The New York Times (10/5, Reynolds, Subscription Publication) “Well” blog reports that a “single concussion experienced by a child or teenager may have lasting repercussions on mental health and intellectual and physical functioning throughout adulthood, and multiple head injuries increase the risks of later problems,” according to a large study conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield and published in PLOS Medicine.

Related Links:

— “A Single Concussion May Have Lasting Impact,” GRETCHEN REYNOLDS, New York Times, October 5, 2016.

HCP Live (10/5, Lutz) reports heredity appears to play “a major part in the development of” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), a researcher found after “using the Swedish Twin Registry…to compare identical twins to fraternal twins to identify the genetic versus environmental factors that determine” the development of AD/HD. The findings were published in a successfully defended doctoral thesis from Sweden’s Linköping University.

Related Links:

— “Heredity an Important Factor in ADHD, Alcoholism, and Binge Eating,” Rachel Lutz, HCP Live, October 5, 2016.

Medical Daily (10/5) reports, “Young girls suffering from” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may also be “more likely to be diagnosed with” a comorbid anxiety disorder, “depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder than” girls without the disorder. The findings of the 18-study meta-analysis were published in the October issue of Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Girls With ADHD At Risk For Behavioral Problems, Anxiety,” Ed Cara, Medical Daily, October 5, 2016.

In a nearly 1,300 word article, Kaiser Health News (10/4, Gorman) reports some long-term care facilities are using “doll therapy” to help relax residents with dementia. Some research suggests the controversial method “can reduce the need for medications, diminish anxiety and improve communication.”

Related Links:

— “When Pretend Play Is Real For Alzheimer’s Patients,” Anna Gorman , Kaiser Health News, October 4, 2016.

Healio (10/4, Quaile) reports, “Depression appears to increase the risk for all-cause mortality and” myocardial infarction (MI) “in patients with stable angina,” researchers found after retrospectively analyzing “a cohort of 22,917 patients aged at least 20 years from Ontario, Canada, newly diagnosed with stable angina based on obstructive” coronary artery disease “found on angiogram, to determine predictors of developing depression.”

Related Links:

— “Depression linked to adverse outcomes in patients with stable angina,” Healio, October 4, 2016.

Kaiser Health News (10/4, Gorman) focuses on “treatment-resistant depression,” which is defined as “depression that doesn’t respond to two different medications when taken one after the other, at the right dose and for the right amount of time.” Currently, almost “16 million adults have major depression, and up to a third do not respond to treatment,” a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry indicates. Some “experts” now “say that as many as half of older adults don’t get better with standard treatment.”

Related Links:

— “When The Blues Won’t Let You Be,” Anna Gorman , Kaiser Health News, October 4, 2016.

On its “Morning Edition” program and in its “Shots” blog, NPR (10/3, Hamilton) reports that brain-training games will not help people become free of age-related memory problems, researchers concluded after reviewing “more than 130 studies of brain games and other forms of cognitive training.” The findings of their review were published in the October issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

Related Links:

— “Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test,” JON HAMILTON, National Public Radio, October 3, 2016.

The AP (10/3, Virtanen) reports that starting in July 2018, New York state schools “will have to teach about mental health in their state-mandated health classes” under legislation signed into law on Sept. 30 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).

Related Links:

— “NY law will require mental health education in schools,” MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Washington Times, October 3, 2016.

MedPage Today (10/3, Walker) reports that research indicated kids “with untreated primary hypertension turned in lower scores on tests measuring verbal and visual learning, and recall and verbal reasoning, versus normotensive controls.” The findings of the 75-child study were published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Mental Deficits Seen in Kids With HTN,” Molly Walker, MedPage Today, October 3, 2016.

Healio (10/3, Pardes) reports, “Based on findings from its Pathways to Prevention Workshop,” the National Institutes of Health “has issued a final report that offers strategies for” preventing suicide in youths. The position paper was published online Oct. 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. An accompanying editorial “called for suicide prevention data to be linked to current data systems.”

Related Links:

— “NIH issues report on optimizing youth suicide prevention efforts,” Healio, October 3, 2016.