In an editorial, the New York Times (12/16, A34, Subscription Publication) takes issue with the argument from opponents of expanded gun-control legislation that “instead of limiting access to guns, the country should focus on mental health problems,” arguing that “mental illness is not a factor in most violent acts.” The Times asserts that “blaming mental health problems for gun violence in America gives the public the false impression that most people with mental illness are dangerous.” While “effectively diagnosing and treating mental illness is a worthy goal in itself,” the Times concludes that addressing mental health “on its own will not solve the country’s gun violence problem.”

Related Links:

— “Don’t Blame Mental Illness for Gun Violence,” New York Times, December 15, 2015.

Kaiser Health News (12/16, Andrews) reports that even though mental health courts “have been in existence since the 1990s,” evidence is “still scanty on the courts’ effectiveness at addressing offenders’ mental health problems or discouraging offenders from relapsing into criminal behavior.” In addition, some experts believe that “offenders who are charged with minor crimes would be better off staying out of the criminal justice system and instead just getting treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Courts Are Popular But Effectiveness Is Still Unproven,” Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News, December 15, 2015.

HealthDay (12/16, Reinberg) reports, “Some commonly used antidepressants may increase certain patients’ risk of developing mania or bipolar disorder,” a study published online Dec. 15 in BMJ Open suggests. The “strongest” association was “for depressed patients prescribed Effexor (venlafaxine) or antidepressants called serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),” researchers found after examining “the medical records of more than 21,000 adults treated for major depression in London between 2006 and 2013.”

Related Links:

— “Certain Antidepressants May Be Linked to Bipolar Disorder: Study,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, December 15, 2015.

On the front of its Personal Journal section, the Wall Street Journal (12/15, D1, Reddy, Subscription Publication) reports on a study published last month in JAMA Internal Medicine, which found that patients whose doctors spent a lot of time looking at a computer screen during examinations rated their care lower.

Related Links:

— “Is Your Doctor Getting Too Much Screen Time?,” Sumathi Reddi, Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2015.

HealthDay (12/15, Haelle) reports that adolescents who abuse prescription pain medications may be “more likely to have sex or to participate in risky sexual behaviors,” a study published online Dec. 14 in Pediatrics suggests. After reviewing “surveys about risky behaviors completed by more than 29,000 high school students,” researchers found that such “risky behaviors included having sex with multiple partners, using drugs or alcohol before having sex or having sex without the use of a condom.”

Related Links:

— “Abuse of Prescription Painkillers, Stimulants Ups Sexual Risks for Teens,” Tara Haelle, HealthDay, December 14, 2015.

The AP (12/15, Thompson) reports that Rep. Mike Thompson (R-CA), who chairs the House Democrats’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, conducted a hearing in Sacramento, CA on Dec. 14 at which “a gun club owner and a gun dealer” testified that “closing loopholes in federal background checks and increasing mental health help would reduce gun violence.” Thompson, who is the “co-author of a House bill requiring nationwide background checks at gun shows and for those who buy guns from individuals online,” was accused by “gun rights proponents…of politicizing the issue.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health care would curb violence, some at hearing say,” Don Thompson, Associated Press, December 14, 2015.

ABC World News (12/14, story 13, 0:25, Muir) reported that new research suggests that “women taking antidepressants in the last six months of pregnancy are 87 percent more likely to have a child later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder [ASD].”

On NBC Nightly News (12/14, story 7, 2:05, Holt), correspondent Anne Thompson explained that according to the study, “the most commonly prescribed antidepressants” called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), “if taken during the second and third trimesters, are” tied to a greater risk for ASD.

USA Today (12/15, Szabo) reports that the study, which was published online Dec. 14 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, reveals that no “increase in autism rates” was seen “in women who took medication for depression in the first three months of pregnancy.”

The Washington Post (12/15, Cha) “To Your Health” blog reports that for the study, investigators analyzed “health records in Quebec from January 1999 and December 2009.” During that time frame, “145,456 full-term singleton infants were born, and 1,054 or 0.72 percent were subsequently diagnosed with autism.”

Related Links:

— “Taking antidepressants during pregnancy linked to increased risk of autism,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, December 14, 2015.

HealthDay (12/12, Dallas) reported that returning “to school could help older people stave off dementia.” The study of 350 older adults without dementia revealed that “taking college courses may boost brain functions, such as memory, decision-making and planning.” The findings were published in the journal Neuropsychology.

Related Links:

— “Seniors Who Head Back to School May Reduce Dementia Risk,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, December 11, 2015.

HealthDay (12/14, Haelle) reports, “Increased stress could be a risk factor for the kind of thinking difficulties that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease,” a study published online Dec. 11 in the journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders suggests. In research involving some “500 adults, aged 70 and older,” researchers found that “adults who perceived themselves to be under the most stress had a 30 percent greater risk of early cognitive impairment.” Medical Daily (12/14, Baulkman) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Stress May Boost Risk for Alzheimer’s-Linked Thinking Problems,” Tara Haelle, HealthDay, December 11, 2015.

The New York Times (12/14, A22, Subscription Publication) editorializes, “As Americans debate how the country should respond to gun violence, they should not lose sight of the biggest category of firearm deaths: suicides.” Although “no policy or education campaign is going to prevent every suicide,” the Times argues that “that is no excuse for failing to save as many people as we can by improving gun safety and by protecting” those “who are a danger to themselves.”

Related Links:

— “To Reduce Suicides, Keep the Guns Away,” New York Times, December 14, 2015.