Military to fix mental health system

You know, to be honest, no one in this country does mental health care very well, whether you're in the public or the private sector. The Virginia Tech tragedy brought to light the lack of communication between mental health databases and criminal justice databases. The press in regards to Walter Reed reported the lack of support for outpatient follow-up of soldiers.

The Washington Post is reporting that on Thursday Defense Secretary Robert Gates (to the left in picture above) is promising to speed up needed changes in the military's mental health system.

A recent Congressional study states that more resources (meaning money and people) are needed for proper care. This is no surprise. The need for more resources is frequently brought up in the private sector as well.

The Pentagon has been working for some time to end the stigma of counseling. Studies indicate that soldiers most in need of post-combat health care are the least likely to get it because they fear that others will have less confidence in them, that it will threaten career advancement and that it could result in the loss of their security clearance and possibly removal from their unit.

The yearlong study released last week was required by Congress, which wants a corrective action plan within six months. "I have no intention of waiting that long," said Gates, adding that he'd directed a plan be finished in 60 to 90 days.

Who knows if this is political posturing and who knows if anything will be really done. This post is not meant to be a political hit piece, but what I do know is that these soldiers, these heros, need mental health support and I hope they are able to get it through the VA health system.

VIdeo Game Addiction

Now, when I was growing up, we didn't have no playstation 3, xbox 360, or a Wii. The craze was above, the classic Atari 2600 (image credit). I played that thing for hours and hours. We didn't have fifteen different buttons like the consoles today. Nope, we had the "Red Button" and a joystick (insert joke here).

I remember my first (and only) Space Invaders tournament. I got killed on the first screen. I was crushed because I practiced hours and hours before that. I guess I just froze up. I remember counting down the days until Pac-Mac was released. Ah, those memories....

Little did I know at the time, that I had a problem. I had an addiction. I had an addiciton to video games. Yes, that's right. That was the reason I didn't go out and play outside as I was growing up. That was the reason I felt an attraction to computers and technology - because I couldn't get enough of it. That's why I'm not addicted to blogging.... Uh, sure.

The American Medical Association, my professional organization, is now going to bail me out. The organization I pay hunderds of dollars each year to be a member, is now going to vote to classify Video Game Addiction as a medical diagnosis (Associated Press).

A leading council of the nation's largest doctors' group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

In a report prepared for the American Medical Association's annual policy meeting starting Saturday in Chicago, the council asks the group to lobby for the disorder to be included in a widely used mental illness manual created and published by the American Psychiatric Association. AMA delegates could vote on the proposal as early as Monday.

It likely won't happen without heated debate. Video game makers scoff at the notion that their products can cause a psychiatric disorder. Even some mental health experts say labeling the habit a formal addiction is going too far.

I definitely have an opinion on this. Now, I'm not going to deny that probably a small percentage of children, adolescents, and adults will probably qualify for this medical/psychiatric diagnosis. We've all heard stories of addictions taken too far and destroying lives.

The problem that I have is that there will be many people out there who will try to take advantage of this and blame whatever is going on in their life to video games. A move like this by the AMA is going to continue to advance the idea of a lack of personal accountability and personal responsibility that is occurring in this culture.

We're all familiar with drug addiction. But, in recent years, there has been talk about internet addiction, sex addiction, and now video game addiction. When and where is this going to stop?

There are millions of Americans in this country right now who do not have basic health insurance. This move by the AMA will make is possible for insurance companies to cover treatment for Video Game Addiction. Is this the right thing to do?

Hey AMA, what about all the uninsured in America? Did you forget about them? What are you going to do about that? Maybe the Video Game Addiction lobby is making more contributions to your coffers than the uninsured are. This entire situation does not sit well with me. We'll have to see what the AMA does next week.

Doogie Surgeon, MD

Is this life imitating art, or art imitating life? You be the judge. The tv show Doogie Howser, MD (video above) was about a whiz-kid who becomes a doctor at age fourteen. And, yes, I do admit to watching the show when it was around. Little did we know that something like this would happen in real life.

The Associated Press this morning is reporting that Dhileepan Raj, a 15-year-old kid in India, performed a caesarean section "under his parents watch." Can you believe that?

How did people find out about this? Well, first of all, the entire thing was filmed. And, second, the kid's father showed the video at their local medical association meeting. How's that for being a proud father.

