Claudio Soares rewarded for research in Mental Health

Dr. Claudio Soares, director of the women's health concerns clinic at St. Joseph's Healthcare, has been recognized as a breakthrough researcher by a leading American foundation dedicated to mental health research.

For six years, Soares has been studying the effects of depression in pregnant women and the impact on their children. He is the first Canadian acknowledged by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) for breakthrough research on work it has funded.

"I think it's a nice acknowledgement of the research we do in Canada," said Soares. "It brings attention to what we do here."

Soares is also in the midst of a large long-term study researching maternal adversity, vulnerability and neurodevelopment (MAVAN). The study is being jointly conducted by McMaster University, where Soares is an associate professor, and by McGill University and University of Toronto researchers.

The study's clinical operation is in Hamilton, where 250 pregnant women -- half of them well and the other half depressed -- have been monitored.

Soares, with the help of a two-year NARSAD grant, is now going back to the MAVAN data to see how allergies in the study's children correlate with their mothers' mental health during pregnancy.

"We are looking at the transgenerational impact (of depression)," Soares said.

In previous segments of the study, researchers found stress, depression and anxiety during pregnancy causes low birth weights.

Soares has received several NARSAD grants totalling $250,000 to date. The aim of his studies is to understand the impact of depression during pregnancy and to develop treatment strategies.

Source:
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/794462

Suicide Rivals The Battlefield In Toll On U.S. Military

Nearly as many American troops at home and abroad have committed suicide this year as have been killed in combat in Afghanistan. Alarmed at the growing rate of soldiers taking their own lives, the Army has begun investigating its mental health and suicide prevention programs.

But the tougher challenge is changing a culture that is very much about "manning up" when things get difficult.

This is the first in an occasional series of stories on the problem of suicides in the military.

Suicide Rates Rise Over Decade

There were 197 Army suicides in 2008, according to the Army's numbers. The total includes active- and non-active-duty soldiers.

Last year, the number was 245. This year, through May, it's already 163.

The Army has instituted many programs to counsel and train soldiers. Stephen Colley had undergone suicide prevention training.

The suicides continue even as America's war in Iraq is winding down and multiple deployments are past.

What is causing these men, and some women, to kill themselves?

For more information please visit:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127860466

Schizophrenia is hereditary, may appear early in life

From now through the end of May, NARSAD, a brain and behavior research fund, is hosting free public forums around the country to showcase mental health research. On Saturday, local researchers will convene at the Indiana University School of Medicine for a "Healthy Minds Across America" gathering.

Among those speaking will be Dr. Alan Breier, chief of the psychotic disorders program at the medical school, who specializes in schizophrenia.

For more information or to register, call (800) 829-8289. In advance of the event, Breier discussed schizophrenia, a mental disorder in which a person may have delusions, hallucinations, or other forms of impaired thinking.

Question: How has our understanding of schizophrenia changed in recent years?

Answer: There have been substantial advances in the neuroscience. We're getting a better handle on the brain processes that have gone awry to cause this devastating illness.

Q: What do we know?

A: The basic problem with schizophrenia involves the wiring in the cortex of the brain. Schizophrenia is hereditary. We reason that some genetic abnormality affects the genes that form the cortex, early in fetal development. But the illness manifests in the teens and early 20s.

Q: Why does it take so long?

A: When you look carefully, you may find hints of problems as early as the grade school years -- school performance complications or not being as social. We're trying to identify people who are at early risk to develop novel treatments that could hopefully change the course of illness. Our Prevention and Recovery from Early Psychosis Center is focused on detection, training and research.

Q: What is the center's approach to treatment?

A: Our approach is, let's start early. We know that people who are at this early phase rarely get to treatment promptly.

The symptoms emerge and this adds to the downward course -- unemployment, dropping out of school, substance abuse problems, incarceration, social isolation. People with schizophrenia frequently die 10 to 15 years earlier. They have high rates of smoking, metabolic disease, high rates of suicide.

Q: Does a person need both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments?

A: Both. We need the introduction of pharmacological treatments as early as possible in the illness. The longer you wait, the poorer the outcome.

There are some interesting behavioral treatments; one is called cognitive remediation, where you're basically exercising the cortex. It's done with a computer program where the individual basically interacts with a computer program that is creating a variety of tasks that are exercising the brain. After a 10-week course, cognitive function improves.

Q: What more can we do?

A: The most important thing we can do in schizophrenia is develop a new group of pharmacological treatments. The treatments we have today are effective in quelling the voices, in quelling the delusional beliefs. The treatments we have right now, I'd rate as a "B".

We need treatments we could rate as an "A" that would change the long-term nature of the illness.

Source: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100429/LIVING25/4290309/1300/LIVING25/Schizophrenia-is-hereditary-may-appear-early-in-life

Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal among winners of Prism Awards

Six weeks after winning an Oscar, Jeff Bridges picked up another accolade for "Crazy Heart" on Thursday night as he and costar Maggie Gyllenhaal were bestowed Prism Awards, which honor actors, movies and TV shows that "accurately depict and bring attention to substance abuse and mental health issues."

"Crazy Heart," the story of an alcoholic singer, also won the award in the substance use category for feature films, while " The Soloist," in which Jamie Foxx portrayed a street musician battling paranoid schizophrenia, was honored for its depiction of mental health issues.

