Fox News (1/21, McKay) reports on its website that according to the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, “45,390 American adults died from suicide in 2017 – the most recent available year of data collection – including 6,139 U.S. veterans.” The report “stated that the number of veteran suicides has exceeded 6,000 every single year between 2008 and 2017, and in 2017, the suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-veteran adults.” The Department of Veterans Affairs “states that suicide prevention remains a primary focus,” and since 2017, the department “has been actively coordinating across its networks, as well as working in close partnership with the White House, Congress,” HHS, CDC, and local communities.

Related Links:

— “Veteran suicide rates remain alarmingly high despite years of reform, “Hollie McKay, Fox News, January 21, 2020

HealthDay (1/19, Reinberg) reported a small study published in JMIR Research Protocols suggests that “turning to Facebook for help is probably the wrong move for depressed college students.” Researchers found that out of “33 students who posted on Facebook about feelings of depression, not one was advised to reach out to a mental health professional for help.”
        
Healio (1/20, Gremigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Facebook Falls Short for College Kids Battling Depression, Study Finds, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay , January 19, 2020

Medscape (1/20, McNamara, Subscription Publication) reports a study suggests “despite long-standing efforts to ban lead-based paint, some children in the United States remain at risk for the neurotoxic effects of lead exposure, particularly those living in low-income areas.” The researchers “found children living in areas with the highest risk of lead exposure scored significantly lower on cognitive tests and had lower brain volume than their counterparts who lived in areas with the lowest risk of lead exposure.” The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Lead Exposure Risk in US Children Far From Gone, “Damian McNamara, Medscape, January 20, 2020

Medscape (1/20, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could be at higher risk of developing bipolar disorder, although the risk may be mitigated by use of metformin.” The findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Hikes Bipolar Disorder Risk, “Batya Swift Yasgur, Medscape, January 20, 2020

MD Magazine (1/20, Kunzmann) reports, “Poor pulmonary function may be an indication of greater dementia risk, according to an assessment of 24 previous studies observing the 2 ailments.” A team of investigators based in the UK found in systematic review data that “respiratory illness and symptoms including poor forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were associated with notable increases to dementia risk across 11 different study results.” The study was published online in the CHEST Journal.

Related Links:

— “Poor Lung Function Linked to Dementia Risk, “Kevin Kunzmann, MD Magazine, January 20, 2020