News

Interactive Online Resource Center Helps Families Make Healthy Transitions into College Life

ARLINGTON, Va. (June 3, 2010) – The American Psychiatric Foundation is partnering with the Jed Foundation to launch The Transition Year, an innovative new campaign that helps students and their families focus on emotional health before, during and after the college transition. At the center of the campaign is a free, customizable online resource center www.transitionyear.org.

For most young people, college represents independence, exploration and growth, and The Transition Year can help parents and students understand and embrace those life transitions. The program also includes specific information and resources for families with a student who has emerging mental health problems or a previously diagnosed condition.

“The pressure of college and a new environment can trigger issues lying beneath the surface,” says Richard Harding, M.D., president of The American Psychiatric Foundation. “When unaddressed, mental health problems can lead to dangerous behaviors like substance abuse and thoughts of suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among college students.”

According to research from the American College Health Association, emotional issues like depression, anxiety and stress, are leading impediments to academic success among college students. Additionally, data from a 2009 study by The Jed Foundation, mtvU and the Associated Press found that half of all college students had been too stressed to function academically or socially over the last semester. The same survey found that 13 percent of college students had been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lives and that 10 percent reported signs of moderate to severe depression.

“The research shows that emotional health issues ranging from relationship issues to medical conditions like depression are top reasons students struggle in college,” says Courtney Knowles, The Jed Foundation Executive Director. “We spend so much time, energy and money as families and communities getting young people to college, and if we overlook the emotional aspect of that transition, we are not protecting that investment and our students’ futures.”

The Transition Year Project is using the latest research and technology to help parents and families navigate the transition into college and beyond with a focus on emotional health.

Free resources and tools are available at www.transitionyear.org and include:

1. Articles and resources that help parents and students understand and prepare for the emotional transition into college life.
2. “My Transition Year” tools that let families create a personality profile for students and then complete a “Right Fit Worksheet” for each prospective school so that emotional health and wellness are considered during the college selection process. Tools that help parents and students collect contact information for campus services related to wellness and emotional health.
3. Information and checklists that help parents and students differentiate between manageable emotional challenges related to the college transition and signs of a potentially larger problem.
4. Specific information and resources for families of students with a diagnosed mental health condition that help with issues like transferring care and treatment adherence to make it more likely these students will thrive at college.

The American Psychiatric Foundation is the philanthropic and educational arm of the American Psychiatric Association. The mission of the foundation is to advance understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated.

The Jed Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students. The Jed Foundation has built a reputation for connecting with college-age students through initiatives like the Peabody Award-winning Half of Us campaign with mtvU and ULifeline, an online resource where students can get campus-specific resources and take an anonymous screening test.

Tip sheets: Parental Perceptions PDF and Choosing the Right College PDF.

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APA Annual Meeting Brings Top Scientists, 11,000 Attendees to New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (May 28, 2010) – The American Psychiatric Association's 163rd Annual Meeting brought more than 11,000 psychiatrists from around the world to New Orleans for five days of scientific program — including courses, new research and updates on the development of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The meeting included a special addiction track with research and programs by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

"Pride & Promise: Toward A New Psychiatry" was the theme of the 2010 meeting, which was the culmination of one of APA President Alan F. Schatzberg's primary goals for the year: to attract top scientists to the meeting.

"With the science of psychiatry advancing so rapidly, we believed it was important to bring cutting-edge science to the APA meeting, and by all accounts we were successful," Dr. Schatzberg said. "The most common complaint we heard from attendees that there were too many excellent sessions to attend them all."

At the close of the meeting on Wednesday, May 26, Carol A. Bernstein, M.D., officially took office as APA president, leading a new board of trustees, and John Oldham, M.D., became president-elect, as Dr. Schatzberg concluded his presidential term.

The DSM-5 track included interactive sessions that allowed participants to provide feedback on language being considered for new and changing disorders, and each of the 13 DSM-5 work groups provided updates during a series of workshops.

Registration for the 2011 meeting was opened temporarily to allow attendees to register for 2011 meeting in Hawaii at 2010 rates. Work is already underway on the 2011 program. The theme for Hawaii is "Transforming Mental Health Through Leadership, Discovery and Collaboration."

To read the Assembly notes in full, please login on the IPS member home page and search under the title of "APA and APA Committee Reports".

