Again, thank you for listening over the past six months. This site will be removed from libsyn within the next week or so. My audience never really grew beyond 60+ listeners per week; therefore, it's time for me to move on to other ventures. I'm not sure if there's another podcast out there like G News Central Podcast....hopefully, there is because I really felt this one filled a void for counselors--especially those working in a school setting. To everyone, I wish you good mental health!

The Final Show
I'd like to thank everyone for the support these past six months. I'm sad to say good-bye, but the podcast never really took off as I hope it would so, for now, it's time for me to bid adieu. Again, thanks to all of my long-term listeners for staying subscribed! I really do appreciate it. (It meant the world to me.) Until we meet again, I bid you good mental health.

United Press International: Long thought to fly above children's air space, psychiatric conditions such as depression have only in recent years started appearing on the pediatric radar. Anxiety disorders are now estimated to affect 13 in 100 children and adolescents ages 9 to 17, about half of whom also experience a second mental or behavioral ailment, such as social phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression. Others may suffer a co-existing physical malady that commands -- and confounds -- treatment, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

WWAY Channel 3 (Wilmington, NC): A volunteer hospital chaplain says he thinks there is a need for counseling of pet owners when their dogs and cats are being treated at the N.C. State University vet school clinic. Robert Gierka is a publications manager at N.C. State and wants to be a full-time chaplain at the vet school. The chaplain says pet owners view their pets as family members and suffer the same grief as people do when members of their human family are sick or dying. Michael Davidson is director of veterinary medical services at the school and is working to help secure grant money to pay for the chaplain's post.

Lawrence Journal World (Lawrence, KS): When a Lawrence public school student is suicidal, depressed because parents are fighting, or burdened with other weighty problems, a counselor is on hand to help. "Lawrence isn’t Lake Wobegon," said Charlie Kuszmaul, a program coordinator for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, referring to the fictional locale where all children are above average. "We like to think it is, but it isn’t." But the money that funded the counseling program, which many consider essential to Lawrence schools, is drying up. "We need to come up with an alternate source of funding. If we don’t, the program will end or be reduced to a fraction of what it is now," Kuszmaul said. "I don’t know what we’d do without WRAP," said Carol Souders, a seventh-grade English teacher at Central Junior High. "I send kids to our WRAP worker all the time because they have issues I can’t handle," she said. "I have my hands full being a teacher. I’m not a social worker." To continue, WRAP needs about $800,000 annually. "It’ll go up on the big board with a lot of other things," said Lawrence public schools Supt. Randy Weseman. "It’ll all come down to setting priorities."
[Personal commentary: My hope is that their priorities will be the children, and that the WRAP program will receiving the needed funding.

Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH): The jobs of 11 teachers, 30 instructional aides, 21 kindergarten aides and 6 K-6 school counselors could be eliminated if the Milford School District loses its 7.9-mill levy vote in May. Superintendent John Frye outlined $4.2 million in proposed budget cuts for the 2006-07 school year at Thursday's school board meeting. The district's total budget is $52.8 million. More than 60 percent of the cuts would come from personnel. The district doesn't plan to lay off teachers, but would not fill 11 positions vacated by retirements and resignations. The district already made $2.2 million in cuts this year. "We did an awful lot of the non-personnel items to preserve the classroom as we know it," Frye said of this year's cuts. "If the levy fails, we're really going to get into what has made us successful in Milford, and that is our instructional support staff." [Personal comment: GET THIS! They plan to reassign the counselors "...to teaching positions that became vacant because of resignations or retirements..." because, of course, the job of a counselor = the job of a teacher and besides...the kids don't really need the counselors! I'm kidding, of course. We counselors always find ourselves on the chopping block, not matter what state at which you look. Yet, when a crisis occurs they wonder what to do and what could have been done? Well....for starters, stop cutting counselors and allows us to do what we're meant to do: prevention education in the classroom.]

Show Notes:
In Robeson County, grade are in but they're not lookin' so good....stick around to hear what I mean. And overseas in England, mental health service cuts are a buzz. Back here in the U.S., Petaluma, CA, residents are celebrating mentoring in a BIG way!
Bookmark of the Week
Tonight's closing music: The Core, Mobius Triplet

Minnesota Public Radio (Saint Paul, MN): Long before the Burnsville, MN killing, people began talking about how to respond to the litany of complaints aimed at the mental health care system. The complaints from patients and their advocates include long waits for treatment, not being believed when they describe symptoms, and confusing bureaucracies that control access to services. Many inside the system agree--and add their own criticisms that government and health insurance company reimbursement payments don't cover treatment costs. They also say that housing and jobs programs for people with mental illness are underfunded, and too many people still view mental illness as a character flaw rather than a disease. The criticisms have risen to a crescendo that has caught the attention of elected officials. When Minnesota lawmakers return to the Capitol in March, they'll be asked to make reforms.

Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, IL): School District 189 Superintendent Theresa Saunders, concerned about the deaths of three boys in less than two weeks, announced Wednesday the district is revamping its counseling program. While believing the deaths are "a very tragic blip" and not a trend, Saunders said the district will press ahead this month with previously planned staff training on counseling students about how to handle bullies and "making the right decisions." Two of the boys died by hanging and one was shot to death. In the latest case, Jeffrey Chairs, 14, was identified as the victim found hanging from a bunk bed Tuesday night. St. Clair County Coroner called Jeffrey's death an apparent suicide. "If a child is depressed, we have to know how to work with that child to help them understand what to do," Saunders said. "If they don't have the money or the toy that another child has, we have to teach them that it's OK. We have counselors, social workers and psychologists on staff to work with students, but, we have not had a very coordinated effort," she said. "We didn't have any real structure so everybody would know what they need to do, where to do it and how to do it with everybody knowing what the result would be."
[Personal commentary: How can you NOT have a system in place where everybody knows what's going on, what their role is, what to do, etc? It sounds like chaos to me. It sounds like an overhaul of the system IS in order.

