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Serendip's mental health resource lists are intended to provide access to web materials which we believe are of continuing usefulness in discussions of mental health issues. This "News" section is aimed at helping people be aware of possible "growing points" relevant to mental health discussions, news reports which offer what may become important new perspectives on mental health, relating either to mental health itself or to related social, political, and economic phenomena that impact on it.
August, 2001
Few Women Choose to Abandon Newborns at Legal Havens, August 31, 2001
Although states have adopted safe haven laws to prevent newborn children from being abandoned, there is little evidence that they are having the desired effect.
Child Sex Case Brings Battle on Admission to Clerics, August 31, 2001
A man charged with sexually abusing two girls in a Massachusetts congregation asked a judge to throw out a confession that he made to several ministers, who then reported him.
Georgia Ruling May Force Colleges to See Individual in Group, August 29, 2001
A ruling that affected the affirmative action policy at the University of Georgia called on the college and other universities to adjust their thinking on what defines diversity.
Minorities' Care for Mental Ills Is Called Inferior, August 27, 2001
The nation's ethnic and racial minorities face large and troubling disparities in mental health care, the surgeon general said yesterday in a broad and comprehensive report that offers a rare look at the mental- health needs of four minority groups and the obstacles to treatment.
One State Finds Secret to Strong Civic Bonds, August 26, 2001
In a recent study of 40 geographic areas across the nation, New Hampshire scored highest on the measures of civic equality.
With Eye on Results, Bush Sets 'Management Agenda', August 26, 2001
President Bush's program intends to put more government services in competition with private-sector suppliers.
WHO Accuses Tobacco Firms of Enticing Minors with Free Cigarettes, August 25, 2001
The World Health Organization (WHO) has accused U.S.-based tobacco companies of encouraging minors to smoke by offering free cigarettes.
"Wrong" Words Used to Define, Defame Addiction and Recovery, August 25, 2001
Reforming the language we use to describe things related to addiction is not merely an excercise in semantics or political correctness. Words can be an effective tool in helping to destroy the stigma encountered by people with addictions.
Drug Cases, Sentencing on Rise, August 25, 2001
A new report shows that drug cases and prison terms have risen significantly since 1984, a result of tougher drug laws and policies.
NIMH Scientists Discover New Details of HIV Infectious Process, August 24, 2001
Scientists have discovered an unexpected step in the process that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses to get around natural barriers, infect human cells, and eventually cause AIDS.
Reporting on Suicide: Recommendations for the Media, August 24, 2001
The media can play a powerful role in educating the public about suicide prevention.
Young Cocaine Users at Risk for Heart Attacks, August 18, 2001
A recent report shows that using cocaine increased the risk of a heart attack by 25 percent in a study group.
Many Athletes Using Unregulated Supplements, August 18, 2001
A new survey found that a large number of college athletes are using unregulated nutritional supplements that may contain banned substances.
Efficacy of Nicotine Gum Questioned, August 18, 2001
A new study suggests that regular chewing gum may be just as effective in helping smokers to quit as nicotine gum.
Bush's Stem Cell Policy May Streamline Research, August 18, 2001
Biologists may find there are fewer restrictions on research with embryonic stem cells under the Bush administration because previous guidelines have been scrapped.
Report Finds Bias Against Religious Groups, August 17, 2001
A White House survey says federal agencies are refusing to give money to religious groups for their charitable works despite recent laws that allow the organizations to compete for federal grants.
Bush Rolls Back Clinton's Medicaid Rules, August 17, 2001
Bush administration officials, while agrreing with President Bill Clinton's intent in initiating Medicaid protections before leaving office, said the states should have discretion in deciding how to achieve those goals.
Children Are Prey in a Medicaid Dental Scheme, August 17, 2001
Prosecutors say thousands of children in South Florida's poorest neighborhoods have been administered unnecessary dental care in a scheme to defraud Medicaid.
Scientists Divided on Limit of Federal Stem Cell Money, August 16, 2001
With scientists divided over the reach of President Bush's decision, many researchers agree that the onus is on them to show that stem cell research really is promising.
Up to 18 May Have Died of Overdoses in Houston, August 15, 2001
An unprecedented rash of drug deaths over the past few days in Houston has shed light on a nationwide rise in overdoses.
Immigrant Advocates Cite Problems With New Deportation Powers, August 15, 2001
Immigrant advocacy groups are accusing low-level immigration officials of summarily deporting refugees seeking asylum without allowing a hearing.