Of course, there is shock and outrage over this incident. I hope this guy's medical license is taken from him. Plus, there is talk over criminal charges being brought forth. Does this guy regret what he did? Absolutely not!

[Dr. K] Murugesan, who could possibly be prevented from practicing and face criminal charges for allowing his son to perform the operation, expressed no regret and accused the Manaparai medical association of being "jealous" of his son's achievements, [Dr. Venkatesh] Prasad [secretary of the medical association] added.

"He said this was not the first surgery performed by his son and that he had been training him for the last three years," said Prasad.

Murugesan told the medical association that he wanted to see his son's name in the Guinness Book of World Records [as the youngest surgeon].

Wait a sec. All this over getting into the Guinness Book of World Records? To jeopardize your medical license and international embarrassment, just to get some kind of world record? Sheesh! We'll have to see how this all plays out...

Adolescents doping up

Some of you out there may remember the commercial above by basketball player Charles Barkley where he said, "I am not a role model." This stirred up a lot of press at the time and a debate on whether professional athletes have a responsibility and accountability for their actions - especially with children as fans.

Now, what people don't remember is that Barkley later in the commercial says that parents should be the role models and not athletes. He makes a good point here, but as the press does, they take things out of context can causes an uproar.

A study from United Press International Wednesday reported something really disturbing. It stated that 3 percent of 15-year-old kids admitted using performance enhancing drugs. This study involved a secondary school in eastern France.

Health problems, including becoming violent, change of voice and loss of consciousness, were experienced by 4 percent of the users, according to the researchers.

What really bothers me is that this is probably an underestimation of the real number. Self-reporting studies usually gives an inaccurately low result. Much has been written about athletes taking (or allegedly taking) performance enhancing drugs from Barry Bonds to Floyd Landis to Ben Johnson to others.

I don't care what anyone says. Kids do see this stuff. In my opinion, kids are exposed even more now to the "win at all costs" attitude of sport. Being designated a winner means fame and fortune - just ask those kids going from high school straight to the NBA or kids like Michelle Wie who are balancing high school and being on a professional golf tour.

Finally, how about this. What if an accurate study could be done seeing what percentage of adolescents in the United States take performance enhancing drugs? What do you think the numbers would be? I'm kind of frightened to find out.

Mars seeking applications

Want to feel like you're going to Mars? Live in Europe? Well, have I got a deal for you. On Tuesday, the European Space Agency announced that it is seeking applications for you to spend 17 months in an isolation tank, and this will simulate you going to Mars. (Yup, not kidding -- AFP)

Their spaceship will comprise a series of interlocked modules in an research institute in Moscow, and once the doors are closed tight, the volunteers will be cut off from all contact with the outside world except by a delayed radio link.

They will face simulated emergencies, daily work routines and experiments, as well as boredom and, no doubt, personal friction from confinement in just 550 cubic metres (19,250 cubic feet), the equivalent of nine truck containers.

Are you excited yet? Where do you sign up? Well, the application form can be downloaded from their website. When you download the application form, it's really weird. Here is just a sample of their questions:

Mac or PC?

Have you ever seen 2001: A Space Odyssey?

What's your opinion of John Gray? How about Lisa Nowak?

Are you a member of the mile-high club?

What did you think of The Soprano's final episode? Genius or fraud?

Do you think Rosie should be the new host of the Price is Right?

Then, after the initial screening is completed, the website says that there will be a Survivor-type elimination round that will be broadcast on European television where viewers will vote on who is in and who is out....

Ok, enough of that silliness. Is this thing real? It looks kind of like that tv show big brother, but for 17 months. What will probably happen is that this will end up being a hoax like that kidney donation tv show was. But, we'll see.

Post-Katrina deaths

The accusations of bad medical behavior following Hurricane Katrina are continuing to be played out. About a year ago, Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses were arrested be the Louisiana Attorney General and accused of murder of four patients at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center after the storm.

According to this article from CNN.Com, the investigation continues with the above two nurses being given immunity thereby isolating the physician who has been "the main target of the investigation" according to the article.

The investigation determined that the four patients -- ages 63, 68, 91 and 93 -- were given a "lethal cocktail" of morphine and midazolam hydrochloride, both central nervous system depressants, [Lousiana Attorney General] Foti said.

None of the patients had been prescribed the drugs by their caregivers and none of the accused treated the four before the injections, Foti said. "This was not euthanasia," Foti said at a news conference last summer. "This was homicide."

