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

By Kerry Burke and Lukas I. Alpert, 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Heavy-drinking hospital visits vary greatly by neighborhood, the survey found - with wealthy areas seeing the highest number of drunken emergency room trips. Heavy boozing has caused a shocking spike in drunken injuries and emergency room visits in New York, a troubling new study says. Nearly 74,000 people wound up in hospitals in 2009 for alcohol-related reasons, compared with just 22,000 in 2003 - a jump of nearly 250%, said the city Health Department study, which was released yesterday. » More