MedPage Today (10/31, Bender) reported that a research letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that “increasing numbers of people with opioid dependence use both prescription opiates and heroin concurrently, and shift between them depending on availability.” Investigators found, “in a study of more than 15,000 individuals diagnosed with opioid dependence, the percentage using prescription opioids and heroin together peaked at nearly 42%” last year, “up from 24% in 2008.”

Related Links:

— “Heroin, Prescription Opioids Interchangeable for Abusers,” Eve Bender, MedPage Today, October 30, 2015.

In a 2,500-word article on its front page, the New York Times (10/31, A1, Seelye, Subscription Publication) discussed how the usage of heroin “has skyrocketed among whites” and prompted a “growing army of families of those lost to heroin” to unite “their influence, anger and grief to cushion the country’s approach to drugs, from altering the language around addiction to prodding government to treat it not as a crime, but as a disease.”

Related Links:

— “In Heroin Crisis, White Families Seek Gentler War on Drugs,” Katherine Q. Seeleye, New York Times, October 30, 2015.

The Los Angeles Times (10/30, Kaplan) reports in “Science Now” that a new study published Thursday in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery suggests that “a face-lift may make you look younger, but it won’t necessarily improve your self-esteem.”

The Huffington Post (10/30, Adams) reports that Dr. Andrew Jacono, a New York City-based plastic surgeon, “partnered with Ryan P. Chastant, MD, and Greg Dibelius, MD, to perform” the study. They had “50 patients between the ages of 37 and 73 (48 of whom were women) fill out the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a questionnaire social scientists use to measure self-esteem, just before they had the procedure done and again six months after the procedure.” HealthDay (10/30, Alan) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “A face-lift won’t help with your sagging self-esteem, study says,” Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2015.

The Washington Post (10/30, Bahrampour) reports in “Social Issues” that “mounting evidence shows that staying in the workforce into old age is good” for one’s “health and mental acuity.” The “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” study “shows negative effects for those who retire earlier than the mean age – and the outcomes are worse the earlier you stop working.” The study, so far, has found the “optimal age” for retirement is “around the late 60s but depends on factors from an individual’s financial security to the culture he lives in.”

Related Links:

— “This is your brain on retirement — not nearly as sharp, studies are finding,” Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, October 29, 2015.

Medscape (10/30, Anderson) reports that new research presented at the 44th Child Neurology Society (CNS) Annual Meeting indicates that children and adolescents who suffer from migraines are three times more likely than those without headaches to have “a mood disorder, such as depression, and almost three times more likely to have other neurologic conditions, such as epilepsy.” The study included 9,014 youngsters between the ages of eight and 21 from the Philadelphia Neuro-developmental Cohort.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (10/30, Sun) reports that yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee “heard testimony to address comprehensive mental health legislation.” Speaking before the committee, outgoing National Institute of Mental Health Director Thomas Insel, MD, “told lawmakers that the criminal justice system has become the ‘de facto mental health system in this country.’” Dr. Insel also used his time to call for “investment in more science ‘if we’re going to come up with treatments that are going to be more effective.’” Also on Thursday, the American Psychiatric Association hosted an “afternoon briefing in the House on decriminalizing people with mental illness.”

The Congressional Quarterly (10/30, Zanona, Subscription Publication) reports that S 1945, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sen. Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), “aims to enhance federal mental health programs and research.” The bill is not anticipated “to see floor action until next year, though committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., indicated he wants to hold another hearing on the topic before the end of this year.”

The Hartford (CT) Courant (10/30, Altimari) “Capitol Watch” blog points out that S 1945 “calls for the appointment of an assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse within the federal Department of Health and Human Services.” In addition, the proposed legislation would “increase funding for additional outpatient and inpatient treatment slots, add new enforcement provisions to the mental health parity law,” as well as “allocate more money for research into the causes and treatment of mental illness, and remove a rule” barring Medicaid “from paying for mental health treatment and physical health treatment on the same day.”

According to Modern Healthcare (10/30, Shannon Muchmore, Subscription Publication), both S 1945 and HR 2646, legislation introduced into the House of Representatives by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), “seek to clarify privacy rules in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [PL 104-191] to ensure that doctors understand they are able to share some diagnostic and treatment information with parents and other caregivers.” The proposed privacy rule clarification has concerned some lawmakers, however, prompting “nearly 20 House Democrats” to send “a letter(pdf) to the leadership of the House Energy & Commerce Committee that criticizes the House bill for its proposed changes to patient privacy laws and its incentives for states to implement assisted outpatient-therapy laws.” Also covering the story are the Connecticut Mirror (10/30, Radelat) and the Connecticut Post (10/30, Freedman).

Related Links:

— “Mental health in the spotlight Thursday on Capitol Hill,” Lena H. Sun, Washington Post, October 29, 2015.

HealthDay (10/29, Reinberg) reports that adolescents “given prescription narcotic” pain medications “may run a higher risk of abusing narcotics after high school,” according to research published online Oct. 26 in the journal Pediatrics. After analyzing “data that tracked more than 6,200 high school seniors until” age 23, researchers found that use of prescription narcotic pain medications was tied to a “33 percent increased risk of later abuse.”

Related Links:

— “Narcotic Painkiller Use in Adolescence May Raise Risk of Adult Addiction,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 28, 2015.

Forbes (10/29) contributor Robert Glatter, MD, wrote, “Over 80% of emergency physicians believe that the mental health systems currently in place in their communities and surrounding regions are not providing optimal care for patients.” This finding is “based on a national survey of nearly 1,500 emergency physicians by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).” In response to this problem, “leaders in emergency medicine and psychiatry are launching ‘COPE,’ the Coalition On Psychiatric Emergencies, to help streamline and make improvements for patients who require urgent psychiatric intervention.”

Related Links:

— “Most ER Doctors Don’t Believe The Mental Health System Is Working For Patients,” Robert Glatter, MD, Forbes, October 28, 2015.

In a more than 4,500-word investigatory piece that was also broadcast on the “All Things Considered” program, Daniel Zwerdling of NPR (10/28) and Michael De Yoanna of Colorado Public Radio outline the cases of several soldiers with mental health issues, which in conjunction with secret recordings by soldiers and data from FOIA requests, indicate that “the Army has been pushing out soldiers diagnosed with mental health problems.” According to NPR, data show that 22,000 soldiers have been “separated” for “misconduct” after returning from war zones and being diagnosed with mental health issues, thereby becoming ineligible for medical benefits. Some have claimed the reason is that “it takes less time and money to get rid of problem soldiers on the grounds of misconduct.”

Related Links:

— “Missed Treatment: Soldiers With Mental Health Issues Dismissed For ‘Misconduct’,” Daniel Zwerdling, NPR, October 28, 2015.

Reuters (10/28, Bryan) reports that at a conference devoted to aviation security, experts and pilots expressed their opinion that providing support for pilots with mental health issues would probably help prevent pilot suicides more effectively than the requirement of having two flight personnel present at all times in airliner cockpits. One consulting psychologist pointed out that in previous incidences in which a pilot was suspected to have committed suicide, another pilot in the cockpit was unable to take back control of the plane. Instead, the psychologist made the recommendation to provide pilots with mental health awareness training, not just for themselves, but also for other aircrew members, an idea pilot groups also promote.

Related Links:

— “Support, not two in cockpit, key to reducing pilot suicide risk, experts say,” Victoria Bryan, Reuters, October 27, 2015.