Petaluma Argus-Courier (Petaluma, CA): Middle-school and high-school students are among the most active users of the Internet, as well as the most likely to put themselves in harm's way. "Teens see themselves as invincible, so safety concerns don't cross their radar," said Nancy Sieck, library media teacher at Petaluma High School. A recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed that 87 percent of young people aged 12 to 17 use the Internet, and that more than half of them create online content which often includes personal information. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported that between 2004 and 2005, its national Internet Crimes Against Children program saw an 84 percent rise in complaints that predators enticed minors on-line or traveled to meet them. Parents, teachers and librarians (and some school counselors) are among those attempting to teach children safe online practices, but many people feel that not nearly enough is being done to successfully address the escalating problem. Students should be given guidance in fourth or fifth grade, and by the time they reach middle school, they should have developed a sense of responsibility and the knowledge that what they put on the Internet goes out to people they're unaware of.
[Personal commentary: When I was at the elementary level, having a unit on internet safety was part of my classroom guidance, and it should be a part of your classroom guidance if you're at the elementary level because kids are way too technically savvy by the time they reach us at the middle school. Prepare them before they get to us, please.]

WHAS-TV (Louisville, KY): MySpace.com is wildly popular. It started up back in January of 2004 and now claims more than 47 million registered users. But some local schools are sending home notes telling parents beware. “Think about it -- there are predators out there. And we're putting children in harm's way. Why would we do that?� Tom Robbins is the director of counseling for Louisville’s Catholic schools and says M ySpace.com should be off limits to anyone under 18. “You give identifying information. And it's surprising how many do it. Pictures, addresses, school information, phone numbers,� he says. The web site clearly says if you're under 14, MySpace is no place for you. But as Tom Robbins points out, online, there's no way to tell if you are how old you say you are. He suggests keeping home computers in a family area where everyone has access, and if you allow your child to have a MySpace.com account, monitor it regularly.

AP Wire (Louisville, KY) Facing tight budgets and pressures to raise test scores, school districts are giving counselors more administrative duties and less time to meet students' social and emotional needs, some counselors say. In high school, for example, counselors often must work on class schedules, financial aid, college applications, testing, grading and education plans, and also must help with limited-English and special-education students. Some also monitor lunchrooms, help sick students and follow up on attendance problems. In between, they must find time to counsel students dealing with a myriad of problems such as divorce, eating disorders, family deaths, pregnancies and abuse. "Who suffers? Many times, it's the student," said Charles Patton, president of the Kentucky School Counselor Association. "We can't see them all." Jade Maddox, a Russell counselor and president-elect of the state counseling association, said Kentucky counselors are "doing bus duties, clerical work, calculating grade-point averages, doing discipline, following up on absences and completing registrations. It takes away from the children." According to Paula Wolf, a parent who heads the Jefferson County PTA, "They can't do everything ... you spread somebody too thin, they can't do anything well."

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL): One-fifth of students got some type of school-supported mental health services during the year, according to a study billed as the first national look at school system responses to mental health issues. Researchers with the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also found that 87 percent of the nation's public elementary, middle and high schools said they had made mental health services available to all students. Researchers say more schools are paying closer attention to children's mental health and early intervention services. Yet funding for such services is either static or dwindling even as the demand increases. The lack of insurance coverage for mental illness, along with a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists--especially in rural communities and impoverished urban areas--is a big part of the problem, child advocates say.

Show Notes:
There's a major shake-up of the counseling program in Portland, OR. And in Brunswick, GA, the State is being accused of neglect of the mentally ill. Plus, a list of ten issues affecting children is released....what are they? Stick around.
Bookmark of the week
Tonight's closing music: Hungry Lucy, Shine

CBS 4 News (Pompano Beach, FL): A Broward County 5th grader was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after he walked into a meeting with his principal, asked if the meeting was about him, and then punched a child who was there with his mother. The meeting was about problems between the two children. Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest, and said it was made by school police officers after the punch was thrown. The incident happened at Pompano Elementary School, after Jocelyn Bruning said she and her son attended a meeting with the principal about ongoing problems between the two children. BSO says the child who threw the punch has received in-school counseling, and was also involved in an incident where he allegedly hit another child, an act which caused the school to send the 11 year old boy home with his parents. Bruning is upset that the child, whose name is not being released, was allowed to remain in classes despite acts of violence and disobedience.

Bainbridge Island Review (Bainbridge, WA): Bainbridge High School becomes the first school in Kitsap County to offer TeenScreen, a program designed to help prevent suicides and identify other mental health concerns in teens. “Leigh Manheim’s insistence and the support of the school board, the high school, Kitsap health district and Kitsap Mental Health made this possible,� said Clayton Mork, assistant superintendent of Instructional Support Services for the Bainbridge Island School District. TeenScreen is a voluntary survey that indicates “the likelihood that a teen is at risk for suicide or may be suffering from another mental disorder,� said Kelly Chatwood, whose position as the Kitsap County Health District’s Suicide Prevention Coordinator was established by Dr. Scott Lindquist, Kitsap Health District director. The process was explained to all the students, who also were told their parents might be informed of the results. Parents had to consent to their students’ participation and the students had to agree as well.

