U.S. News & World Report (10/11) reports many older adults struggle to receive mental healthcare services because of factors such as being “hindered by modern culture perpetuating the stigmas and misconceptions of ageism and mental health issues; social isolation; high health care costs; and a dwindling supply of geriatric caregivers for America’s growing older population.” The article says HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration are working to expand access to mental healthcare at the primary care setting.

Related Links:

— “A Look Into Older Adults’ State of Mind,” Katelyn Newman, U.S. News & World Report, October 11, 2017.

The New York Times (10/11, Denizet-Lewis, Subscription Publication) examines severe anxiety among teens in a 7,600-word article. The piece profiles teens who have struggled with severe anxiety and their treatment, such as medications, hospitalizations, and residential treatment facilities. The article mentions that “anxiety is the most common mental-health disorder in the United States, affecting nearly one-third of both adolescents and adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.” The piece also discusses current research and studies on anxiety.

Related Links:

— “Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?,” BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS, New York Times, October 11, 2017.

USA Today (10/10, May, Rossman) reports, “World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10, is a day to combat the stigma that mental health struggles aren’t real.”

Healio (10/10) reports that World Mental Health Day was observed on Oct. 10. In 2015, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, “an estimated 43.4 million adults aged 18 or older in the US experienced any mental illness within the past year.” What’s more, “serious mental illness occurred among an estimated 9.8 million adults in the US in 2015, representing 4% of all US adults.”

Related Links:

— “World Mental Health Day: People who got real about mental health,” Ashley May and Sean Rossman, USA Today, October 10, 2017.

Reuters (10/6, Crist) reports that children in elementary school, particularly those between ages eight and 10 “with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial anomalies may struggle more than older kids with anger, anxiety, depression and stress,” researchers found after surveying “99 patients at the UCLA Craniofacial Clinic ranging in age from 8 to 17 years.” The findings were published online Oct. 1 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Related Links:

— “Anxiety, depression greatest in younger kids with facial birth defects,” Carolyn Crist, Reuters, October 6, 2017.

Reuters (10/6, Rapaport) reported, “Most law enforcement agencies and many gun retailers may be willing to temporarily store firearms to help prevent suicide,” researchers concluded after surveying “448 law enforcement agencies and 95 gun retailers in eight states.” The findings were published online Sept. 21 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Related Links:

— “Some police and retailers may store guns to help prevent suicide,” Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, October 6, 2017.

Medscape (10/9, Anderson) reports, “Midday bright white light therapy may be effective for patients with bipolar depression,” researchers concluded after randomizing 46 patients “to a group that received broad- spectrum bright white fluorescent light (7000 lux) or to one that received inactive dim red light (50 lux).” The findings were published online Oct. 3 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. Healio (10/9, Oldt) and Psychiatric News (10/4) also covered the study.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (10/5, Mozes) reports, “Being born at an extremely low birth weight,” that is, at 2.2 pounds or less, “seems to increase the risk for developing mental health issues as an adult,” but such “risk can be lowered by lessening exposure to bullying and family stress during childhood and adolescence,” researchers found after reviewing “40 years’ worth of data” on “nearly 180 extremely low birth weight children who had been born between 1977 and 1982 and survived into adulthood,” then comparing “their adult mental health status…with that of 145 adults who had been born at a normal weight.” The findings were published online Oct. 3 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Protecting Preemies From Stress Might Improve Later Mental Health,” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, October 5, 2017.

HealthDay (10/5, Reinberg) reports, “Taking a multivitamin during pregnancy may reduce a child’s risk of developing autism,” research indicated. After analyzing data on “more than a quarter-million mother-child pairs in Sweden,” investigators found that “multivitamin use with or without added iron or folic acid was associated with a lower likelihood of child autism with intellectual disability, compared with mothers who did not use supplements.” The findingswere published online Oct. 4 in the BMJ. Healio (10/5, Oldt) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Prenatal Multivitamins Linked to Lower Autism Risk,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 5, 2017.

USA Today (10/3, Weintraub) reports that according to a new report to be released today by the advocacy group UsAgainstAlzheimer, American families are decreasingly able to provide care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s. American families have fewer financial resources and “Medicare and Medicaid are simply not prepared to cope with the growing numbers of people with this disease,” according to UsAgainstAlzheimer chairman George Vradenburg. While “fewer 75-year-olds are getting the disease, … more people are living to 85, and roughly half of them will develop Alzheimer’s, statistics show.”

Related Links:

— “Caregiving for Alzheimer’s patients at risk in coming years, report says,” Karen Weintraub, USA Today, October 3, 2017.

The AP (10/3, Tanner) reports that people who survived this week’s shootings in Las Vegas may be at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Also at risk for “psychological fallout” are first responders, medical staff, eyewitnesses, and bystanders. Studies indicate “PTSD is particularly common among people exposed to mass shootings versus other types of trauma, with rates as high as 90 percent reported” by some researchers.

Related Links:

— “Concert shooting puts many at risk for post-traumatic stress,” Associated Press, October 4, 2017.