NBC Nightly News (11/21, story 9, 0:25, Holt) reported, “A study from the University of Michigan found the rate of dementia in seniors has dropped by 24 percent since 2000.”

The New York Times (11/22, A13, Kolata, Subscription Publication) reports the study, published online Nov. 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine, reveals that “the dementia rate in Americans 65 and older fell…over 12 years, to 8.8 percent in 2012 from 11.6 percent in 2000.”

The AP (11/21, Tanner) reports, “Older adults with the most schooling had the lowest dementia rates, and the average education level increased during the study years,” researchers found after analyzing “nationally representative government surveys of about 10,500 older adults” in 2000 and in 2012.

According to Kaiser Health News (11/21, Szabo), the authors of accompanying editorial observed that it may be “possible that people with more education can better compensate for memory problems as they age, finding ways to work around their impairments.”

Psychiatric News (11/21) points out the study “authors also noted that while rates of cardiovascular risk factors have gone up since 2000, treatments for cardiovascular disease have improved, which may contribute to the reduced dementia incidence.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Dementia Rates Are Dropping Even as Population Ages,”Gina Kolata, The New York Times, November 22, 2016.

HealthDay (11/22, Mundell) reports that “babies of confident, enthusiastic fathers were less likely to develop behavioral problems by age 9 or 11,” researchers found after studying “more than 10,000 children and their parents.” The findings were published online in BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— “‘Enthusiastic’ Dads May Mean Less Troubled Kids: Study,”E.J. Mundell, HealthDay, November 22, 2016.

Healio (11/22, Oldt) reports, “Having a strong social network was associated with lower risk for” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “among survivors of a major bushfire disaster,” Australian researchers found. The findings of the 558-participant study were published online Nov. 14 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Strong social ties protective against post-disaster PTSD, depression,Healio, November 22, 2016.

Kaiser Health News (11/22, Szabo) reports on “a transitional care clinic at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, which annually treats up to 1,500 patients with serious mental illness until they can find regular care.” By treating patients with mental illness, the clinic helps them from “winding up in the” emergency department. The article adds, “More than half of emergency room physicians said their local mental health system has gotten worse in the past year, according to a survey of 1,716 members of the American College of Emergency Physicians, released” last month. The survey revealed that 75% of ED physicians “said on their last shift, they saw at least one psychiatric patient who needed to be hospitalized.”

Related Links:

— “Clinics Help Keep People With Serious Mental Illness Out Of ER,”Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News, November 22, 2016.

Reuters (11/21, Wulfhorst) reports, “Men who behave like promiscuous playboys or feel powerful over women are more likely to have mental health problems than men with less sexist attitudes,” researchers found after examining “results of more than 70 US-based studies involving more than 19,000 men over 11 years.”

HealthDay (11/21, Mozes) reports the findings were published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Related Links:

— “Playboys and misogynists more likely to have mental health problems: study,”Ellen Wulfhorst, Reuters, November 21, 2016.

Reuters (11/21, Rapaport) reports children “who play ‘choking games’ to achieve a euphoric high are more likely to be suicidal and face a greater risk of injury and death when they play alone,” researchers found after examining “survey data collected from almost 21,000 Oregon teens” in eighth grade “in 2011 and 2013.”

HealthDay (11/21, Mozes) reports investigators found that “teens who had tried the practice alone were almost five times more likely to have thoughts of suicide than those who had done it in groups, and more than twice as likely to say they were in poor mental health overall.” The findings were published online Nov. 19 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Choking game riskiest when kids play alone,”Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, November 21, 2016.

HealthDay (11/21, Pallarito) reports, “Most preschoolers with mood, behavior and social disorders would benefit from non-drug therapies, but few receive this type of help,” experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics found in a new report. Because “parents, policymakers and” other caregivers “fail to recognize that young children are affected by the things that happen around them,” the AAP has proposed suggestions “for closing the treatment gap…in a policy statement published online Nov. 21 in the journal Pediatrics.”

Related Links:

— “Troubled Preschoolers Not Getting Effective Treatment: Report,”Karen Pallarito, HealthDay, November 21, 2016.

On its front page, the New York Times (11/20, A1, Hoffman, Subscription Publication) reported in a greater than 2,400-word story on the adjustments students with autism diagnoses face as they transition from high school to college. Currently, there are about 40 colleges around the US that have special “comprehensive support” programs designed to help students with autism. The “nuanced and complex” needs of these students, however, mean challenges remain for many, the Times reports.

Related Links:

— “Along the Autism Spectrum, a Path Through Campus Life,”Jan Hoffman, The New York Times, November 20, 2016.

HCP Live (11/18, Lutz) reported that girls who are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may “have a higher risk for multiple mental disorders that often lead to problems down the road,” researchers found after examining “data on nearly 2,000 girls primarily aged 8 to 13 years old, with and without” AD/HD, “in a meta-analysis of 18 studies.” The findings were published in the September issue of Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Girls with ADHD Often have Comorbid Behavioral Disorders,”Rachel Lutz, MD Magazine, November 18, 2016.

HealthDay (11/18, Salamon) reported, “Teenagers living in cohesive neighborhoods – where trusted neighbors get involved in monitoring each other’s children – experience fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety,” researchers found examining “information on more than 2,200 children born in large US cities.” The findings were published in the November issue of Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Neighborhoods May Be Key to Teens’ Mental Well-Being,” Maureen Salamon, HealthDay, November 18, 2016.