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Mozilla Firefox. You can find self-help books on almost any topic — from dating to time management — but the American Psychological Association is promoting a different kind of self-help: helping children understand their emotions. Magination Press, the APA's children's book imprint, has released a self-help book for older kids called Understanding Myself: A Kid's Guide to Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings. It has also released a book for younger kids as an iPad app, called The Grouchies. Both books encourage young people to learn to develop a better understanding of emotions, interpersonal skills and feelings — an educational goal popularized in Daniel Goleman's 1995 book Emotional Intelligence. Mary Lamia, a child psychologist who hosted a talk show on Radio Disney for nine years, wrote Understanding Myself to help adolescents identify, understand and cope with strong emotions such as embarrassment, shame, infatuation and anger.

Handout A new iPad app version of the kids' book "The Grouchies. " Sports Injury Lessons From the Circus. Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health Care in Medicaid: An Online Toolkit. « Behavioral Health A majority of Medicaid's highest-need, highest-cost beneficiaries have multiple physical conditions as well as co-occurring mental illness and/or substance abuse. Yet few, if any, states have been able to implement a fully integrated medical and behavioral health care home that establishes effective linkages between physical and mental health services.

Designing programs to integrate the delivery and management of these services is a critical opportunity for states to achieve better patient outcomes as well as control spending. Over the last several years, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) has worked with leading states participating in the Rethinking Care Program to test innovative approaches for integrating care for beneficiaries with physical and behavioral health comorbidities.

This online toolkit compiles resources from the Rethinking Care Program as well as other innovative programs and leading thinkers across the country. Rethinking Care for Medicaid's Highest-Need, Highest-Cost Populations. « Integrating Care for People with Complex and Special Needs Approximately 5 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries drive up to 50 percent of total spending in states across the country. More than 80 percent of these high-cost beneficiaries have three or more chronic conditions, and up to 60 percent have five or more; yet, the majority of these patients receive fragmented and uncoordinated care often leading to unnecessary and costly hospitalizations and institutionalizations. Rethinking the way states care for Medicaid's highest-need, highest-cost beneficiaries presents a compelling opportunity to improve care and control costs.

The Rethinking Care Program was developed by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) to serve as a national "learning laboratory" to design and test better approaches to care for high-opportunity beneficiaries. Current Pilots. Can Exercise Keep You Young? We all know that physical activity is beneficial in countless ways, but even so, Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, was startled to discover that exercise kept a strain of mice from becoming gray prematurely. Getty Images But shiny fur was the least of its benefits. Indeed, in heartening new research published last week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, exercise reduced or eliminated almost every detrimental effect of aging in mice that had been genetically programmed to grow old at an accelerated pace.

In the experiment, Dr. Mitochrondria have their own DNA, distinct from the cell’s own genetic material, and they multiply on their own. Many scientists consider the loss of healthy mitochondria to be an important underlying cause of aging in mammals. The mice that Dr. Except the mice that exercised. Half of the mice were allowed to run on a wheel for 45 minutes three times a week, beginning at 3 months. Dr.

Dr. For Doctor Burnout, Meditation and Mindfulness. Art Becker/Getty Images Everybody has to multitask at work. But when doctors multitask rather than focus on just practicing medicine, does the doctor-patient relationship suffer? In this week’s Doctor and Patient column, Dr. Pauline Chen writes about an ever-widening sea of distractions, including paperwork, insurance battles and electronic records and communications, that can interfere with a doctor’s focus on medicine. She spoke with Dr. Michael S. Krasner, a University of Rochester physician who recently studied how meditation and mindfulness can help doctors better focus on patients.

Acquiring the ability to be mindful in the most challenging circumstances can do more than improve a physician’s well-being; it can also sharpen clinical skills. To learn more, read the full column, “How Mindfulness Can Make for Better Doctors,” and then please join the discussion below. Welcome to Solstas Lab Partners. KevinMD's Take, Feb. 21, 2011 - MedPage Today Blogs - 24977. Combat compassion fatigue in caregivers to improve patient care. Six months down. Six to go. I am officially halfway through what people have told me will be one of the most challenging years of my life. I’ve rotated through Cardiology, Primary Care, Gastroenterology, General Medicine, Psychiatry, Palliative Medicine, the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), and Rheumatology. Finally I have reached every resident’s favorite rotation – vacation. Intern year has been hard work, but I’ve enjoyed it and am extremely pleased with the experience my Internal Medicine program has provided. The sights and sounds while walking through the halls of our Palliative Medicine floor are unique.

