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CHANGING THE CULTURE
OF CAMPUS DRINKING
(October 2002) The National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) commissioned
a Task Force on College Drinking to do a three-year investigation
of how pervasive and destructive drinking on college campuses
has become. In their Alcohol Alert No. 58, they report "alcohol
consumption is linked to at least 1,400 student deaths and
500,000 unintentional injuries annually…each year, more than
600,000 students are assaulted by other students who have
been drinking." In a survey of patterns and consequences
of their alcohol use during the past year, 31 percent of
participants reported symptoms associated with alcohol abuse
(e.g. drinking in hazardous situations and alcohol-related
school problems), and 6 percent reported 3 or more symptoms
of alcohol dependence (e.g., drinking more or longer than
initially planned and experiencing increased tolerance to
alcohol's effects)…Thirty percent of 12th graders, for example,
report heavy episodic drinking in high school, slightly more
report having "been drunk," and almost three-quarters
report drinking in the past year." The rest of the report
assesses prevention strategies that could be applied to college
campuses, along with promising strategies that require more
research.
CONNECTION BETWEEN DISORDERS OF CONDUCT
AND SLEEP
(February, 2003) Investigators have
reported an association between hyperactivity and two sleep
problems: disordered breathing and restless legs (see Pediatrics
2002;109:449). Disordered breathing and restless-legs symptoms
were significantly associated with aggressive behaviors,
even after adjustment for hyperactivity symptoms and use
of stimulant medications. “It is of great clinical importance
to consider the possibility of sleep disorders, in addition
to other disorders, in children who present with aggression.”
Source: Chervin RD et al. Conduct problems and symptoms of
sleep disorders in children. Journal of the American Academy
of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2003, Feb;42:201-8.
NONINVASIVE ELECTROMAGNETIC
STIMULATION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA
(May/June 2003) The Psychotherapy
Networker May/June 2003 Vol. 27, No. 3, reports a new
study that finds “a 15-minute, noninvasive electromagnetic
stimulation of the brain once a day for nine days can alleviate
schizophrenics’ hallucinations for up to 15 weeks. The treatment
even works on the 25 percent of auditory hallucinations that
don’t respond to medications. The study of 24 schizophrenic
subjects in the January Archives of General Psychiatry adds
to the growing promise of electromagnetic stimulation, which
already has an impressive body of research demonstrating
its effectiveness on treatment-resistant depression.”
CLOSE TO $9 BILLION
HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TO SPECIAL NEEDS
(May 21, 2003) In The Education Economy, No. 144, published
by Eduventures,
Inc., it was reported that "close to $9 billion
has been allocated to special needs via the ESEA and the
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act. Yet, despite
ample funding, the complex nature of serving special needs
students and stringent requirements for tracking instructional
plans leave many companies wary of entering the market. Companies
such as 4GL, TIECorp, and IMSeries have developed robust
management platforms that support special needs instruction,
which may prove attractive to larger players interested in
accessing special education funding."
MANY SEEK OUT SAD
FILMS TO RELEASE EMOTIONS
(May 27, 2003) Newhouse News Service reports Brenda Austin-Smith,
an assistant professor of English and film studies at the
University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, is researching what she
calls "weepies," classic Hollywood tear-jerkers.
She found that "for a lot of women, if they cried, it
was a good experience." Randy Cornelius, Psychology
professor and director of the American Culture Program at
Vassar College, who has researched crying since 1979, found,
that while "it's difficult to capture crying live, it's
possible to show very sad films to elicit tears in the laboratory." Nancy
Peske, and her cousin, Beverly West, developed the concept
of Cinematherapy, which uses movies to affect emotions. They
have written three books on movies and moods, and have a
show on the Women's Entertainment Channel. Peske calls tear-jerkers, "cathartic
weepers", and feels these movies can be used to "unstop
your feelings," especially when demands of motherhood
or professional life require you to be "diplomatic,
stuffing your feelings," so that "by the end of
the week you feel "emotionally frozen."
13 BOYS REMOVED FROM
BETHEL BOY'S ACADEMY
(May 28, 2003) An article in the Mississippi newspaper, the
Clarion-Ledger, describes the investigation of Bethel Boy's
Academy by the state attorney general's office and the removal
of 13 of the 70 male residents of this home for troubled
boys, operated by the Bethel Baptist Church in Lucedale.
Nancy East, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office "would
not say why only 13 children were removed." They were
placed with the state Department of Human Services. [More...]
NIDA STUDY FINDS
HEART DISEASE LINK AMONG COCAINE USERS
(May 29, 2003) CADCA
(Community Anti-Drug Coalition) reports research showing
cocaine abusers have elevated levels of serum C-reactive
protein (CRP), which is associated with inflammation and
is a factor known to contribute to heart disease. 45 percent
of the participating cocaine abusers had serum CRP levels
above the normal range of the general population. Those with
elevated CRP had greater endothelial abnormalities and more
coronary calcification than those with normal CRP levels.
The study, published by lead investigator Dr. Shenghan Lai,
Johns Hopkins University, appears in the April 2003 issue
of the International Journal of Cardiology. [More...]