Jackson Hole Star-Tribune (Casper, WY): Advocates for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled said Tuesday that a federal judge's order clarifying procedures for investigating alleged abuse is a landmark decision that will help patients nationwide. The order and an accompanying settlement agreement will allow Wyoming Protection and Advocacy System Inc. unaccompanied, reasonable access to the Wyoming State Hospital and Wyoming State Training School when the group believes abuse or neglect has occurred or may occur. The judge ruled that patient privacy laws such as HIPAA and the Medicaid Act do not bar the State Hospital in Evanston or the State Training School in Lander from disclosing health information to Protection and Advocacy, a federally funded nonprofit group authorized by Congress to monitor treatment of mental health patients in all 50 states. Under the agreement, Protection and Advocacy must be allowed unaccompanied access to the State Hospital and State Training School and need not provide advance notice when it has probable cause to believe that abuse or neglect has occurred or might occur.

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA): Saying street violence is everyone's problem, the incoming board of supervisors chairman, John Gioia, is calling for a many-pronged attack on the poverty, abuse and despair that spawns it. Gioia says part of his mission is to convince residents of its leafy suburbs as well as urban flatlands that crime prevention is their responsibility. According to an advance copy of today's speech, Gioia plans to "aggressively leverage" state, federal, foundation and private grants to curb violent crime, partnering with cities, school districts and other agencies. Other elements of his proposal include: (1) Expanding Welcome Home Baby, a child-abuse prevention program, from 700 new mothers a year to more than 1,200, (2) Increasing early intervention mental health services in the Community Services Department Head Start preschool program and (3) Using Proposition 63 "early intervention and prevention" mental health funds to expand school-based mental health services to at-risk youths. Gioia says studies have shown such programs reduce drug use, violence, truancy, school dropout and teen pregnancy while improving school performance and emotional health among youth.

Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN): American Indians die at a rate nearly 50 percent higher than the national average for people their age, according to the U.S. Indian Health Service. There are many reasons for the deaths - accidents, suicides, chronic diseases, poverty and a lack of adequate and culturally sensitive medical care. American Indians make up 2.8 percent of the U.S. population, according to the 2000 census. But only 0.3 percent of students in the nation's medical schools in 2000 were American Indians. "Having well-trained Indian doctors go back to their communities can make a real difference," said Indian Health Service spokesman Leo Nolan. The University of Minnesota's Center of American Indian and Minority Health is working to make that difference. The center recruits American Indian students and helps them through the university's medical schools in Duluth and Minneapolis. The Minnesota center begins its recruiting efforts in middle school with programs designed to keep students interested in education and attract them to scientific fields.

All Headline News (Baltimore, MD): [Recent development from a story originally appearing on August 14, 2005 posting and featured in Podcast #2]: A federal judge says Baltimore city school officials could face penalties for contempt if they continue failing to provide special education services. According to the court order given by U. S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis, about 9,000 students were supposed to receive such services as speech therapy and counseling last school year, but an effort to make up the work during the summer helped only 300. Judge Garbis is presiding over a 1984 lawsuit that alleges the city and state have failed to adequately educate students with disabilities as mandated by federal law. Baltimore Governor Robert Ehrlich said he is outraged at the mounting legal fees over the lawsuit. However, school board chairman Brian Morris said politicians were "grandstanding" over the issue saying, "We're not going to run this school system based on some politicians' polling data."

Show Notes:
In Vermont, what do impending cuts mean for the Meadows Education Center? And in Fort Lauderdale, it's all about innovation and thinking outside the box when it comes to helping children. Finally, what are the long-term effects on children of physically-abused mothers? Stay tuned for those stories PLUS this week's bookmark of the week!
Tonight's closing music: Blue Arc Quartet, The Thang

I'd like to thank everyone for taking a few minutes and heading over to Podcast Alley and voting for G News Central Podcast. Currently, the show is listed at #31 out of 460 shows in the category of Education! Thank you! This show is nothing without your continued support, and just to be at #31 means a lot to me. Thank you.

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL): Harvard Medical School plans to ask a large group of Hurricane Katrina survivors to provide ongoing feedback to policymakers directing the Gulf Coast recovery effort. The ambitious effort, known as the Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group Initiative, is to begin next week. "What we're asking survivors is `You tell us what's important. You tell us what would make the most difference in your lives, and what policymakers' priorities should be,'" said Dr. Ronald Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard who is directing the initiative. Some 2,000 hurricane survivors are being recruited for the study, which will last at least two years and involve regular updates every three months. Half will come from the New Orleans area; the rest will represent other regions affected by the storm. The mental and physical health of hurricane survivors will be a major focus. Recent reports indicate that suicides, anxiety and substance abuse may be on the rise as survivors find themselves unable to adapt to the extent of their losses and ongoing uncertainties about how to reconstruct their lives. If anything, "the level of anxiety is increasing, not decreasing," said Anthony Speier, director of disaster mental health operations for Louisiana's Office of Mental Health. In a reverse of typical academic procedures, results will be posted on the Internet as soon as they become available. Publication in academic journals will follow later. The first set of findings is expected by the end of February.

King County Press Release (Seattle, WA): Hundreds of men and women across King County will be unable to get needed mental health services because of funding allocation decisions made by the state last year that seriously reduces King County's allotment. Those decisions dramatically reduce funding for King County's already strained mental health system, while redirecting those funds in some cases to counties where they are not needed. The impact of the cuts is expected to be severe. As of January 1, 2006, King County has been forced to close the door to mental health services for low-income individuals who are not covered by Medicaid. Those cutbacks in service could be reversed if the state approves an emergency budget supplemental appropriation of $7.4 million in the opening days of the upcoming 2006 session.

