Poll: 61% say ‘no’ to guns in homes of kids with mental health problems

The Lanza home, March 28, 2013. (Dylan Stableford/Yahoo News)

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, gun control advocates called for more background checks. Gun rights advocates called for more school security. And mental health advocates called for more dialogue about mental health.

While the first two calls have gone largely unanswered, it appears the third is beginning to be addressed, at least on the family level.

According to a recent survey of 1,600 parents conducted by the Child Mind Institute and Parents magazine, 60 percent are concerned that kids who have a mental illness—like Asperger’s Syndrome, which Newtown gunman Adam Lanza reportedly had—are more likely to hurt themselves or others. And 61 percent of parents said that parents of children with mental health problems should not be allowed to have a gun in their home.

But according to an oft-cited American Psychiatric Association study, "the vast majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses."

"The truth is that most violent crimes are not actually committed by people who are mentally ill," Parents deputy editor Diane Debrovner, who helped coordinate the survey, told Yahoo News.

In fact, "people with serious mental illnesses are actually at higher risk of being victims of violence than perpetrators," Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute on Mental Health, wrote in the wake of the shootings in Tuscon, Ariz., in 2011.

And, Debrovner said, “kids with mental health disorders can grow up to lead happy, productive lives when they get proper care."

[Related: Courtroom use of mental illness manual often debated]

But it's unclear what kind of mental health care Lanza was getting, if any, on Dec. 14, 2012, when police say he shot his mother in her bedroom of the Newtown home they shared, forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire, killing 20 first graders and six adults before shooting himself. Earlier this week, the Hartford Courant reported that an autopsy performed on Lanza revealed he did not have antidepressants or anti-psychotic medications in body.

The stigma surrounding mental health issues prevent many parents and teachers from getting kids the support—and medication—they need, according to Dr. Harold Koplewicz, president of the Child Mind Institute.

“The Newtown shooting has lead to a national conversation about mental health,” Koplewicz said in a release announcing the findings. “What we hope will come from the tragedy is openness that starts in each family and community, when we acknowledge our worries about our own children, and help make other parents feel safe enough to speak up about their worries, too.”

To that point, the results were encouraging: 66 percent of respondents "believe that parents are now more likely to seek help if their child’s behavior worries them."

"We've heard that an increasing number of pediatricians and primary care doctors have mental-health providers in the same office," Debrovner added, "just down the hall."

Click here to see the full results.

View the original article here

Demi Lovato, SAMHSA to highlight new strategies proven to help young adults with mental health and substance use challenges

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Chart-dominating singer, songwriter and actress Demi Lovato will join the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to celebrate the eighth annual National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) at a press briefing on Tuesday, May 7, at the University of the District of Columbia Community College in Washington, DC.

At the press briefing, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will present Lovato with an award for her work as a mentor to young adults with mental health and substance use challenges. Together with SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, they will focus on the importance of social connectedness—a sense of community—in enhancing resilience in young adults with mental health and substance use challenges at home, school, work, and in accessing health care services.

During the briefing, announcements will be made about upcoming federal initiatives on children's mental health, and the findings from a new report on the efficacy of community-based programs in improving the lives of older adolescents and young adults with mental health and substance use challenges. 

Awareness Day is SAMHSA's annual observance of the importance of caring for every child's mental health. The press briefing is a launch event for activities being held across the country on Awareness Day, which will be observed nationwide on Thursday, May 9. More than 130 public and private organizations and more than 1,100 communities across the country will participate in local events and activities in celebration of Awareness Day.

WHAT: SAMHSA presents National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day 2013 press briefing

WHEN: Tuesday, May 7, 2013
10–11a.m.

WHERE: The University of the District of Columbia Community College Auditorium
4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW.
Building 46
Washington, DC 20008
Metro: Van Ness-UDC (Red Line)

MEDIA: To attend the event or request an interview, please contact Rachael Siefert at 202–248–5466.

WEBCAST: The event will be available via live Webcast at www.samhsa.gov/children.

For more information about Awareness Day and to view the list of collaborating organizations, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/children. Follow #HeroesofHope to join the conversation about Awareness Day on Twitter.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.  SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

SOURCE SAMHSA

View the original article here

Laying bare your finances to apply for health care

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a storm of complaints, the Obama administration on Tuesday unveiled simplified forms to apply for insurance under the president's new health care law. You won't have to lay bare your medical history but you will have to detail your finances.

