NIMH: State Survey Finds FDA “Black Box” Warning Correlates with Curtailed Antidepressant Prescriptions

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.

Science Update: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/state-survey-finds-fda-black-box-warning-correlates-with-curtailed-antidepressant-prescriptions.shtml

NIMH: One Gene Overrides Another to Prevent Brain Changes that Foster Depression

For what appears to be the first time in humans, scientists have detected an interaction between genes that may help prevent brain changes that increase vulnerability to depression. A variation on one gene affects how much of the brain chemical serotonin is available to brain cells. This variation is thought to raise the risk of depression in people who carry it. But NIMH scientists found that a variation in another gene, which produces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a substance that enables growth and health of brain cells – appears to prevent or offset the changes generated by the depression-fostering variant. For now, the finding can help scientists track the biological roots of depression in the brain as they search for better treatments. In the future, it could help clinicians identify patients who are at risk and need monitoring or treatment. Results of the study were published online on March 12, in Molecular Psychiatry.

Science Update: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/one-gene-overrides-another-to-prevent-brain-changes-that-foster-depression.shtml

NIMH: Bipolar Youths’ Misreading of Faces May be Risk Marker for Illness—Linked to Genetics, Altered Brain Circuitry

Youngsters with pediatric bipolar disorder and healthy peers who have first-degree relatives with bipolar disorder share the same difficulty labeling facial emotions, NIMH researchers have discovered. Reporting in the February 2008 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the scientists suggest that the facial emotion recognition impairment might be part of an inherited predisposition to the illness.

Science Update: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/bipolar-youths-misreading-of-faces-may-be-risk-marker-for-illness.shtml

NIAAA: Quantity and Frequency of Drinking Influence Mortality Risk

How much and how often people drink — not just the average amount of alcohol they consume over time — independently influence the risk of death from several causes, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). A report of their findings appears in the March, 2008 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2008/niaaa-04.htm

SAMHSA: New Report Provides Substance Use and Mental Health Information for Each State—Finds Variation in Problems among the States, But That all Face Challenges

A new report providing analyses of substance use and mental health patterns occurring in each state reveals that there are wide variations among the states in problems like illicit drug use and underage drinking, but that no state was immune from these problems. For example, past month use of alcohol among persons aged 12 to 20 ranged from a low of 21.5 percent in Utah to a high of 38.3 percent in Vermont. Yet Utah had the highest level of people age 18 or older reporting serious psychological distress in the past year, while Hawaii had the lowest level. The report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that although there are some differences in the patterns of substance use and mental health problems experienced among states and regions, all parts of the country are seriously affected by these problems.

Press release: http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0803061256.aspx

Report: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k6state/toc.cfm

New on the NIMH Website

Latest Edition of Inside NIMH Available

This edition of Inside NIMH includes an update about the NIMH budget and funding policy for Fiscal Year 2008 and the strategies NIMH is implementing to help maintain funding levels. It also describes a recent change to the NIH Public Access Policy and discusses enhancing the peer review system at NIH.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research-funding/newsletter/2008-march-inside-nimh.html

Child and Adolescent Effectiveness Research in Clinical Practice and Community Settings: Needs, Challenges, and Opportunities

This workshop provided a forum for reviewing accomplishments and challenges in conducting effectiveness research in practice and other community settings and served as an opportunity for informally discussing promising approaches to further research. The focus of the meeting was on testing the effectiveness of treatment interventions for children and adolescents when delivered in clinical practice and other community settings, such as schools.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research-funding/scientific-meetings/2008/child-and-adolescent-effectiveness-research-in-practice-and-community-settings-needs-challenges-and-opportunities/summary.shtml

New on the NIDA Website

Scientific Research on Prescription Drug Abuse, Before the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, Committee on the Judiciary and the Caucus on International Narcotics Control United States Senate

Testimony provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director at the Scientific Research on Prescription Drug Abuse.

http://www.nida.nih.gov/Testimony/3-12-08Testimony.html

New ‘NIH Research Matters’ of Interest

Uncovering the Molecular Basis of Learning and Memory

Researchers have developed a way to pinpoint the molecules involved in forming a specific memory. The finding, in genetically engineered mice, gives scientists new insight into how memories are formed.

http://www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/march2008/03032008learning.htm

Computers Detect Alzheimer's Disease in Brain Scans

Computers can be trained to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease in MRI brain scans, according to a new report. The finding could help doctors diagnose the disease earlier and more accurately than they can now, so treatment can begin earlier.

http://www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/march2008/03032008alzheimers.htm

NLM and ORWH Announce New NIH Web Site Source for Women's Health Research Information

A new Web resource providing consumers with the latest information on significant topics in women's health research from scientific journals and other peer-reviewed sources is now available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its Division of Specialized Information Services, Office of Outreach and Special Populations has partnered with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) to create this one-stop resource.