NorthJersey.com (Hackensack, NJ): FLIP, Future Lives Initiative Program, opened its doors in January 2002. Now under new management, FLIP includes Tony Montanez as director. Montanez, who has a background in psychology, leads a team of counselors, mentors, social workers and volunteers who have a passion for working with youth. FLIP is one of only two programs in the county that provide alternatives to incarceration for youth, according to Montanez. About 10 of 40 youths have graduated from FLIP in the past four years. Six youths are currently entering the aftercare part of the program. Archie Burrell is the senior youth mentor at FLIP. This past Tuesday, he led a life skills workshop on cultural sensitivity, part of a highly structured daily schedule for FLIP participants. "The biggest challenge for these kids is not to get locked up again," Burrell said. He said FLIP provides an extended family for the youth. "This program is run 8 to 7 o'clock physically." But their work doesn't end when the day is over. He said mentors routinely get calls from the kids. Besides life skills, FLIP participants' weeks consist of high school, group therapy, individual counseling, supervised recreation, substance abuse awareness and anger management classes.

Munster Times (Munster, IN): In an effort to increase the number of students receiving CORE 40 and Indiana Academic Honors diplomas, the Boone Township School Corp. is pursuing the state's Gold Star Counseling model. Superintendent George Letz said more students need to work toward higher-level diplomas. The idea of Gold Star counseling is to pool the goals of the school district and the community to equip graduates with the most valuable set of skills possible, by making choices that support high achievement and then reaching those high achievement standards. There are three main things schools need to do to qualify for the Gold Star Counseling Award. A representative from each school must attend four training sessions to learn how to properly implement the changes. A portfolio also is required, documenting the progress of the changes, as well as the efforts of the School Counseling Advisory Counsel, a group of students, teachers, parents and community members, to weigh in on proposed programs. "This program also tries to demonstrate that it's more than just one person -- the counselor -- that needs to be involved in guiding students through middle school and high school so that they have the knowledge and skills to make decisions," Letz said.

Statesman Journal (Salem, OR): "What do you think it means to be a good sport or a bad sport?" Gubser Elementary School counselor Michelle Mills looked around the classroom as second-graders' hands shot up. "Being a good sport is about taking turns," Cookie Boyd said. "A poor sport is if you start playing soccer, and you don't ever really finish a game," Andru Flores said. "A bad sport is if you're playing a game, and you say, 'You're breaking the rules,' when you're the one who's actually not following the rules," Hope Ferns said. Mills read the book "The Real Winner," by Charise Neugebauer. The book is one of about 40 that Mills purchased this school year after receiving a Salem-Keizer Education Foundation grant. Mills wanted a way, beyond giving lectures, to teach Gubser students about good character traits. "It's easier for them to talk sometimes about how they feel by projecting it through a character. They feel safer talking about things," Mills said. "It helps them open up, and gives them ideas about how to solve problems." She has books about bullying, anger, teasing, lying, dealing with divorce and a wide array of other issues.

EurekaAlert (Press Release): The risk of serious suicide attempts or death by suicide generally decreases in the weeks after patients start taking antidepressant medication, according to a new study led by Group Health Cooperative researchers and published in the January issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry. The study also found that the risk of suicidal behavior after starting 10 newer antidepressant medications is less than the risk posed by older medications. These findings challenge a 2004 advisory by the FDA, which warned that suicidal behavior may emerge after treatment with the newer antidepressant drugs has begun. "Our findings show that, fortunately, suicide attempts and death by suicide are rare following the initiation of antidepressants," says Greg Simon, MD, MPH, a Group Health psychiatrist and the lead researcher on the study. "The period right after people start taking antidepressant medication is not a period of increased risk. In fact, risk after starting medication is lower than before." This study is the first published analysis to compare the risk of suicide attempts before treatment to the risks following treatment. It is based on computerized medical and pharmacy records for more than 65,000 patients who filled prescriptions for antidepressants from 1992 to 2003. Deaths by suicide were determined from death certificates and suicide attempts were identified from hospital discharge data.

Show Notes: Are schools becoming surrogate parents? And in Oregon, the faith communities and mental health professionals gather for a meeting....what about? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, is bipolar disorder being diagnosed at a greater percentage in our youth? Plus, this week's website of the week.
Tonight's promo: Heart-and-Music Radio.
Tonight's closing music: KCentric, Lazy Tuesday

American Psychological Services (USA): A clear and surprising picture of alcoholism is emerging from a mammoth new nationwide survey sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Its findings show that alcoholism is primarily an affliction of youth and heighten suspicion that an underlying trait predisposes people to an unfortunate trifecta of alcoholism, substance abuse and mental disorders. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcoholism and Related Condition (NESARC) is surveying not only alcohol-related behaviors but a host of mental disorders, many of which are tied to alcoholism, says survey director Bridget Grant, PhD, PhD, a double-doctorate psychologist and epidemiologist. The NESARC questionnaire measures symptoms of disorders such as major depression, antisocial personality and generalized anxiety disorder along a continuum, allowing for factor analyses. That, says Grant, makes the NESARC data "perfect for psychologists because that's the way they conceptualize the world, as along a continuum of mental health from normal to abnormal." For the full report, please visit NIAAA's website.

Due to the Year End Blow-Out Show this past Thursday, and the New Year's holiday, there will be no show on January 1st. Stay tuned for an all new show coming shortly.