An earlier version of the forms had provoked widespread griping that they were as bad as tax forms and might overwhelm uninsured people, causing them to give up in frustration.

The biggest change: a five-page short form that single people can fill out. That form includes a cover page with instructions and another page if you want to designate someone to help you through the process.

But the abridged application form for families still runs to 12 pages, even if most households will not have to fill out every page. Most people are expected to take another option, applying online.

The ease or difficulty of applying for benefits takes on added importance because Americans remain confused about what the health care law will mean for them. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday found that 4 in 10 are unaware it's the law of the land. Some think it's been repealed by Congress. In fact, it's still on track.

At his news conference Tuesday, President Barack Obama hailed the simplified forms as an example of how his team listened to criticism from consumer groups and made a fix. The law's full benefits will be available to all next year, he emphasized, even if Republicans in Congress still insist on repeal and many GOP governors won't help put it into place.

When the first draft of the application turned out to be a clunker, "immediately, everybody sat around the table and said, 'Well, this is too long, especially...in this age of the Internet,'" Obama recounted. "'People aren't going to have the patience to sit there for hours on end. Let's streamline this thing.'"

The flap over the application forms was a "first test" of the administration's ability to confront problems as they emerge, said Sam Karp, vice president of programs at the California HealthCare Foundation.

"Being nimble enough to identify, then fix, problems will be critical to successfully enroll millions of Americans who will become newly eligible for coverage," he said.

The applications will start becoming familiar to consumers less than six months from now, on Oct. 1, when new insurance markets open for enrollment in every state. They are not for people already signed up in their employer's plan, only the uninsured.

Filling out the application is just the first part of the process, which lets you know if you qualify for financial help. The government asks to see what you're making because Obama's Affordable Care Act is means-tested, with lower-income people getting the most generous help to pay premiums. Consumers who aren't applying for financial help still have to fill out a five-page form.

Once you're finished with the money part, actually picking a health plan will require additional steps, plus a basic understanding of insurance jargon.

Under the law, middle-class people who don't get coverage through their jobs will be able to purchase private insurance. Most will be able to get tax credits to make their premiums more affordable. The lowest-income uninsured people will be steered to government programs like Medicaid.

Benefits begin Jan. 1, and nearly 30 million uninsured Americans are eventually expected to get coverage.

While the first drafts of the applications were widely panned, the new forms were seen as an improvement. Still, consumers must provide a snapshot of their finances to see if they qualify for help. That potentially includes multiple sources of income, from alimony to tips to regular paychecks.

The list includes: unemployment, pensions, Social Security, other retirement checks and farming and fishing income. Individuals will have to gather tax returns, pay stubs and other financial records before filling out the application.

"Given the amount of information necessary to determine eligibility, it's hard to see how the forms could be any shorter," said Robert Laszewski, a former insurance executive turned industry consultant.

Although the new forms are shorter, the administration wasn't able to get rid of all the complexity. One question asks family applicants with at least one member covered through a job for "the lowest-cost plan that meets the minimum value standard offered only to the employee." Huh?

Administration officials expect most people to apply online. The process will route consumers to either private plans or Medicaid. Identification, citizenship and immigration status, as well as income details, are supposed to be verified in close to real time through a federal "data hub" pinging Social Security, the Homeland Security department and the Internal Revenue Service.

Under Obama's overhaul, insurers will no longer be able to turn away the sick or charge them more. The pitfalls of giving the wrong answer to a health care question will be gone, but consumers who underestimate their incomes could be in for an unwelcome surprise later on in the form of smaller tax refunds.

Among the sections eliminated in the new form was one that asked applicants if they also wanted to register to vote. Some congressional Republicans had criticized that, calling it politically motivated.

View the original article here

15th Annual International Conference on Hoarding & Cluttering Kicks-Off Mental Health Month in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHASF) hosts 15^thAnnual International Conference on Hoarding & Cluttering (ICHC) on May 2^nd and 3^rd at the Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco-Union Square hotel.  Originally pioneered as a local, one-day conference in 1998, fifteen years later, it has evolved into a 3-day innovative, international, multidisciplinary and culturally responsive event bringing together advocates, researchers, clinicians, landlords and people who are personally struggling with hoarding challenges to foster learning and successful strategies that save lives, counter stigma and improve public welfare.

