The New York Times (7/16, Subscription Publication) editorializes that the suicide rate for American veterans constitutes a “national emergency,” citing the 7,403 veteran suicides in 2014 alone, and says the VA’s safety net – its Veterans Crisis Line – is “badly frayed.” The Times argues that the only real solution is to give the VA a serious overhaul aimed at providing greater access to mental health resources and a “well-run crisis center,” but the paper is not optimistic, saying numerous reform plans have been put forth in the past but “every year brings new failures.”

Related Links:

— “For Suicidal Veterans, a Frayed Lifeline,” THE EDITORIAL BOARD, New York Times, July 16, 2016.

The NBC News (7/17, Merod) website reported that last week, by a vote of 422-2, the House of Representatives passed HR 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, considered to be “one of the most significant bills targeting mental health reform since 1963.” Even though “Congress just began its seven-week recess Thursday, advocates say they’re optimistic a similar bill could pass in the Senate by the end of the year.”

The Hill (7/17, Sullivan) reported, however, that “hopes are dimming for passage of a mental health bill in the Senate this year.” Proposed “legislation offered by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) may have to wait until 2017.” This is because “a tougher battle has emerged in the Senate over the politics of guns.” Should the mental health measure become embroiled in “a fight over the divisive issue of gun control, many fear the legislation would be sunk.” Even if guns do not become an issue, should mental health legislation not pass the Senate before the election in November, “there would be little time to get it through this Congress.”

Related Links:

— “House Passes Most Significant Mental Health Reform Bill in Decades,” ANNA MEROD, NBC News, July 17, 2016.

US News & World Report (7/14, Schroeder) reports, “Obesity is associated with higher rates of certain mental disorders, like depression, and experts say those can hamstring the most adamant efforts to” lose weight and keep it from coming back. Even “though still only a minority of people who are obese suffer from psychological issues like depression,” Philip R. Muskin, MD, “chair of the Scientific Program Committee of the American Psychiatric Association, agrees that checking for mental conditions makes sense.” Dr. Muskin said, “When you’re depressed it may be very difficult to make healthy choices,” including diet and exercise. But “he thinks this could be accomplished, to start, through screening in a primary care setting.”

Related Links:

— “Should You Undergo a Mental Health Evaluation for Obesity?,” Michael O. Schroeder, US News & World Report, July 14, 2016.

The Washington Post (7/13) “Wonkblog” reports that the “growing suicide rate” in the US “reveals the much bigger effect of widespread firearm availability.” Two years ago, “42,773 Americans killed themselves according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” and half of those people “did so with guns.” The number of people who took their own lives with firearms is “not only more than the number of Americans who were killed in mass shootings, it’s more than the number of people who were killed with guns in homicides and accidents combined.”

Related Links:

— “To reduce suicides, look at guns,” Kim Soffen, Washington Post, July 13, 2016.

Politico (7/13, Ehley) reports that despite all that the Affordable Care Act did to help address issues in the mental health system, “the bottom line is that most [with mental health issues] still aren’t getting treatment.” This is partly due to the “serious shortage of behavioral health specialists, and a dwindling number of clinics and hospitals…designed to treat and house people with serious mental illnesses.” Additionally, “care can be costly,” even for those with an in-network healthcare professional, and many therapists don’t take insurance. Finally, “enforcement of other” ACA “mental health requirements…has ranged from weak to nonexistent.”

Related Links:

— “Obamacare and mental health: An unfinished story,” BRIANNA EHLEY, Politico, July 13, 2016.

HealthDay (7/13, Pallarito) reports, “People with serious mental illness who are victims of violence or exposed to stressful events are more likely to engage in a violent crime in the week following the trauma,” research indicates. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “a nationwide sample of more than 2.8 million people born in Sweden between 1958 and 1988 to study potential triggers for violent crime.” The findings were published online July 13 in JAMA Psychiatry. An accompanying editorial suggested “the need for further research into the role of stress in triggering violence.”

Related Links:

— “Can Trauma Trigger Violent Crime in Mentally Ill?,” Karen Pallarito, HealthDay, July 13, 2016.

HealthDay (7/13, Doheny) reports that “children who suffer from epilepsy or fever-related seizures may face a higher risk of also having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD),” research suggests. After tracking Danish youngsters born “from 1990 through 2007…until 2012,” the study authors also found that kids “with both epilepsy and fever-related seizures had a risk of AD/HD more than three times higher than those without a history of either condition.” The findings of the nearly one million-participant study were published online July 13 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Epilepsy May Triple ADHD Risk, Danish Study Finds,” Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, July 13, 2016.

TIME (7/11, Park) reports a new study published in JAMA Neurology suggests head injuries may be linked to a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. Study participants who had reported head injuries saw a 3.5 times higher chance of developing symptoms of Parkinson’s compared to those who did not report head injuries. The study, however, did not find a correlation between reported head injuries and a higher risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

HealthDay (7/11, Reinberg) reports that the research also showed a link between traumatic head injuries and a “greater risk of microscopic stroke.”

Related Links:

— “Parkinson’s Head Trauma Link Looks Even Stronger,” Alice Park, Time, July 11, 2016.

Kaiser Health News (7/11, Ostrov) discusses and dubunks four myths about mental illness. The article points out that “nearly 20 percent of American adults will suffer from a mental illness at some point in a given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.”

Related Links:

— “Busting Myths About Mental Illness,” Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News, July 11, 2016.

US News & World Report (7/11, Leonard) reports that research indicates “state laws that require health insurance companies to cover autism treatment still aren’t reaching the vast majority of children with the disorder.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics. Investigators “found that in states without insurance mandates, the treated prevalence of autism was 1.6 per 1,000 children, compared with 1.8 per 1,000 children in states with insurance mandates.” Although “the difference represents an increase in treated prevalence of 12.7 percent, the higher total still makes up only a small fraction of the” CDC’s “estimate of 15 in 1,000 children who have autism.”

HealthDay (7/11) reports that since Indiana first implemented insurance mandates 15 years ago, “43 other states have also made autism treatment more accessible to families that couldn’t afford it.”

Related Links:

— “Do Autism Laws Help Kids?,” Kimberly Leonard, US News & World Report, July 11, 2016.