.
On Wednesday, King County Read the rest of this entry »