ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. OFF TO COLLEGE ON THEIR OWN, SHADOWED BY MENTAL ILLNESS
2. SENATOR CODEY: A CLAUS WITH A CAUSE
3. NEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL WELCOMED AS A MILESTONE
4. DISPARITY EMERGES IN LILLY DATA ON SCHIZOPHRENIA
DRUG
5. SOLDIERS SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT - FACE
HURDLES, PREJUDICE
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OFF TO COLLEGE ON THEIR OWN,
SHADOWED BY MENTAL ILLNESS
Stacy Hollingsworth, an honors student at Rutgers University
who suffers from major depressive disorder, dropped out
of college in the fall semester of her sophomore year. After
a two-year absence and the loss of $15,000 in state scholarships,
Ms. Hollingsworth, now 22, is back at Rutgers finishing
her degree in exercise physiology and psychology. She is
founder of the Rutgers' affiliate of the National Alliance
on Mental Illness, one of the organization's newest student
chapters.
A video, resources and previous articles are online at
www.nytimes.com/children.
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SENATOR CODEY: A CLAUS WITH A CAUSE
For Richard and Mary Jo Codey, this stop last night at
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Parsippany was more
than just another holiday event. It was the continuation
of a long-term mission of calling attention to the needs
of the state's mentally ill. The former governor and his
wife, along with their son Chris, arrived at the state hospital
in Parsippany just before 6 p.m.. They had arranged for
patients in the hospital's Abell complex to have pizza and
also brought them some small gifts.
Lawrence Ragonese’s report:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/index.ssf?/base/news-2/116667997629040.xml&coll=1
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NEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL WELCOMED AS A MILESTONE
Sitting on 11 acres less than a mile from the old psychiatric
campus, the new $83 million Essex County hospital will accommodate
180 patients with a focus on treatment and recovery rather
than long-term commitment, hospital officials said. In addition
to treating patients, the hospital center will house the
Institute for Mental Health Policy, Research and Treatment,
a new academic division that will team with local medical
institutions to study mental illness, develop new treatments
and train health care professionals to diagnose and care
for the mentally ill.
Read the Star Ledger story:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/essex/index.ssf?/base/news-3/116667995329040.xml&coll=1
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DISPARITY EMERGES IN LILLY DATA ON SCHIZOPHRENIA DRUG
For at least a year, Eli Lilly provided information to
doctors about the blood-sugar risks of its drug Zyprexa
that did not match data that the company circulated internally
when it first reviewed its clinical trial results, according
to company documents. In response to questions about the
difference between its first view of the data and its subsequent
public description, Lilly issued a statement yesterday saying
that the later figures were accurate and the information
in February 2000 was out of context.
Read the New York Times report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/business/21drug.html
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SOLDIERS SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
FACE HURDLES, PREJUDICE
Tens of thousands of soldiers are returning from Iraq with
symptoms of serious mental health problems. That's according
to the military's own studies. Those problems include acute
depression, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder,
also known as PTSD. The Pentagon's "Task Force on Mental
Health" is holding three days of hearings on how well
U.S. servicemen and women are being treated for mental health
issues when they return from overseas duty.
Listen to the NPR report:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6657706
