Illinois DCFS to Lose 179 Employees Under Blagojevich Layoffs
from The Chicago Tribune
 Two dozen state parks and historic sites will close and heavy caseloads for workers who help abused children will increase as Gov. Rod Blagojevich lays off 325 state workers to balance the state budget. The cuts will take place over the next three months, and the administration notified state employees of the layoffs last week. More
Schools Must Confront Root Causes of Violence
from the Chicago Sun-Times
In too many schools, socially and emotionally traumatized kids arrive for class each day filled with anger and despair. Inevitably, they disrupt classrooms, slow learning to a crawl, and at times become violent. We believe there are sensible, compassionate ways to help these children, calm our classrooms and make it possible for all students to really learn. More
Social Worker Named Among 50 People Who Make Chicago a Better Place
from The Chicago Sun-Times
Ollie Knight understood and felt injustice as a child in a small town in Mississippi during the pre-civil rights era. She refused to buckle under the racial epithets others hurled at her. Knight's stand-up attitude has benefitted Chicago, as she has played crucial roles as a social worker, family therapist, community activist, mental-health advocate and all-around mentor. More
Brain's Serotonin May Explain Seasonal Mood Changes
from The Washington Post
Fluctuations in the actions of the serotonin transporter, which helps regulate the mood-altering neurotransmitter serotonin, may help explain seasonal affective disorder and related mood changes, researchers say. In places where the weather changes with the seasons, people commonly feel happier and more energetic when the days are bright and sunny and more depressed and fatigued during the dark of winter. More
Americans Show Little Tolerance for Mental Illness Despite Growing Belief in Genetic Cause
from Science Daily Magazine
A new study by University of Pennsylvania sociology professor Jason Schnittker shows that, while more Americans believe that mental illness has genetic causes, the nation is no more tolerant of the mentally ill than it was 10 years ago. More
Ga. Governor Wants to Reorganize Social Services Agencies
from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue wants to reorganize Georgia’s social services agencies, creating a separate department to oversee the perpetually troubled state psychiatric hospitals and other mental health services. Perdue endorsed last week recommendations from a study group to create three new departments from the two that now provide social and health-care services: the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Community Health. More
Is Medicare Healthy?
from Newsweek
Health-care reform is a key campaign issue, but there's at least one program neither presidential candidate is talking much about: Medicare. It's hugely popular, but rising costs and aging boomers are straining its finances. More
Americans Adopting HIV-Positive Kids from Ethiopia
from The Associated Press
Solomon Henderson inherited just three things from his birth parents, who left him at an Ethiopian orphanage when he was 1 year old: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix and HIV. More
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