Television series winners included NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC's "Law & Order," AMC's " Breaking Bad" and CBS' "How I Met Your Mother."

Two TV movies on Lifetime, "Natalee Holloway" and "Prayers for Bobby," also collected awards, and a third Lifetime movie, "America," earned performance honors for Rosie O'Donnell.

Among other programs picking up awards were Nickelodeon's "Nick News With Linda Ellerbee" for an installment called "Kids in Rehab," PBS' " Betty Ford: The Real Deal" and HBO's "The Alzheimer's Project."

The Prisms, established in 1997, were presented at the Beverly Hills Hotel by the Entertainment Industries Council in association with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the FX network, which will televise the ceremony in the fall.

"Through accurate character portrayals and inspired storytelling, our industry reinforces the importance of those individuals within the care-giving and health fields," said Brian Dyak, president of the Entertainment Industries Council.

Source: http://theenvelope.latimes.com/la-et-prism-awards-20100422,0,1089670.story

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) (formerly the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR)) is an American non-profit professional organization that advocates on behalf of those with mental retardation. AAMR has members in the United States and 55 other countries.

Founded in 1876, the AAIDD is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization of professionals (and others) concerned about mental retardation and related disabilities.

The first meeting of the "Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feebleminded Persons" was held at the Elwyn Training School in Elwyn, Pennsylvania. The organization later changed its name to "American Association on Mental Deficiency" (AAMD) and then to the "American Association on Mental Retardation." In June 2006, members of the association voted to change its name to the "American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities."

Mental health laws and involuntary patients

If you are an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Act, you have rights. You should be aware of these rights and know who to contact if you need help.

Your basic rights
You have the right to:

• Appeal to the Mental Health Review Board
• A second opinion
• Legal advice
• Contact people by letter or telephone
• Complain about your treatment.

Involuntary patients
If you have been admitted as an involuntary patient to a mental health service, it is because a doctor believes that:

• You appear to be mentally ill
• Your mental illness requires immediate treatment
• It is necessary for your health or safety or for the protection of other people
• You have refused or are unable to consent to necessary treatment
• There is no less restrictive way for you to receive adequate treatment.

Within 24 hours of admission, a psychiatrist from the mental health service will examine you to decide if all these reasons apply to you. If they do, you must remain an involuntary patient.

Community treatment orders
Your psychiatrist may decide that you can receive the treatment you need in the community and place you on a community treatment order. However, you are still an involuntary patient.

Mental Health Review Board
The Mental Health Review Board is an independent tribunal that:

• Hears appeals from patients who want to be discharged.
• Reviews all patients periodically to decide if they can be discharged.

Dance - health benefits

There are many forms of dance, from ballroom to barn and disco to morris. Dance has been a part of human culture, rituals and celebrations forever. Today, most dancing is about recreation and self-expression, although it can also be pursued as a competitive activity. Dancing is an enjoyable way to be more physically active and stay fit.

Health benefits
Dancing can be a way to stay fit for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. It has a wide range of physical and mental benefits including:

• Improved condition of the heart and lungs
• Increased muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness
• Increased aerobic fitness
• Improved muscle tone and strength
• Weight management
• Stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis
• Better coordination, agility and flexibility
• Improved balance and spatial awareness
• Increased physical confidence
• Improved mental functioning
• Improved general and psychological wellbeing
• Greater self-confidence and self-esteem
• Better social skills.

Getting started
You can dance in a group, with a partner, or on your own. There a lots of different places where you can enjoy dancing, for example at dance schools, social venues, community halls and in your own home. Dancing has become such a popular way to be active and keep fit, that most fitness clubs now offer dance classes in their group exercise programs.

Dancing can be performed both competitively and socially. It can be a great recreational and sporting option, because anyone of any age can take part. It doesn’t matter whether it is cold or raining as dancing is usually done indoors.

The gear you require to dance will depend on the style of dancing you choose. For example, tap dancing will involve purchasing tap shoes, whereas ballet will require ballet slippers and ballet attire. To get started, simply choose a style you enjoy, or would like to try, and join a class.

Types of dance
There are numerous styles of dance to choose from, each with its own attractions. Some popular types of dancing styles include:

• Ballet – mostly performed to classical music, this dance style focuses on strength, technique and flexibility.
• Ballroom dancing –: this involves a number of partner dancing styles such as the waltz, swing, fox-trot, rumba and the tango.
• Belly dancing – originating in the Middle East, this dance style is a fun way to exercise.
• Hip hop – performed mostly to hip hop music, this urban dance style can involve breaking, popping, locking and free styling.
• Jazz – a high energy dance style involving kicks, leaps and turns to the beat of the music.
• Pole dancing – this style of dancing has become increasingly popular as a form of exercise. It involves sensual dancing with a vertical pole, and requires muscle endurance, co-ordination, and upper and lower body strength.
• Salsa – involving a mixture of Caribbean, Latin American and African influences, salsa is usually a partner dance and emphasises rhythms and sensuality.
• Square dancing – a type of folk dancing where four couples dance in a square pattern, moving around each other and changing partners
• Tap dancing – focuses on timing and beats. The name originates from the tapping sounds made by the small metal plates on the dancer’s shoes touch the ground.