Recovery Update

Recovery Update features the most recent articles from throughout the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. Stay up to date on all the latest mental health news through this weekly newsletter.
 

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Recovery Update features the most recent articles from throughout the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. Stay up to date on all the latest mental health news through this weekly newsletter.

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Common Heart, Diabetes Meds May Aid Mental Illness

A new study is raising the question of whether certain cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes drugs could help manage mental illnesses like schizophrenia. The findings come from a study of over 142,000 Swedish patients with serious mental illnesses — including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The researchers found that those patients typically fared better during periods when they were taking certain medications to treat high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Report: Mental Health, Police-Involved Shootings Linked

Mental illness was a factor in many law enforcement conflicts in Michigan that resulted in the deaths of police officers or civilians in recent years, according to a review by a news organization. MLive.com reviewed police reports, court records and newspaper archives to find that 33 of the 87 people killed by police in Michigan in that time had signs or a history of mental illness. MLive.com's review of the 43 police officers who were slain in the past two decades found that 13 were killed by people who showed signs of mental illness.

Parma City Schools in Ohio Promoting Student Mental Health Awareness With Upcoming Events

Research by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America reveals that anxiety disorders not only affect 25 percent of youth between 13 and 18 years old, but untreated children are at higher risk for reduced academic performance, missed important social experiences and increased substance abuse. In an effort to not only spread awareness among high school students attending Parma City Schools, but also staff and parents, the district is taking a proactive approach, with two events scheduled during the month of January.

New Funding for Expansion of Pediatric Mental Health Programs in New Jersey

New federal funding will allow New Jersey to recruit and train nearly 2,000 more primary-care providers to better diagnose and treat mental illness and substance abuse issues in children and adolescents, groups that often lacks access to effective behavioral healthcare. A branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has pledged to provide the state Department of Health nearly $2.3 million, over five years, to enhance primary and behavioral healthcare with new telemedicine and education programs.

City Leaders To Approve $3.5M Contract Allowing Mental Health Experts To Ride Along With CMPD

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will soon have mental health experts respond to calls with them to ease tense situations. City council members will vote on spending $3.5 million for a five-year contract with mental health counselors at a meeting Monday evening. Channel 9's Mark Barber learned the idea stemmed from a police foundation report that analyzed CMPD's response to the fallout from the Keith Scott shooting in 2016.

Palestine's Head of Mental Health Services Says PTSD Is a Western Concept

Palestine has some of the highest rates of mental illness in the world. A quarter of Palestinian adolescents have made suicide attempts; about 23.2 percent have post-traumatic stress disorder (according to a survey of 1,369 over three years) compared to around 6-9 percent in the U.S.; and the Palestinian territories have by far the highest levels of depression in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Rising Rates of College Mental Health Services Utilization

The first two decades of the 21st century have witnessed a steady rise in rates of mental health problems among college-aged youth. Scientific publications, popular press and social media accounts have documented what many view as an epidemic of anxiety, depression, suicide and substance use disorders in this age group.

UK Mental Health Services Falling Behind Those For Physical Health

A new report on current trends in Schizophrenia services in the U.K. launched by Janssen has found that mental health services are falling behind physical health services. Newer, more innovative commissioning approaches have been introduced in physical healthcare, however findings show that "the vast majority" of mental health providers are still using "outdated" approaches, such as outdated block contracts, which provide no transparency on how funding is used and whether they are resulting in beneficial outcomes for patients, it argues.

Why Taking a Fishing Trip Is Good for Your Mental Health

If you're feeling down or burnt out, it might be time to get back into nature. According to Niels Eék, psychologist and co-founder of mental wellbeing and self-development platform Remente, spending time in nature may be the key to good mental health. "Several researchers have looked into the health benefits connected to spending time out in nature. One study specifically, which was recently published in BioScience Journal, found that daily exposure to nature can, among other things, help reduce feelings of stress and even improve your self-esteem, for up to seven hours. Reconnecting with nature can also help you become more mindful and present in the moment," Eék said in a statement.