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2008/od-10.htm

New Resources from SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to teach basic knowledge, skills, and values about working with children who are in the child welfare system and who have experienced traumatic stress. It also teaches how to use this knowledge to support children's safety, permanency, and well-being through case analysis and corresponding interventions tailored for them and their biological and resource families.

http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=ctr_cwtool

Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators

This toolkit was developed to provide school administrators, teachers, staff, and concerned parents with basic information about working with traumatized children in the school system.

http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=ctr_ctte

SAMHSA: New Report from the Office of Applied Studies

Adolescent Admissions Reporting Inhalants, 2006

Based on SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), adolescents aged 12 to 17 accounted for 8 percent of admissions to substance abuse treatment in 2006; however, they represent 48 percent of all admissions reporting inhalants. Females comprised a larger proportion of adolescent admissions reporting inhalants than of adolescent admissions not reporting inhalants. In 2006, 45 percent of adolescent admissions reporting inhalants had a concurrent psychiatric disorder in contrast to only 29 percent of their counterparts who did not report inhalants.

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/inhalantsTX/inhalantsTX.cfm

Inhalant Use across the Adolescent Years

Inhalants were the most frequently reported class of illicit drugs use in the past year among adolescents age 12 or age 13. Combined data from SAMHSA's 2002 to 2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health found an annual average of 593,000 youths aged 12 to 17 used an inhalant for the first time in the 12 months prior to their survey interview. Among past year new inhalant users aged 12 to 15, the three most commonly used types of inhalants were: glue, shoe polish, or toluene; spray paints; and gasoline or lighter fluid. In comparison, nitrous oxide or "whippets" were the most common type of inhalant used among past year new inhalant users aged 16 or 17.

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/inhalants/inhalants.cfm

New Resources from CDC

The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across The Lifespan

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is pleased to announce the availability of this new document which summarizes the available research on childhood stress and its long-term consequences. This publication will provide practitioners, especially those working in violence prevention, with ideas about how to incorporate this important information into their work.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/effects_of_childhood_stress.htm

New ‘Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury Initiative’

This CDC initiative was developed in collaboration with 26 organizations to help raise awareness about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and to help adult children and other caregivers prevent, recognize, and respond to TBIs among older adults, one of the groups at highest risk for this type of injury. As part of this initiative, CDC has developed easy-to-use English- and Spanish-language materials for older adults and their caregivers.

Notice: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5709a4.htm

Website: http://www.cdc.gov/braininjuryinseniors/

SAMHSA: 2008 Science and Service Awards Will Honor Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Interventions

SAMHSA has issued a call for applications for its 2008 Science and Service Awards, a national program that recognizes community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions. Application deadline is March 31, 2008.

http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0801181059.aspx

Call for Workshop Proposals: 3rd National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery—Inspiring Leadership, Changing Lives

This conference sponsored by SAMHSA, the New Century Institute and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, brings together the leaders, directors and other stakeholders in women’s services to hear current research, discuss implementation and promote effective leadership to professionals and stakeholders to assist women with substance use disorders and their families. This conference will be held September 15-17, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. The deadline for proposal submissions is March 31, 2008.

http://www.fadaa.org/women

Developing Healthy People 2020: Participate in Regional Meetings

Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease. Since 1979, Healthy People has set and monitored national health objectives to meet a broad range of health needs, encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of our prevention activity.

To obtain public perspectives on the framework that will be used to organize Healthy People 2020 objectives, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is convening five regional meetings. A sixth meeting is planned in the Washington, DC area to gain input from national organizations and other interested groups and individuals. Registration has opened for scheduled Healthy People 2020 Regional Meetings locations. Detailed information is available for the regional meetings taking place in Atlanta (March 17), San Francisco (April 1), Fort Worth (April 14), Chicago (April 30), and Bethesda (May 28).

http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/regional/default.asp

Supporting Rural Family Caregivers

March 19, 2008, 1-3:30 PM ET

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is organizing this satellite broadcast to conduct a discussion of the difficulties faced by rural family caregivers and how to support them in areas with limited provider agencies, manpower shortages, and transportation challenges. This session will highlight creative responses to rural family caregiving such as consumer directed care. This broadcast will feature family caregivers who have applied innovative means to be effective caregivers in rural areas.

http://registration.casals.com/cms/

Treatment Planning for Complex Trauma /Conceptualization and Core Components

March 31, 2008, 2-3:30 pm ET

Sponsored by SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network, this free webcast will provide information on treatment planning for complex trauma.

http://www.nctsn.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=ctr_train_tele_compsched

