Reuters (9/15, Boggs) reports that seniors with low levels of vitamin D may lose their cognitive abilities faster than seniors whose vitamin D levels are normal, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in JAMA Neurology.

TIME (9/15, Park) reports that researchers studied “383 people enrolled in a long term Alzheimer’s study who participated in a series of cognitive studies and had their blood levels of a version of vitamin D measured yearly for five years.” At study start, “61% of the volunteers had vitamin D levels below recommended levels, and those with dementia showed lower levels of the vitamin.”

The NPR (9/15, Shute) “Shots” blog points out that the “study is notable because of the diversity of the participants: 62 percent were women, 30 percent were African American 25 percent Hispanic and 41 percent white.” The majority of prior “studies looking at cognitive decline and vitamin D were in white people.”

Related Links:

— “Low vitamin D levels linked to faster memory loss in older adults,” Will Boggs, MD, Reuters, September 14, 2015.

The AP (9/14, Crary) reports on the worsening shortage of psychiatrists in the US. “According to the American Medical Association…the number of adult and child psychiatrists rose by only 12 percent, from 43,640 to 49,079,” from 1995 to 2013. Within this same period of time, “the US population increased by 37 percent; meanwhile, millions more Americans have become eligible for mental health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.”

American Psychiatric Association president Renee Binder, MD, “says the perception of inadequate pay is a factor in discouraging some medical students from choosing psychiatry as a specialty.” Yet “another problem,” Dr. “Binder said, is the paperwork requirements imposed by Medicare and private insurance companies,” which, she pointed out, “interferes with our ability to have the time to sit with our patients.”

Related Links:

— “Across much of U.S., a serious shortage of psychiatrists,” David Crary, Associated Press via Express News, September 13, 2015.

Bloomberg News (9/8, McLaughlin) reports the American Medical Association said in studies released Tuesday that Anthem Inc.’s planned acquisition of Cigna Corp. and Aetna Inc.’s proposed takeover of Humana Inc. would reduce competition among health insurers in 154 metropolitan areas across the nation, possibly leading to higher premiums and lower payments to physicians. “The prospect of reducing five national health insurance carriers to just three should be viewed in the context of the unprecedented lack of competition that already exists in most health insurance markets,” the AMA said. According to Bloomberg News, the AMA study “relied on the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, which is also used by antitrust authorities reviewing deals.”

Reuters (9/9) reports the AMA found the Anthem-Cigna merger would affect competition in 13 states where they sell individual policies and in all 14 states where Anthem operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. An Aetna-Humana deal would reduce competition in as many as 14 states overall, according to the analysis. Reuters notes that the majority of Humana’s business is in Medicare Advantage, which is not included in the study.

Related Links:

— “Anthem, Aetna Deals Threaten Competition Across U.S., AMA Says,” David McLaughlin, Bloomberg News, September 8, 2015.

In a more than 2,300-word article, the Washington Post (9/6, Wax-Thibodeaux) chronicles the two-year pursuit of retired Sgt. Brenda Reed for “a foot that fits, a female foot” from the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the Post, as “a health-care system that for generations catered almost exclusively to men,” the VA “has been slow to recognize that the 2.3 million female veterans represent the fastest-growing population turning to the agency. In a myriad ways, the VA is struggling to address the urgent needs of these women for medical and mental health services.”

Related Links:

— “One female veteran’s epic quest for a ‘foot that fits’,” Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, September 5, 2015.

CNN Money (9/3) reports that yesterday, the American Psychiatric Association “slammed…fashion designer” Kenneth Cole “for a billboard that read: ‘Over 40M Americans suffer from mental illness. Some can access care…All can access guns.’” Renee Binder, MD, president of the APA, “said the billboard message is detrimental because it incorrectly links mental illness with gun violence and the need for gun control.” Dr. Binder stated that the billboard, which appears on Manhattan’s West Side Highway, “provides the gross misimpression that people with mental illness are violent.” Dr. Binder added, “The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent and most acts of violence are not committed by people with mental illness.”

