Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a fact sheet on Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Services for both the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  SBIRT services are an evidence-based practice designed to identify, reduce, and prevent problematic use, abuse, and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs.

Past studies have indicated that rather than being a single disease, schizophrenia is a collection of different disorders. Now, a new study by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, claims the condition consists of eight distinct genetic disorders, all of which present their own specific symptoms, reported Medical News Today. Full Story

Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) sponsored "TBI Global Synapse: A Summit Without Borders" during which military health care providers shared their clinical and operational perspectives on prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Presentations and recordings are available on the conference website by clicking here.

Just one dose of an antidepressant is enough to produce dramatic changes in the brain, according to a new study. According to researchers, brain scans taken of people before and after one dose of escitalopram, a commonly prescribed serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), revealed changes within three hours, reported PsychCentral.com. Full Story

Combining two medications with parent training appears to improve anger, irritability and violent tendencies in children whose attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is coupled with severe aggression, reported HealthDay.com. Full Story

Youths attending facilities offering full or partial mental health services had better substance abuse treatment outcomes than youths attending facilities offering no such services, according to research is published in Psychiatric Services in Advance. Full Story

The Affordable Care Act has paved the way for a vast expansion of mental health coverage in America, providing access for millions of people who were previously uninsured or whose policies did not include such coverage before. A recent New York Times article examines some of the obstacles this is presenting to the mental health system. Full Story

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced $99 million to train new mental health providers, help teachers and others recognize mental health issues in youth and connect them to help, and increase access to mental health services for young people. These funds were included in the President and Vice President's Now Is the Time plan to reduce gun violence by keeping guns out of dangerous hands, increasing access to mental health services, and making schools safer. Full Story

The National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, a public-private coalition, today established a new national goal of reducing the use of antipsychotic medications in long-stay nursing home residents by 25% by the end of 2015, and 30% by the end of 2016. The coalition includes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), consumers, advocacy organizations, providers and professional associations. Full Story

Suicide is preventable, but not all Americans have access to effective treatment and crisis intervention, a member of the American Psychological Association told a congressional panel. "Because the risk factors associated with suicide are multifaceted and vary across groups, suicide prevention demands comprehensive, evidence-based efforts across many settings," Joel Dvoskin, PhD, told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. "We need to ensure that our health care system reimburses not only for suicide assessment but also for depression and substance abuse screening and treatment. Providers across the health care delivery system need to be trained in assessing suicide risk, suicide management and treatment through using therapies especially devised for these problems." Full Story

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is Accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.