Kaiser Health News (9/19, Gold) reports that approximately one out of five US women “will experience depression in her lifetime, twice the number of men.” Currently, “about 15 percent of women take an antidepressant,” but “among women age 40 to 59, that number is nearly 23 percent, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Related Links:
— “The Women’s Health Issue No One Talks About,” Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News, September 19, 2016.
HealthDay (9/19, Dallas) reports about two-thirds of parents want middle schools and high schools to teach their students about “how to cope with issues such as stress, depression, bullying and suicide,” in their health classes, according to a survey done by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Many parents responded that their children’s schools do not currently teach about these topics in health classes.
Related Links:
— “2 of 3 Parents Want Schools to Expand Health Education,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 19, 2016.
In an article titled “5 Myths About Aging,” Consumer Reports (9/16, Levine) pointed out, “Older people are no more likely than younger ones to be depressed, says Robert Roca, MD, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Geriatric Psychiatry.” When seniors “do become depressed, ‘usually it stems from a loss associated with growing older,’” Dr. Roca explained. He said, “They lose loved ones or friends, they lose their identity because they retire, their physical vigor declines and they can’t do as many activities as they used to.”
Related Links:
— “5 Myths About Aging,” Hallie Levine, Consumer Reports, September 16, 2016.
PBS NewsHour (9/18, Segal) reports a recent spike in suicides in the US has raised concerns about the small number of psychiatric beds in the US for suicidal patients and others in need of psychiatric care. The article points out that the number of psychiatric beds for patients per capita in the US decreased by 95% between 1955 and 2005, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Related Links:
— “Why do suicidal patients wait hours for a hospital bed?,” CORINNE SEGAL, PBS NewsHour, September 18, 2016.
HealthDay (9/18, Dallas) reported, “Internet addiction may signal other mental health issues among college students,” researchers found after evaluating “internet use of 254 freshmen at McMaster University in Ontario.” The findings were scheduled for presentation at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting.
Related Links:
— “Internet Addiction May Be Red Flag for Other Mental Health Issues: Study,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 19, 2016.
The New York Times (9/19, Louis, Subscription Publication) reports a new study suggests that attention deficit disorder (ADD) “is the most common mental health diagnosis among children under 12 who die by suicide.” In evaluating “deaths in 17 states from 2003 to 2012,” researchers “compared 87 children aged 5 to 11 who committed suicide with 606 adolescents aged 12 to 14 who did, to see how they differed.” The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics.
Related Links:
— “More Child Suicides Are Linked to A.D.D. Than Depression, Study Suggests,” CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS, New York Times, September 19, 2016.
Healio (9/15, Oldt) reports, “A literature review” published online Sept. 9 in the American Psychiatric Association’s American Journal of Psychiatry suggested that Food and Drug Administration-approved “hypnotic medications were associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation.” In particular, the study authors “expressed concern regarding benzodiazepine receptor agonist hypnotics, which can cause parasomnias and may lead to suicidal ideation or behavior in individuals not known to be suicidal.”
Related Links:
— “Hypnotics may increase risk for suicidal ideation, suicide,” McCall WV, et al., Healio, September 15, 2016.
The New York Daily News (9/14, Fermino) reports New York City health officials announced that more people now die from suicide in the city than from homicide or car crashes. In 2014, 565 people died by suicide while 353 people died from homicides and 270 died in motor vehicle accidents.
Related Links:
— “Suicide claims more lives in New York City than murders or car crashes, data shows,” Jennifer Fermino, New York Daily News, September 14, 2016.
In an opinion piece in USA Today (9/15, Shulkin), David J. Shulkin, MD, undersecretary for health for the Department of Veterans Affairs, writes, “This past year, VA has expanded our suicide prevention efforts providing greater access to our services, and we are continuing to ensure same-day access for urgent mental health needs at every medical center.”
The VA is also “enhancing…partnerships with community-based” practitioners “to broaden the network of mental health professionals and are researching to find new solutions.” Dr. Shulkin concludes, “We believe our partnerships, research and new technologies will benefit all Americans, and we will continue to be seen as the forerunners in suicide prevention efforts.”
Related Links:
— “VA: Suicide prevention is a top priority,” David J. Shulkin, USA Today, September 15, 2016.
In an editorial, USA Today (9/15) asserts, “A veteran is choosing death every 72 minutes, and the” Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “could be doing more to keep that person alive.” USA Today charges that the VA’s “mammoth bureaucracy, second only to the Pentagon, has been slow to embrace new ideas, chief among them managing the urge to commit suicide and not just treating underlying illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder or severe depression.”
Related Links:
— “Every 72 minutes, a veteran commits suicide: Our view,” USA Today, September 15, 2016.