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Wednesday, 20 January 2010 |
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In the works for February, we will be starting a depression / anxiety therapy group in Kennbunk (FMI: 207.467.3369) and a therapy group for friends and family members affected by addiction in both Portland and Kennebunk (FMI: Portland-207.773.9931, Kennebunk-207.467.3369). More details will come out soon, but call now if you're interested in joining one of these groups before they fill up!
IOP Starts at Kennebunk Counseling Center on January 25th
We have run an IOP for several years in Portland and have had many requests to start one at our new satellite outpatient office since we opened less than a year ago. In response, we are excited to announce an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) will start on Monday, January 25th at our Kennebunk Counseling Center location.
Crossroads for Women's IOP is a structured but flexible combination of group therapy options that provide substance abuse treatment either 3, 4 or 5 days per week at 3 hours a day. Exact length of treatment is dependent upon each client's individual need.
when: Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 12:00pm
where: Kennebunk Counseling Center, 2 Livewell Drive, Suite 202, Kennebunk
FMI: 207.467.3369 or email
Kennebunk Counseling Center is open Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm. Evening and weekend hours are available by appointment. For more information or to access services, call 207.467.3369 or email.
The Aftercare Group (TAG) is back and meeting on Thursday evenings
Crossroads for Women has run The Aftercare Group (TAG) in the past for women who have had some substance abuse treatment, and thus sobriety, under their belt. While this therapy group was stopped for a short time, we are bringing it back on Thursday evenings starting January 21st. Emily Van Strien, LADC will facilitate the therapy group.
TAG provides supportive aftercare once a week for women who are involved in substance abuse treatment and who are taking action to maintain their sobriety. Themes may include: interrupting relapse warning signs, healthy relationships, communication, money and self-sufficiency, community, spirituality and service, supportive daily practices, manifesting hopes and dreams, managing stress and sober fun.
when: Thursdays, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
where: Crossroads for Women Outpatient Office, 66 Pearl Street, Suite 202, Portland
counselor: Emily Van Strien, LADC
FMI: 207.773.9931 or email
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Friday, 08 January 2010 |
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Tech researchers look for link between antidepressant use and osteoporosis [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas]
Jan. 7--Nausea, drowsiness and weight gain.Millions of Americans taking antidepressants have already traded side effects like these for a lift in mood and a reduction in anxiety. But researchers at Texas Tech's Health Sciences Center say people taking the most common group of antidepressant drugs -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- might face another problem.
"We're trying to find out if people taking these medications are at risk for osteoporosis," said Michalea Daggett, a pharmacotherapy specialty resident at the HSC. Previous studies in older adults have shown a link between the use of SSRIs -- like Prozac -- and decreased bone mineral density, which can lead to osteoporosis, Daggett said.
The researcher and her colleague, Charles Seifert, are now studying whether SSRIs have similar bone-weakening effects in younger adults. "We're looking for people age 30 to 40 who have been on one of these drugs for at least two years," Daggett said. More than 10 percent of Americans take antidepressants, making them the most commonly prescribed class of drug in the U.S., a 2009 Archives of General Psychiatry article reported.SSRIs are the frontline in treating the disease, and may also be prescribed for anxiety disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site.
Although the cause isn't fully understood, inadequate levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain might cause depression in some people, according to Mayo. The SSRI drugs counter depression by blocking the re-absorption of serotonin by nerve cells in the brain, which leads to enhanced neurotransmission and improved mood.
But the brain isn't the only place where serotonin has a job to do, said Seifert, who is a professor of pharmacy practice at the school.
And the SSRI's action to block serotonin uptake by bone cells might result in the breakdown of bones, Seifert said."Animal data clearly shows serotonin receptors in bone are key to the accumulation and maintenance of bone," he said.
Seifert said the researchers have already investigated the relationship between SSRIs and bone loss in a college-aged sample. While they didn't see osteoporosis in the 52-person sample, they did show "a very strong correlation between how long they were on SSRIs and (a drop in bone density)."
"That's what led to this study; we wanted to look at people who were a little older but not postmenopausal," he said.
Daggett said the team uses ultrasound waves to measure bone density in the heel. The free consultation takes about 10 minutes, and participants will be advised if they are at risk for osteoporosis."We'll give participants a note they can take to their physicians," Daggett said.
The goal of the study is not to see patients taken off their SSRIs, Seifert said.
Instead, the researchers believe people taking them should be screened for bone loss.
"If they know they are at risk, they have options," Seifert said. "They can take calcium or vitamin D or bisphosphonates."