This case brought a lot of headlines a year ago. I remember reading many news reports about it at the time. However, this article continues...

The case has languished since. Foti said he turned his findings over to Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who by law must either file charges or reject the case.

Instead, Jordan impaneled a grand jury, and has vowed to let it decide what charges, if any, should be sought. Jordan also directed New Orleans Coroner Frank Minyard to hire outside forensic experts to review the case. But sources close to the investigation say the case has moved very slowly.

Remember after Katrina, there were lots of stories and rumors going around about what was happening down there after the storm. I remember hearing about alleged atrocities occurring at the Superdome (image credit). Months later, it was reported that these rumors were false.

Speaking of false accusations, Mike Nifong now knows the consequences of trumped up charges and running a poor investigation.

Now, don't get me wrong, I admit I don't know all the facts in the Dr. Pou case. All of my information is from the press (and you know how reliable they are). I am in no way defending what this physician is accused of doing.

However, there are a lot of politicians out there who are still using Hurricane Katrina to score political points for whatever reason. And, it's always politically popular to accuse physicians of wrong doing. It happens everyday in America.

With Louisiana investigators dragging their feet on this Dr. Poe investigation, this is making me very suspicious about the accuracy of the accusations. I have a gut feeling that this physician is being used to get someone down there re-elected.

I'll leave you with this scenario. Say, this physician is exonerated and all charges are dropped. Do you think we'll ever hear about it? Do you think that the press will report this? I think not. I think they'll move on to the next accusation of medical wrongdoing post-Katrina and talk about that....

The Ten Commandments

You're probably going to think I'm making these up, but I'm not. According to CNN.Com, the Vatican today issues a number of statements about issues like road rage (image credit) and safe driving. They are calling these "The Drivers' Ten Commandments" Yup, I'm not joking.

The "Drivers' Ten Commandments," as listed by the document, are:

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

Don't get me wrong, these are not bad ideas. It's just kind of silly to think that the Vatican discussing travel and driving. What's next? I know the comedians out there will help me out on this.

Why are there Ten Commandments? I did some research on this, and I think George Carlin has the best theory on this. Enjoy this video clip - click here....

One Year Blogiversary!

365 days and 386 posts later, I'm still here. Can you believe it? Thanks to everyone out there in blog land for your assistance, advice, and support over the past year. I definitely couldn't have done any of this without you.

By the way, has anyone seen the blogiversary cake that goes with this candle? Maybe it can be found over here. Thanks again. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know...

Father's day memories

My dad and I always play golf on Father's Day. We usually begin the day with a family lunch, and then dad and I watch a little bit of the US Open golf tournament on television before going out to our local course.

I think I was about 10 years old when dad introduced me to the game of golf. I remember seeing Jack Nicklaus on television and asking my dad about the different shots that I was seeing on tv. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he was so happy trying to teach me.

As we went out to the practice range those first few times, it was kind funny trying to fit a 10 year old into adult golf clubs. I was lucky to just contact the ball. Dad was always patient with me, even when this snotty kid was throwing his clubs in frustration.

Through the years, golf has been a connecting point between me and my dad. We talked about golf and talked about life. He always managed to teach the lessons of life through golf - be patient, don't beat yourself up when you're frustrated, always remain optimistic, and shake off the bad shot because there's always another chance to do better.

In the last couple of years, I've come to the realization that dad is not going to be around forever. That's really a humbling thought. "Hey Dad! When can we play golf again?" As I said that today, I had a flashback to years ago when he was first teaching me the game. Happy Father's Day, Dad...

Revisited: Fireworks safety

When I was re-reading things from last year, I came across this one from June 30, 2006 which still cracks me up. It kind of goes with yesterday's post of Flag Day and with the Fourth of July coming up again in a few week, thought you may get a kick out of this one again. Have a great weekend everybody!

This is a public service announcement from Doctor Anonymous.

Since the Fourth of July is next week, I just wanted to review some important safety tips when it comes to fireworks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Council on Fireworks Safety offer these tips to help make your holiday a safe one.

In addition, please review the following educational video to see what could happen to loved ones when fireworks are used improperly. You may want to turn up the sound a bit to get the full effect. Click here for video. Remember, fireworks are not a toy, so use them wisely. (It's a tough day to be a stuffed animal -- HA!)