Can you believe it? 2006 already. It was nearly five months ago that G News Central Podcast started (Show #1: August 4, 2005). I had been searching Podcast Alley for a podcast geared toward school counselors and individuals in the mental health profession; however, I didn’t find one I really liked. Yes, there were the usual ones by psychologists and psychiatrists talking theory and such, but nothing that gave listeners the latest mental health news. That’s when I decided to create my own. I figured, “If it’s not out there, create it!� And I haven’t looked back since that day. I’d like to thank all of my listeners, long-term and new, for choosing G News Central Podcast in 2005. I hope you stay tuned in 2006. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Walker County Messenger (LaFayette, GA): Freedom Counseling Services Inc. in LaFayette, which opened less than three months ago, is already making plans to expand its services. Director David Burris said the drug and alcohol counseling center wants to offer more group sessions, network with jails and sheriff�s departments in neighboring counties, and open separate recovery houses for men and women. Burris said the center has served dozens more through individual counseling, group programs to prevent relapse or help addicts come off drugs, and family counseling services. Burris said there is a recovery residence for addicts in Trion, but it had to turn away 20 people in just the last month. He said he hopes someone from the area will step up to help, just as volunteers and donators pitched in to help Freedom Counseling get started.

Year-End Blowout Special!
Clips from the most listened to/downloaded shows from the first five months of the podcast. Closing music by KCentric, "Woo Who" from podsafe music network or KCentric's website. Enjoy the show and thank you for supporting me in 2005! May 2006 be as wonderful as my listeners have been....I wish all of you good mental health.

New Mexico Business Weekly (Albuquerque, NM): During the first week of January, the ABC- and PBS-affiliate television stations in New Mexico will air a documentary that focuses on youth in New Mexico and mental illness. "Not In My Family" revolves around the stories of four young people in New Mexico who are at various stages of their own mental illnesses, according to a release from KNME-TV Channel 5 in Albuquerque. The program includes comments that teenagers have filmed with their cell phones talking about the issue as well as a full classroom discussion. Following the documentary, a live program will use text messaging, Web cams and a small group of experts to discuss the issue. The "Not In My Family" project is being produced by SafeTeen New Mexico and Christopher Productions. The New Mexico Department of Health helped underwrite the documentary as a way to educate people about mental illnesses and provide resources for those who need services.

Lexington Dispatch (Lexington, NC): The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is using the Internet to reach out to troubled students. During the past two years, about 8,000 students received an e-mail message that directed them to an online questionnaire that helps screen for depression. More than 430 students have responded. Eighty-five came for more evaluation or treatment and more than three-quarters said they would not have done so without the e-mail contact, said researcher Jan Sedway. The e-mail communication fostered a trusting relationship in many cases, but Sedway said she was surprised by how reluctant some students were to seek help. "With many of them, it took 10 e-mail exchanges before they would come in. Many of them said they came in because they felt they knew me," Sedway said. Sedway communicated with one student via e-mail for a year while he studied abroad and when the student returned to the United States, he came in for counseling, she said.

Contra Costa Times (Stockton, CA): Latinos in San Joaquin County are five times less likely than whites to seek treatment for schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, according to county health officials. Asians and American Indians also are underserved compared to whites and African American in the county's Mental Health Services department, according to state Medi-Cal figures. "We've been working for more than 10 years to try to increase" treatment of Latinos and other ethnic groups, said Bruce Hopperstad, county mental health department director. "We just have a large gap." A major step in efforts to close that gap is under way as county mental health officials decide how to spend more than $5.6 million from Proposition 63, a tax-the-rich initiative approved by California voters in November 2004. It is the first of more than $10.7 million in new funds the county expects to receive this year from the ballot initiative, Hopperstad said. There is no one reason for the disparity, Hopperstad said. Language barriers, social stigmas and cultural pressure to "keep things within the family" all contribute to keep Latinos suffering from mental illnesses from seeking help, experts say.

Just a quick reminder that there is no show today due to the Year-End Blowout show scheduled for Thursday. Stay tuned!

I'd like to take a moment to thank you, my audience, for spending 15-20 minutes each week listening to my podcast. It warms my heart to know that you find the stories presented just as interesting as do I. May the season find you safe and sound. I wish you all good mental health!
Erik D.
G News Central Podcast

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, IN): Local mental health experts say increases in stress during the Christmas season result from myriad factors. Among those are financial constraints, unrealistic expectations, family discord, jam-packed itineraries or a recent death being brought to bear by a gathering. Theresa Krauhs, who co-owns Peace Counseling, a substance abuse center, sees another, more destructive side of stress management. She says substance abuse increases over the holidays. Still, in the layered field of mental health care, which includes everything from stress reduction services to counseling for more serious psychological disorders to inpatient psychiatric care, the holiday season doesn’t necessarily translate to inflated rolls. “This is a pretty quiet time,� says Dr. Kevin Murphy, medical director of Parkview Behavioral Health. In his experience, holidays don’t translate into a spike in acute psychiatric emergencies. Generally speaking, Murphy believes that the Christmas season probably isn’t the stress-inducing force it’s made out to be. If anything, he says the media contribute to the popular perception by bringing the subject up every year. “(Stress is) just a real problem all year long in my experience,� Murphy says. Other area psychiatric and counseling centers in Fort Wayne also report a lull in services provided in December. Most say that the busiest months are January, February and March.

All Headline News.com (USA): Researchers have found that older adults can respond to behavioral treatments for insomnia. An analysis of 23 studies found that as many as one-quarter of older Americans experience chronic insomnia which can cause fatigue and difficulty concentrating during the day. Other dangers from insomnia include risk of death from heart disease and devastating falling injuries, reports WebMD. Behavioral treatments can be used for a longer period of time than drugs. Additionally, the long-term safety of the newer sleep aids have not been extensively documented in older patients. "There has been a push, driven in part by the pharmaceutical industry, toward using drugs for the long-term management of insomnia, but the data to support the efficacy of this approach is very limited." Some of the behavioral treatments include: (1) Relaxation-based, (2) Behavior changes, such as sleep scheduling and sleep restriction therapy that limits sleep quantity in an effort to improve sleep quality and (3) Cognitive behavioral therapy, which examines lifestyle habits such as exercise and alcohol. The findings are published in the January 2006 issue of the journal Health Psychology.

