Young Risk-Takers May Be More Susceptible to Substance Abuse
 January 11, 2012 — Adolescents who engage in extremely risky behaviors may show decreased activation of the reward processing areas of the brain, suggesting an increased possibility of later substance abuse, according to new research.
In a magnetic functioning imaging (MRI) study of almost 300 young teens, the participants who were found to engage in substantial risk-taking behaviors, but who had no apparent substance use problems, showed decreased bilateral activation of the ventral striatum during a reward anticipation task.
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'Alarming' New Data on US Binge Drinking
 January 10, 2012 — Roughly 1 in 6 (38 million) adults in the United States binge drink approximately 4 times a month, according to a Vital Signs report published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a publication of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Binge drinking is defined as consuming 4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more drinks for men on an occasion.
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State plan would harm mentally ill people in Ohio's largest counties
 Once again, the Ohio Department of Mental Health has put forth a plan that fails to support the needs of the mentally ill who reside in Ohio’s largest
counties. Imagine living in Ohio’s largest city and second-largest county, with a population of more than 1.1 million residents, and receiving no state support for community mentalhealth services. That’s the Department of
Mental Health’s plan for Franklin County.
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Ohio ignores Cuyahoga County's needs in behavioral health funding
 Mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction treatment services for the working poor have historically been treated as outcasts by the state of
Ohio. Despite decades of professionals, family members and people who rely on the services advocating for adequate state funding, Ohio state
government continues to ignore the needs of Ohioans.
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Mental Health Services facility near bid process
 SPRINGFIELD — Another piece of the Mercy Medical Center campus will soon depart and set up shop in downtown’s burgeoning health care district.
Mental Health Services, Clark County’s primary in-patient and out-patient treatment center for mental illness, will break ground this spring on a facility just north of Springfield Regional Medical Center.
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SAMHSA Announces a Working Definition of "Recovery"
 SAMHSA recently announced a new working definition of recovery from mental disorders and substance use disorders. The definition is the product of a year-long effort by SAMHSA and a wide range of partners in the behavioral health care community and other fields to develop a working definition of recovery that captures the essential, common experiences of those recovering from mental disorders and substance use disorders.
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Dealing with grief especially difficult during holidays
 Grief is an integral part of the holiday season for many people. According to the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide, if you are over the age of 40, there is a 1-in-3 chance that a close relative or friend of yours has died in the last year. And an estimated 1 million Americans lose a spouse each year.
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Mental health services to cut "triage situation"
 The Mental Health and Recovery Board, the public agency that funds mental health facilities in Clark County, is now operating with $2 million less per year than it did in 2008 due to state budget cuts, according to Kent Youngman, board CEO. That’s a 44 percent cut in state funding.
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Mental Health Services to build
 SPRINGFIELD — The leading provider of behavioral health care in Clark County is planning to build a new facility, and the county is helping it obtain the funding.
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