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IPS Joins IU Department of Psychiatry and Carter Hospital to Endorse Superintendent Portrait Series

Article submitted by Dr. Alan Schmetzer

Carter Hospital has been led by a total of eight superintendents: Juul C. Nielsen, M.D. (1951-1955); Donald F. Moore, M.D.(1955-1980); Clare M. Assue, M.D.(1981-1989); Diana Haugh, M.S., R.N. (1990-2002); Alan D. Schmetzer, M.D.(2002-2005);Lisa Kellum, M.S.W., M.B.A.(2005-2006);Todd Graybill, M.P.H., M.S.W. (2006-2009); and currently, Lawrence Lisak, M.B.A.,appointed in 2009. We’ve been fortunate to have such leadership, but some of these pioneers of Indiana psychiatry are already in danger of being entirely forgotten. So, the Indiana Psychiatric Society, Indiana University Department of Psychiatry, and Carter Hospital are endorsing the creation ofeight matching, oil-on-linen portraits to hang in the “Carter Hospital Board Room” – each with a gilt frame to which a brass plate will be affixed giving that superintendent’s name and dates of service. A plaque listing all donors’ names is also planned and will be hung nearby. These art works will be completed by artist, Jan Royce, who has already completed portraits of former psychiatry department Chairs, Distinguished Professors, and Section Heads, as well as other corporate, academic, religious, and civil leaders throughout the state.This series cannot be completed without the assistance of Indiana psychiatrists and others – the materials, the time to complete the art, and maintenance of the completed paintings all require funding. However, with proper care these portraits will endure indefinitely, a lasting tribute to the achievements and history of our field and an inspiration far into the future. We invite you to consider contributing to this noble cause.

Thank you for helping to preserve a legacy!

To download a donation form, please click here.

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Help IPS by Surfing or Shopping Online

IPS has found a way to raise money every time you shop online or search the web and we hope you choose to help us out.

By using iGive.com you can raise money for IPS every time you shop online at any of their 775 participating stores (Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Macy's, etc) and when you search the web through iSearchiGive.com (a search engined powered by iGive!).

If you do happen to make a purchase through iGive within 45 days of joining, and you designate IPS as your "cause" they'll donate an extra $5 to IPS - that's in addition to the percent of purchase price!

Here's how it works:
1. Join iGive.com : it's safe, free, and easy to use.
Don't feel like registering?
Take iSearchiGive.com out for a spin and raise two cents per search. Click here and type "Indiana Psychiatric Society" in the "Select Your Cause" area
2. Every time you search online by using the iGive search engine, the iGive partners will donate two cents to IPS per site you visit.
~ OR ~
Shop through iGive.com's online mall. The iGive Mall features over 700 trusted online retailers like Amazon.com, Staples, JCPenney, Expedia.com, Barnes & Noble, to name a few! You'll NEVER pay more when you reach these stores through iGive.com. And if you take advantage of the coupons and free shipping deals posted at iGive, you might save even more. Many retailers offer 2 and 3% back to IPS with your purchase.

All donations are recorded by iGive and once IPS' account reaches $25, iGive sends IPS a check. The more you search and spend, the more IPS earns.

The service is free to you and free to IPS. If you have questions, contact Sara by clicking here.

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Upcoming Events Calendar

*Council & General Membership Meetings are complimentary for IPS members. Guests may attend General Membership Meetings but a fee will be charged. Nominal fees are charged for symposia participation. Please contact Sara Stramel for further information.

September 11, 2010

Out of the Darkness Walk

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

White River State Park

To learn more, click here

September 16, 2010

Council & General Membership Meeting

Eddie Merlot's

6:00pm Council Meeting (council members only)

7:15pm Membership Gathering

7:30pm General Membership Meeting, Dinner and Presentation

"Balancing Efficacy and Safety in the Treatment of Bipolar Mania and Schizophrenia"

Presentation by IPS member, Dr. Christopher Bojrab

Hosted by Merck

September 24-25, 2010

16th Annual Midwest Neuropsychopharmacology

Hilton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites

For more details, click here

September 24-26, 2010

161st Annual Indiana State Medical Association Convention

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Indianapolis

For more details click here

October 6-8, 2010

7th Annual International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias

Indianapolis Marriott

For more information click here

October 14-15, 2010

Fourth Annual Depression Conference

"Overcoming Mood Disorders: Evidence-based Approaches for Enhancing Treatment Response"

The Clifton Center, Louisville, KY

For more details, click here

October 21, 2010

Council & General Membership Meeting

Indianapolis Medical Society

6:00pm Council Meeting (council members only)

7:15pm Membership Gathering

7:30pm General Membership Meeting, Dinner and Presentation

Presenters: IPS members, Drs. Maria Poor & George Parker

November 18, 2010

Council & General Membership Meeting

Ruth's Chris Steak House - downtown Indianapolis

6:00pm Council Meeting (council members only)

7:15pm Membership Gathering

7:30pm General Membership Meeting, Dinner and Presentation

Presentation by Dr. Lawrence Reccoppa

Hosted by Eli Lilly & Company