Mental Illness, Drug Use Linked
from The Washington Post via The Chicago Tribune
The federal government estimates that about 7 million U.S. adults suffer from co-occurring disorders and that more than 90 percent of those people are not getting the right treatment. "We've got a long way to go," said H. Westley Clark, director of the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. "The public should be concerned," he said, because early intervention can offset greater problems later. More
Related story: Ads Aim to End Social Stigmas of Mental Illness (AP via Chicago Tribune)

Wrapping Up the 2009 NASW IL Conference
from NASW IL
I really wish the Bears were as successful against the Packers as the 2009 NASW IL Statewide Conference was last week. The last two days of the conference were packed with high level workshops, lots of networking and a culminating Friday morning plenary with Dr. Frederic Reamer. More

Parenting the Second Time Around
from the Chicago Tribune
As the years go by, National Grandparents Day -- signed into law by Jimmy Carter in 1978 and celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day -- is gaining resonance: More grandparents are raising grandchildren, an encore performance requiring stamina, patience and financial resources that test the promise of the golden years. In 1970, about 3 percent of all children under 18 lived in households headed by a grandparent; by 2007, 6.5 percent -- 4.7 million kids -- were doing so, according to the Census Bureau. More

Reliving Pain of a Pregnant Anorexic
from the Chicago Tribune
More than 20 years have passed since Maggie Baumann, who lives in Laguna Niguel, Calif., struggled with anorexia while pregnant. She's now a therapist who specializes in treating the shame and secrecy of eating disorders. But going public with her "pregorexia" brought back painful emotions of how she harmed her baby and how she punished herself. More

Parents' Deployment Puts Kids at High Risk for Problems
from CNN
A third of military children surveyed who have a parent deployed in a war zone are at "high risk" for psychological problems, according to a new study by military doctors and researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, surveyed military spouses of deployed Army soldiers with school-age children, aged 5 to 12. The questionnaire appraised the strain on the family of dealing with a parent deployed to the war zone. More

Depression in Cancer Patients Tied to Earlier Death
from Reuters Health via ABC News
Cancer patients suffering from depression appear to have poorer survival than those without the disorder, and the depression itself may play a part, researchers reported. In a review of more than two dozen studies of cancer patients, the researchers found that patients diagnosed with minor or major depression had a 39 percent higher death rate in the years following diagnosis. More

Study Sheds Light on Post-combat Mental Problems
from Reuters
Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are typical after deployment to a war zone, and may even represent a healthy reaction to stress, but can lead to problems with mental functioning if they persist, new research in Iraq vets suggests. More

Diaper Bank Designed to Help Struggling Families in McHenry County
from The Chicago Tribune
Needy families can find sheets, dishes, throw rugs and baby bottles in the blue plastic bins at the Blessing Barn in Crystal Lake. There are a Winnie the Pooh T-shirt and Harlequin romance novels. But one hard-to-find item is sure to fly off the shelf: disposable diapers. "It's just rarely that someone will give us a bag," said Robyn Konkolich, who works at the social service agency. "As soon as we put [a box of diapers] out, it's gone." The St. Paul Diaper Bank Partnership of McHenry County hopes to change that. More

Solutions to Kid Fears are Right Under Their Noses
from The Chicago Sun-Times
Starting school isn't always easy for young children. Separation, a longer day than they are used to, or new expectations can send them into a tailspin. Debbie Glickman, a Highland Park mom, says the remedy can begin with their little noses -- aromatherapy, that is. She has developed four sprays with scents she says alleviate children's anxieties. More

Child Mortality Rate Declines Globally
from The New York Times
The number of children dying before their fifth birthdays each year has fallen below nine million for the first time on record, a significant milestone in the global effort to improve children’s chances of survival, particularly in the developing world, according to data released by Unicef. More

Upcoming Events RSW SIG "Alternative Therapies" Workshop (9/24/09) Incorporating Social Work Ethics Into Fieldwork Supervision (10/02/09) Resolving Ethical Dilemmas (10/09/09) A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Resistance in Social Work: Building Therapeutic Attachment While Supporting Healthy Autonomy (10/15/09)