Related Links:

— “Kenneth Cole slammed by psychiatric group for gun reform billboard,” Ahiza Garcia, CBB Money, September 3, 2015.

The Boston Globe (9/4, Krantz) reports that beginning “this academic year,” the Massachusetts Institute of Technology “will provide more mental health counselors, create a drop-in center for students to talk with professionals, and make it easier for students to seek professional services off campus.” The institute is implementing the changes “after campus officials reviewed the results of a survey administered to students in April and May, which found that 24 percent of undergraduate respondents have been diagnosed with one or more mental health disorders by a health professional.” Within the past year, there have been four suicides at MIT.

Related Links:

— “In wake of suicides, MIT bolsters mental health services,” Laura Krantz, Boston Globe, September 3, 2015.

The Washington Post (9/4, Cha) reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “takes an in-depth look at how children with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “came to get the label through a survey of 2,976 families.”

The CBS News (9/4, Welch) website reports that the new study from the CDC’s National Centers for Health Statistics “estimates that one-third of children in the US with AD/HD were diagnosed before the age of six.” Investigators “learned that the average age at which a child was first diagnosed was seven, but many” youngsters were diagnosed earlier.

The ABC News website reports that “in the vast majority of AD/HD diagnoses, family members are the first to identify signs of the disorder.”

Related Links:

— “One in five kids with ADHD diagnosed by doctors improperly,” Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, September 3, 2015.

The New York Times (9/2, Reynolds) “Well” blog summarized several studies indicating that exercise may be beneficial for “aging brains.” For example, a 100-participant study published Aug. 5 in PLoS One revealed that “the most physically active elderly volunteers…had better oxygenation and healthier patterns of brain activity than the more sedentary volunteers — especially in parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, that are known to be involved in improved memory and cognition.” A much larger study, published Aug. 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicated “some small improvements among the oldest exercising volunteers in their working memory and attention.”

Related Links:

— “Does Exercise Change Your Brain?,” Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, September 2, 2015.

CNN (9/2, Ansari) reports that results from an online survey “on mental health, anxiety and suicide indicate that 90% of Americans value mental and physical health equally,” indicating that the “stigma” surrounding mental health issues “appears to be shifting, at least in the” US.

US News & World Report (9/1, Esposito) reports that the survey, which was answered by “2,020 nationally representative adults,” also reveals that even though “47 percent of participants believe they have had a mental health condition, only 38 percent have received treatment” for it, with younger people being more likely than older ones to get help. The survey, which was conducted last month “by Harris and sponsored by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention,” also found that “about 55 percent of participants have been affected by suicide in some way, according to a joint press release from the three mental health groups.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: Mental health stigmas are shifting,” Azadeh Ansari, CNN, September 2, 2015.

The Washington Post (9/1, Dennis) details a new report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics that recommends warning children by the age of nine about the dangers associated with drinking alcohol. The report states, “Surveys indicate that children start to think positively about alcohol between ages 9 and 13 years… Therefore, it is very important to start talking to children about the dangers of drinking as early as 9 years of age.”

The New York Times (9/1, Dell’Antonia) writes the report states that “21 percent of youth acknowledge having had more than a sip of alcohol before 13 years of age, and most (79 percent) have done so by 12th grade.”

NBC News (9/1, Fox) quotes the report as saying, “Among youth who drink, the proportion who drink heavily is higher than among adult drinkers, rising from approximately 50 percent in those 12 to 14 years of age to 72 percent among those 18 to 20 years of age.” This heavy drinking, or binging, was defined as five or more drinks in one sitting. The report also notes that “80 percent of teenagers say their parents are the biggest influence on their decision whether to drink.”

Related Links:

— “When should you talk to your kids about alcohol? Before they turn 10, doctors say,” Brady Dennis, Washington Post, August 31, 2015.