The Congressional Quarterly (7/16, Attias, Subscription Publication) reported that efforts in Congress “to overhaul the mental health system are expected to get a boost before the August recess with the introduction of a bipartisan Senate plan tracking with a House package that isn’t likely to be considered until later this year.” According to CQ, “Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., said the soon-to-be introduced bill would resemble the House plan (HR 2646) by Pennsylvania Republican Tim Murphy.” The Senate bill “is being crafted with Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy.”

Related Links:

— Congressional Quarterly (requires login and/or subscription)

In continuing coverage, the Washington Post (7/15, Cha) “To Your Health” blog reported that a “population-based study, published in the BMJ, found that mixing antidepressants with common painkillers appears to be linked to a higher risk of intracranial bleeding…shortly after starting the treatment.” Researchers “found that during that initial 30-day window of antidepressant use, 742 people experienced intracranial bleeding, with 169 on antidepressants only and 573 taking both antidepressants and NSAIDs.” Interestingly, “there were no significant differences based on which antidepressants…were taken or the age of the person.” Men appeared to have a greater risk than women did for such bleeding.

Related Links:

— “Study: Mixing antidepressants and painkillers may be tied to elevated risk of bleeding,” Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, July 15, 2015.

The NPR (7/15) “Shots” blog reports that youngsters and adolescents “with a psychiatric disorder had six times higher odds of having at health, legal, financial and social problems as adults,” according to research published online July 15 in JAMA Psychiatry. Kids and teens “with milder symptoms were three times more likely to have problems as adults,” the study found.

HealthDay (7/16, Preidt) reports that for the study, investigators “analyzed data from more than 1,400 participants in 11 North Carolina counties who were followed from childhood through adulthood.” While they were children, “about 26 percent of the participants met the criteria for depression, anxiety or a behavioral disorder, 31 percent had milder forms below the full threshold of a diagnosis, and nearly 43 percent had no mental health problems.”

TIME (7/16, Basu) reports, “Of the young adults who had suffered from a subthreshold psychiatric problem in childhood, 42% suffered an adverse outcome in adulthood.” Meanwhile, “of the kids who had behavioral or emotional issues as kids, 60% of them reported having trouble as adults.” Comparatively, “just 20% of the young adults who had no psychiatric issues reported adult problems.”

Related Links:

— “Even Mild Mental Health Problems In Children Can Cause Trouble Later,” Ina Yang, National Public Radio, July 15, 2015.

The AP (7/14, Tanner) reports that “limiting rough play” during soccer games may “be a better way to prevent concussions and other injuries,” according to a “nine-year” study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

TIME (7/14, Worland) reports that after analyzing “data collected between 2005 to 2014 from a sample of representative high schools in the” US “to estimate total soccer concussion numbers across the” country, researchers found that “player-to-player contact caused the majority of concussions.” The study also found that “headers, which require players to redirect the ball with their head, were the most dangerous individual move, responsible for nearly a third of concussions for boys and more than a quarter for girls.”

Related Links:

— “This Soccer Move Is Causing Concussions In Kids,” Justin Worland, Time, July 13, 2015.

The New York Times (7/13, Brody) “Well” blog reported that parents can often be blamed “directly or indirectly when children and teenagers become hooked on electronic media, playing video games or sending texts many hours a day instead of interacting with the real world and the people in it.” Now, “experts in child development” are suggesting “ways parents can prevent or rectify the problem before undue damage occurs,” such as “thinking twice before using a mobile device when with their children,” checking email when the youngsters are in bed or are not around, and not using “devices when the family dines out.”

Related Links:

— “How to Cut Children’s Screen Time? Say No to Yourself First.,” Jane E. Brody, New York Times, July 13, 2015.

The Boston Globe (7/13, Albernaz) reports that “six- and seven-year-olds who are good liars showed better verbal working memory skills than kids who are bad liars,” according to a small study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. The study authors theorize that “verbal working memory and lying may be linked because they draw on the same cognitive resources.” The investigators noted that “brain imaging research of adult deceptive behavior has shown activation in the prefrontal cortex, which is also activated during verbal working memory tasks.”

Related Links:

— “Memory skill tied to fibbing,” Ami Albernaz, Boston Globe, July 13, 2015.

The New York Times (7/10, Bakalar) “Well” blog reported that researchers studied 40 people between the ages of 18 to 50 and found that, after taking a short nap, the study’s participants were able to reduce their frustration while working on an “unsolvable task” and rated their behavior as less impulsive compared to those who didn’t take a nap. Jennifer R. Goldschmied, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan and the lead author of the study, said, despite the small sample size, “These results are valuable and have put us on the route to understanding how we can utilize naps. Now people are starting to understand how powerful short bursts of sleep can be.” The research was published online in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Related Links:

— “Naps May Improve Our Frustration Tolerance,” Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, July 10, 2015.

Reuters (7/11, Rapaport) reported that a study published online July 1 in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that the number of teens and young adults using antipsychotics is rising. It appears that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is one of the main contributors to the rise, a condition for which the medications are not approved. The study found that only 1.10 percent of teens and 0.69 of young adults between the ages of 19 and 24 used antipsychotics. That number rose to 1.19 percent among teens in 2010 and 0.84 percent among young adults. Even though the number seems small, the article noted that these add up to large numbers considering the fact that there are currently about 74 million children under 18 in the US.

Related Links:

— “Antipsychotic use rising among teens and young adults,” Lisa Rapport, Reuters, July 10, 2015.

In a 344-77 vote, the House on Friday “overwhelmingly passed” the 21st Century Cures Bill, “a bipartisan bill that would make significant changes to the process for developing new drugs and medical devices,” the Washington Post (7/11, Johnson) “Wonkblog” reported. The bill was “cheered by rare across-the-aisle support” from legislators and supported by “the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups, and medical organizations,” the Post added.

The Los Angeles Times (7/11, Levey) reported the bill would grant “$8.75 billion in new funding for the National Institutes of Health at a time when the agency’s research budget has been flat for more than a decade.” Last week, the Administration “offered qualified support for the bill while registering concerns with several parts of the legislation, including its funding.”

Related Links:

— “House overwhelmingly passes bill to speed FDA drug approvals,” Carolyn Johnson, Washington Post, July 10, 2015.

The Washington Post (7/10, Mooney) reports according to research published in the open access journal Scientific Reports, living on a tree-lined urban street can be “better for your physical health.” The researchers show “the cognitive and psychological benefits of nature scenery” but also say it “enhances health outcomes” such as “heart conditions, prevalence of cancer, diabetes, mental health problems and much more.”

Related Links:

— “Scientists have discovered that living near trees is good for your health,” Chris Mooney, Washington Post, July 9, 2015.