The Mental Health Social Worker

Analysis Finds Competitive and Individual-Type Learning Lead to Lower Achievement, Poorer Social Interaction

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WASHINGTON—Students competing for resources in the classroom while discounting each others’ success are less likely to earn top grades than students who work together toward goals and share their success, according to an analysis of 80 years of research.

Competitive environments can disrupt children’s ability to form social relationships, which in turn may hurt their academic potential, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Cary J. Roseth, PhD, David W. Johnson, PhD, and Roger T. Johnson, PhD, reviewed the last eight decades of research on how social relationships affect individual behavior and achievement. Their findings are published in the current issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association. (more…)

Multiple Genetic Glitches Disrupt Pathways Critical for Brain Development

People with schizophrenia have high rates of rare genetic deletions and duplications that likely disrupt the developing brain, according to studies funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

These tiny anomalies were found in 15 percent of adult onset schizophrenia patients and 20 percent of child and adolescent onset patients, compared with only 5 percent of healthy participants. Collectively, the mutations carried by patients were significantly more likely than those in healthy participants to disrupt genes involved in brain development — potentially implicating hundreds of genes in the illness, which affects about 1 percent of adults. (more…)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that on an average day in 2006, US youth used the following substances for the first time:

• 7,970 drank alcohol
• 4,348 used an illicit drug
• 4,082 smoked cigarettes
• 3,577 used marijuana
• 2,517 used pain relievers non-medically

Counselors may wish to access a practical guide to prevention strategies in each of these areas created by SAMHSA, including a comprehensive list of print and electronic resources, that is posted on the agency web site.

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Research conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network has found harassment and bullying as a result of family structure to be a significant concern for children in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) families. The report, “Gay…Families and Education,” also suggests that LGBT parents exhibit a greater involvement in their children’s education.

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Four teams of scientists, using resources supported in part by NIMH, have pinpointed two different sites in the genome, each conferring a different type of genetic risk for autism. At one site, risk genes appear to be inherited. At the other, risk stems from spontaneous mutations, not seen in the genetics of the parents. In both examples, evidence suggests the suspect genes are critical for development of brain circuits impaired in autism.

In the inherited form of risk, people with autism were more prone than healthy controls to have certain versions of a gene on Chromosome 7. In the spontaneous form, one percent of autism was traced to a conspicuous “hot spot” of missing or duplicated genes on Chromosome 16. (more…)

Combined Factors May Change Biology of Stress-response System as it Develops

A traumatic event is much more likely to result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults who experienced trauma in childhood – but certain gene variations raise the risk considerably if the childhood trauma involved physical or sexual abuse, scientists have found. The research was conducted with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and others. (more…)

Five Organizations Receive APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards, Nine Honored for Best Practices

Washington—Feeling overworked, underpaid, worried about job security and making ends meet, three-fourths of Americans say they are stressed about work and money. But workplaces that invest in the well-being of employees reap rewards for employer and employees alike, including benefits such as reduced stress, lower employee turnover and enhanced organizational performance.

At a ceremony in Washington DC yesterday, the American Psychological Association (APA) recognized five organizations for their comprehensive efforts to promote employee health and well-being, while enhancing organizational performance. (more…)

WASHINGTON—Workplace bullying, such as belittling comments, persistent criticism of work and withholding resources, appears to inflict more harm on employees than sexual harassment, say researchers who presented their findings at a conference today.

“As sexual harassment becomes less acceptable in society, organizations may be more attuned to helping victims, who may therefore find it easier to cope,” said lead author M. Sandy Hershcovis, PhD, of the University of Manitoba. “In contrast, non-violent forms of workplace aggression such as incivility and bullying are not illegal, leaving victims to fend for themselves.”

This finding was presented at the Seventh International Conference on Work, Stress and Health, co-sponsored by the American Psychological Association, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology. (more…)

After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning on antidepressant medications, Nebraskan doctors began prescribing fewer antidepressant medications to children and teens and referring more patients to specialists, according to a state survey. The study, which involved NIMH-funded researchers, was published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. (more…)

The Pew Public Safety Performance Project tells us that for the first time in U.S. history, more than one in 100 adults are now confined in a jail or prison. These steadily increasing numbers are placing enormous restraints on available human and fiscal resources in states and communities and the increase seems to be having no effect on overall crime and recidivism.

Solutions offered as policy levers for states are also presented in the report. These options require strong community corrections programs to ensure offenders remain crime and drug-free and may have implications for present and future counselors working with the incarcerated offenders and those on probation.

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On March 5th the House of Representatives passed landmark comprehensive legislation requiring private health insurance plans to use the same treatment limitations and financial requirements for mental health and addictive disorder coverage as is used for other covered services. H.R. 1424, the “Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007,” introduced by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN), was passed with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 268-148. (House members’ votes are listed online at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll101.xml.) The legislation is named for the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, a tireless advocate for Americans with mental illness. House passage of H.R. 1424 is an historic step forward for mental health and addiction treatment advocates, and comes after years of hard work by the mental health and addictive disorder advocacy community.