Cosmic Laws Like Speed of Light Might Be Changing, a Study Finds, August 15, 2001
An international team of astrophysicists has discovered that the basic laws of nature as understood today may be changing slightly as the universe ages, a surprising finding that could rewrite physics textbooks and challenge fundamental assumptions about the workings of the cosmos.
Number of People in State Prisons Declines Slightly, August 13, 2001
The 0.5 percent decline in state prison inmates during the second half of last year is the first such decline since the nation's prison boom began in 1972.
States Dismayed by Federal Bills on Patient Rights, August 13, 2001
State officials are expressing grave doubts about federal legislation on patients' rights, especially a bill passed by the House this month, saying it would override state laws that provide greater protection to millions of consumers.
Abortion Foes Split Over Bush's Plan on Stem Cells, August, 12, 2001
President Bush seems eager to heal a rift in his core constituency, which appears divided over his decision to support limited embryonic stem cell research.
President's Decision Does Not End the Debate , August 12, 2001
President Bush's stem cell research decision is finding as much debate among those who would typically be expected to support it as those who wouldn't.
Two-Parent Families Rise After Changes in Welfare, August 12, 2001
Nagging questions remain about the well-being of poor children living in households with two adults five years after Congress overhauled welfare laws.
Government Drug Sites Overlooked by Search Engines, August 11, 2001
A new study found that Internet search engines give low priority or ignore government websites focusing on illegal drugs.
Teens Smoke to Relieve Stress, August 11, 2001
Researchers found that one major cause of teen smoking is stress.
OxyContin Maker Urged to Alter Practices, August 11, 2001
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called on the Stamford, Conn.-based Purdue Pharma to "completely overhaul and reform" its marketing and distribution of OxyContin.
U.S. Acts Quickly to Put Stem-Cell Policy in Effect, August 11, 2001
The Bush administration announced that grant money would be available for stem cell research by early next year.
White House Favors Keeping an Affirmative Action Policy, August 11, 2001
The Bush administration has asked the Supreme Court to uphold a Transportation Department program intended to help minority contractors.
Biotech Stocks Are Pummeled After Decision on Research, August 11, 2001
Investors pummeled the stocks of companies with even tangential relations to the political and ethical debate on stem cell research.
Bush Backs Federal Funding for Some Stem Cell Research, August 10, 2001
President Bush said Thursday that he would only allow federal funding for research on existing stem cell lines.
Congress May Ease Plans for School Accountability, August 10, 2001
Negotiators working to reconcile House and Senate education bills are moving away from the notion of penalizing schools based on a single year's test scores.
U.S.-Mexico Talks Produce Agreement on Immigration Policy, August 10, 2001
The United States and Mexico agreed Thursday to a program that would allow illegal immigrants from Mexico to earn permanent legal residency.
Aetna Posts Wider Losses, Citing High Costs, August 9, 2001
Aetna, the nation's biggest health insurer, said that its losses deepened in the second quarter as medical costs rose in its core managed care business.Aetna, the nation's biggest health insurer, said that its losses deepened in the second quarter as medical costs rose in its core managed care business.
Prevention: A Closer Look at Needle Exchanges, August 8, 2001
Allowing drug addicts to exchange old needles for new ones has been shown to reduce needle sharing, a major source of H.I.V. infection, researchers from the University of California at Davis reported in the current issue of the journal AIDS.
Healthbeats: At Risk: Personality May Play a Role in Strokes, August 8, 2001
Doctors have long known that high blood pressure can lead to strokes, but why some people with hypertension have them and others do not is not clear. A new study suggests that personality may play an important role.
Patterns: Breast-Feeding Found to Vary by Race, August 8, 2001
Black women are half as likely as white women to breast-feed their babies, a difference that may contribute to higher infant mortality among blacks, researchers reported yesterday. Writing in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from Brigham Young University said federal health surveys showed that while 65 percent of white women reported having breast-fed, only 30 percent of blacks did.
United Way Is Reporting 3.8% Increase in Donations, August 8, 2001
The 1,400 local United Ways raised $3.91 billion in the year ended June 30, an increase of $140 million or about 3.8 percent over a year earlier.
Citing Costs, U.S. Seeks to Raise Fees for Immigrants' Applications, August 7, 2001
The Immigration and Naturalization Service proposed to raise fees by nearly 20 percent for applications and services used by millions of immigrants.
A City Struggles to Provide Care Ensured by U.S., August 7, 2001
El Paso's yearlong campaign to increase the number of children enrolled in federal health care programs has revealed the inadequacy of the city's health care.