Watching people die is never easy. Some patients who come to the Palliative Medicine floor have very limited time. I still reflect on each patient who dies, and some cases are more difficult to cope with than others – a patient in his 20s blindsided by cancer affects me at night more than a patient in his 90s who peacefully passes away. Physicians need to focus on wellness to prevent burnout. I recently received a bulletin from one of the medical societies to which I belong: the topic was on promoting physician wellness. My first reaction, “It’s about time “. Historically physicians have struggled with multiple health impacts from the demands of their work, with higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide than in the general population. Physicians train under circumstances of extreme stress often resulting in unhealthy coping strategies; strategies frequently continued during years of practice.

Job stress has been linked to poorer health among physicians. An estimated fifteen percent of American physicians will be impaired at some time in their career, the result of mental illness, drug dependency or alcoholism. As a resident physician I researched the issue of health habits among my colleagues in an urban hospital. The comments section of the survey was particularly revealing.

One simply wrote “I’m too apathetic to fill out this section”, in itself a revealing comment. IGF-1: The Test. NOTE: This article is based on research that utilizes the sources cited here as well as the collective experience of the Lab Tests Online Editorial Review Board. This article is periodically reviewed by the Editorial Board and may be updated as a result of the review.

Any new sources cited will be added to the list and distinguished from the original sources used. Sources Used in Current Review William E. (© 1995-2010). Meikle, W. and Roberts, W. Kemp, S. . (2008 May). Savage, M. et. al. (2010 June 23). Pagana, K. Wu, A. (© 2006). Kronenberg, H. et. al. (© 2008). Sources Used in Previous Reviews Thomas, Clayton L., Editor (1997). Pagana, Kathleen D. & Pagana, Timothy J. (2001). Thorner, M. et. al. (2003 September 24). Cromie, W. (1999 April 22). IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1). Growth Hormone (Human Growth Hormone, HGH, Somatotropin) . (2002 Int J Cancer). Mayo Clinic Staff (2003 May 08) . (2002 June) . (2004 January 23). Kass, L. and Council (2003 October) . (2003 May 30). Wu, A. (2006). Is A.D.H.D. Different for Women and Men? Patient Stories May Improve Health. The only reservation that he mentioned was the same one all the other patients had — he feared that death would come before the perfect organ.

But during one visit just before he finally got the transplant, he confessed that he had been grappling with another concern, one so overwhelming he had even considered withdrawing from the waiting list. He worried that he would not be strong enough mentally and physically to survive a transplant. In desperation, he told me, he had contacted several patients who had already undergone a transplant. “That’s what made me believe I’d be O.K.,” he said. “You doctors have answered all of my questions, but what I really needed was to hear the stories about transplant from people like me.” Patients and doctors have long understood the power of telling and listening to personal narratives. Despite the ubiquitousness of storytelling in medicine, research on its effects in the clinical setting has remained relatively thin. Dr. “Storytelling is human,” Dr. Battlefield Lessons for Nursing Care. At a recent medical conference in Miami, I sat spellbound as Dr.

Stephen Ferrara, a commander in the Navy, delivered a keynote address describing his work in a mobile hospital in Afghanistan. Jeff Swensen for The New York TimesTheresa Brown, R.N. Dr. Ferrara is an interventional radiologist, a doctor who uses medical images — CT scans, ultrasounds and the like — to treat abscesses, biopsy hard-to-reach masses, check blood flow and cauterize bleeds. He first went to Afghanistan as a medic, then made a place for himself in the operating room, where he placed micro-stents to restore blood flow to damaged tissue, checked perfusion to save legs that would otherwise be amputated and embolized wounds to stop blast victims from bleeding to death. It’s undeniably grim work, but done with a driving sense of urgency and very few administrative distractions.

Hospital nurses are required to do paperwork, or “chart,” throughout each shift. All medications must, of course, be charted. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Symptoms, Treatment and Self-Help. What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop following a traumatic event that threatens your safety or makes you feel helpless. Most people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers—and military combat is the most common cause in men—but any overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD, especially if the event feels unpredictable and uncontrollable. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect those who personally experience the catastrophe, those who witness it, and those who pick up the pieces afterwards, including emergency workers and law enforcement officers.

