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Our local community college - Kalamazoo Valley Community College had a threat today and the school has been closed for the rest of the week. I asked my students today....What can we do as a community to help people who feel this desperate and protect the greater community? "Kevin's Law" is an involuntary outpatient order. The law is called Kevin's Law after the college student who was killed by a mentally ill individual in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Does this provide some protection and also encourage mentally ill individuals to get the help that they need? Whether, it's a threat or someone is sincerely planning to take action.... What is the motivation behind this behavior? Is it mental illness? It is criminal behavior? It is "evil"? Following Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech, colleges across the globe are evaluating their student mental health programs. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Iain Guthrie. National Public Radio, The World Iain from S

This is such a horrible tragedy! Only time will tell as the authorities continue to search Cho Seung-Hui possessions for understanding of why this has happened. A previous teacher noticed extreme anger and from the small amount of information given by the police to the media regarding his writing. The possibility of paranoia and a psychotic disorder is not out of the question. See CNN... As a society what can we do to provide protection for the community and give support to someone who was so tormented that he took the lives of so many people and himself. Of course, hindsight is always clearer. My question is what can we learn from this? Is there anything that we (mental health professionals) can do to decrease the possibility of the happening in the future? What about more awareness and training for the non-mental health community. What does a teacher or fellow student do when they encounter someone that they are concerned about? What actions do they take and when is it appr

Fierce HealthCare Notes: A new study by the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has concluded that one in four adults admitted to hospitals has a mental health or substance-abuse problem. Only 2 million of the 32 million hospital stays in 2004 were primarily to treat a mental health diagnosis, but another six million were diagnosed with mental health problems while hospitalized for another condition. All told, almost 8 million stays involved depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Also, while suicide attempts accounted for only 179,000 million of the hospital stays, 93 percent involved a mental health condition. Researchers found that two-thirds of the cost of this treatment is carried by governments. Medicare paid for about half of these stays, and Medicaid paid for 18 percent. To learn more about the study: read this United Press International item ALSO: An experimental cancer therapy may help point the way to a new treatment for clinical de

Psychiatric Times March 01, 2007 Vol. 24 No. 3 Malcolm P. Rogers, MD and David J. Wolfe, MD, MPH Anxiety is a ubiquitous, natural affective state that is essential for evolutionary survival. Nearly as common, however, are experiences of anxiety that exceed social, psychological, or physiological needs, leading to functional impairment. Indeed, primary anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), represent the most common category of mental illness in the United States. Secondary, or reactive, anxiety is also widespread and can arise not only from numerous medical causes but also from the psychological process of coping with illness. Consequently, it is not surprising that diagnosing and treating anxiety poses a common question for the consultation-liaison psychiatrist. In this article, we review 5 themes concerning the interaction between anxiety and medical illness, and comment on the implications for treatment. Anxiety secondary

The Luminosity Within - 2001 oil on canvas 48"x 78" By Tim Sabados He is an artist and registered nurse. He is not recoverying from mental illness. He is compassionate and understands the power of the healing nature of artistic creativity. Recovery...some say art heals, art has a heart..or just plan "ART IT". Enjoy!

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A new report says that U.S. spending on antidepressant and antipsychotic meds rose dramatically from 1997 to 2004. Better living through pharmacology....big business! Wonder how much direct drug advertising to patients which began in the early 1980's contributed to the increase? See United Press International for more information.