Psych Observer – Exposing Bad Psychiatry

Crossville Chronicle

A Cookeville psychiatrist who had an office in Crossville has been indicted by the Cumberland County Grand Jury on two counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department.

Dr. Chip Hayward Fountain, 44, was indicted by the grand jury on May 6 after “a thorough investigation” by the Department of Children’s Services, District Attorney General’s Office and the sheriff’s department. Fountain surrendered to authorities at the Justice Center on May 27.

A press release states that Fountain, who in addition to Cookeville and Crossville, had an office in Livingston, is accused of “being sexually involved with a former juvenile female patient.”

Bond was set at $15,000 and Fountain is scheduled to appear for arraignment in Cumberland County Criminal Court on June 2, according to Investigator Jeff Slayton’s release.

Fountain graduated from Texas Tech University Health Service Center School for Medicine in the late 1990s.

URL: http://www.crossville-chronicle.com/homepage/
local_story_150142026.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

The Press Association

Serious concerns have been raised about the condition of almost a third of the country’s large psychiatric hospitals with many wards battling to keep damp and mould at bay.

The Mental Health Commission (MHC) said while the standard of most long-stay wards in the state’s 21 main facilities were poor, units in six were particularly worrying. And it said most psychiatric units were sitting on valuable land but patients were forced to live in inappropriate and unacceptable accommodation.

In its annual report the independent body noted a number of older wards have closed but more than 1,100 patients in psychiatric hospitals live in mostly unsuitable buildings. MHC also hit out at last year’s Health Service Executive’s hiring freeze claiming it had seriously affected mental health services.

URL: http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2dCq5dgbRp2iyth44w_jGL9cLfQ

New York psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman has heard Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) sales pitch for the new anti-schizophrenia drug Invega, but he’s not too impressed.

Problem is, Invega isn’t much different than one of J&J’s best-selling drugs, the antipsychotic Risperdal. In late June, Risperdal is scheduled to lose its U.S. patent protection, clearing the way for competing generic copies that are cheaper than Invega, which could further diminish Invega sales, already characterized as a disappointment by J&J.

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A Canadian study has found that prescribing antipsychotic drugs for elderly people may be dangerous.

Antipsychotic therapy is widely used to manage behavioural problems such as aggression which is sometimes associated with dementia; they are often prescribed prior to admission to a nursing home.

They are commonly used to treat psychosis with conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, mania and delusional disorder.

The researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Ontario say elderly patients who are given antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of having an event that is serious enough to lead to hospitalization or death within a month of starting the therapy.

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The jury at an inquest into the death of a man from Swansea has heard he died while being restrained by four members of staff at a psychiatric hospital.

Kurt Howard, 32, who had been detained under the Mental Health Act, died in 2002 at the city’s Cefn Coed Hospital.

In the weeks before his death, Mr Howard claimed he was in the SAS, that he was a barrister and a gynaecologist, the inquest jury was told.

The coroner said a probe into the death had taken “a considerable time”.

This was why the inquest was taking place six years after Mr Howard’s death, added Swansea coroner Philip Rogers.

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Jean Eric Gassy, 52, appeared briefly in the South Australian Supreme Court today charged with the murder of Dr Tobin in an Adelaide city building on October 14, 2002.

Representing himself, Mr Gassy pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

Justice Trish Kelly remanded him in custody until a directions hearing on June 10, after she indicated the court would be ready to try him later this year.

Prosecutors will need to coordinate evidence from more than 160 witnesses, the court was told.

URL: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23758915-1702,00.html

By Michael Manekin / Bay Area News Group
The upcoming trial of Dr. William Ayres, the prominent San Mateo child psychiatrist facing allegations he molested seven pre-adolescent patients, has once again been postponed.

The jury trial, which was scheduled for June 23, won’t take place until at least the end of July, San Mateo County prosecutors said Friday.

The ongoing drama behind the delay revolves around a defense motion to suppress all evidence acquired by search warrants that gave investigators access to Ayres’ patient files. A Superior Court judge heard arguments Friday on the motion from both the prosecution and the defense, but he postponed a final decision until July 23, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

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Thursday May 22, 2008

John Dillon
Montpelier, VT

(Host) A leading mental health advocacy group is calling on doctors and hospitals to reject gifts from the pharmaceutical industry.

The Vermont Association for Mental Health says the payments to doctors create a conflict of interest that could compromise patient care.

But medical professionals say they are already taking steps to limit the influence of drug companies.

VPR’s John Dillon reports:

(Dillon) Vermont has a strict disclosure law that requires drug companies to report when they make payments of $25 or more to physicians.

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