The Los Angeles Times (12/4, Kaplan) “Science Now” blog reports that according to a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), approximately “one in 13 Americans was suffering from depression at some point between 2009 and 2012, yet only 35% of people with severe depression and 20% of those with moderate depression said they had sought help from a mental health professional.” The report’s findings come from “interviews with a nationally representative group of American adults and teenagers who participated in the federal government’s ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.”

The New York Daily News (12/4, Engel) points out that the report, called “Depression in the US Household Population, 2009-2012,” also reveals that “depression was most common among women and people ages 40 to 59.” Other findings from the report: “Women of all ages were more likely to be depressed than men — 9.5% of females reported moderate or severe symptoms, whereas only 5.6% of men did,” and “rates of depression” did not differ much “across racial lines.”

Related Links:

— “7.6% of Americans are depressed, but few seek mental health treatment,” Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, December 3, 2014.

Congressional Quarterly (12/3, Attias, Subscription Publication) reports that the 113th Congress is most likely not going to act “on comprehensive mental health legislation,” but Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), “the sponsor of a bipartisan House bill, is pledging to ‘revise and revive’ his proposal next year.” Murphy “said he is reviewing the wide-reaching measure (HR 3717) to see what needs to be clarified after getting feedback from lawmakers, families and professionals,” with the aim of introducing “an updated version early next year, he said.”

Related Links:

— Congressional Quarterly (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (11/29, Hoffman, Subscription Publication) reported that some evangelical church leaders are reaching out to congregants suffering from mental illness. It described efforts by some pastors and noted the knowledge gap between secular psychologists and psychiatrists, who often have little training regarding the role of religious beliefs, and “the culture of conservative Christianity,” which tends to view “mental illness…as mental weakness.”

Related Links:

— “More Pastors Embrace Talk of Mental Ills,” Jan Hoffman, New York Times, November 28, 2014.

HealthDay (11/27, Preidt) reported that research published online (12/1) in Neurology suggests that “more than half of Americans with dementia have never undergone screening of their thinking and memory skills.” The research “included almost 300 people with dementia, aged 70 and older, who were taking part in the national Health and Retirement Study.”

The Medscape (12/1) reported that investigators “found that about 5% of those 70 years or older with cognitive impairment not dementia (CIND), and less than half of those with frank dementia, received a” clinical cognitive evaluation.

Related Links:

— “Too Few Americans Undergo Dementia Screening,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 26, 2014.

The Wall Street Journal (11/29, A1, Ansberry, Subscription Publication) reported on its front page on the hundreds of thousands of aging veterans who are finding themselves looking for post-traumatic stress disorder treatment after several decades. The Veterans Administration reported nearly double the number of veterans receiving treatment for PTSD from VA hospitals and clinics through March of 2014 compared with 2006. This total was largely Iraq and Afghanistan veterans but also included vets from previous wars such as Vietnam.

Related Links:

— “Vets Seek Help for PTSD Decades After War,” Clare Ansberry, Wall Street Journal, November 29, 2014.
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