USA Today (6/30, Zoroya) reports that according to the results of a US Army-funded study published online June 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine, “the rate of narcotic prescription use among US troops coming out of combat is more than three times the rate for civilians and more than 44% of service members complain of chronic pain lasting longer than three months.” The study “was based on a survey of soldiers in an Army brigade three months after returning from Afghanistan in 2011.” Of that group, “more than 45% said they had been injured in combat.”

The Los Angeles Times (6/30, Zarembo) “Science Now” blog reports that the majority of the 1,131 soldiers who reported chronic pain “were taking over-the-counter medications,” and “fewer than a quarter — or 259 —had a prescription for opioids.” Of the latter group, “most…said they had used opioids a ‘few or several days’ during the past month, while 60 soldiers had taken them nearly every day.”

Related Links:

— “Many combat veterans use prescription narcotics,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, July 2, 2014.

The Washington Post (7/1, Lamothe) reports a recent poll indicates “the vast majority of veterans believe their physical health care needs are being met at least ‘somewhat well’ — on par with the general public in separate surveys.” However, only 41% of those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan responded that their needs are being met “very well,” while 56% of the general public said the same.

Related Links:

— “Poll shows mixed response to military health care as scrutiny mounts,” Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, June 30, 2014.

The New York Times (7/1, A11, Lafraniere, Subscription Publication) reports that yesterday Pentagon senior health official Dr. Jonathan Woodson announced the armed forces’ hospital network had to work hard before it could restore public trust. In particular, “He called for greater attention to patient safety and more openness about problems in treatment,” stating that, “In moments like these, it can be easy to close down. We need to do the opposite. We need to become even more transparent.”

Related Links:

— “Official Seeks Restored Trust in Military Care,” Sharon LacFroniere, New York Times, June 30, 2014.

NPR (7/1, Shute) “Shots” blog reports that according to a study published online June 30 in JAMA Pediatrics, lead at low levels may cause depression in children. The study of 1,341 youngsters in Jintan, China revealed that “when the children’s behavior and cognitive abilities were tested in the last year of preschool, at age six, the children who had more lead in their blood were more likely to have emotional problems, anxiety, and pervasive developmental problems.”

Related Links:

— “Lead Exposure May Cause Depression And Anxiety In Children,” Nancy Shute, National Public Radio, June 30, 2014.

The Washington Post (6/30, Mascarelli) reports that a “disturbing ultra-thin-body trend pressures women and girls to achieve a gap between the thighs when they stand with their feet touching.” Now, experts are afraid that “the focus on thigh gap is driving a small number of women, especially teens, into behavior that could lead to eating disorders and other destructive habits.” The majority of “women – even those who are very thin – do not have a thigh gap, says Angela Guarda, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Eating Disorders Program.”

Related Links:

— “Fueled by social media, ‘thigh gap’ focus can lure young women to eating disorders,” Amanda Mascarelli, Washington Post, June 30, 2014.

TIME (7/2, Abrams) reports that according to a study published online June 23 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, St. John’s wort, often used as an “alternative medicine for depression,” appears to react “dangerously with many common medicines.” After examining data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, researchers “found that 28 percent of patients who said they were taking St. John’s wort were also taking drugs that have potentially dangerous interactions with the supplement.”

St. John’s wort can react dangerously with benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, chemotherapy treatments for cancer, digoxin, oral contraceptives, statin medications, and immunosuppressants.

Related Links:

— “Natural Depression Supplements’ Dangerous Drug Interactions,” Abby Abrams, Time, July 1, 2014.

HealthDay (7/2, Doheny) reports that according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, “adding access to a computer tablet to traditional therapy may help children with autism talk and interact more.” The study, which involved 61 youngsters with an autism spectrum disorder who ranged in age from five to eight, “compared language and social communication treatment – with or without access to an iPad computer tablet…and found that the device helped boost the effect of the treatment.”

Related Links:

— “iPads May Help Boost Speaking Skills in Kids With Autism: Study,” Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, July 1, 2014.

In the New York Times (6/29, Friedman, Subscription Publication), Richard A. Friedman, professor of clinical psychiatry and the director of the psychopharmacology clinic at the Weill Cornell Medical College, wrote about how the “darker side” of adolescence involves “a surge… in anxiety and fearfulness,” which is attributed to “a quirk of brain development.”

According to Friedman, this “brain-development lag has huge implications for how we think about anxiety and how we treat it.” He warns against “the ever rising use of stimulants in young people, because these drugs may worsen anxiety and make it harder for teenagers to” develop skills necessary to “modulate their fear.”

Related Links:

— “Why Teenagers Act Crazy,” Ricard A. Friedman, New York Times, June 28, 2014.

In a column for USA Today (6/28), Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), a chief sponsor of the 2008 Mental Health Parity Act, and Husseini Manji, the former chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology and director of the Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, tout the BRAIN Initiative.

They assert that the project, aimed at mapping the circuitry of the brain, would “not only help us to better understand complex human behavior, but could spark profound new advancements in treating brain disorders.”

Related Links:

— “Why brain research is vital: Column,” Patrick J. Kennedy and Husseini Manji, USA Today, June 28, 2014.

TIME (6/27, Abrams) reports that according to a study published in the BMJ’s Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, “women with chronic physical illnesses are 10% more likely to seek support for mental health issues than men with similar illnesses.” T

he study also revealed that “women tend to seek out mental health services months earlier than men.” For the study, investigators “looked at people diagnosed with at least one of four illnesses: diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

Related Links:

— “Women More Likely Than Men to Seek Mental Health Help, Study Finds,” Abby Abrams, Time, June 26, 2014.