Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!tamsun.tamu.edu!mtecv2!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Newsgroups: usa-today.health,americast.usa-today.health Subject: health Mon, Aug 31 1992 Message-ID: Date: 31 Aug 92 08:51:28 GMT Organization: American Cybercasting Lines: 112 Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com 08-31 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Aug. 31, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network REPRESSED MEMORIES RAISE DOUBTS: Unfounded, "repressed" memories of childhood sexual abuse are sending innocent people to jail, according to a University of Seattle psychologist. Elizabeth Loftus says "errors of suggestion" can devastate families. Families who say they've been falsely charged have started the False Memory Syndrome Foundation in Philadelphia; 500 families have called in the past four weeks. L.A. LOSING SUNNY ATTITUDE: Rocked by the aftershocks of riots, quakes and widespread layoffs, adults in Los Angeles are deluging therapists with anxiety problems. Inquiries at the UCLA Anxiety Disorders Program are up by as much as 50% in the last several months, says program director Alexander Bystritsky. "The earthquake (June 28) was the straw that broke the camel's back," he says. (For more, see special Anxiety package below.) HURRICANE VICTIMS FACE HAZARDS: Injuries, stress and disease are the latest hazards faced by survivors of Hurricane Andrew. At Kendall Regional Medical Center in southwest Miami, doctors are flooded with up to 200 emergencies daily, compared to a normal 50 to 75. The most common injuries stem from chainsaws, nail-embedded debris, or falls from roofs and ladders. CHOLERA ALERT IN FLORIDA: South Florida health officials are on the lookout for cases of cholera or typhoid, although none have been reported. "We foresee a lot of gastroenteritis (a stomach and intestinal inflammation caused by contaminated food or water) and infected wounds," said Dr. Anthony Pizarro, working at a clinic set up by the Cuban American Foundation. OKLAHOMA HAS LIVING WILL LAW: A living will law goes into effect Tuesday in Oklahoma that allows a healthy person to direct life-sustaining treatment be withheld if the illness will result in death within six months. Over 250,000 Oklahomans had signed a living will under a previous law. DRUG ABUSE MAY CAUSE STRESS: People with post-traumatic stress disorder - jumpiness, insomnia and nightmares after a traumatic event - often are drug abusers, and doctors think drug abuse is the victim's attempt to self-medicate. However, a new study shows drug abuse often comes first, and that PTSD is a result, not a cause. A study shows the PTSD rate may have climbed to 10 times normal for drug abusers. MORE WOMEN DYING ON U.S. ROADS: The number of U.S. female drivers killed in accidents soared 53% between 1975 and 1991, while the numbers of male drivers killed over the same period fell 10%, studies show. "Women have always been thought to be much less of a problem than male drivers, but now they're emerging as a risk," says Susan Herbel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. LASER CAPTURES REACTION: Chemical reactions in liquids happen so quickly that chemists have always had to study them indirectly. A superfast pair of lasers has produced the first direct view, report University of Pennslyvania researchers. The lasers produce spectra, precise and simple for a computer to translate into action models. BABOON HEART RECIPIENT AILING: The first human to receive a baboon liver was in serious condition Sunday with an infection at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The transplant was done June 28. The 35-year-old man, whose name has been withheld, is on a ventilator. The liver is working properly. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON ANXIETY: THREE FACTORS FOR TREMORS: Psychologist Stuart Fischoff blames the explosion of emotional tremors in Los Angeles on "the three horsemen of the apocalypse": Higher unemployment than in the U.S. overall; the April riots, ravaging some areas and spilling into others thought to be "safe;" and the big quake, followed by warnings that the Big One could arrive soon. INSOMIA, DEPRESSION RISING: Insomnia, panic attacks and depression are rising, experts report. Marriages are crumbling under the weight. More people are seeking divorce mediation because one partner (usually the man) "isn't seen as pulling his weight economically," says marital therapist Angus Strachan. Partners with flexible sex roles weather the shakeups better, Talebi says. SELF-WORTH DAMAGED: Too many people no longer feel safe - in their jobs, neighborhoods or even on the ground they walk, says therapist Nina Talebi. "I have clients who had secure, prestigious jobs ... their identity was wrapped up in work. Now they don't know who they are." Those who were financially and emotionally strong before are faring best now, experts say. (End of package.) Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM