OCTOBER FACULTY MEETING MINUTES AVAILABLE ONLINE
Gibbons Study Links Antidepressants to Lower Suicide Rates in Adolescents
In a county-by-county study of the entire United States , Robert Gibbons, Ph.D., and colleagues, found that in children and adolescents ages five to 14, the rates of suicide in 1996 to 1998 were lower in counties with higher numbers of antidepressant prescriptions. This inverse relationship between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants and suicide in children is reported in the November issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry , in the article “The Relationship Between Antidepressant Prescription Rates and Rate of Early Adolescent Suicide,” by Dr. Gibbons, Kwan Hur, Ph.D.; Dulal Bhaumik, Ph.D.; and J. John Mann, M.D., of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
“Warnings about the risk of suicide has resulted in decreased rate of prescription of antidepressant drugs for depressed adolescents,” said AJP Editor-In-Chief Robert Freedman, M.D. “Studies such as this one are important info rmation in assessing whether or not this trend is in the best interests of patients.”
Dr. Gibbons and colleagues point out that their aggregate data do not prove a causal relationship. Other factors may influence suicide risk, such as compliance with the prescribed medication regimen and the quality of mental health care received. The study was supported by NIMH grants. Prescription data were obtained from IMS Health with the assistance of a grant in aid from Pfizer, which was not involved in any of the research and did not review the results or the manuscript prior to submission.
Pliskin Presents at IPA Reimbursement Symposium
At the Oct. 28 Special Practitioner Symposium on Reimbursement Issues at the Illinois Psychological Association Convention, Neil Pliskin , Ph.D., presented a lecture on “The new psychological/neuropsychological testing CPT codes and relatively new health and behavior codes – when and how to use them and the reimbursement experience to date.” The symposium, entitled “Making a Living: Getting Paid for Your Good Work,” was held at the Lisle/Naperville Hilton hotel.
Clarification: Perinatal Mental Health Project Receives HRSA Funding
The UIC Perinatal Mental Health Project, directed by Laura Miller , M.D., was federally funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration (not the State of Illinois , as previously reported here). Since then, a related perinatal depression project was funded by the Michael Reese Health Trust in conjunction with the Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services and the Illinois Dept. of Public Health.
October Faculty Meeting Minutes Available Online
Minutes from the October faculty meeting minutes are available online at: http://www.psych.uic.edu/thisweek/Oct 06 fac mtg mins.pdf
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