American Psychological Association's 115th Annual Convention
The American Psychological Association's 115th Annual Convention took place Aug. 17-20 in San Francisco and drew about 16,000 psychologists, physicians and researchers from around the world. More than 5,000 abstracts were presented and speakers addressed a wide range of subjects, including the needs of returning combat veterans, sexual issues, and the relationship between stress and cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and immune function.
At the American Psychological Association Council Meeting, members voted to adopt "APA Principles for Health Care Reform," a policy statement focusing on the importance of an integrated treatment approach as a signature model for comprehensive health care.
"These principles capture the importance of universality and affordability of health care services for everyone, parity in the treatment of emotional and physical health at all levels of care, the importance of treating the psychological concomitants of physical illness, and the importance of treating behavioral problems," said Sharon M. Brennan, Ph.D., chair of the New York State Psychological Association Media Ambassador Program and New York Representative to the APA Council of Representatives. Such problems include "stress, alcoholism, overweight and smoking, that are often the precursors of many physical illnesses, including seven out of the 10 leading causes of mortality and morbidity."
Panel speakers included Deborah De Santis-Moniaci, Ph.D., of the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., who addressed the role of psychologists in preventing and treating overweight pediatric patients.
"Dr. De Santis-Moniaci's program integrates a collaborative care model in which psychologists partner with endocrinologists, nutritionists and exercise physiologists in the care of the overweight child," Brennan said. "The impact of being overweight on the child's self-esteem, overall sense of well being, medical health, including body mass index and activity patterns are addressed."
Racial and ethnic disparities in mental health were a key theme of many sessions and presentations, said Cheryl A. Boyce, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Mental Health and a member of the Board of Convention Affairs.
Boyce chaired and addressed a symposium that addressed the need to develop better research tools to assess an increasingly diverse population and to clarify the importance of "cultural competence" among therapists who work with diverse families.
The symposium also examined recent demographic trends in suicide among adolescents and young adults. "We have some disturbing trends impacting minority youth," Boyce said. "Although American Indians still have the highest suicide rate, the gap between whites and blacks has been narrowing. So it appears that blacks may be catching up."
One of the best-attended sessions, Boyce said, featured David Hatcher, M.D., the former U.S. Surgeon General, and Rear Admiral Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., the Acting U.S. Surgeon General. "It's not often that you get a former and acting Surgeon General together on the same stage," Boyce said. "Dr. Hatcher had some very interesting things to say about new directions in personalizing behavioral and medical treatments, with an emphasis on the catch-phrase: 'culture counts.'"
Plenary sessions on adolescent brain development by Ronald E. Dahl, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and another on sexual health by Gail E. Wyatt, Ph.D., of the University of California in Los Angeles, attracted standing-room only crowds, Boyce said.
"Dr. Wyatt gave a spirited talk on what we're doing to improve sexual health, and how these efforts are congruent with what we know about differences in culture and behavior, and differences between men and women," Boyce said. "She discussed how these differences can hinder our efforts to prevent pregnancies and HIV."
APA: Fad Treatments for Autism on the Rise
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Fad treatments for autism -- none of them proven and some potentially dangerous -- are gaining in popularity, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco.
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APA: Poor Stress Management Affects Men's HDL Cholesterol
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Older men who use negative strategies to cope with stress -- such as interpersonal hostility -- are more likely to have low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol than those who use positive coping strategies, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco.
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APA: 'Cynical Shyness' May Characterize School Shooters
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents responsible for shootings in schools may have a form of social isolation called cynical shyness, which increases their anger and hostility towards their peers, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco.
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APA: Chronic Stress May Worsen Multiple Sclerosis
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic stress releases cytokines that may exacerbate central nervous system infections and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, according to animal research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco.
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APA: Depression Complicates Returning Vets' Personal Lives
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Among veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, depression -- but not post-traumatic stress disorder -- is strongly associated with discordant personal relationships, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco.
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