ICHC is the only ongoing annual conference in the world focusing solely on the complex issues, impact, and stigma associated with the disorder, drawing together stakeholders and experts across fields with a addressing effective solutions to the personal and public burdens that can arise from compulsive hoarding, cluttering and acquiring behaviors. ICHC features practical solutions, cutting edge innovations and emphasizes communities working together to better understand issues and promote the development of effective task forces, and engagement of diverse stakeholders.

May is Mental Health Month, and represents a milestone for the field as the American Psychiatric Association releases the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V) recognizing compulsive hoarding and cluttering as a significant and legitimate mental health condition. There is a three-part definition to compulsive hoarding behavior: 1.) The accumulation of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value. 2.) Living spaces become so cluttered that they can't be used for the activities they were intended for. 3.) The hoarding behavior causes distress and impaired functioning

The 2013 ICHC conference is a source of learning, but it is especially a significant and unique opportunity for the many people who are isolated by their condition. People with hoarding and cluttering challenges often feel alone, ashamed and helpless. As a recent participant reflected many people aren't aware on "any kind of help at all."

WHO:	The Mental Health Association of San Francisco
WHAT:	15th Annual International Conference on Hoarding & Cluttering (ICHC)
WHEN:	Thursday and Friday May 2- 3, 2013
	8:30 am – 5:00 pm
WHERE:	Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco- Union Square
	55 Cyril Magnin Street
	San Francisco, California
WEB:	http://www.mentalhealthsf.org

Media Contact: Jenifer Reeve (415) 290-5403 cell / jenifer@mentalhealthsf.org

SOURCE Mental Health Association of San Francisco

View the original article here

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost 32 pct

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

View the original article here

SD Sen. Johnson retires citing health, age

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Entering the auditorium on a motorized scooter and delivering remarks in halting speech, South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson announced Tuesday that he would retire next year at the end of his term and acknowledged he remains limited by a 2006 health crisis that nearly killed him.

Smiling and joking at times as he made the announcement at a press conference in his hometown of Vermillion, the 66-year-old said the effects of his life-threatening brain hemorrhage had made speech and mobility increasingly difficult.

"I feel great, but I must be honest ... I appreciate my right arm and right leg aren't what they used to be, and my speech is not entirely there," Johnson said, his delivery slurred at-times.

Johnson, who until recently relied on a cane to get around, has become dependent on the motorized scooter he used to enter the auditorium at the University of South Dakota where he made his remarks. He also said he hoped to spend more time with his five grandchildren and that "I think mostly it's time to go."

Johnson's departure helps solidify GOP prospects of claiming the state's first open Senate seat since 1978. Republican former Gov. Mike Rounds had announced plans last year to challenge Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and has rallied much of the state and national party establishment behind him.

On the Democratic side, long-rumored possible successors including Johnson's son, South Dakota's U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, and former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

"I've talked to Brendan now and then, but I'm not leaning on him to run or not run," Johnson told The Associated Press after the event. "I gather he is undecided."

Brendan Johnson declined to comment on his political plans Tuesday. He has avoided public statements about the race, but has had conversations with party activists in the state, and advisers and potential donors outside South Dakota.

Herseth Sandlin, 42, is general counsel for Raven Industries, Corp., a position she began last year after returning to South Dakota from Washington, D.C. She had worked as a lawyer in Washington after losing re-election to a fourth U.S. House term in 2010.

"While I appreciate the encouragement I've received I haven't focused on the future political opportunities," she told The AP.

Although both prospects have political networks to tap, both also face potential liabilities.

The younger Johnson, 37, has never held political office and would face questions about his father's involvement in the confirmation process to his federal post. Herseth Sandlin has taken some positions at odds with some South Dakota Democratic activists, including opposing the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which could hurt in a potential Democratic primary.

Republicans too could face ideological tension.

A Washington, D.C.,-based political action committee released a statement Tuesday criticizing Rounds' spending during two terms as governor, and calling for a more conservative candidate to run for Johnson's seat.

U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, elected in 2010, has been courted to challenge Rounds by South Dakota conservatives. While Noem has shown little movement toward investigating a 2014 Senate campaign, aides said Tuesday: "She hasn't ruled anything in or out."

Nationally, Republicans said by stepping aside, the politically resilient Johnson, who also retains a $1.2 million campaign war chest, gives the GOP its best chance to gain a seat in its quest for the majority.

