The CBS Evening News (7/8, story 7, 2:30, Pelley) reported, “America’s heroin problem is getting worse. There’s a new report from the CDC that says in just six years heroin use has risen 150 percent to more than a half million Americans, and over a decade, use by women alone is up 100 percent.” As a result, there are increasing numbers of babies born addicted to heroin.

USA Today (7/9, Ungar) reports that admissions of heroin- or opioid-addicted infants “to US neonatal intensive care units nearly quadrupled from 2004 through 2013, from seven to 27 per 1,000 admissions, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found.” In the meantime, “the overall incidence nearly doubled in four years nationally, with one affected baby born every 25 minutes by 2012,” according to a study published in the Journal of Perinatology.

Related Links:

— “Born into suffering: More babies arrive dependent on drugs,” Laura Unger, USA Today, July 8, 2015.

Modern Healthcare (7/8, Dickson, Subscription Publication) reports that “inpatient psychiatric facilities are pushing back at attempts by the CMS” to implement “new quality metrics that will affect psychiatric facility payments starting in fiscal 2018.”

While some behavioral health facilities have “jeered” the proposed measures, particularly those regarding tobacco use treatment, “others were thrilled with the quality measure recommendations.” For example, American Psychiatric Association CEO Saul Levin, MD, said, “Given the prevalence of tobacco use among persons with mental illness and the detrimental effects of tobacco use on overall health, the (American Psychiatric Association) is in full agreement that clinicians should provide tobacco use screening and offer treatment.”

Dr. Levin added, “While inpatient psychiatric facilities may not be primarily established to provide substance use treatment, the lack of such treatment during periods of hospitalization impedes the effectiveness of psychiatric treatment and the likelihood of recovery.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric facilities push back on new CMS quality measures,” Virgil Dickson, Modern Healthcare, July 7, 2015.

The New York Times (7/8, Rabin) “Well” blog reports that a “cross-national study” published online July 6 in the journal Pediatric Obesity Investigates “weight-based bullying.” After surveying “the views of 2,866 adults in the United States, Canada, Iceland and Australia,” researchers found that “at least 70 percent of participants in all of the countries perceived weight-based bullying to be a common problem, with 69 percent characterizing it as a ‘serious’ or even ‘very serious’ problem.”

Related Links:

— “Fat Stigma Fuels Weight Bullying,” Roni Robin, New York Times, July 7, 2015.

One major television news network, along with several major newspapers, media outlets and wire sources, cover a troubling rise in overdose deaths from heroin, as detailed in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly all the sources quote CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, who expressed alarm at this trend and who tied it to a new set of public health problems.

NBC Nightly News (7/7, story 6, 2:35, Holt) reported that the CDC released “alarming new numbers…showing a dramatic rise in the heroin epidemic,” with heroin overdose deaths nearly quadrupling between 2002 and 2013, and the number of women using the drug doubling.

Related Links:

— “CDC Report Notes Alarming Rise in Heroin Use Across U.S.,” Erika Edwards, NBC Nightly News, July 7, 2015.

The Washington Post (7/7, Gebelhoff) “To Your Health” blog reports in continuing coverage that a study published online July 1 in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that antipsychotic medication “use has been on the rise among adolescents, even though most had not been diagnosed with a mental disorder.” After analyzing “data from thousands of prescriptions to analyze trends between 2006 and 2010,” investigators also “expressed concern that in cases where there are diagnosed mental disorders, the antipsychotic drugs are being used to treat unapproved conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression.”

Related Links:

— “Most antipsychotic drugs prescribed to teens without mental health diagnosis, study says,” Robert Gebelhoff, Washington Post, July 6, 2015.

The Telegraph (UK) (7/7, Knapton) reports that a study published in BMJ Open suggests that consuming alcohol during pregnancy is “now a ‘significant health concern’ after finding three quarters of British women carry on drinking, while 33 per cent drink more than six units in one sitting.” The researchers analyzed nearly 18,000 women and found about “75 per cent of pregnant women in the UK reported drinking some alcohol in pregnancy, lower than in Ireland at 86 per cent but higher than in Australia at 40 per cent and New Zealand at 56 per cent.”

Related Links:

— “Pregnant women should be tested for alcohol amid binge drinking fears,” Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph, July 6, 2015.

Reuters (7/7, Harding) reports that treating children impacted by war for anxiety and depression may benefit their long-term behavior and mental health, according to a study of 529 youngsters from Sierra Leone published online July 6 in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Care for depression, anxiety helps war-exposed children long-term,” Anne Harding, Reuters, July 6, 2015.

HealthDay (7/4, Mozes) reported that research suggests that “experiencing a traumatic event during childhood may” increase “the risk for migraines as an adult.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from a mental health survey involving nearly 23,000 men and women over the age of 18.” The findings were published in Headache.

Related Links:

— “Childhood Trauma Tied to Migraine Risk as Adult,” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, July 3, 2015.

The Washington Post (7/3, Gebelhoff) “Speaking of Science” blog reported that a “new statistical study” published July 2 in PLOS One adds “to the long-standing debate over whether media can plant ideas for ‘copycat murderers.’” For the study, investigators “created a model to analyze high-profile tragedies, and found that mass killings — events with four or more deaths — and school shootings create a ‘period of contagion.’”

The ABC News (7/3, Mohney) website reported that researchers “found that the probability of a mass killing or school shooting increased between 20 to 30 percent for an average of 13 days.” The study’s lead author “said for every three mass killings one more was incited due to ‘contagion.’” In the case of “school shootings, every three events appeared to incite one additional event.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Why some mass killings and school shootings seem to be contagious,” Robert Gebelhoff, Washington Post, July 2, 2015.

The New York Times (7/5, A11, Philipps, Subscription Publication) reports that Vets4Warriors, a counseling program for thousands of military personnel stationed around the world, is struggling to survive after the Pentagon decided to consolidate the work of similar organizations and end funding to the program. According to the Times, the New Jersey Legislature voted to give the hotline $2.5 million so that “the program could operate another year, giving it time to find private funding.” The hotline has also had to “rely on word of mouth and unofficial referrals” to connect to troops in need now that the Pentagon has also decided to no longer provide their number to troops.

Related Links:

— “Veterans Hotline Tries to Survive Without Pentagon Funds,” Dave Phillips, New York Times, July 4, 2015.