Highlights from the National Council on Behavioral Health Newsletter

National Council Program Demonstrates Improved Functioning for People with Bipolar Disorder

The National Council would like to recognize10 community mental health organizations that participated in the 2013 Advancing Standards of Care for People with Bipolar Disorder project:  The Adanta Group, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Behavioral Health Services, Cherry Street Health Services, Highland Rivers Health, Johnson County Mental Health Center, Momentum for Mental Health, Robert Young Center, The Center for Health Care Services, The Providence Center, and Wyandot Center for Community Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.

Spearheaded by the National Council, and supported by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the program provided targeted technical assistance from MTM Services on the use of the Wellness Self-Management curriculum and DLA-20 functional assessment tool. Results from the program demonstrated that project participants with bipolar disorder reported improved functioning on 20 daily living skills after participating in the evidence-based clinical program. Read the final report here.

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Conference ‘14 Videos Now Available

Did you join us at Conference 2014 and want to re-live Bruce Perry’s talk on empathy? Or maybe you had to miss this year but heard rumors about former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s “guilty pleasure”? Now you can watch some of your favorite Conference ’14 speakers on our website. Click here and enjoy!

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Wellness Round-Up

Building Protocols to Treat Chronic Pain and Prevent Abuse of Prescription MedicationsOn June 5th at 1pm ET, the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions, run by the National Council, will host a webinar on how can health centers and other primary care safety-net provider organizations can play a vital role in achieving the balance between appropriate pain management and preventing abuse of prescription medications. Hear expert insight from provider agencies on what health centers can do to develop infrastructure and pain management protocols. Register today! 

People with Mental Illness More Likely to Use E-Cigarettes New research from the University of California San Diego indicates that people with mental health conditions are twice as likely to have tried e-cigarettes and three times as likely to be current users of the devices, as people without mental health disorders. The frequently debated and highly controversial devices have not been approved by the FDA as smoking cessation aids and have not been demonstrated as effective harm reduction tools. The FDA has released proposed regulations for e-cigarettes, but critical loopholes still exist. Visit theTobacco Control Legal Consortium’s FDA Action Center to learn more about these issues.