Reuters (10/7, Seaman) reports that the prevalence of PTSD is far higher than originally thought in women veterans who served during the era of the Vietnam war, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after examining data on 4,219 female service members who served in Vietnam, near Vietnam, and in the US from 1965 to 1973. Also covering the story are HealthDay (10/8, Dallas) and Medscape (10/8, Harrison).

Related Links:

— “PTSD common among female Vietnam-era veterans,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, October 7, 2015.

Medscape (10/8, Harrison) reports that 78 percent of US adults “support mandated mental health coverage in health plans,” according to the results of “a cross-sectional national poll” published in the October issue of the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. The poll, to which 2,124 people responded, also found that “support is stronger when substance abuse treatment is not explicitly included in that coverage.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (10/8, Ross) “The Fix” blog reports that the ACA “has boosted the number of Americans with health insurance coverage but has not resolved the disparate way in which many insurers treat the costs of mental and physical health care, according to an April report (PDF) released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.” The report found that Federal changes mandating parity between mental and physical healthcare benefits “do not, in practice, exist for the vast majority of Americans who are insured.” As the country struggles with a heroin crisis, researchers found that people “are struggling to find therapists and psychiatrists who participate in their health insurance plans. They also face more frequent coverage and treatment denials from their health insurance companies for mental health care than for other services and must clear multiple hurdles to maintain a steady supply of mental health care medication.”

Related Links:

— “Obamacare mandated better mental health-care coverage. It hasn’t happened.,” Janell Ross, Washington Post, October 7, 2015.

HealthDay (10/8) reports that the majority “of the suicide attempts occurred in the second and third year after the surgery, the findings showed.” However, “about 93 percent of those suicide attempts occurred in patients diagnosed with a mental health disorder prior to surgery, the researchers reported.” The study authors theorized that “changes in alcohol metabolism after surgery; a substitution of substance misuse for food; increased stress; and changes in the levels of hormones that might affect the likelihood of depression and suicidal behaviors” may explain the findings.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Risk May Rise for Some After Weight-Loss Surgery,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 7, 2015.

In an editorial, the Baltimore Sun (10/7) reports that in wake of “last week’s shooting at Umpqua Community College that left 10 dead, there has been a steady drumbeat of calls for better care” for people who suffer from mental illnesses. The Sun points out that even though “improving access to mental health services” would likely not “prevent the next mass shooting or even significantly reduce violence on the streets,” it would certainly “greatly improve the quality of life for the estimated 5.6 million Americans with a mental illness.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health prescription?,” Baltimore Sun, October 6, 2015.

In an op-ed for USA Today (10/7), former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the author of a new book on mental illness and addiction, urges every presidential candidate to include a “detailed and realistic platform for how he or she would dramatically improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illness and addiction.”

Kennedy argues that because of discrimination, mental disorders are often kept secret, which is “a huge part of the reason our country does not have a consistent policy on their care.” He says that “experts agree” that “perhaps the greatest opportunity to save lives and health care dollars” would come from approaching mental illnesses proactively, integrating care, and no longer “pretending these aren’t chronic illnesses.”

Related Links:

— “Patrick Kennedy: After Roseburg, face up to mental illness, addiction,” Patrick J. Kennedy, USA Today, October 7, 2015.

The CBS News (10/7, Marcus) website reports that expectant fathers “may feel stressed, worn down, and anxious about the ins and outs of pregnancy and new parenthood,” according to research published online Sept. 18 in the American Journal of Men’s Health. The 622-participant study revealed that “more than 13 percent of first-time expectant fathers reported elevated symptoms of depression during their partners’ pregnancies.”

But, Philip Muskin, MD, “a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and chief of service of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, said it’s important to clarify that the researchers looked at depressive symptoms, which are not the same as depression.” Dr. Muskin, “who is also a member of the scientific program committee at the American Psychiatric Association…was not involved in the study.”

Related Links:

— “Dads-to-be may be at risk for “baby blues”,” Mary Trophy Marcus, CBS News, October 6, 2015.

Medscape (10/6, Davenport) reports, “Young people at risk for depression are less likely to develop the disorder after a cognitive-behavioral prevention (CBP) program, the benefits of which persist for more than six years,” according to the findings of a 316-patient study published online Sept. 30 in JAMA Psychiatry. A grant from the National Institute of Mental Health helped support the study. Reuters (10/6, Doyle) also reports.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

USA Today (10/3, Szabo) reported that “23 mental health groups,” including the American Psychiatric Association, “are calling on Congress to pass legislation aimed at repairing the USA’s broken mental health system.” Last Thursday, “the groups delivered a letter” to leaders of the House of Representatives “hours before the attack at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. left 10 people dead.” In the letter, which the APA helped co-author, APA president Renée Binder, MD, asked, “How many more reminders do we need that mental health has to be a high priority?” Dr. Binder added, “This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. This is an American issue.”

Related Links:

— “Groups call on Congress to reform mental health system,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, October 2, 2015.

The Washington Post (10/3, Dennis) “To Your Health” blog wrote that some academics now contend that gun violence should be considered “a public health crisis.” For example, “US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has referred to the problem as a health epidemic.” Last Thursday, following the mass shootings at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, OR, President Obama “lamented ‘a Congress that explicitly blocks us from even collecting data on how we could potentially reduce gun deaths.’”

Related Links:

— “Why we should think of gun violence as a disease, and study it accordingly,” Brady Dennis, Washington Post, October 2, 2015.