Years Home, Female Iraq Vets Endure The Wounds Of War

By: |
Vet Eunice Ramirez

It’s been nine years since Eunice Ramirez served in Iraq, but she still suffers from war wounds – post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, respiratory problems and frequent crying triggered by her memories.

Suzanna Smaldone, who also returned home from Iraq in 2005, lives in constant pain and can’t bring herself to talk about her war injuries.

Cheryl Eberg, home from Iraq for seven years, counsels other veterans, but their war stories can trigger her own mental health issues.

Though it’s not unusual for veterans of both sexes to struggle for years with war injuries when they return home, officials say that women veterans have their own unique challenges, which can make their transition to civilian life particularly hard.

Continue Reading →

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Women's Health, Cheryl Eberg, Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Sally G. Haskell, Eunice Ramirez, female vets, Linda Schwartz

Early Pregnancy Blood Test Reducing Need For Amniocentesis

By: |
Prenatal blood test

A simple blood test is transforming the world of prenatal screening, offering women a risk-free way to learn about fetal abnormalities early in pregnancy.

Already, the new test has drastically reduced the demand for amniocentesis, an invasive procedure that diagnoses chromosomal disorders in mid-pregnancy and occasionally causes miscarriage. The blood test, which became available in late 2011, can analyze DNA to predict Down Syndrome and a few other genetic diseases as early as nine weeks in pregnancy, says Dr. Daniel Gottschall, medical director of Women’s Health Connecticut, a group practice with 80 offices around the state.

Continue Reading →

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Women's Health, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, amniocentesis, Bridgeport Hospital, DNA blood test, Dr. Daniel Gottschall, Hartford Hospital

State Restrains Psychiatric Patients At High Rate

By: |
Restraints

As the state works to improve its mental health system, new federal data shows that hospitals in Connecticut restrain psychiatric patients at more than double the average national rate, with elderly patients facing restraint at a rate seven times the national average.

In addition, the state lags behind in providing adequate post-discharge continuing care plans for psychiatric patients, especially teens and the elderly. Connecticut’s 28 inpatient psychiatric units and hospitals developed continuing-care plans for fewer than 70 percent of patients they discharged from October 2012 to March 2013 – indicating that thousands of patients may have left facilities without adequate treatment and medication plans.

A C-HIT analysis of the federal data, released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the first time, shows that Connecticut ranks in the top fourth of states (11th highest) in the use of physical restraints in inpatient psychiatric facilities – and is the third highest state in restraining patients 65 and older.

Continue Reading →

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Bazelon Center for Mental Health, Bridgeport Hospital, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Danbury Hospital, Dr. Ryan O'Connell, Hartford Hospital

Use Of ADHD Drugs Rose Sharply Among Adults, Especially Women

By: |
ADHD graphic

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) isn’t just for fidgety little boys anymore.

The number of young adult women taking medications for ADHD jumped by 85 percent between 2008 and 2012, according to a recent report by St. Louis-based Express Scripts, a pharmaceutical benefits company.

While children are still more likely to have ADHD, the rate of diagnosis is climbing faster in adults – up 53 percent in grownups versus 19 percent in kids over those four years.

Continue Reading →

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Women's Health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Dr. Daniel F. Connor, Ellen Littman, Express Scripts, Thomas E. Brown

Autism Treatment For Under-Threes Is Key, But Diagnosis Is Tough

By: |
Autism

Most children with autism are well past their fourth birthday by the time they’re diagnosed with the condition, according to new government data.

Their parents and teachers may have raised red flags earlier, but it takes months or years to confirm suspicions with a formal diagnosis.  And therapy rarely starts without one.

Continue Reading →

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Amy Daniels, Ann Jordan, Autism Speaks, Bob Wright, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, Dr. Harvey J. Kliman