NEW JERSEY YOUTHS
OUT OF FOSTER HOMES END UP IN DETENTION
(May 31, 2003) The New York Times, reports “dozens of teenage
foster children in New Jersey remain locked up in the state's
array of secure juvenile detention centers - often, child
welfare officials admit, because there is simply a lack of
more appropriate places to put them... Some...ranging in
age from 11 to 18, are guilty of nothing more than violating
court orders prohibiting them from skipping school or running
away from their homes. Others who have committed minor crimes
like marijuana possession or shoplifting, and who would be
released quickly if there were available foster families
or group homes to take them in, remain locked up for months
alongside young people awaiting trial for arson, sexual assault
and murder. It is a problem that states across the nation
face." At the heart of the problem, according to child
welfare officials, family court judges and others, is a dangerous
and longstanding shortage of the kinds of individual foster
families or small residential shelters that can handle the
teenagers, many suffering from some degree of mental illness
or requiring close monitoring. Mr. Lubow, the national expert,
said that most detention centers were also unable to accommodate
the long-term educational needs of the children or deal with
the growing number of children confronting mental health
and other emotional problems. [E-mail]
ONLINE PROGRAMS WITH
REAL-WORLD SIMULATIONS
(May 21, 2003) eCollege announces a partnership which provides
interactive resources “that contribute to student achievement.”
This “leading provider of technology and services for online
higher education programs, is helping institutions enhance
online offerings with dynamic, real-world business simulations
developed by Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), one of the world's
largest custom eLearning development companies. The partnership
enables faculty to incorporate simulations into their online
courses, thereby enabling students to more actively learn
and apply their knowledge through a hands-on approach.” The
simulations are designed for academia, and create a virtual
environment of the real world with multiple decision paths
for students to test their knowledge. The simulations can
be used in a standalone mode or combined with other online
content. Teaching tips also accompany each simulation to
help faculty most effectively use the content. “We have observed
students learning more efficiently, retaining knowledge over
a longer period of time, and demonstrating behavioral changes
when given an opportunity to engage in a case study setting
that simulates real-life situations," said Manoj Kutty,
senior vice president, North America & Generic Products,
Tata Interactive Systems. For more information about using
the TIS simulations E-mail.
FOREIGN ADOPTIONS
INCREASE
(June 9, 2003) The State Department reported in USA Today,
p. 8D, that the total number of babies adopted by U.S. families
from abroad increased from 8,102 in 1989 to 20,099 in 2002.
A BOOT CAMP FOR YOUR
BRAIN: NO-NONSENSE GUIDE TO THE SAT
(May 10, 2003) Boot Camp for Your Brain: A No-Nonsense Guide
to the SAT is available online via Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
or Xlibris at
888-795-4274. M. Denmark Manning, president of the World’s
Best Prep Course, developed the course prototype while
in high school, and has run the program since 1989, using
the 490 page Boot Camp book as the courses’ official text,
“with remarkable results.”
RESEARCHERS WORK
ON DRUGS THAT TREAT CAUSE OF MENTAL ILLNESS
(June 11, 2003) The
Spokesman-Review, reported news from last month’s American
Association of Psychiatry’s annual meeting. Many looked for
new advances in treating depression, an illness that affects
8 percent of adolescents, with one-third of patients not
responding to current drugs, and many who do, suffering serious
side effects. Some research showed elevated levels of cortisol
may cause depression, and even with no apparent reason for
added tension, elevated levels of cortisol may occur from
an overactive, or abnormal, stress response. A brain chemical
known as Substance P was shown to influence the stress response.
It is released when people feel pain and is highly concentrated
in parts of the brain involved in stress response, and when
blunted with experimental drugs, depressive symptoms are
reduced. There is also good evidence that prolonged depression
damages brain cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain
involved in memory and regulation of cortisol levels. A protein
know as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF was shown
to help the brain regenerate cells, actually repairing areas
vulnerable to cortisol-induced injury. Drug researchers are
investigating agents that would enhance BDNF and not only
ease symptoms but also reverse the damage already done. Ron
Duman, a Yale University researcher said “we used to think
of the brain as hard-wired, but it’s increasingly clear that
the circuits and connections are much more malleable and
plastic, and…there’s hope for complete recovery.” Also, the
new drug Cymbalta, is soon to be available, which enhances
the activity of two brain messengers, serotonin and norephinephrine.
“Effexor, which has been around since the early 1990s also
enhances the action of both serotonin and, to a lesser degree,
norephinephrine.”
TREATMENT NEEDS EXPECTED
TO TRIPLE FOR BABY BOOMERS
(June 12, 2003) The
Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, reports that
according to a “recent analysis of National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse data, the number of people age 50 or older
requiring substance abuse treatment is expected to increase
from 1.7 million in 2000 to 4.4 million in 2020. Those born
between 1946 and 1964 are more likely than previous generations
to be heavy alcohol and drug users, making them more likely
to need substance abuse treatment as they age. These data
support the notion that aging baby boomers in the U.S. will
place increasing demands on the substance abuse treatment
system in the next two decades. This will require a shift
in focus among treatment planners to address the special
needs of an older population of substance abusers. [More...]
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