The AP (12/21, Stobbe) reported that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday found that fatal overdoses from prescription opioids and heroin “surged” in 14 states last year, “pushing the nation to a record count.” Overdose deaths in the US eclipsed 47,000 in 2014, a 7 percent increase from the previous year, the highest amount reported since at least 1970, according to CDC records. The states where rates went up are Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. West Virginia had the highest overdose rate with 35.5 fatalities per 100,000, surpassing the national rate of 15 per 100,000. California had the most total overall deaths last year, with over 4,500. Ohio was second, with more than 2,700.

The Washington Post (12/19, Bernstein) reported that fatal overdoses due to heroin and prescription pain medicines were up 28 percent and 16.3 percent in 2014, respectively. The “10,574 heroin deaths and the 18,893 deaths from prescription opioids were two big contributors to a sharp increase in fatal drug overdoses last year.” Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “The bottom line is the opioid overdose epidemic has not abated and appears to have soared in 2014.” He added, “It’s clear that the opiate epidemic from 2013 to 2014 got worse, not better.”

According to The New York Times (12/18, A16, Kolata, Subscription Publication), “men and women of all races and ethnic groups and nearly all ages were affected by drug overdoses.”

Related Links:

— “REPORT: DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS SURGED IN 14 STATES LAST YEAR,” Mike Stobbe, Associated Press, December 18, 2015.

HealthDay (12/17, Haelle) reports, “Young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may experience more problems socializing with their peers, which can then contribute to worsening symptoms,” a study of nearly 1,000 youngsters suggests. When investigators “compared the children’s symptoms and social interactions at ages four, six and eight, they found that kids with the most severe AD/HD symptoms also experienced the most rejection from their classmates.”

Related Links:

— “ADHD May Hamper Social Relationships Early in Life,” Tara Haelle, HealthDay, December 16, 2015.

Roll Call (12/16, Bowman) explored the politics behind stalled “mental health system overhaul legislation,” including HR 2646, introduced by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA). That bill “has faced roadblocks: navigating the complex mental health system, educating lawmakers about needed improvements and lacking specific, vocal support from leadership.” One sticking point is “the discourse surrounding gun violence.”

While Republicans contend that “the government must better enforce existing gun laws, and that mental health system changes could help better treat those with mental illness, and prevent…mass shootings,” Democrats counter by saying that Republicans are “pushing for mental health system changes because the public is pressuring Congress to take some action after these shootings, and they do not want to battle the National Rifle Association about changing gun laws.”

Related Links:

— “Why Mental Health Bill Isn’t Moving,” Bridget Bowman, Roll Call, December 16, 2015.

HealthDay (12/16, Dotinga) reports that a study published online Dec. 15 in Radiology “finds brain ‘scarring’ in many members of the US military who suffered” blast-related “concussions during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.” For the study, “834 service people who suffered traumatic brain injuries (mostly concussions) from 2009 to 2014 underwent MRI brain scans, as did 42 adults without head injuries.” Investigators “said they saw signs of brain scarring in 52 percent of injured patients, small areas of bleeding in seven percent and signs of pituitary gland abnormalities in 29 percent.”

Related Links:

— “Scans Show Many Injured U.S. Vets May Have Brain ‘Scarring’,” Randy Dotinga, HealthDay, December 15, 2015.

The Wall Street Journal (12/16, A9, Mickle, Subscription Publication) reports that new results from the Monitoring the Future study from the University of Michigan and backed by the National Institutes of Health showed that daily cigarette smoking among high school students has dropped more than 50 percent over the last five years. Notably, the results showed that e-cigarette and marijuana use are now outpacing cigarette smoking for the first time.

USA Today (12/16, Maycan) reports that cigarette smoking “among teens hit an all-time low, but their fascination with e-cigarettes remains strong.” In the last month, 16 percent of 10th graders “said they used an e-cigarette and 7% said they used a tobacco cigarette,” while 17 percent of seniors reported e-cigarette use and 14 percent reported smoking a cigarette.

The New York Times (12/16, Schwarz, Subscription Publication) reports that “many students appear to be transitioning to e-cigarettes, which are unregulated and can contain nicotine and other harmful products,” according to Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which issued the report. In addition, for the first time, “the percentage of high school seniors who said they smoked marijuana daily (which remained steady at 6 percent) exceeded those who smoked traditional cigarettes daily (5.5 percent, a large drop from last year’s 6.7).”

Related Links:

— “Cigarette Smoking Down Among High School Students, Study Finds,” Tripp Mickle, Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2015.

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.