Scientists are now using imaging tools such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) to study the pathways in the brain. Understanding these pathways will allow mental health researchers to discern what goes wrong in certain psychiatric disorders. Researchers are excited by the recent discovery that the brain can add nerve cells during adult life. It is hoped that doctors will eventually be able to precisely repair the damage that severe, protracted mental illnesses inflict on the brain.
Customizing Medication
Scientists are also trying to discern why certain people do not respond to certain drugs used to treat their mental illness. For instance, 30% of schizophrenics do not respond to the traditional pharmaceutical treatment. Through the relatively new field of pharmacogenomics, researchers are exploring whether there is something about these individuals' genetic instructions that prevents them from metabolizing the drugs as intended. In essence, drugs may soon be designed to fit each patient's unique genetic makeup.
Studying Mental Illness In Children
Epidemiological studies of mental illness among children are also a top priority of the NIMH, and Director Steven E. Hyman, M.D., has stressed the need to gather more data on mental illness in children. About 13.7 million children under age 18--about 1 in 5--has a diagnosable mental disorder; six million children have a serious emotional disturbance. This year, after the school violence observed in Columbine, Colorado and other areas, public attention turned to research on violent behavior in youth. Some $734 million has been reallocated to tackle this issue, focusing on the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, mental health services for children, character education and literacy programs.
Treating Brain Abnormalities
The HHS General Counsel recently ruled that federal funding of stem cell research does not violate the current ban on human embryo research. While this is a very controversial issue, the NIMH has said that stem cells might treat conditions--schizophrenia, autism, manic-depressive illness and memory disorders--in which brain circuitry or chemistry is disrupted. With their potential ability to replace damaged cells and tissue, stem cells may be a veritable fountain of hope. We should therefore be running full-tilt to learn how stem cells can benefit all areas of modern medicine.
As David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel once said, "These people who do not believe in miracles, they are not realists." I believe that we are in a unique position now to face some of the new and imminent miracles in the treatment of the mentally ill. They will likely come in the form of parity in public and private health insurance coverage, as well as advances in the study of the human genome, brain imaging and pharmacology.
I look forward to working with you to ensure that these miracles are borne out of our collective work.
THE AWARDEES
DAVID SATCHER, M.D., PH.D.
Government Official
DONALD O. CLIFTON, PH.D.
Business Leader
ANN LANDERS
Media Professional
JUDY WEBER
Caregiver
GINA GREEN, PH.D.
Mental Health Professional
HERBERT BENSON, M.D.
Behavioral Science Researcher
TIPPER GORE
Mental Health Advocate
CELINDA JUNGHEIM
Survivor of Mental Illness
DAVID SATCHER, M.D., PH.D. Surgeon General of the United States and Assistant Secretary for Health
When David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., took over the office of surgeon general in 1998, he had no professional background in psychology. But he wanted to be remembered as "the surgeon general who listened." And when he listened, he heard a country deeply distressed by unrecognized and untreated mental Illness.
What resulted was the first-ever "Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health," released In December 1999, which has been highly regarded by mental health professionals. In it, Satcher effectively put the nation on alert: "Tragic and devastating mental disorders affect nearly one in five Americans in any year, yet continue too frequently to be spoken of in whispers and shame." Equally disturbing, Insurance policies create "formidable financial barriers [that] block off needed mental health care from too many people."
Additionally, last year, Satcher unveiled a blueprint to prevent suicide in the United States. In "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide," he revealed some frightening statistics: In 1996, suicide was the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming 50% more lives than homicide; between 1952 and 1996, the reported rates of suicide among teens and young adults nearly tripled; and between 1980 and 1996, the rate of suicide among African-American males aged 15 to 19 years increased 105%.
Born In 1941 to poor farmers in rural Alabama, Satcher was headstrong In his fight for an education and on behalf of the Civil Rights movement. Today, a sensitivity to race and ethnicity carries over into his work as surgeon general. This year he plans to develop a major program of suicide prevention that will focus on population-specific strategies: It will look at the different attitudes and risk factors In white, African-American, Native American and other communities in order to better help those at risk. Satcher also hopes to expand his mental health report to look at race, ethnicity and the elderly.
Tags:
attempt suicide,
brain,
business leader,
government,
inspiring stories,
media,
mental health,
mental health professionals,
mental institution,
suicide,
tipper gore
