The STARR News: September 2022

September is
Suicide Prevention
& Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month. This month is kicked off by National Suicide Prevention Week, September 4–10 when the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) hosts their Out of the Darkness Walks, which have brought friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues together to walk through their communities to raise public awareness and funds to support suicide prevention, including education programs in local schools and workplaces; support for those who’ve lost loved ones; advocacy for critical mental health and suicide prevention legislation; and scientific research that helps us learn more how we can save more lives. You can find a community walk near you on the AFSP website here.

The STARR Coalition's Spotlight Podcast for September features AFSP's Sr. VP of Research, Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman in an extended-cut conversation on some of AFSP's suicide prevention resources, as well as great information on ways that we can all take steps to help prevent suicide. Be sure to check out the podcast (below).

Find more information and resources HERE and HERE.
September is National Recovery Month

September is also National Recovery Month (Recovery Month), which started in 1989 and is held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.

This month, share resources with your network to support Resilience and Recovery from mental health and substance use challenges. On SAMHSA's Recovery Month 2022 website, you'll find events to raise awareness and access a toolkit with social media shareables, newsletter articles, and other content to share with your network.
Meet our newest team member:
Hannah Ranval, Community Development Coordinator

Hannah M. Ranval is a community development specialist with expertise in rural sociology, intrinsic motivation, and social capital mapping. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in December 2020 with a double major in Community & Leadership Development and Sustainable Agriculture. Previously Hannah has focused on local food systems and understanding food security in rural areas, experience she gained first-hand working on her family’s farm. During college she interned at the Lake Barkley Partnership where she conducted studies of rural workforce participation. 

Mental health awareness and advocacy is a natural next step in Hannah’s path toward improving the wellness of communities: “I have seen how stigma and lack of access worsens mental health issues within rural farming communities," says Hannah. "We are creatures of connection that collapse without social inclusion and support. It is through the development of a community’s social networks and services that we provide support to each other.”
    
When she is not working, Hannah enjoys listening to podcasts, hiking with family, and cooking food from the farm. “Life is a myriad of experiences both big and small. It is in the small moments that I find the deepest appreciation for the rest of my experiences.”
    
Hannah will be joining the STARR team as our community development coordinator. “I'm excited for the opportunity to work with the the STARR community and advance the efforts to prioritize mental health research and help build the bridges between research and advocacy.”

We are super excited to have Hannah join the team! Please feel free to shoot her a welcome email at hannah@thestarr.org!
Project RockSTARR Advocacy Ace Awards: September spotlight : Austin Clinical Trial Partners, Austin TX - Dr. Donald J. Garcia, Jr.

The RockSTARR Advocacy Ace Awards are given to individuals whose screened volunteers have designated the most donations to their local advocacy organizations. We'll feature our Advocacy Aces throughout the year.

This month, we are delighted to congratulate Kenzie Mayes at Austin Clinical Trial Partners, who raised over $2,000 in donations for their local NAMI, MHA, and DBSA chapters through the RockSTARR program. Kenzie continues the outstanding work in securing donations to advocacy through the Project RockSTARR program. We commend Kenzie's work in support of the research volunteers and local advocacy groups!

Thanks for your fantastic work, Kenzie!
Project RockSTARR is a donation program that puts sponsors' advocacy support to work building relationships between advocacy and research at the local level, and supporting community efforts to help those living with mental illnesses.
The RockSTARR program is simple: when a volunteer screens for a study, they are given information about the advocacy organizations and resources within their community. At that moment, the volunteer is given the opportunity to allocate a donation (provided by the Sponsor) to a local advocacy group.

This is a great way to empower volunteers to give back to their community and for the sponsor to support the volunteer beyond their research participation.

Contact us today to discuss how you can incorporate a RockSTARR program into an ongoing or upcoming study!
This month's STARR Podcast Spotlights
Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman,
Sr. VP of Research, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention


In this episode, we catch up with Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, who is the Senior Vice President of Research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), who joins host Mallory Mercer to discuss suicide prevention and her work at AFSP.