"I believe South Dakota moves into the top slot as the most likely Republican pickup," said Greg Strimple, a Republican pollster and past consultant to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, joins Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey as seasoned and influential Democrats departing the chamber, where Republicans need to gain six seats to take control. Two Republican senators have announced their retirements, both in Republican-performing states Georgia and Nebraska.

South Dakota was carried by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last year, adding urgency for Democrats hoping to keep their majority. Republicans must gain six seats to retake the chamber in 2014.

With his wife Barbara at his side, Sen. Johnson remained standing, leaning on his stronger left hand at the podium, taking questions from reporters then posing for pictures and shaking hands with supporters -- reaching out with his left -- for an hour.

"I look forward to serving the remaining two years as the country is facing difficult times on many fronts and I will work every day to find a bipartisan solution to these challenges," he said.

View the original article here

SD Sen. Johnson to retire, cites health and age

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Entering the auditorium on a motorized scooter and delivering remarks in halting speech, South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson announced Tuesday that he would retire next year at the end of his term and acknowledged he remains limited by a 2006 health crisis that nearly killed him.

Smiling and joking at times as he made the announcement at a press conference in his hometown of Vermillion, the 66-year-old said the effects of his life-threatening brain hemorrhage had made speech and mobility increasingly difficult.

"I feel great, but I must be honest ... I appreciate my right arm and right leg aren't what they used to be, and my speech is not entirely there," Johnson said, his delivery slurred at times.

Johnson, who until recently relied on a cane to get around, has become dependent on the motorized scooter he used to enter the auditorium at the University of South Dakota where he made his remarks. He also said he hoped to spend more time with his five grandchildren and that "I think mostly it's time to go."

Johnson's departure helps solidify GOP prospects of claiming the state's first open Senate seat since 1978. Republican former Gov. Mike Rounds had announced plans last year to challenge Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and has rallied much of the state and national party establishment behind him.

On the Democratic side, long-rumored possible successors including Johnson's son, South Dakota's U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, and former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

"I've talked to Brendan now and then, but I'm not leaning on him to run or not run," Johnson told The Associated Press after the event. "I gather he is undecided."

Brendan Johnson declined to comment on his political plans Tuesday. He has avoided public statements about the race, but has had conversations with party activists in the state, and advisers and potential donors outside South Dakota.

Herseth Sandlin, 42, is general counsel for Raven Industries, Corp., a position she began last year after returning to South Dakota from Washington, D.C. She had worked as a lawyer in Washington after losing re-election to a fourth U.S. House term in 2010.

"While I appreciate the encouragement I've received I haven't focused on the future political opportunities," she told The AP.

Although both prospects have political networks to tap, both also face potential liabilities.

The younger Johnson, 37, has never held political office and would face questions about his father's involvement in the confirmation process to his federal post. Herseth Sandlin has taken some positions at odds with some South Dakota Democratic activists, including opposing the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which could hurt in a potential Democratic primary.

Republicans too could face ideological tension.

A Washington, D.C.,-based political action committee released a statement Tuesday criticizing Rounds' spending during two terms as governor, and calling for a more conservative candidate to run for Johnson's seat.

U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, elected in 2010, has been courted to challenge Rounds by South Dakota conservatives. While Noem has shown little movement toward investigating a 2014 Senate campaign, aides said Tuesday: "She hasn't ruled anything in or out."

Nationally, Republicans said by stepping aside, the politically resilient Johnson, who also retains a $1.2 million campaign war chest, gives the GOP its best chance to gain a seat in its quest for the majority.

"I believe South Dakota moves into the top slot as the most likely Republican pickup," said Greg Strimple, a Republican pollster and past consultant to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, joins Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey as seasoned and influential Democrats departing the chamber, where Republicans need to gain six seats to take control. Two Republican senators have announced their retirements, both in Republican-performing states Georgia and Nebraska.

South Dakota was carried by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last year, adding urgency for Democrats hoping to keep their majority. Republicans must gain six seats to retake the chamber in 2014.

With his wife Barbara at his side, Sen. Johnson remained standing, leaning on his stronger left hand at the podium, taking questions from reporters then posing for pictures and shaking hands with supporters -- reaching out with his left -- for an hour.

"I look forward to serving the remaining two years as the country is facing difficult times on many fronts and I will work every day to find a bipartisan solution to these challenges," he said.

View the original article here