Providing Early Childhood Mental Health Services that Meet the Needs of Young Children and Their Caregivers: Building The Evidence Base

April 17, 2008 1-2:30 PM ET

This conference call produced by SAMHSA’s National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health will share some current programs and practices that are being used across the country to provide early childhood mental health services. http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/programs/ta_center/tacalls2008.html

NCDEU: New Research Approaches for Mental Health Interventions

May 27-30, 2008, Phoenix, Arizona

The New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) Meeting, co-sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, is a scientific conference that brings together academic researchers from multiple disciplines involved in clinical trials, practicing psychologists, research pharmacists, nurses, and social workers, as well as investigators with the pharmaceutical industry, and representatives from NIMH/NIH and the Food and Drug Administration.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research-funding/scientific-meetings/recurring-meetings/ncdeu/index.shtml

Blending Addiction Science and Treatment—The Impact of Evidence-Based Practices on Individuals, Families and Communities

June 2-3, 2008, Cincinnati, Ohio

This NIDA conference provides an important opportunity for clinicians and providers to interact with the developers of empirically supported treatments in awareness raising workshops focused on treatment implementation. The goal of the Blending Addiction Science and Practice Conference is to improve addiction treatment practices so more people recover from addictive disorders.

http://www.NIDABlendingConference.info

OJJDP National Youth Gang Symposium: Partnering to Prevent Youth Gang Violence from Faith- and Community-Based Organizations to Law Enforcement

June 23-26, 2008, Atlanta, Georgia

This event sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will offer innovative and successful gang-related programs and strategies, as well as provide the latest information on youth gang activities and trends from top national experts. The workshop and plenary sessions will be exciting, challenging, and filled with cutting-edge information that can be used immediately in your community.

http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/enews/08juvjust/080311.html

The National Center for Trauma-Informed Care Learning Exchange

July 11-12, 2008, Washington, DC

The SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services funded National Center for Trauma-Informed Care will be hosting a two-day learning exchange and networking transformation forum to highlight useful and practical strategies for moving forward together with the implementation of trauma-informed care in organizations, programs, and services.

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/nctic/

The 13th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health

September 25-27, 2008, Phoenix, Arizona

Sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Center for School Mental Health and the IDEA Partnership, this year’s conference theme is “School Mental Health for All Students: Building a Shared Agenda for Youth, Families, Schools, and Communities.”

http://csmh.umaryland.edu/conf_meet/AnnualConference/index.html

NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants

March 25-27, 2008 San Antonio, Texas

June 18–20, 2008 Chicago, Illinois

Each year, NIH sponsors two NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants. These seminars are intended to help demystify the application and review process, clarify Federal regulations and policies, and highlight current areas of special interest or concern. The seminars serve the NIH mission of providing education and training for the next generation of biomedical and behavioral scientists. NIH policy, grants management, review and program staff provide a broad array of expertise and encourage personal interaction between themselves and seminar participants.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/seminars.htm

CDC: Reducing Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and other Co-Occurring Risk Behaviors in the Preconception Period

http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/DD08-003.htm

SAMHSA: Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants Program Announcement

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/OA_08_002.aspx

SAMHSA: Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act Grants

http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/2008/sp_08_004.aspx

SAMHSA: Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Program-Priority to Veterans

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/sm_08_009.aspx

SAMHSA: National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative Community Treatment and Services Center Grants

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/sm_08_010.aspx

SAMHSA: Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment in Adult Criminal Justice Populations

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/ti_08_012.aspx

SAMHSA: Circles of Care IV: Infrastructure Development for Children’s Mental Health Systems in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/sm_08_012.aspx

SAMHSA: Technical Assistance Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/sm_08_003.aspx

SAMHSA: Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment Medical Residency Program

http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/ti_08_003.aspx

Selected NIH Program Announcements (PAs)

[Full listing of NIH PAs at http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/index.html ]

Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-08-097.html (R01)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-08-098.html (R21)

Jointly Sponsored Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Predoctoral Training Program in the Neurosciences (T32)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-101.html

Selected NIH Request for Applications (RFAs)

[Full listing of NIH RFAs at http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/index.html ]

Limited Competition for Data Deposition and Analyses of Genome Wide Association Studies of Mental Disorders

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-08-120.html (R01)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-08-121.html (Collaborative R01)

Genomic Parsing of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia: Studies of Large Cohorts in the U.S. and Across the Globe

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-08-130.html (R01)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-08-131.html (Collaborative R01)

Innovative Approaches to Personalizing the Treatment of Depression

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-09-010.html (R01)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-09-011.html (R34)

Novel Interventions for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-09-020.html (R34)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-09-021.html (R21/R33)

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