Copyright (c) 2010, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas
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Last Updated ( Friday, 08 January 2010 )
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Wednesday, 06 January 2010 |
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Study finds medication of little help to patients with mild, moderate depression [Los Angeles Times]
Jan. 6--Antidepressant medications probably provide little or no benefit to people with mild or moderate depression, a new study has found. Rather, the mere act of seeing a doctor, discussing symptoms and learning about depression probably triggers the improvements many patients experience while on medication.
Only people with very severe depression receive additional benefits from drugs, said the senior author of the study, Robert J. DeRubeis, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor. The research was released online Tuesday and will be published today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
Hundreds of studies have attested to the benefits of antidepressants over placebos, DeRubeis said. But many studies involve only participants with severe depression. Confusion arises, he said, "because there is a tendency to generalize the findings to mean that all depressed people benefit from medications."
The current analysis attempted to quantify how much of antidepressants' benefit is attributable to chemical effects on the brain and how much can be explained by other factors, such as visiting a doctor, taking action to feel better or merely the passage of time.
Researchers reviewed six randomized, placebo-controlled studies with a total of 718 patients who took either an antidepressant or placebo. The patients were adults with levels of depression ranging from mild to very severe based on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, a questionnaire widely used in depression research. The studies did not exclude patients who were likely to have a strong response to a placebo. Researchers then compared the patients' depression scores at the beginning of treatment with those after at least six weeks of treatment.
The study found that the magnitude of the drugs' benefit increased with the baseline level of depression. The effect of treatment was similar in people with mild, moderate and severe symptoms, regardless of whether they took an antidepressant or placebo. Only the people who rated very severe on the depression scale at the start of the study showed measurable improvements on antidepressants.
"There is no doubt that there are tremendous benefits from antidepressants, as our study showed," DeRubeis said. "But this study helps us resolve, to some degree, the question of how much benefit people can expect from the medicines themselves when symptoms are not severe."
Other research has also found that antidepressants are most effective for severe symptoms, said Dr. Philip Wang, deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Though it could be that antidepressants don't work well for mild to moderate depression, it's also possible that people enrolled in antidepressant studies have robust placebo responses that mask some of the impact of the medication.
A severely depressed person who would probably benefit from antidepressants might have symptoms such as frequent weeping, feelings of guilt and sadness, thoughts that life is not worth living, problems sleeping, fatigue and withdrawal from normal activities, DeRubeis said.
Better antidepressants are needed for people with mild to moderate depression, Wang said, as is research on how to diagnose depression with tools, such as biomarkers, that could help personalize treatment.
Of the six studies in the current analysis, three involved selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, the most commonly used antidepressants, and three involved an older class of medications called tricyclics. Both classes are thought to be equally effective, although SSRIs are associated with fewer side effects.
One exception to the study findings, DeRubeis said, was people with dysthymia, or chronic, low-level depression. The analysis assessed severity of symptoms, not chronicity, he said. Other studies have established that people with chronic depression, no matter how severe, tend to respond well to antidepressants while other treatment may be ineffective.
Copyright (c) 2010, Los Angeles Times
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Tuesday, 05 January 2010 |
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NEW GRADUATE PROGRAM IN BRUNSWICK, MAINE
Graduate Program in Community Mental Health
~ Accepting Applications Now for May 2010 ~
Southern New Hampshire University is pleased to announce a new learning site for the GraduateProgram in Community Mental Health (PCMH). The graduate program will be offered at the SNHU satellite campus located in Brunswick, Maine, beginning in May 2010. PCMH also has existing sites in New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin and Alaska.
“We are excited that this program has come to Maine, as it aligns with our vision of using evidence-based practices in a system where care is integrated,’’ said Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Brenda Harvey. “The weekend format makes it accessible to people who are working and going to school and encourages people working in different segments of the service arena to learn together.”
PCMH offers a Master of Science in Community Mental Health, with a minimum of 48 and 60 credit options. Classes are held one weekend per month, all day Saturday and Sunday, and are designed to meet the learning needs of working adults. Individuals may also enroll in selected courses as continuing studies. The graduate program offers two specializations focused on Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Adults, or Children, Youth, & Families. In addition, the Mental Health Counseling track helps to prepare students for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maine.
PCMH’s mission is to increase the preparation, recruitment and retention of staff in the behavioral health workforce, to develop leaders in the field, to promote improved service outcomes for children and families and adults of all ages, and to increase the number of family members and people in recovery working in the field. The program has also been awarded recognition nationally by the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce as an innovative practice in workforce education under the following five categories: consumer and family/adult mental health, child/adolescent and school-based mental health, leadership, rural mental health, and substance use disorders treatment and persons in recovery.
~ Information Session ~
Thursday, January 7th3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
New England Institute of Addiction Studies
75 Stone St.Augusta, Maine
Contact PCMH Admissions for details:
1-800-730-5542
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Application (DOC)
Application (PDF)