Seattle Post Intelligencer (Spokane, WA): Spokane County commissioners have approved a 0.1 percent local sales tax to help the county provide mental health services, hoping that increased community support will bolster their case for additional state funding. Spokane County voters overwhelmingly approved the tax in an advisory vote in November. Commissioners approved the tax at a meeting this past week. The levy is designed to fill a mental-health funding gap created by reduced federal assistance, lower-than-anticipated state allocations and a lack of local mental-health reserve funds. About $500,000 a month has been cut from local mental-health services since the summer. It is expected to generate $3.9 million during the second half of 2006 - not enough to resolve the deficit but enough to prevent further cuts, said Christine Barada, the county's community services director.

Psychology Today: It's true: Some people really do have "gaydar." Until now, the concept has been the stuff of urban legend. But in fact, according to a study conducted in 2005, some people are better at identifying gays than others, and overall, gays are better at it than straight individuals. William Lee Adams, an undergraduate at Harvard College who studied the topic for his senior thesis, found that when volunteers quickly view a stranger with minimal information—from neck-up photos and videos, without jewelry or makeup—homosexual men and women are more accurate in identifying other homosexuals. Neither the viewers nor the videotaped volunteers knew the purpose of the study. Gay men and women not only made more accurate assessments, they were efficient, too: It took about 2 seconds for gays to decide whether a person was straight or not. Says Adams, "You either have gaydar or you don't."

CentralNewsPoint.com (Central Point, OR): The holiday season is a time of optimism and good cheer, but for many, it is also the season for depression. The "holiday blues" is characterized by self-evaluation, loneliness, reflection on past "failures" and anxiety about an uncertain future. Seasonal blues can be caused by many factors: increased stress and fatigue, unrealistic expectations, and family issues. Environmental factors, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder caused by lack of sunlight, can also contribute to feelings of depression. The National Mental Health Association offers some tips to help you cope with seasonal blues: 1) Be realistic about what you can and cannot do, 2) Don't be disappointed if your holidays are not like they used to be. Each holiday season is different and can be enjoyed in its own way, 3) Do something for someone else. Try volunteering some time to help others and 4) Don't drink too much. Excessive drinking will only make you more depressed.

Cherry Hill Courier Post (Cherry Hill, NJ): Cheap, easily available and hard to detect, PCP is becoming an increasingly popular, and dangerous, drug in Camden. "Sometimes you feel like you're the Incredible Hulk," said one 18-year-old Camden man who used PCP regularly for six years. But with that feeling of power comes a tendency to be aggressive and violent. The Camden 18-year-old spent two years in the county juvenile jail for stabbing his mother's friend while using the drug. "They're stuck," said Barry Bailey, a drug counselor and chief operations officer of Genesis Counseling Center in Collingswood. "There's no real lucidness in the individual when you're trying to talk to them." Bailey oversees Genesis' Camden program, which treats about 80 teenagers who have been arrested in drug-related crimes. These are kids who have already served time, but more than 90 percent of them have tested positive for PCP, he said. And it's showing up among suburban teens as well.

Show Notes: Are there differences in child mental health prior to parental divorce versus the actual event? And in Fayetteville, NC, children face their fears with the help of a puppet show. Next, a school community joins forces for a brainstorming session...what's the topic? Take a listen. Plus, this week's featured website of the week! [Tonight's featured music: The Sassy Astronauts]

Westport Minuteman (Westport, CT): Mental Illness can affect women to a greater extent than men due to various biological and social factors. The Women's Unit will provide exceptional care for women with mental health problems, especially those with mood and anxiety disorders and issues related to abuse. The opening of the Hall-Brooke's Women's Unit will complete a continuum of mental health care with a specific gender focus. The unit joins existing women's mental health services at the newly opened center for outpatient services for the provision of comprehensive mental health care for women. Together, the inpatient and outpatient services will serve women's psychiatric needs on all levels, from hospitalization to outpatient day and partial day programs.

WOOD-TV (Grand Rapids, MI): Cell phones have become a necessary communication tool for many people, however they may effect your mental health. While cell phones can make you more accessible, a new study suggests there's a price to pay for that convenience. Researchers found people who regularly used cell phones and pagers showed an increase in psychological distress and reduced family satisfaction. Researchers say cell phones allowed job worries to spill over into home life and worries at home to spill into work. The study was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

The Standard Times (New Bedford, MA): A controversial plan to test students for drugs passed the School Committee unanimously and could be implemented early next year. The plan to test students for drugs was proposed two years ago by Mayor Kalisz and School Superintendent Longo. At the time, the proposal was seen as a way to prevent and reduce drug use among students in the city's public school system, and act as an early warning system to parents that their child may be using illegal drugs. The Drug Free Student Assistance Program is unique among school drug-testing programs in that it does not have a punishment for positive tests, and is completely voluntary. In fact, program administrator Carl Alves said neither law enforcement nor school officials would be notified of a positive test. Only the parent and the student would be informed. Instead of punishment, a positive test would trigger counseling and treatment.

WRTV-6 (Indianapolis, IN): Testosterone replacement therapy may help improve the quality of life for elderly men with mild cases of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The 24-week study, led by neuroscientists at the UCLA Alzheimer Disease Research Center, included 16 male patients diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease and 22 healthy men. Half the members of each group were given a daily testosterone treatment in the form of a gel. Based on assessments from their caregivers, Alzheimer's patients who received the treatment showed improved quality of life measurements, which included memory, relationships, physical health, energy and other factors.