Charity Is Told It Must Abide by Antidiscrimination Laws, August 6, 2001
The Bush administration declined a request today from the Salvation Army, the nation's largest charity, to exempt religious charities that receive federal money from local laws that bar discrimination against homosexuals.
Bush Drug Plan Calls for Using Discount Cards, August 6, 2001
President Bush will call later this week for major changes in Medicare, and as an interim step wants to encourage the elderly to acquire drug discount cards so they can immediately get lower prices at pharmacies, federal officials said today.
Census Data Show a Large Increase in Living Standard, August 6, 2001
American standards of living increased markedly throughout most of the country in the 1990's, bringing gains in education, housing and mobility along with higher incomes.
Mexico's Open Southern Border Lures Migrants Headed to U.S., August 5, 2001
Along Mexico's southern border, would-be immigrants to the United States are preyed upon by bandits and corrupt officials and a soaring number of them are dying.
In U.S. Illegally, Immigrants Get License to Drive, August 4, 2001
For hundreds of illegal immigrants in North Carolina, obtaining a driver's license has allowed them at least a partial entry into mainstream society.
North Carolina to Prohibit Execution of the Retarded, August 4, 2001
North Carolina's governor plans to sign legislation that bars the execution of the mentally retarded, making the state the fifth to pass such a law this year.
Teen Anti-Gun Violence Activists Participate in Training Program, August 4, 2001
Co-Motion brought together more than 120 youth activists for a three day conference designed to encourage youth activism for social change around gun violence prevention.
Therapy to Prevent Weight Gain Helps Smokers Quit, August 3, 2001
Researchers determined that addressing concerns that women have about weight gain after quitting smoking is the first step in providing effective smoking-cessation treatment.
Court: AA Conversations Can't Be Used as Evidence, August 3, 2001
A 33-year-old White Plains, N.Y., man had his manslaughter conviction overturned after a federal judge ruled that comments he made in an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting could not be used as evidence against him.
Intervention Program Effective in Reducing College Drinking, August 3, 2001
A new study found that a non-confrontational intervention program was effective in reducing drinking among high-risk college students.
Measure Defining Patients' Rights Passes House, August 3, 2001
The House passed a bill that would create new rights for Americans in managed health care plans, after revising the legislation to limit lawsuits against insurance companies.
Test Shows Students' Gains in Math Falter by Grade 12, August 3, 2001
Results of a periodic math test given to students showed fourth graders making modest, steady gains while the scores of 12th graders declined slightly.
Bush Strikes Deal on a Bill Defining Rights of Patients , August 2, 2001
President Bush and a key Republican said that they had reached an agreement on a patients' bill of rights that would be acceptable to a majority of lawmakers.
Bioethicists Fall Under Familiar Scrutiny, August 2, 2001
As they become more of a force in public policy, bioethicists are coming under more scrutiny and are being questioned about their independence from corporations.
Blacks Hit by Housing Costs Leave San Francisco Behind, August 2, 2001
More than other cities, African-Americans are leaving San Fransisco in droves as a result of higher rents and fewer affordable places to live.
Drug Maker Is Set to Ship Generic Prozac, August 2, 2001
After a five-year court battle with Eli Lilly, the maker of Prozac, Barr Laboratories says it expects to begin shipping generic fluoxetine pills to pharmacies.
Bush's Latin America Nominations Reopen Wounds, August 1, 2001
President Bush's decision to hire several former Reagan era officials for senior positions responsible for Latin America and human rights has inflamed critics of their actions during the 1980's.
House Backs Ban on Human Cloning for Any Objective, August 1, 2001
After a debate that pitted the promise of cures against the horror of making babies that are genetic replicas of adults, the House voted by a wide margin to ban cloning.
Rural Towns Turn to Prisons to Reignite Their Economies, August 1, 2001
A three-year-old, $37 million, 1,440-inmate, 270-employee, all-male prison is responsible for reigniting the economy of Sayre, Okla
Back to Mental Health Project.
These resource lists are being maintained by Debbie Plotnick, working with Paul Grobstein, Department of Biology, and James Martin, School of Social Work and Social Research, at Bryn Mawr College. Suggestions for additions to the list are welcome, as are more general thoughts about how to most effectively make available information, and promote conversation, about issues of mental health. Contact dplotnic@brynmawr.edu -
pgrobste@brynmawr.edu - jmartin@brynmawr.edu.
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