Dr. Harkavy-Friedman talks about some of the great resources available on the AFSP website including “Talk Saves Lives” program, which offers ways to have a real conversation with someone who may be at risk, then develop an plan of action to get back into life. The conversation covers warning signs to look out for, tools for prevention, healing after loss, support services, research and much more.

Meet Dr. Harkavy-Friedman on this month's featured podcast HERE.

For this and all of the STARR Podcasts, you can find the STARR Podcast archive HERE.
Update on the 988 Lifeline

The 988 mental health hotline was launched in July of this year with the hope of providing better and faster access to mental health services for those who need it. But how well it is serving the community?

Overall, the response has been good, with most states seeing a surge in calls after the launch of the new 988 mental health hotline.

More mental health professionals were hired before the 988 launch to address the surge in calls in Texas, but a Texas Health and Human Services spokesperson said the centers have seen difficulties in attracting and retaining these staff members. The state has 19 vacancies as of July 31, and 80 total employees to answer the 15,700+ 988 calls made in Texas in July.

The increase in calls means more people are getting help, but not everyone is convinced that the hotline is working as intended. Some mental health advocates say that police are still being called too often to deal with mental health crises, and that the hotline isn't always able to connect people with the help they need.

"We're getting a lot of calls from people who are in crisis, and police are still being dispatched to those calls," said one mental health advocate. "The police are not always the best responders to mental health crises."

Sadly, even NPR published an article from Kaiser Health News: 'Social media posts warn people not to call 988. Here's what you need to know.' The article provided an Instagram post that said, "988 is not friendly. Don't call it, don't post it, don't share it, without knowing the risks" and didn't offer much in the way of a counter-point.

In reality, different states have different approaches and different capabilities. Between January and July, Philadelphia dispatched their mobile crisis units in response to roughly 12% of calls. In some instances, 988 counselors are required to call 911. In July alone, Philadelphia counselors called 911 in only 29 out of 6,142 calls. The crisis line also received 65 calls from 911 dispatchers when the call was suicide related.

According to the hotline guidelines, counselors responding to 988 should call 911 when the caller is at imminent risk or either refuses or is unable to collaborate on a safety plan. These “active rescue” situations do not require the caller to agree to having help sent over, which is where the confusion is coming from.

Another concern are the questions about how centers will continue to fund the efforts long-term after the initial funding runs dry.

It's still early days for the new mental health hotline, and only time will tell if it's truly meeting the needs of those who are in crisis. But it's undoubtedly a step in the right direction and instead of focusing on challenges, we need to work on coming up with solutions.

References:





988 Partner Toolkit

SAMHSA recognizes the need for governments, states, crisis centers, and partners to speak with one voice to ensure there is a clear understanding about what 988 is and how it will work. They have developed a 988 Partner Toolkit and encourage everyone to use the key messages, templates, social media posts, and printed materials.

2022 Rally for Medical Research -- Join advocates from around the country for the 2022 Rally for Medical Research! The Hill Day will take place on Wednesday, September 14, with advocates meeting their congressional representatives and staff. The evening before, on September 13, join us for a reception to celebrate medical research with all partners and participants. Together, we will continue to call on our nation’s policymakers to make funding for NIH a national priority and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research that leads to MORE PROGRESS, MORE HOPE and MORE LIVES SAVED. Learn more here.