It can even occur in the friends or family members of those who went through the actual trauma. PTSD develops differently from person to person. While the symptoms of PTSD most commonly develop in the hours or days following the traumatic event, it can sometimes take weeks, months, or even years before they appear. Traumatic events that can lead to PTSD include:

Readings in Positive Psychology. Children and Divorce: Helping Kids Cope With Separation and Divorce. A parent’s guide to supporting your child through a divorce As a parent, it’s normal to feel uncertain about how to give your children the right support through your divorce or separation. It may be uncharted territory, but you can successfully navigate this unsettling time—and help your kids emerge from it feeling loved, confident, and strong. There are many ways you can help your kids adjust to separation or divorce. Your patience, reassurance, and listening ear can minimize tension as children learn to cope with new circumstances. By providing routines kids can rely on, you remind children they can count on you for stability, structure, and care. And if you can maintain a working relationship with your ex, you can help kids avoid the stress that comes with watching parents in conflict.

What I need from my mom and dad: A child’s list of wants I need both of you to stay involved in my life. Source: University of Missouri Helping children cope with divorce: What to tell your kids Listen. Roundup: Explore inner space of brain. Updated 1/26/2011 5:45:15 PM | As I read USA TODAY's article "More suicides among Guard, Reserve soldiers," I could not help noting that it ran on the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of my uncle, John F. Kennedy (News, Jan. 20). His historic call to put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the decade ended transformed science in his generation. Today, we need to apply the same sense of urgency and goal-driven research that allowed us to put a man on the moon to research the mysteries of inner space, the human brain. The alarming suicide rates that we see among our military personnel should move us to action in this generation just as the Russian launch of Sputnik moved us to undertake the moon shot of the 1960s.

Mapping the inner space of the brain represents a scientific challenge unparalleled since the moon shot. Letters to the editor USA TODAY receives about 300 letters each day. How to submit letters Patrick J. Jobs only for citizens Please don't get me wrong. John King, USA: Patrick Kennedy, "The idea is the legacy lives on in a myriad of ways and through many public officials."

Today on the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inauguration, CNN chief national correspondent and anchor John King interviewed Patrick Kennedy the former U.S. Representative for Rhode Island. The two discussed a variety of topics including, mental health and the possibility of more Kennedys in politics. This interview will air tonight on John King, USA – 7pm ET/ 6pm CT/ 5pm MT / 4pm PT.

A full transcript is after the jump. CNN POLITICAL TICKER: Kennedy takes family advice JOHN F. JOHN KING, HOST, "JOHN KING USA": That was 50 years ago today in President John F. For the first time since the Truman administration, there is not - not a member of the Kennedy family in the United States Congress. PATRICK KENNEDY, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: Thanks, John. KING: You just left.

KENNEDY: Well, I made a decision long ago to make a decision to leave Congress and I'm glad I did. KING: Well, let's – KENNEDY: - returning from war. What goes through your mind when you think of that? REP. KENNEDY: No, I mean – Worry Grows About Aging Doctors’ Fitness to Practice. Depression and Suicide — Breaking the Link - Depression Center. Most people who commit suicide are depressed, so suicide prevention must be part of a depression treatment plan.

Depression and suicide understandably go hand in hand, which means that for many people, suicide prevention is an integral part of dealing with depression. While not every depressed person attempts or commits suicide, most people who kill themselves are dealing with depression. “Ninety percent or more of people who kill themselves have a mental disorder before the time of their death,” says Paula Clayton, MD, medical director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in New York City. “Sixty percent have major depression. Women are twice as likely to experience depression than men, but men are four times more likely to commit suicide. Factors at Work in Depression and Suicide One serious risk factor for suicide is alcohol or substance abuse; about one in four people who commit suicide have alcohol in their bloodstream at the time of death, according to a recent study. Worry Grows About Aging Doctors’ Fitness to Practice. Multimedia: Returning soldiers deal with behavioral symptoms and recovery from traumatic brain injury (washingtonpost.com)

Does Insight in Therapy Equal Happiness? Not Always. Football concussions and brain damage, from high school to the NFL. - By Shankar Vedantam. Shooting in Tucson sparks interest in 'mental health first aid' courses. In Arizona, anyone concerned can report odd behavior to mental-health experts. In Arizona, anyone concerned can report odd behavior to mental-health experts. Lung Cancer Risk of One Marijuana Joint a Day Equals Daily Pack of Cigarettes - in Psychiatry, Addictions from MedPage Today. Brain Injury News. Hazmat Suit for the Soul. Researchers urge doctors to disclose sleep fatigue before surgery. Lake House Health & Learning Center - Home.