National Institute of Mental Health (USA): A brain chemical recently found to boost trust appears to work by reducing activity and weakening connections in fear-processing circuitry, a brain imaging study at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has discovered. Scans of the hormone oxytocin's effect on human brain function reveal that it quells the brain's fear hub, the amygdala, and its brainstem relay stations in response to fearful stimuli. The work at NIMH and a collaborating site in Germany suggests new approaches to treating diseases thought to involve amygdala dysfunction and social fear, such as social phobia, autism, and possibly schizophrenia. "Because increased amygdala activation has been associated with social fear in social phobia, genetic risk for anxiety and depression, and possibly with social fear in autism assessed during faces processing, this dual mode of action of oxytocin in humans suggests a potentially powerful treatment approach toward socially relevant fear," suggest researchers.

Virginian Pilot (Norfolk, VA): Gov. Mark Warner’s proposal to shrink and modernize four key mental health facilities, while upgrading community-based services, is rightly causing ecstasy laced with caution in mental health circles. Drawing on a healthy state surplus, Warner proposes to bring Western and Eastern State hospitals for the mentally ill and Central and Southeastern Virginia Training Centers for the mentally retarded in line with downsizing proposals that have languished on the drawing board for years. The plan will cost $290 million. While some patient advocates think the upgraded Central Virginia facility will still be too large, at about 300 beds, the overall decision to move hundreds of state patients into smaller group homes and intensify local services is on target. The remaining, and critical, question is whether a combined $170 million in state and federal money proposed by Warner for upgraded home and community-based treatment will satisfy the need. Patients transferred out of hospitals join those already on community waiting lists in competing for local support.

Show Notes: Coachella Valley residents are "up in arms" about recent incidents involving high school students. And in Wilmington, tobacco awareness is the talk. Meanwhile, DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) is looked at as a means of treatment for some individuals...who? Tune in to find out. Plus, the ever-popular Website of the Week!

News.com (Australia): Mental health and human dignity will be the focus of the 14th World Day of the Sick to be held in Adelaide on February 11. In a statement released by the Vatican overnight, Pope Benedict XVI said the Adelaide gathering of clergy, health professionals, government representatives and the public would underline the seriousness of the problems surrounding mental health. The event will actually be held over three days. Pope Benedict said the gathering would cause the world to reflect on the problems associated with mental illness which now afflicted one fifth of mankind and constituted a real and authentic social care emergency. "It should be observed that the prolongation of armed conflicts in various areas of the world, the succession of terrible natural catastrophes and the spread of terrorism, in addition to causing a shocking number of deaths, have also created mental traumas," the Pope said. "Next year's World Day of the Sick is aimed at challenging us to engage and experience the needs of those who are most vulnerable in our society and is an opportunity for those who work in the health care sector to reflect on their work."

Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN): Some 2,200 students made nearly 10,000 visits last year to the mental health clinic on the U's Twin Cities campus, up 44 percent from five years ago. Antidepressants were second only to contraceptives as the most prescribed medication from the Boynton Health Service pharmacy on campus, with students spending more than $500,000 on antidepressants last year. In surveys, 20 percent of the U's undergraduate women say they have been diagnosed with depression, twice the rate of men. On their own for the first time, plunged into new pressures and a culture different from home, depression can take hold in students, observers say. Untreated, it can lead to suicide, the second leading cause of death in college students nationwide. Sixteen U students have killed themselves since 2000, according to data Boynton leaders will present today to university regents. This fall, the university began a push to make students aware of the help available. In October, when the U's parent Web site put up a page dedicated to student mental health, it received 1,000 hits within the first three weeks. Some universities require students to leave school if they're depressed or possibly suicidal. U officials say that's not happening here. But they acknowledge a "high and persistent level of mental health problems on campus" that needs more attention.

Psychology Today: Conventional wisdom holds that panic doesn't begin before late teens or early adulthood. Truth is, almost nothing is known about its life course. So New York psychiatrist Donna Moreau, M.D., put out a call to local emergency rooms for kids who might be brought in with the distinctive but disabling symptoms. Ninety children were referred to her for clinical testing at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. Of the 90 brought in, 90 percent proved to have bona fide panic disorder. The youngest is a seven-year-old who complained of a racing heart and breathing trouble. In young children as well as adults, panic attacks occur spontaneously, not in reaction to obvious psychological stress. In kids, the attacks are often misdiagnosed as separation anxiety or school phobia. Typically, fear of having a full-blown panic attack leads victims to restrict activities and avoid going to school or other public places. "These children are really suffering," says Moreau. "It takes a long time for them to be diagnosed." No study yet indicates how many kids are prone to this disorder or what happens to them in adulthood. Both drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapies work in adults and, presumably, children with panic disorder. Identifying panic-prone kids and providing treatment may stave off serious consequences seen in adults.

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Daily Aztec (San Diego, CA): According to the "Definite Guide to Stressing Yourself Out," never taking a vacation, living in the past and setting unreasonable goals are a sure way to build frustration. Avoiding stress by pretending it doesn't exist only creates more pressure. Imagine lying on the beach, listening to the ocean waves roll in and crash against the shore. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly, expelling every anxiety. Forget about the day's stress and concentrate on relaxing. Taking a mere 10 minutes out of the day to practice deep breathing can help stimulate your mind and decrease stress.

