The New York Times (7/13, Brody) “Well” blog reported that parents can often be blamed “directly or indirectly when children and teenagers become hooked on electronic media, playing video games or sending texts many hours a day instead of interacting with the real world and the people in it.” Now, “experts in child development” are suggesting “ways parents can prevent or rectify the problem before undue damage occurs,” such as “thinking twice before using a mobile device when with their children,” checking email when the youngsters are in bed or are not around, and not using “devices when the family dines out.”

Related Links:

— “How to Cut Children’s Screen Time? Say No to Yourself First.,” Jane E. Brody, New York Times, July 13, 2015.

The Boston Globe (7/13, Albernaz) reports that “six- and seven-year-olds who are good liars showed better verbal working memory skills than kids who are bad liars,” according to a small study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. The study authors theorize that “verbal working memory and lying may be linked because they draw on the same cognitive resources.” The investigators noted that “brain imaging research of adult deceptive behavior has shown activation in the prefrontal cortex, which is also activated during verbal working memory tasks.”

Related Links:

— “Memory skill tied to fibbing,” Ami Albernaz, Boston Globe, July 13, 2015.

The New York Times (7/10, Bakalar) “Well” blog reported that researchers studied 40 people between the ages of 18 to 50 and found that, after taking a short nap, the study’s participants were able to reduce their frustration while working on an “unsolvable task” and rated their behavior as less impulsive compared to those who didn’t take a nap. Jennifer R. Goldschmied, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan and the lead author of the study, said, despite the small sample size, “These results are valuable and have put us on the route to understanding how we can utilize naps. Now people are starting to understand how powerful short bursts of sleep can be.” The research was published online in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Related Links:

— “Naps May Improve Our Frustration Tolerance,” Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, July 10, 2015.

Reuters (7/11, Rapaport) reported that a study published online July 1 in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that the number of teens and young adults using antipsychotics is rising. It appears that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is one of the main contributors to the rise, a condition for which the medications are not approved. The study found that only 1.10 percent of teens and 0.69 of young adults between the ages of 19 and 24 used antipsychotics. That number rose to 1.19 percent among teens in 2010 and 0.84 percent among young adults. Even though the number seems small, the article noted that these add up to large numbers considering the fact that there are currently about 74 million children under 18 in the US.

Related Links:

— “Antipsychotic use rising among teens and young adults,” Lisa Rapport, Reuters, July 10, 2015.

In a 344-77 vote, the House on Friday “overwhelmingly passed” the 21st Century Cures Bill, “a bipartisan bill that would make significant changes to the process for developing new drugs and medical devices,” the Washington Post (7/11, Johnson) “Wonkblog” reported. The bill was “cheered by rare across-the-aisle support” from legislators and supported by “the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups, and medical organizations,” the Post added.

The Los Angeles Times (7/11, Levey) reported the bill would grant “$8.75 billion in new funding for the National Institutes of Health at a time when the agency’s research budget has been flat for more than a decade.” Last week, the Administration “offered qualified support for the bill while registering concerns with several parts of the legislation, including its funding.”

Related Links:

— “House overwhelmingly passes bill to speed FDA drug approvals,” Carolyn Johnson, Washington Post, July 10, 2015.

The Washington Post (7/10, Mooney) reports according to research published in the open access journal Scientific Reports, living on a tree-lined urban street can be “better for your physical health.” The researchers show “the cognitive and psychological benefits of nature scenery” but also say it “enhances health outcomes” such as “heart conditions, prevalence of cancer, diabetes, mental health problems and much more.”

Related Links:

— “Scientists have discovered that living near trees is good for your health,” Chris Mooney, Washington Post, July 9, 2015.

Reuters (7/9, Kelland) reports that a review published online July 9 in The Lancet Psychiatry suggests that cigarette smoking may increase the risk for developing psychosis. Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing data from studies including some 15,000 users of tobacco and 273,000 non-smokers. Also covering the story are BBC News (7/10, Gallagher) and The Guardian (UK) (7/10, Boseley).

Related Links:

— “New analysis of smoking and schizophrenia suggests causal link,” Kate Kelland, Reuters, July 10, 2015.

The Kaiser Health News (7/9, Pockros) interviewed former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), who discussed his efforts to promote mental health treatment. Kennedy said, “Today we are reacting to an epidemic of untreated mental illness.” He recommended building “a chronic care or intensive care system so that people are treated and cared for, and not abandoned.” He favors “a chronic care approach to” the treatment of mental illness.

Related Links:

— “Patrick Kennedy On Moving Mental Health Policy Out Of ‘The Dark Ages’,” Alana Pokros, Kaiser Health News, July 9, 2015.

The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (7/10) reports in depth on depression as a common, yet often unexpected side effect of significant medical treatment or illness. According to the article, a 2011 report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said that 34 million US adults – 17 percent of all US adults – “had a mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression along with a chronic health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, back pain or asthma.” The Times notes that the National Cancer Institute estimates 25 percent of cancer patients experience depression, and the American Heart Association estimates 33 percent of all heart attack patients do the same.

Related Links:

— “Depression common after serious illness or medical treatments, and should be treated,” Irene Maher, Tampa Bay Times, July 9, 2015.

The AP (7/9, Tanner) reports, “War-time suicide attempts in the Army are most common in newer enlisted soldiers who have not been deployed, while officers are less likely to try to end their lives,” according to a study published online July 8 in JAMA Psychiatry. After analyzing “records on nearly 10,000 suicide attempts among almost one million active-duty Army members during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, from 2004 to 2009,” researchers also found that suicide “attempts are more common among women and those without a high school diploma.”

The CBS News (7/9, Welch) website reports that “rates of attempted suicide were lower among black, Hispanic, and Asian soldiers,” the study found. The study’s lead author “said that future research will focus on the reasons why women are at a greater risk of attempted suicide, why the risk is lower among deployed soldiers, and which mental health disorders carry the highest risk.”

Related Links:

— “SUICIDE ATTEMPTS MOST COMMON IN NEWER SOLDIERS, STUDY FOUND,” Lindsey Tanner, Asssociated Press, July 8, 2015.