The New York Times (3/17, D3, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports that research published online March 13 in the journal Psychological Science suggests that “elements of social judgment and short-term memory, important pieces of the cognitive puzzle, may peak later in life than previously thought.” The study, which gathered information from 48,537 participants, also found that “an older brain…moves more slowly than its younger self, but is just as accurate in many areas and more adept at reading others’ moods — on top of being more knowledgeable.”

Related Links:

— “Older Really Can Mean Wiser,”Benedict Carey, The New York Times, March 16, 2015.

The New York Times (3/17, Parker-Pope) reports in its “Well” blog that research published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science reveals “just how bad loneliness and social isolation, even for people who prefer their own company, can be for health.” After analyzing “data collected from 70 studies and more than 3.4 million people from 1980 to 2014,” researchers found that “people who were socially isolated, lonely or living alone had about a 30 percent higher chance of dying during a given study period than those who had regular social contact.” In addition, “the effect was greater for younger people than for those over 65,” the study found.

Related Links:

— “The Toll of a Solitary Life,”Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times, March 16, 2015.

The Boston Globe (3/17, Rocheleau) reports that “the rate of student suicide at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology continues to be notably higher than the national average for college campuses.” Over the past 10 years, “the university’s student suicide rate has been 10.2 per 100,000 students, according to a Globe review of public records as well as university and media reports,” compared to the US “national average for college campuses” of “roughly between 6.5 and 7.5 suicides per 100,000 students.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide rate at MIT higher than national average,”Matt Rocheleau, The Boston Globe, March 17, 2015.

The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (3/17, McDonald) reports that “treating depression may be just as important for your heart as taking care of high cholesterol,” according to a study conducted by researchers at Intermountain Healthcare. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after analyzing “patient records and rates of death, coronary artery disease and stroke for more than 26,000 patients treated by Intermountain over a three-year period,” then comparing data “to records for 5,311 patients identified as having moderate to severe depression based on a nine-question depression screening, which assessed factors such as mood, sleep and appetite.”

Related Links:

— “Utah study: Treating your depression helps your heart,”Amy McDonald, The Salt Lake Tribune, March 17, 2015.

The Boston Globe (3/14, Weintraub) reported that research published online March 4 in the journal Heart indicated that “men who were anxious in their late teens were twice as likely to die from heart attacks four decades later.” The study, which involved 237,980 men, “confirms that anxiety can have lasting health effects and that people who are naturally high strung have to try harder than most to make themselves resilient to stress, said Scott Montgomery, the study’s lead author.”

Related Links:

— “High-stress teens beware of later heart ills,”Karen Weintraub, The Boston Globe, March 13, 2015.

The Baltimore Sun (3/13) reported that a recent study published last month in the journal Neurobiology of Disease “adds to growing evidence linking football with brain damage.” Results of the study, in which Johns Hopkins researchers examined retired NFL players, “add to a growing body of research and anecdotal accounts associating brain disease with the blows to the head that are a common part of football and other sports.”

Related Links:

— “Imaging study looks at brain injury in former NFL players,”Arthur Hirsch, The Baltimore Sun, March 13, 2015.

US News & World Report (3/14, Wang) reported that “one in four adults – approximately 61 million Americans – experiences mental illness every year, according to a study by National Alliance on Mental Illness,” and many of these people are in the workforce. Now, “some leaders in the corporate world have…adopted emotional health of their employees as a priority,” helping employees to reach their full potential. Such programs pay off in increased productivity, decreased absenteeism “and other indirect costs.” But, despite such progress, “the most challenging part of mental health issue in the corporate world is still getting rid of the stigma, said Clare Miller, director of partnership for Workplace Mental Health at American Psychiatric Foundation,” the educational and philanthropic arm of the American Psychiatric Association. Miller stated, “If you are an employer and are educating the employees about mental health, you are really sending out that message that it’s okay to reach out for help.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Health: A New Priority in Corporate America,”Nancy Wang, US News & World Report , March 13, 2015.

USA Today (3/15, Zoroya) reports Army Secretary John McHugh and Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, have issued a directive ordering “inspections of all 54 of the service’s substance abuse clinics” following allegations made by the USA Today that “half of out-patient treatment centers are operating at substandard levels” and soldiers are being denied services they need. The articles notes that the inspections, which are to be allowed “unfettered access to ‘Army activities, personnel, locations, organizations and documents,’” are to be concluded within 90 days.

Related Links:

— “Army probes failing program following USA TODAY report,”Gregg Zoroya, USA Today , March 14, 2015.

On its front page, the Wall Street Journal (3/16, A1, Elinson, Subscription Publication) reports, in a nearly 2,500-word story, on the increasingly higher rates at which 76 million aging baby boomers are abusing prescription medicines, getting arrested, and dying from accidental overdoses. The Journal adds that this particular population abused substances at higher rates than any other generation during their youth. The trend has attracted the attention and concern of Federal health officials, including those from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Wilson Compton, Deputy Director of NIDA, is quoted as saying, “As the baby boomers have aged and brought their habits with them into middle age, and now into older adult groups, we are seeing marked increases in overdose deaths.”

Related Links:

— “Aging Baby Boomers Bring Drug Habits Into Middle Age,”Zusha Elinson, The Wall Street Journal, March 16, 2015.

Major newspapers, wire sources and media outlets cover the release of a report yesterday by the Institute of Medicine suggesting that raising the legal age to purchase cigarettes to age 21 in the US would greatly reduce the number of people who take up smoking and would also prevent a large number of deaths and health issues.

USA Today (3/13, Szabo) reports that a report released March 12 by the Institute of Medicine and requested by the Food and Drug Administration suggests that “raising the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21 would slash the smoking rate and save hundreds of thousands of lives by the end of the century.” According to USA Today, “the report stems from the 2009 law” called the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act “that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco.” Under the law, the FDA was forbidden “from setting a legal buying age for tobacco older than 18, but required…to study the consequences of such a change.”

Related Links:

— “Raising tobacco age would save lives, report says,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, March 12, 2015.