ACA applauds Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) for their long, hard, heroic work in gaining House passage of H.R. 1424. During floor debate, both Kennedy and Ramstad spoke about their own personal battles with mental and addictive disorders, their treatment, and how their treatment has enabled them to lead productive lives. ACA also thanks those counselors who took the time to contact their representative on this issue.

ACA and other mental health and addictive disorder advocates are now working to build upon the strong bipartisan support for H.R. 1424 and the unanimous passage last year of the Senate’s bill, to encourage the development and enactment of parity legislation that provides consumer protections that are as strong as possible. Details: Scott Barstow at sbarstow@counseling.org.

ARLINGTON, Va. (March 13, 2008) – The American Psychiatric Association applauds recent Congressional efforts led by Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., to improve treatment for the large number of people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders who are currently incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons.

The U.S. Senate passed the Second Chance Act (H.R. 1593) this week by unanimous consent. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation last fall. The legislation would provide transitional assistance to ex-offenders in an effort to reduce a return to alcohol abuse. Additionally, the legislation would extend and provide a full continuum of care for treatment of substance use disorders and improve mental health screening and treatment. (more…)

Study shows when kids’ actions reflect their awareness that some outcomes are worth chasing more than others

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WASHINGTON—Hang on, parents. After the terrible twos come the goal-oriented threes. Kids seem to grow into the ability to act in pursuit of goals outside of what they can immediately sense sometime around that age, according to a new study published in the February issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). (more…)

Internet Offenders Target Teens, not Young Children—Rarely Use Force, Abduction or Deception

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WASHINGTON—Contrary to stereotype, most Internet sex offenders are not adults who target young children by posing as another youth, luring children to meetings, and then abducting or forcibly raping them, according to researchers who have studied the nature of Internet-initiated sex crimes.

Rather, most online sex offenders are adults who target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. They take time to develop the trust and confidence of victims, so that the youth see these relationships as romances or sexual adventures. The youth most vulnerable to online sex offenders have histories of sexual or physical abuse, family problems, and tendencies to take risks both on- and offline, the researchers say. (more…)

Dr. Dorothy I. Height Joined U.S. Congressmen Ed Towns and Chris Shays Today to Seek Support for H.R. 5447, The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Dorothy I. Height, Dr. Elizabeth J Clark, PhD, ACSW

WASHINGTON—Congress is being asked to help the nation’s 600,000 professional social workers better serve families and communities in need.  U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY) has introduced a bill that will establish a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to study policy issues associated with recruitment, retention, research and reinvestment in the profession of social work, and will support replicable programs of excellence throughout the country. 

Original cosponsors include Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH).

The United States is experiencing unprecedented levels of human, social service and health care needs.  These needs now transcend social and economic strata, affect the old and the young, and place tremendous burdens on those in the middle.  As a result, millions of Americans, from all walks of life, are served daily by social workers.  (more…)

Teens with difficult-to-treat depression who do not respond to a first antidepressant medication are more likely to get well if they switch to another antidepressant medication and add psychotherapy rather than just switching to another antidepressant, according to a large, multi-site trial funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The results of the Treatment of SSRI-resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) trial were published February 27, 2008, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). (more…)

A 20-week group therapy program focusing on cognitive behavioral and skills training, when used in conjunction with usual care, helped reduce symptoms of borderline personality disorder and improve overall functioning, reported NIMH-funded researchers. Their findings were published online February 15, 2008 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness noted by unstable moods, behavior and relationships. Each year, 1.4 percent of adults in the United States have this disorder, which is widely viewed as being difficult to treat. However, recent advances in treatment research for specific symptoms of borderline personality disorder, such as dialectical behavioral therapy to reduce suicidal thinking or behavior, have shown reasons to continue exploring options for therapy. (more…)

Doctors spend little time discussing mental health issues with their older patients and rarely refer them to a mental health specialist even if they show symptoms of severe depression, according to an NIMH-funded study published December 2007 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

People age 65 and older represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but they accounted for a disproportionate 16 percent of suicide deaths in 2004.¹ Improved mental health screening in primary care may improve detection and treatment of mental disorders before drastic consequences, such as suicide, can occur. (more…)

People with major depression accompanied by high levels of anxiety are significantly less likely to benefit from antidepressant medication than those without anxiety, according to a study based on data from the NIMH-funded Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. The study was published online ahead of print in January 2008, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. (more…)

Brain’s Amygdala Region Less Responsive to Other People’s Distress Signals

The callous, unemotional characteristics of some children and adolescents who bully or steal or have other severely disruptive behavior problems may have partial roots in a brain area called the amygdala. 

The amygdala responds to distress cues from other people; cues that normally would elicit empathy from observers. But it is less responsive to such cues in youth who have both callous, unemotional characteristics and disruptive behavior problems, report NIMH investigator Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., and colleagues.  Results of their research appeared online February 15 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. (more…)