News
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Media Coverage Of Mass Shootings May Heighten Stigma Of Mental Illness
HealthDay (3/22,
Preidt) reports, "Media coverage of mass shootings by people with
mental illnesses may heighten the stigma that already surrounds people
struggling with mental disorders," according to the results of "an
online survey of nearly 1,800 American adults" appearing in the April
issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the
American Psychiatric Association. The survey "also found that public
support for policies to reduce gun violence rises after news coverage of
mass shootings. Specifically, people who read a news story describing a
mass shooting were more likely than those who did not read such an
article to support gun restrictions for people with serious mental
illness, and for a ban on large-capacity ammunition ...
Posted Mar 23, 2013, 4:31 PM by Will Martin
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Sharfstein: Gun Laws Could Have Major Impact On US Suicide Rate
Psychiatric News (3/22) reports that former American Psychiatric Association president Steven Sharfstein, MD, in a piece that
appeared earlier this week in the Baltimore Sun, emphasized that "while
laws aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of people with mental
illness, which are being debated in Maryland, would have little effect
on the homicide rate in the United States, they could have a major
impact on the suicide rate." Dr. Sharfstein "pointed out that 20,000 of
the 30,000 annual gun-related deaths in this country are suicides."
According to Dr. Sharfstein, "to bring down the gun suicide rate, strong
barriers to availability of guns are needed."
Posted Mar 23, 2013, 4:30 PM by Will Martin
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Small Study: Methylphenidate May Increase Attention, Reduce Apathy In Patients With AD
Medscape (3/22,
Gammon) reports, "Methylphenidate (MPH), a psychostimulant commonly
used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), can help
improve attention and reduce apathy in patients with Alzheimer's
disease (AD)," according to the results of a 60-patient study presented
at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry's annual meeting.
"Interestingly, there was no correlation between attention and apathy in
the treated individual - each parameter improved independently." The
study's lead author "noted that the reasons for this are not entirely
clear."
Posted Mar 23, 2013, 4:30 PM by Will Martin
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