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 Learn more about the programs and services provided by the Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis  Click here to see the most recent Open Mind column, a weekly feature that discusses questions about mental health.  Click here to see the latest quarterly issue of Street Talk, the newsletter for Law Enforcement professionals in the St. Louis metro area.  Click here for addresses and phone numbers of St. Louis area mental health, advocacy, and other organizations.  This is a quick self-administered checklist to help you determine whether you may be at risk for depression.  Click here for links to the websites of other mental health oriented organizations in St. Louis and around the country.  Click here for information about fundraising events, Shelter Training Series, and more.
 Get the answers to frequently asked questions about mental health topics and issues.  Want to join the Mental Health Association as a volunteer or a donor? Click here for more information and a convenient sign-up form.  Clear up many false assumptions and myths about mental illness and mental health.  Mental Health professionals! A page devoted to your concerns, including information on upcoming continuing education programs.  A special message from Jim House, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis.  An archive of information on the Missouri Legislature's activity in the mental health area.  You can go to the website of Behavioral Health Response, a 24 hour mental health crisis service in St. Louis, or talk to a counselor by calling 1-800-811-4760.

Early Findings from Largest NIMH-Funded Research Program on Bipolar Disorder Begin to Build Evidence-Base on Best Treatment Options

Findings from an NIMH research program on bipolar disorder provide much needed long-term data on the chronic, recurrent course of the disorder, and begin the work of building an evidence-base on the best treatments for those with the disorder. Also known as manic-depressive illness because of its recurring episodes of mania and depression, bipolar disorder is a serious, chronic illness which causes shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function.

The newest findings, published in two articles in the February issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, are the first of many analyses which will become available over the coming months as researchers examine the largest dataset ever available on treatment outcomes for those with bipolar disorder.

The Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) is a large, national research program determining the best treatment practices for bipolar disorder. This study, which began in 1998 and concluded in September 2005, included a total of 4,360 participants with bipolar disorder who were followed long-term to determine which treatment(s), or combination of treatments are most effective for treating the episodes of depression and
mania in bipolar disorder and for preventing recurrence.

For more information about these findings, go to:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/stepbd.cfm

Study Helps Clinicians Identify People Who Have Treatment-Resistant Depression

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has released the initial results of a new study whose goal is to assess the effectiveness of treatment for depression and to help the 70 percent of individuals who are not easily helped by medication.

Beyond judging safety and efficacy, the STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression) study is designed to measure practical outcomes, including how well the individual is actually functioning, even a year later.

NIMH reported that about a third of participants reached a remission or virtual absence of symptoms during the initial phase of the six-year study, with an additional 10 percent to 15 percent experiencing some improvement. Later phases will help determine successful treatments for the nearly two-thirds of those who were identified as treatment-resistant to a first medication in phase one.

Source: NIH [National Institutes of Health] News, 1/1/06
 http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2006/nimh-01.htm

Largest Study to Date on Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Describes Disease Characteristics and Short-Term Outcomes

Recent findings from the multi-site, NIMH-funded Course and Outcome of Bipolar Illness in Youth (COBY) study are helping to shape the understanding of three major subtypes of bipolar disorder that affect children and adolescents and how this diagnosis may affect them as adults. Also known as manic-depressive illness because of its recurring episodes of mania and depression, bipolar disorder is a serious, chronic illness which causes shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Before the COBY study, there had been few studies on the symptom patterns and course of the disorder in the pediatric population. Understanding the effects of bipolar disorder early in life may lead to better treatments and improve long-term outcomes as these children and adolescents become adults.

This study comprises the largest pediatric bipolar population to date, following the course and outcome of 263 children and adolescents, ages 7-17 years. These findings were published in the February 2006 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Future reports will cover in more detail the characteristics of bipolar spectrum disorders in children and adolescents, the longer-term disease progression, predictive factors of disease outcome, such as co-occurring disorders or family psychiatric history, and the effects of different types of treatments.

For more information on these findings, go to:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/pediatricbipolar.cfm

 

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