Reuters (7/26, Seaman) reports, “One suicide attempt in an army unit may foreshadow attempts by other soldiers in the same unit,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from soldiers on active duty from 2004 through 2009.” Those data, which included “9,512 soldiers who attempted suicide during that time,” revealed that “soldiers in units with a recent suicide attempt were 40 percent more likely to attempt suicide themselves.” The findings were published online July 26 in JAMA Psychiatry.

According to Psychiatric News (7/26), the authors of an accompanying editorial wrote, “The findings from this study certainly reflect actionable information, raising tantalizing questions about the influence of military social structure and leadership on suicide risk factors as well as the potential for contagion of suicidal behaviors within Army units.” Also covering the story are HealthDay (7/26, Dotinga) and Healio (7/26, Oldt).

Related Links:

— “Suicide attempt risk in U.S. Army tied to unit’s past,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, July 26, 2017.

The Washington Post (7/25, Maese) reports that investigators looking into “the link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy” have “found that 99 percent of the brains donated by families of former NFL players showed signs of the neurodegenerative disease.” Altogether, the investigators “examined 202 brains that belonged to men who played football at all levels and were later donated for research.” CTE was found “in 177 of them – 87 percent.” Of the brains that belonged to men who had played in the NFL, 110 of 111 were found to have CTE.

The AP (7/25, Tanner) reports, “A panel of neuropathologists made the diagnosis by examining brain tissue, using recent criteria from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke…said” lead author Dr. Ann McKee.

TIME (7/25, Sifferlin) reports that the study indicated “the severity of CTE symptoms appeared to progress the more a person played the sport.”

The Boston Globe (7/25, Freyer) reports that “even those with mild CTE had suffered from disabling mental problems, including agitation, impulsivity, explosive tempers, and memory loss,” while “more than half contemplated suicide.”

USA Today (7/25, Perez) reports that “the most common cause of death (27%) among those with mild stages of CTE (stages 1-2) was suicide.” The findings were published July 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to Psychiatric News (7/25), the study authors wrote, “Behavior or mood symptoms may be the initial presentation for a subset of individuals with CTE, or alternatively, CTE pathology may lower the threshold for psychiatric manifestations in susceptible individuals.”

Related Links:

— “The latest brain study examined 111 former NFL players. Only one didn’t have CTE.,” Rick Maese, Washington Post, July 25, 2017.

HealthDay (7/24, Preidt) reports that adolescents and “adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may have a lower risk of developing an alcohol or drug problem if they take medications to treat” AD/HD, researchers concluded after examining data “from three million Americans” with AD/HD. The findings were published online June 29 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Treating ADHD May Help Curb Later Drinking, Drug Problems,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 24, 2017.

On the front of its Science Times section, the New York Times (7/24, D1, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports in a nearly 2,500-word article that “England is in the midst of a unique national experiment, the world’s most ambitious effort to treat depression, anxiety and other common mental illnesses.” The initiative “offers virtually open-ended talk therapy free of charge at clinics throughout the country,” with the goal of the eventual creation of “a system of primary care for mental health not just for England but for all of Britain.”

Related Links:

— “England’s Mental Health Experiment: No-Cost Talk Therapy,” BENEDICT CAREY, New York Times, July 24, 2017.

In an op-ed in the New York Times (7/24, Subscription Publication), Robert Rigo, who recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, discusses his experiences with self-harm and depression and even how he has considered suicide. In the classroom, as well as in adult life, people with mental health issues “are suffering – and sometimes dying – in silence because we can’t seem to talk openly about mental health.”

Rigo concludes, “We must push the conversation about mental illness forward whether it be in the classrooms of public schools or with our families and friends.” Mental health “issues are real and lethal, and the first means of prevention is acknowledging their existence.”

Related Links:

— “Let’s Talk About Suicide,” ROBERT RIGO, New York Times, July 24, 2017.

Medscape (7/24, Anderson) reports, “Depression that starts early in life increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” researchers concluded after examining “data from the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg Sweden, which began almost 50 years ago.” Included in the study sample were some “800 women (mean age, 46 years), born between 1914 and 1930.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2017.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

NBC Nightly News (7/22, story 11, 2:25, Diaz-Balart) reported that the city of Buffalo, New York has implemented a new program through its court system to address the opioid problem, in which intervention is begun “immediately after users are arrested, getting them treatment inside the justice system.”

Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez said Judge Craig Hannah is “presiding over the nation’s first opioid crisis intervention court of its kind. Unlike typical drug courts, this program gets users into treatment within hours of their arrest, not weeks. It requires detox, strict curfews, and checking in with Judge Hannah every day for a month.” Hannah said, “I think the tide is changing in our country that you can’t lock away an addict; you have to give treatment.”

HealthDay (7/21, Preidt) reported, “Nearly one in five American adults deals with a mental illness or substance abuse problem each year,” research from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) suggests. The study found that “overall, almost 44 million Americans 18 or older had a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder in the past year, researchers” found after reviewing “national surveys on drug use and health.”

Related Links:

— “Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. Adults Has Mental Illness or Drug Problem,”Robert Preidt , HealthDay, July 20, 2017.

Related Links:

— “,” , , July , 2017. (7/20, Szabo) reports that people who are “hospitalized for heart attack or chest pain” are approximately “four times” more likely to “develop major depression” than the general population, according to the American Heart Association. The article adds that more health systems are trying “collaborative care,” where “care managers” work with primary care physicians to address physical and mental health conditions together. The article quotes Dr. Anita Everett, president of the American Psychiatric Association, as praising care managers for their ability to reach out to patients and not allow them to “stay at home and get depressed.”

Related Links:

— “Depression in heart attack survivors is common, often untreated,” Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News, July 20, 2017.

MedPage Today (7/19, Fiore) reported, “An intensive, personalized approach to high-utilizer pain patients that integrated psychiatric and pain care lowered overall healthcare costs at one health system,” investigators found. In fact, “referral to Duke University’s Medical Pain Service saved the system about $9,000 per patient per year,” the 31-patient study revealed. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Integrated Pain-Psych Management Program Saves Dollars,” Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today, July19 , 2017.