The Journal News (Westchester, NY): The Westchester Children's Association has set its sights on the alarming problem of children with mental-health problems, and the current inadequacy of understanding, treatment options, community resources and insurance coverage to meet them. The WCA must confront the very same realities that parents of emotionally disturbed children do: overt and subtle stigma against mental illness, emotional disorders and behavioral problems. After two years of study, the association recently completed and released a 32-page report, "No Time To Lose: Rethinking Mental Health Services for Westchester's Children,'' that calls for changes in the way children with social and emotional problems get help. The report estimated that as many as 11,500 children in Westchester could be affected by serious emotional illness. Like the stigma against those with mental or emotional disorders, the systemic symptoms can be subtle: Try, for example, to find a child psychiatrist in the region who is a) taking new patients and b) affordable. Watch the efforts in New York state to pass Timothy's Law, which requires parity in insurance coverage for mental illness, and it doesn't take long to see the institutional bias against those people, let alone children, who need sustained treatment. Evaluate the increasing number of children who are suspended for behavioral problems from school and even nursery school, and those being classified as "emotionally disturbed'' for special-education purposes, and the situation is untenable.

Newsweek: A study published last month in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, the most definitive look at schizophrenia to date, argues that trauma or childhood abuse is a factor in the development of the disease. While schizophrenia is the product of a complex interplay between a host of environmental and genetic factors, it seems that "genes do not cause the outcome, but identify those who might be susceptible to the environmental risks," says Dr. Mary Clarke, a psychiatric researcher at Ireland's Royal College of Surgeons. A review of 46 studies of schizophrenics by Auckland University psychologist John Read found that 59 percent of male inpatients and 69 percent of females had experienced childhood physical or sexual abuse. In a separate study, which included physical neglect and physical or emotional abuse, the level rose to 85 percent of males and 100 percent of women. Says Read: "We have around the world millions of people with a diagnosis that masks the true social causes, and therefore prevents people from getting help which would be more effective and humane."

Show notes: The art of storytelling comes to South Mountain Community College. And in Michigan, counselor ratios are all the talk. Meanwhile, the aftermath of Katrina continues to be felt in Slidell, LA. And the Charlottesville School Board proposes changes to local school counseling programs...what changes? Tune in. Plus, the website of the week! (Show ran a bit long this week....sorry. Approx. 22 min.)

Psychology Today: A diet that includes blueberries, spinach or spirulina reduces the brain damage caused by stroke. The high levels of antioxidants in these three foods are protective. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, molecules in the body that are implicated in degenerative diseases, including heart disease. After only a month of dried-blueberry- or spinach-spiked diets, lab rats that had suffered strokes had only half the brain damage found in those on regular diets, according to a study published in Experimental Neurology. A diet that included spirulina resulted in a whopping 70 percent improvement. Paula Bickford, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of South Florida, says humans can reap approximately the same benefits by eating a cup of blueberries, a big spinach salad or a few teaspoons of spirulina powder every day.

myDNA News.com (Austin, TX): Preschool children are exhibiting signs of mental health problems that may disrupt their normal development, suggests new research. Researchers from Duke University examined 307 preschool children by having their parents answer detailed questionnaires designed to spot behavioral traits associated with different mental illnesses and disabilities. Surprisingly, one in ten of the children between the ages of two and five, met the criteria for mental and behavioral disorders. The involved child often displayed symptoms of more than one kind of disorder. Anxiety was expressed by fear, phobias and horror when separated from parents. Depressed children displayed sadness, irritability, disturbed sleep and lack of appetite. The symptoms were bad enough so as to affect the child's everyday life. Dr. Adrian Angold, from Duke University in North Carolina, who led the research, said, "Already by the age of two to five you are seeing rates of a variety of psychiatric disorders which are very similar to rates you see at nine, 17 and in the 20s. These are kids that have psychiatric problems with symptoms that are impacting on their lives in a negative way.

Racine Journal Times (Racine, WI): Local teenagers, and maybe even younger children, have participated in the "choking game," according to a local expert. Dr. Heather Martens said her clients have told her that local teenagers will cut off the flow of blood to their head to get a "high." While the act has several names, it's commonly referred to as the "choking game." It's not new - it's been done at parties for generations - there seems to be a troubling trend of some teens choking themselves while alone. In October, a 13-year-old in the Appleton area died after using a belt to cut off blood to his head. Locally, Martens said it's important for parents, and teenagers, to know that the choking game is occurring, and that it is dangerous. "Communication is the key," she said. "It's more prevalent than adults know." The act is typically related to peer pressure or low self-esteem, Martens said. What's particularly dangerous about choking, she added, is that there are few warning signs. One of the appealing things about the "high" is that it doesn't require alcohol or drugs. If parents suspect their children are choking themselves, they should try to talk with them. If the children don't respond, parents should consider sending them to a trained therapist, who can address underlying symptoms that may lead to future addictive behaviors. Young adults who are concerned about choking should talk with an adult, like their parents or a school counselor.

Seattle Post Intelligencer (Seattle, WA): Years of cuts in mental health funding have created backlogs at Western State Hospital, where defendants are often sent to determine whether they are competent to stand trial. As a result, some defendants are spending more time in jail waiting for a mental health evaluation than they would if they were convicted. The funding cuts, accompanied by a methamphetamine-driven increase in the numbers of defendants needing evaluations, have forced inmates to wait an average of two months to be evaluated for competency at Western State, in Steilacoom. The state Department of Social and Health Services, which oversees Western State, sends a form letter after every evaluation referral stating that it could take at least six to eight weeks before the hospital can complete the evaluation. It costs Cowlitz County nothing to house an inmate at Western, but every day an inmate sits in the county jail costs taxpayers about $67, said Corrections Director Dan Price. "The cost is substantially higher" than that for the mentally ill because of medication and overtime for increased supervision, he said. At the low end of $67 a day, an inmate waiting 60 days to enter Western State would cost taxpayers $4,020 for housing. The Legislature appropriated $6.3 million this year to allow the hospital to open a 29-bed forensics ward, but the ward soon filled up, and the waiting list is just as long as it was before.