In the Media: August 2009
Education, Medication, and More
Education Secretary Asks School Chiefs for Seclusion, Restraint Policies
Source: disability scoop
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is asking state school chiefs across the country to formally submit their policies on seclusion and restraint in schools. The request came in a letter Duncan sent to all the state education heads late last week.
The move comes after a government report released in May which documented hundreds of cases of allegedly abusive or deadly uses of restraint and seclusion tactics in schools. (Read More)
Bipolar Medications Work Best Combined, Study Says
Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
A long-running study in the United Kingdom has shown for the first time that combined therapy with two of the main drugs for bipolar disorder is better than using either drug alone.
The study, conducted over the past two years with 330 patients from four nations, showed that combining the anti-seizure drug valproate (Depakote) with the mood stabilizer lithium kept people healthier than using either medication alone. (Read More)
Helping Children Hospitalized for Rages
Source: Psychiatric Times
This study measured the duration of 'rages' in childen, the kinds of behaviors that occur in them, and the diagnostic specificity of rages, examining whether outbursts reflect a manic rapid cycle and/or occur disproportionately in children with mania. (Read More)