all Ronald Kessler stories

Harvard researchers selected for National Academy of Sciences membership

yvette — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:39:20 -0400

Eight Harvard faculty members this week were elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Percentage of Katrina survivors with mental disorders increasing

404132862 — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:15:53 -0500

According to the most comprehensive survey yet conducted of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, the percentage of pre-hurricane residents of the affected areas in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who have mental disorders has increased significantly compared to the situation five to eight months after the hurricane.

Mental disorders cause 1.3 billion ‘out of role’ days annually

jake — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:05:24 -0400

The importance of role disability, that is, inability to work or carry out usual activities, has become increasingly recognized as a major source of indirect costs of illness because of its high economic impact on ill workers, their employers, and society. However, there is limited information on the amount of disability associated with a wide range of specific physical and mental conditions.

New findings published by Kathleen Merikangas from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Ronald Kessler from Harvard Medical School and colleagues in the October 2007 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry show that more than half of U.S. adults have a mental or physical condition that influences their role functioning.

Under-diagnosed rage disorder more prevalent than previously thought

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:27:47 -0400

A seldom-studied mental illness called Intermittent Explosive Disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of angry and potentially violent outbursts — seen in cases of road rage or spousal abuse — has been found to be much more common than previously thought.

Depending upon how broadly it is defined, this disorder affects as many as 7.3 percent of adults, or 16 million Americans, in their lifetimes. In a year, Intermittent Explosive Disorder affects nearly 4 percent of Americans, or 8.6 million adults, reports Ronald Kessler, PhD, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues. The study also found that Intermittent Explosive Disorder may predispose people to other mental illnesses and substance abuse. These results are reported in the June 2006 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder attacks are out of proportion to the social stressors triggering them and are not due to another mental disorder or the effects of drugs or alcohol, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). People with this disorder overreact to situations with uncontrollable rage, feel a sense of relief during the angry outburst, and then feel remorseful about their actions.

"Intermittent Explosive Disorder is not a clinical term well- known in society, but the weight of these numbers should help patients and physicians come to recognize the pervasiveness of this disorder and develop appropriate treatment strategies," says Kessler, senior author of the study. The study is based on data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative face-to-face household survey of 9,282 American adults, conducted from 2001 to 2003. The NCS-R is carried out in conjunction with the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative.

This work was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the John W. Alden Trust.

Harvard studies Katrina survivors

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:23:44 -0400

A new project, funded by a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, will recruit Katrina survivors around the country to serve on the Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group.

The group, numbering 2,000 survivors - half from New Orleans and half from other affected areas - will speak every three months by phone with trained interviewers who will solicit specific information as well as give the survivors an opportunity to tell their stories in an open-ended fashion. The information will appear in a series of online reports available to the general public.

"We plan to stay with this group over the next two years so that we can keep our fingers on the psychological pulse of this population," said Ronald Kessler, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School and one of the advisory group's scientific collaborators.

Each interview will include a recorded oral history with descriptions of each advisory group member's experiences during and after the hurricane in order to build a permanent archive that can be used by historians, policymakers, the press, and the public to understand the experiences of people who lived through Katrina. These recordings will be placed on the initiative's Web site: http:// www.HurricaneKatrina.med.harvard.edu. Both oral histories and quantitative information will be collected and presented to policymakers.

Half of us suffer from mental illness, survey finds

50443248 — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 09:49:44 -0400

About half of all the people in the United States will develop one or more mental disorders in their lifetimes, according to the latest national survey. During any year, one of every four people in this country fits the definition of "mentally ill."

Most of these disorders are mild, the census-like survey found. Mild or severe, most of them start before or during adolescence, and most patients wait years for treatment or go untreated. Even when treatment is available, it is not likely to be very good.

Suicides are down, researchers say

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:19:33 -0400

The suicide rate among men and women ages 18 to 54 years fell 6 percent since 1990. In 1990-92, the rate was approximately 15 out of every 100,000 adults. It was down to about 14 out of 100,000 in 2000-02. At the same time, 3,000 out of every 100,000 people reported that they had suicidal thoughts, and 500 of every 100,000 actually attempt suicide. These numbers come from National Comorbidity Surveys from 1990-92 and 2001-03.

Possible reasons for the study's findings are that suicide-related behaviors would have increased instead of remaining static without treatments that have successfully lowered completed suicides, or that new treatments are up dramatically, but the pain remains.

But Ronald Kessler, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, rejects these theories, explaining that most patients receive inadequate treatment and that increased treatment is too late or ineffective.

To reduce suicidal behavior, Kessler and his colleagues want to see improvements in the quality of care and in letting suicidal people know help is out there for them. He characterizes available treatments as a "hodge podge," varying widely among primary care physicians, psychologists, and psychiatrists, although guidelines admittedly exist.

Kessler says that although advocate groups and celebrities encourage people to seek help, there is still much work to be done in the fight against suicide.

Study challenges proposed changes to clinical definition of mental illness

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:38:05 -0400

As the American Psychiatric Association prepares for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders's fifth edition, there is debate over whether to eliminate milder forms of diseases to prevent overtaxing the mental health care system.

According to Ronald Kessler, HMS professor of health care policy, tightening the DSM's definitions is a serious matter.

Millions of Americans suffer from major depression

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:18:59 -0400

A Harvard Medical School study found high rates of depression throughout the U.S. population. The researchers analyzed the depression of over 9,000 Americans and evaluated depression's effect on daily activities and treatment received, if any.

Critics have theorized that depression has been reported as more widespread than it really is, said survey leader Ronald Kessler, HMS professor of health care policy. "But we found that the majority of people with depression are severe cases, and only a small minority are mild cases."

The inadequate treatment received by 80 percent of those who were treated sprang from inappropriate dosing of antidepressants by physicians, patient discontinuation of treatment, and the use of unproven treatments. "Emphasis on screening and expansion of treatment needs to be accompanied by a parallel emphasis on treatment quality improvement," Kessler's team writes.

The study found that women and people previously married were most at risk for major depression over a lifetime; in a 12- month period, depression was more common among homemakers, people never married, and those who had not completed high school or who were living in poverty.

The researchers found depression affects roughly 6.6 percent of American adults in a given year, and 16.2 percent of American adults in a lifetime.