E-cigarettes and harm
Harm reduction is a laudable goal, but there are no replicated quality studies suggesting that e-cigarettes are effective in smoking cessation or any more so than patches. In the March Monitor article "Are e-cigarettes a game changer?" it was offered that "nicotine...does not harm adult health in the amount delivered in smoking or vaping." That's a sweeping statement considering the newness of these products, and it does not consider what the cumulative effects may be over the long term (there is at least one long term study underway). Your review only addressed a small group of studies. Further research raises serious concerns. E-cigarettes do contain carcinogenic nitrosamines and other chemicals that may well be toxic. There are also legitimate concerns about toxic emissions and resultant secondhand "vapor" exposures, especially for children. Nicotine, in and of itself, has a well-documented pathologic effect on the cardiopulmonary system, and microvascular effects have been noted in kidney, brain and musculoskeletal systems. Despite the ostensible purpose of the article, it is a grievous oversight that the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for smoking cessation were not at least mentioned. The above are well-documented in several papers.
Corey D. Fox, PhD
Fair Oaks, Calif.
Securing the future workforce
In her March Monitor column, APA President Nadine Kaslow notes the imbalance, i.e. too big a supply, of newly minted MAs and PhDs considering the more limited demand and availability of additional training and career positions. This is, of course, not a problem unique to psychologists. Ask new law school grads, especially those coming out of second-tier schools, about their career prospects. How about the employability of fine arts, etc., majors? What can our profession do to help these 20-somethings find their way? One suggestion is for psychologists and counselors working in high schools to be more proactive in giving college-bound students vocational interest tests (e.g. Strong, Kuder, Holland, etc.) and then provide them with a "database" such as the Department of Labor's forecasts of the projected fastest-growing career fields looking three to five years forward. A little guidance could go a long way in helping an 18-year-old find a rewarding career path.
Donovan R. Greene, PhD
Mountain View, Calif.
Proposed technology and psychology division
In February, the APA Council of Representatives voted against the formation of a new APA division to support "research, development and consultation for psychological technology" by the Society for Technology and Psychology (ST&P).
Formed by psychologists at the forefront of behavioral technology development, the group has re-emerged as a nonprofit entity, the Association for Technology and Behavioral Health (ATBH). Since council, five APA divisions have approached ATBH with invitations to work toward collaboration to support evidence-based research, education, training, publication, development and consultation at APA. Within three days of council's decision, ATBH was also approached by members of the American Counseling Association to form a Division at ACA. Efforts are visible onlineopens in new window.
ATBH continues to galvanize efforts, share resources and create synergies through a collaborative, inter-professional community network and portal of information. As originally conceived by ST&P, ATBH's mission at APA is to bridge current "silos" of information that are locked in various APA divisions with limited access or appeal to the larger technological professional communities emerging worldwide. ATBH is dedicated to connecting inter-professional and international technology related to the criteria set by the U.S. federal government's Triple Aim: decreased costs, increased access to patients and improved outcomes. Members of ATBH are involved with international groups who seek to: 1) Support the research and development of new psychological tools; 2) Support psychology as a STEM discipline through evidence-based technology development and; 3) Unify all stakeholders in joint initiatives in a highly interactive community and journal.
Whether aggregated as APA divisions, APAGS, ECPs or other groups of psychologists from around the world, stakeholders interested in a collaborative future for technology and psychology are invited to learn about ATBH's innovative model by contacting us through the ATBH websiteopens in new window. Charter members are welcome. ATBH also appreciates your participation through LinkedIn.
Marlene Maheu, PhD
San Diego
Campus mental health
In support of April Krowel's letter to the editor in the March Monitor [arguing that student veterans are not to blame for the rise of mental health issues on college campuses], I have searched the literature and find scant mention of the increase in the college population with serious mental illness. Such a study must be considered, but will probably never happen.
However, after the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, President Bush and the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services all wanted to look into college violence and chose to do it in a "different" way than simply talk to those at Virginia Tech. They sent teams to more than 100 colleges and asked college presidents, college police and administrators questions about their own concerns about violence like the kind seen at Virginia Tech. Every single school staff member they talked to told them the same three things:
- Each year, the colleges see more and more incoming freshmen who have serious mental illness, of most kinds.
- The colleges are ill-prepared or funded to provide services for these students.
- Each college official they spoke with noted how confusing the state and federal laws were, and how this confusion limited what they felt they could do.
Jerry L. Brittain, PhD
Statesville, N.C.