Campus Suicide Prevention: Current & Future Policies -- The Jed Foundation is hosting a virtual policy roundtable discussion on September 22nd at 1pm ET around the college mental health crisis and current and future higher education school-based mental health and suicide prevention federal policies. Participants will gain a better understanding of youth mental health statistics, learn about efforts at the federal level to address this crisis, and what colleges and universities can do to further promote mental health and prevent suicide on their campuses. Learn more and register for free here.
The Site Solutions Summit is being held October 7-9, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. Organized by the Society for Clinical Research Site (SCRS), the Site Solutions Summit provides a unique hub where sites, sponsors, CRO executives, and regulators come together to discuss best practices and ideas while developing strategic partnerships through ideation sessions, workshops, and focus groups. Learn more here.
DBSA Support Alliance Summit The virtual meeting is being held October 10-14, 2022, with sessions on wellness resources, how to become a mental health advocate, policy reform, the 988 Lifeline, BIPOC Outreach, and much more. This is a great opportunity to learn more about and support DBSA! Learn more here.

ASCP Psychopharmacology Update: State-of-the-Art Fall Meeting
The virtual meeting is being held October 15-16, 2022, with a program designed to provide state-of-the-art education on new developments in psychopharmacology for psychiatrists and other professionals already knowledgeable about the pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric disorders. The goal is to have the participants better assess patients in need of psychopharmacologic intervention and properly administer state-of-the-art treatment. Learn more here.
The 147th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA2022) will be held in Chicago October 22 - 25, 2022. Registration is now open. Additionally, the Research Careers Reimagined Course Planning Subcommittee, is offering a Research Careers Reimagined Course (RCR), which is taking the place of the prior Translational and Clinical Research Course (TCRC). Learn more here.

Neuroscience 2022 will be held in-person in San Diego, CA, November 12-16. SfN will also offer a sampling of annual meeting content virtually, including the opportunity for virtual posters. Each year, scientists from around the world congregate to discover new ideas, share their research, and experience the best the field has to offer. Find more information here.

CNS Summit 2022 will be held November 17-20 at The Boca Raton Resort. Founded in 2009 by R&D leaders in Life Sciences, CNS Summit was created to advance clinical development, with a focus on innovation, collaboration and technology. Find more information here.

The ADAA 2023 Conference will be held on April 13-16, 2023, in Washington, DC at the Renaissance Washington, Downtown DC. The theme for the conference is From Science and Technology to Evidence-Based Practice: Enhancing Access Through Integration. Submissions for Symposia, Roundtable, and Workshop open August 15, 2022 and deadline is October 11, 2022. For more information, click here.
The FDA has approved Axsome's Auvelity (dextromethorphan HBr -bupropion HCl) extended-release tablets for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults, the first and only oral N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of MDD. It is also the first and only rapid-acting oral medicine approved for the treatment of MDD with labeling of statistically significant antidepressant efficacy compared to placebo starting at 1 week.

Interrelationships Between Different Domains of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Dr. Raymond Chan from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and his collaborators assessed negative symptoms using the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and the Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS), and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) to 204 patients with schizophrenia. Their findings support that the BNSS may bridge the clinical interview rating and the self-reported measure of negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients. Their findings further suggest domain-specific correspondence in the bridge centrality network, supporting the measurement-invariance of the NIMH negative symptoms consensus.

Cannabis Users No More Likely to Lack Motivation Than Non-users: Study Breaks ‘Stoner’ Stereotype. -- New research out of University of Cambridge suggests that users of cannabis showed no difference in motivation, pleasure taken from rewards, or the brain’s response to reward-seeking compared to non-cannabis users. Adult and adolescent cannabis users are no more likely than non-users to lack motivation or be unable to enjoy life’s pleasure, new research has shown, suggesting there is no scientific basis for the stereotype often portrayed in the media.

Hand constraint reduces brain activity and affects the speed of verbal responses on semantic tasks -- According to the theory of embodied cognition, semantic processing is closely coupled with body movements. For example, constraining hand movements inhibits memory for objects that can be manipulated with the hands. However, it has not been confirmed whether body constraint reduces brain activity related to semantics. Until researchers at Osaka Prefecture University and Osaka Metropolitan University found that constraint of hand movement suppressed brain activity in the LIPS toward hand-manipulable objects and affected RT in the size judgment task. These results indicate that body constraint reduces the activity of brain regions involved in semantics. Hand constraint might inhibit motor simulation, which, in turn, would inhibit body-related semantic processing.

Genetic Liabilities Differentiating Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Major Depressive Disorder, and Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Bipolar Disorder -- Researchers at Cardiff University and University of Leeds advanced understanding of etiological heterogeneity in individuals with bipolar disorder by showing clinical heterogeneity of bipolar disorder is underpinned by etiological heterogeneity linked to components of differentiating genetic liability that reflects the symptomatology of the cognate disorders. The genetic association study of 4429 participants, found mania, psychosis, and depression were associated with the components of genetic liability differentiating bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia, respectively. The shared liability component was associated with mania.

Circadian Rhythm Disruption Found to Be Common Among Mental Health Disorders -- Anxiety, autism, schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome each have their own distinguishing characteristics, but one factor bridging these and most other mental disorders is circadian rhythm disruption, according to a team of neuroscience, pharmaceutical sciences and computer science researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

CA lawmakers approve mental health care plan for homeless -- California lawmakers approved a new program to put homeless people with severe mental disorders into in-patient treatment facilities despite objections from civil liberties advocates who fear it will be used to force unhoused residents into care they don’t want. Proponents say the new program offers hope to those who "often languish on our streets without the treatment they desperately need and deserve.”

Critics of the legislation have maintained that the state lacks enough homes, treatment beds, outreach workers and therapists to care for those who want help, never mind people compelled to take it. “At what point does compassion end and our desire to just get people off the streets and out of our public sight begins?” said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat. “I don’t think this is a great bill. But it seems to be the best idea that we have at this point to try to improve a godawful situation.”

Kabir Nath named CEO of Compass Pathways -- Nath took the helm of mental health-focused Compass Pathways in July, ending his six-year tenure at the Japan-based neuroscience and nephrology company Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. In his new role, Nath is ushering the company’s lead psilocybin therapy through phase 3 development as a depression treatment.
Pillar Clinical Research works with sponsors and CROs to help shape protocols during the design stages, conduct phase 1-4 trials, pilot new technologies, and provide best-in-class rating and data collection. We collaborate with local clinics, agencies, advocacy groups, and health systems to provide support and education on clinical research to make sure that we are part of the local healthcare ecosystem. Pillar's Chicago site has beautifully decorated outpatient space and a state-of-the-art 24-bed inpatient research unit and is proud to be a STARR Certified Site!
iResearch Atlanta in partnership with the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation attended the “Back to School Expo” at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the heart of Atlanta. It was a fantastic event and a wonderful opportunity to share information and resources about clinical research with families and community partners.
The team from the Atlanta Center for Medical Research participated in the “Back to School Expo” at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, as well!

This is a great way to bring the community together, offering site resources, and building trust within the community!
Segal Trials is proud to announce that they will once again be a part of NAMI Walks Your Way - Broward! They are inviting everyone to be part of the Segal Trials team and support mental health with them.

The NAMI-Walks-Your-Way-Segal Trials page is now open and ready to receive your donation! When you join or support the team, you are contributing to the movement and helping to open doors throughout the mental health world. United, we are a force: increasing awareness, raising funds and building a stronger community. 
Are you STARR Certified?
The STARR Site Certification was created to help advance mental health clinical research by promoting community engagement, empathy, and communication between research sites, staff, patients, and advocacy groups, as well as providing support for best practices around working with advocacy, suicide prevention, and other areas that enhance clinical research.
Everything The STARR Coalition does comes from our stakeholders looking to make positive change. 

The STARR Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our Tax ID # is 47-4634007.
Sites -- please share your feedback!
Does your site provide your clients with advocacy and/or local resources information ?
Please select one response:
Absolutely -- we make sure our clients have the information.
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Results from last month's survey to sites:
Thank you for reading!
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The STARR Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our Tax ID # is 47-4634007.
The STARR Coalition | phone: 501-725-8890 | www.thestarr.org