By Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel
Losing your home, or worrying about losing it, is enough to make you sick, says a recent study that offers insight into the toll the foreclosure crisis is taking on homeowners' health.
"Our findings prove yet again that economic well-being and physical well-being are connected," said economist Janet Currie, co-author of the study, published recently by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

"The foreclosure crisis is having a significant impact on mental health as well as on a wide range of preventable conditions that are susceptible to stress," she said.  » More

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 25, 2011

Mental health experts call for psychologists and other medical providers to be in the forefront of health care reform as new reimbursement initiatives seek to blend medical and behavioral health payments.

American health care has long been criticized as providing primarily medical care with mental and behavioral services viewed as separate and less essential entities. Moreover, only 5 percent of the “health” care expenditures in America go toward prevention. » More

Philadelphia (July 22, 2011)—A new study by researchers at Drexel University’s School of Public Health suggests that abuse of prescription painkillers may be an important gateway to the use of injected drugs such as heroin, among people with a history of using both types of drugs. The study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, explores factors surrounding young injection drug users’ initiation into the misuse of opioid drugs. Common factors identified in this group included a family history of drug misuse and receiving prescriptions for opioid drugs in the past. The results support a need for efforts to prevent misuse of prescription drugs, particularly during adolescence. » More

DailyPress.net; By Ashley Hoholik
ESCANABA - As the number of people abusing or misusing prescription drugs becomes increasingly prevalent both nationally and locally, officials continue to look for ways to curb the unwelcome trend. The area Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse is among those making an effort to educate and prevent abuse. » More

By Charles Ashby
Two margaritas at lunch with a couple of friends turned into a yearlong nightmare for one Grand Junction woman. As a result of her first and only conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, the 53-year-old woman, whom we’ll call Patricia, found herself picking up trash along the highway with other jail inmates, making blankets as part of her community service, taking numerous alcohol-education and therapy classes, and paying lots and lots of fines, fees and other costs. » More

By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press
In this Dec. 1, 2010 photo, Dale Kasprzyk, acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Buffalo stands next to a compilation chart of suspects in a recent prescription drug ring arrest raid in Buffalo, N.Y.
BUFFALO — Ethel Johnson couldn’t get her prescription for pain medication filled fast enough. The 60-year-old Buffalo woman was hurting — but investigators say that wasn’t the reason for the rush. According to secretly recorded telephone conversations, the sooner Johnson could pick up her pills, the more quickly she could sell them to her dealer. Her pain pills were destined for the street. » More