The New York Times (2/5, A17, Schwarz, Subscription Publication) reports that a “survey of more than 150,000” US college students, called “The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2014” and conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the University of California-Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute, reveals that “9.5 percent of respondents had frequently ‘felt depressed’ during the past year, a significant rise over the 6.1 percent reported five years ago.” During that same time, “those who ‘felt overwhelmed’ by schoolwork and other commitments rose to 34.6 percent from 27.1 percent.”

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The Wall Street Journal (2/2, Ward, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published in the Journal of Economic Psychology suggests that making a charitable donation may result in an improvement in the emotional and physical well-being of the donor. The study was conducted by Baris K. Yörük, an associate professor of economics at the University at Albany-SUNY, and colleagues.

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— “Does Charitable Giving Lead to Better Health?,” Lisa Ward, Wall Street Journal, February 1, 2015.

In continuing coverage, Modern Healthcare (1/31, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reported that “behavioral health stakeholders are…uniting behind a bill first introduced in 2013 by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), a psychologist who spent more than a year holding hearings on mental illness after the Sandy Hook shootings.” But, even though “many professional and patient-advocacy groups back the measure, others fear the proposal will shift the focus away from relying on community-based mental healthcare” professionals “and undermine the years put into deinstitutionalizing” Americans with mental illnesses. HR 3717 would also “earmark $40 million for the National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies initiative, which seeks to identify the molecular pathways of mental illness and dementia.”

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— “Mental healthcare legislation gives boost to inpatient care,” Steven Ross Johnson, Modern Healthcare, January 31, 2015.

In continuing coverage, the Wall Street Journal (1/31, Kesling, Subscription Publication) detailed the veterans’ suicide-prevention bill named for former Marine Sgt. Clay Hunt. The measure would help veterans with mental health problems get help sooner, would enable them to have access to support following separation from military service, and provide the VA with the ability to hire more mental healthcare professionals. Also included in the measure is up to $30,000 annually in student loan forgiveness for psychiatrists who decide to work for the VA.

The AP (2/2, Daly) reports today, the US Senate “is expected to take up” the measure, which is “aimed at reducing a wave of suicides that claims the lives of 22 veterans every day.” If the Senate passes the bill as expected, it goes to President Obama for his signature.

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— “Congress Moves to Bolster VA’s Mental-Health Services,” , Wall Street Journal, January 31, 2015. [Subscription/Login Required]

On its front page, the New York Times (1/29, A1, Belson, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published online Jan. 28 in the journal Neurology suggests that “NFL retirees who began playing tackle football before they turned 12 were at increased risk of developing memory and thinking problems compared with players who began when they were 12 or older.” While “both groups scored below average on many memory and cognitive tests…there was a roughly 20 percent difference between the two groups on several measures.”

The Washington Post (1/29, Hobson) reports, “While the study’s authors cautioned their subject group was limited – all former NFL players who have complained of cognitive, behavioral or mood problems – their findings suggest football is unsafe for children.” One of study authors said, “This study supports the idea…that there may be later life consequences associated with childhood exposure to repetitive head impacts.” He added, “Regardless of the results, it makes logical sense that children whose brains are rapidly developing should not be hitting their heads over and over again.”

The AP (1/29, Golen) reports that the study has limitations in that “it only looked at former NFL players; the conclusions cannot be generalized to a broader population.”

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— “To Allay Fears, N.F.L. Huddles With Mothers,” Ken Belson, New York Times, January 28, 2015.

HealthDay (1/29, Doheny) reports that a study published online Jan. 28 in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that “more than 10 percent of preschool-age children diagnosed with autism saw some improvement in their symptoms by age six,” and “20 percent of the children made some gains in everyday functioning.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after following 421 youngsters “from diagnosis (between ages two and four) until age six, collecting information at four points in time to see how their symptoms and their ability to adapt to daily life fared.”

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— “Some Kids With Autism Show Improvement by Age 6: Study,” Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, January 28, 2015.

In the New York Times (2/3, Ellison) “Well” blog, author Katherine Ellison writes that an increasing number of physicians “who treat the estimated 6.4 million American children diagnosed with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “are hearing that stimulant medications not only help treat the disorder but may actually be good for their patients’ brains” and may even be “neuroprotective.” Other experts on AD/HD suggest that stimulant medications for AD/HD “may change the brain over time so as to undermine the long-term response to the medication and even exacerbate symptoms when people aren’t taking them.” Meanwhile, “Dr. Peter Jensen, the former associate director of child and adolescent research at the National Institute of Mental Health, cautioned that parents should not try to force children with” AD/HD “to take medication when they don’t want to, adding that ‘most kids don’t want to.’”

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— “Can Attention Deficit Drugs ‘Normalize’ a Child’s Brain?,” Katherine Ellison, New York Times, February ,2 2015.

HealthDay (2/3, Preidt) reports that a study published online Feb. 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that delirium “is common among older hospital patients and raises their risk of falls, physical decline and longer hospital stays.” After reviewing “14 studies that assessed the use of drug-free strategies to reduce delirium in older patients at 12 hospitals around the world,” researchers concluded that “proper nutrition and hydration, adequate sleep, daily exercise, activities to improve thinking and memory and telling patients where they are, and the date and time, every day” seemed to lower the odds of patients experiencing delirium.

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— “Non-Drug Options Can Help Curb Delirium in Hospital Patients, Study Finds,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 2, 2015.

The New York Times (2/3, Belluck) “Well” blog reports that a study published in the January issue of The Lancet Psychiatry “has documented unexpected links in the timing and severity of symptoms of maternal depression, which could help mothers and doctors better anticipate and treat the condition.” After following some “8,200 women from 19 centers in seven countries,” researchers found that in women “with the severest symptoms — suicidal thoughts, panic, frequent crying — depression most often began during pregnancy, not after giving birth, as is often assumed.” Women with moderate depression, however, “often developed their symptoms postpartum, and were more likely than severely depressed women to have experienced complications during pregnancy like pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes or hypertension.”

Related Links:

— “Maternal Depression Often Starts Before Giving Birth, Study Says,” Pam Belluck, New York Times, February 2, 2015.