On its front page, the New York Times (1/4, A1, Flegenheimer, Subscription Publication) reports on the psychological toll taken on New York City subway train operators when people jump or are pushed in front of their trains, situations which almost always result in fatalities or hideous injury. Official policy is to give train operators three days off following a fatality, but “many workers involved in fatal hits can take months to return if they go on compensated leave while recovering from trauma or other psychological conditions.” Others may choose to transfer to other jobs or even retire rather than come back to their old job. “Howard Rombom, a psychologist based on Long Island who specializes in fatal subway cases, said an initial hurdle for operators was recognizing they were not at fault.” Support groups and desensitization therapy may help alleviate some operator stress.

Related Links:

— “Subway Deaths Haunt Those at Trains’ Controls,”Matt Flegenheimer, The New York Times, January 3, 2013.

The Racine (WI) Journal Times (1/3) reports, “Reports of child abuse and neglect have dropped nationwide for the fifth consecutive year and abuse-related child fatalities also are at a five-year low,” according to the latest annual report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. The report, “released last month, estimates that there were 681,000 cases of child abuse or neglect across the nation in the 2011 fiscal year.” The piece quotes George Shelton, the HHS acting secretary for children and families. Shelton, who praised the progress made, said that “what this report tells me is that we still have 681,000 children out there who need our help.”

Related Links:

— “COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER: Reports of child abuse and neglect have dropped nationwide for 5th straight year, The Journal Times, January 2, 2013.

HealthDay (1/3, Dotinga) reports, “People diagnosed with mental illness are more likely than others to be victims of domestic violence,” according to a review recently published in the journal PLoS One. After examining data gathered from 41 studies across the globe, researchers found that “women with symptoms of depression were 2.5 times more likely to have experienced domestic violence over their lifetimes than those in the general population, while those with anxiety disorders were more than 3.5 times more likely to have suffered domestic abuse. The extra risk grew to seven times more likely among those with post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Disorders Linked With Domestic Violence, Study Says,”Randy Dotinga, HealthDay, January 2, 2013.

The CBS Evening News (12/29, story 13, 2:30, Jarvis) reported, “For many American veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, this is the toughest time of year.” CBS (Miller) reported retired Army Capt. Emily Stair “says she saw a lot of carnage while serving as a physical therapist in Iraq. Although she appeared upbeat, once out of Iraq she fell into a deep depression and thought about suicide.” Miller explained, “In March of 2009, she spent more than a week undergoing psychiatric evaluation at an Army hospital in Germany.”

In an analysis piece, the National Journal (12/28, Mershon, Subscription Publication) reported, “About one in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, but millions of those who report needing mental health services don’t receive care because of its cost or its negative stigma.” What’s more, states “have cut about $5 billion from public mental health spending in the past four years, at the same time that 10 percent more people have sought services, according to Joel Miller, a senior policy director at the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors.” The question now is whether mental health services will improve under the Affordable Care Act. “While most experts agree that supply will eventually catch up with demand, the infrastructure to support substantially more individuals seeking mental health services will take time to develop.”

Related Links:

— “Will ‘Obamacare’ Fill the Gaps in Our Mental Health System?, “Erin Mershon, National Journal, December 28, 2012.

In a column focused on how to help families whose members are in need of mental health services, Steve Lopez wrote in the Los Angeles Times (12/31, Lopez), “If you have concerns about a loved one, contact your physician or your county mental health department. If you don’t get immediate help, call (800) 950-NAMI (6264) or go to http://www.nami.org, a great resource for information on symptoms and treatments of all mental disorders, as well as a link to the” nearest National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) chapter.

Related Links:

— “A lifeline for parents concerned about a child’s mental health, “Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2012.

In continuing coverage, Reuters (12/29, Begley) reported that many parents with children, teens and young adults with serious mental disorders are experiencing profound difficulties in obtaining help when their offspring are in crisis mode and need immediate mental healthcare. The situation is made even worse by state budget crises, a dwindling number of beds for psychiatric inpatients, and a nationwide shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. In some cases, people needing mental healthcare end up in jails or in emergency departments.

Related Links:

— “U.S. mentally ill and their families face barriers to care, “Sharon Begley, Reuters, December 29, 2012.

HealthDay (12/29, Preidt) reported, “Constant worriers are at increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” according to a study recently published online in the journal Psychological Research. After following about 1,000 people for just over a decade, researchers found that “people who had higher levels of neuroticism at the start of the study were more likely to be among the five percent who developed PTSD.”

Related Links:

— “Chronic Worry Linked to Higher Risk of PTSD,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay News, December 28, 2012.

Medscape (12/29, Brauser) reported, “Admissions to substance abuse treatment programs by patients using a combination of benzodiazepines (benzos) and pain relievers have risen drastically over the past decade, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).” That report, “the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Report for December 13, examined national records on annual admissions for substance use treatment.” It indicated “that between the years 2000 and 2010, admissions for those abusing both benzos and narcotic pain relievers increased more than 500% — whereas admissions for all other substances decreased by almost 10%.”

Related Links:

— “Admissions Reporting Benzodiazepine and Narcotic Pain Reliever Abuse at Treatment Entry,SAMHSA, December 13, 2012.

In continuing coverage, MedPage Today (12/28, Petrochko) reports, “Restrictions on gun violence research have stymied scientific efforts to find preventive solutions to mass shootings, such as the one in Newtown, Conn., according to physician researchers” writing online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “The CDC has been stifled by language attached to a House of Representatives appropriations bill in 1996 that said ‘none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the CDC may be used to advocate or promote gun control,’ according to Frederick Rivara, MD, of Seattle Children’s Hospital in Washington, and Arthur Kellermann, MD, of the RAND Corporation in Washington.” A viewpointpublished online in the Archives of Internal Medicine echoed that JAMA article, saying that “answers to questions about private gun ownership and gun injuries and deaths cannot be found without restoring the ability of the CDC and other government agencies to study, and fund studies on, gun-related injuries.”

Related Links:

— “Gun Research Silenced by Cut in Funds, Docs Say,”Cole Petrochko, MedPage Today, December 27, 2012.