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.

The Huffington Post (10/28, Almendrala) reports, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed more than 1,400 children with” autism spectrum disorder (ASD) “and found that about 13 percent of them seemed to shed their ASD-associated behaviors as they grew up.” Working together with NIH and the University of Washington, the CDC found that most of such children “were simply misdiagnosed or intentionally diagnosed with ASD for other reasons.” The findings were published online Oct. 20 in the journal Autism.

Related Links:

— “Some Children Do Outgrow Autism, But It’s Not What You Think,” Anna Almendrala, Huffington Post, October 27, 2015.

Reuters (10/28, Seaman) reports that about one in seven health plans offered on the Federal marketplace in 2015 did not provide access to in-network physicians for at least one medical specialty, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers looked at 135 plans in 34 states, finding that 18 plans in nine states lacked in-network specialists for at least one specialty within a 100-mile radius. According to the article, the most commonly excluded specialties were endocrinology, rheumatology, and psychiatry.

NPR (10/28, Kodjak) reports in its “Shots” blog that the study “was actually designed to be easy on health plans,” as it focused on the most populous areas in 34 states. Lead author Stephen Dorner, a researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “said it’s likely the health insurance plans in rural areas lack even more specialists, simply because there aren’t any located within 100 miles of the customers.”

The Los Angeles Times (10/28, Levey) reports Dorner “said the findings suggest that state and federal regulators need to develop clearer network adequacy standards for health plans.”

Related Links:

— “Specialized healthcare may be lacking under Obamacare plans,” Andrew Seaman, Reuters, October 27, 2015.

The CBS News (10/27, Reynolds) website reports that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement regarding youth football, saying that the way the game is played “must change.” The group wants an emphasis on “proper tackling technique” and calls for “zero tolerance for illegal head-first hits.”

HealthDay (10/27, Norton) reports that in its statement, AAP “suggests kids be given more opportunities to play flag football and other tackle-free variants of the game.”

MedPage Today (10/27, Walker) points out that the policy statement “was presented at a plenary session at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting and published simultaneously online in Pediatrics.”

Related Links:

— “Pediatricians call for end to hard hits in high school football,” Dean Reynolds, CBS News, October 26, 2015.

Medscape (10/27, Anderson) reports that the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an alert about increases in fentanyl…confiscations and fentanyl-related overdose fatalities.” Recent findings also “indicate a significant increase in the total number of fentanyl drug seizures,” as the number rose from 945 in 2013 to 4585 in 2014. According to Medscape, “most cases of fentanyl-related morbidity and mortality have been linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, known as nonpharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF),” which is sold “for its heroinlike effect and is often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (10/26, Craighill, Clement) reports in “The Fix” that “a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds wide agreement that gun violence is a problem but bitter and stark division on whether new gun laws should trump the constitutional right to gun ownership.” The poll also “finds far more point to problems treating people with mental health issues.” In fact, “more people say mass shootings reflect problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems rather than inadequate gun control laws (63 percent to 23 percent).”

The Hill (10/27, Sullivan) points out, “The public’s partisan split over gun control and mental health is reflected in Congress as a push for mental health legislation grows.” While “Republicans tend to say mental health reform can help solve mass shootings…Democrats say gun control is needed but that shouldn’t stop a mental health bill that could do some good in its own right.” Also covering the story are the ABC News (10/26, Tyson) website, the Huffington Post (10/27, Frej), and Newsweek (10/27, Richinick).

Related Links:

— “What Americans blame most for mass shootings (Hint: it’s not gun laws),” Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement, Washington Post, October 26, 2015.

In an essay in the New York Times (10/23, Subscription Publication), author Joshua Kendall writes that the reasoning behind Vice President Biden’s decision not to run for president is “no surprise,” particularly since Biden’s son Beau died this past spring of brain cancer. Biden, who had to deal with grief, “lost valuable time to mount a candidacy.” Mental healthcare professionals are in agreement that “few life events are more devastating than the death of a child.” American Psychiatric Association president Renee Binder, MD, said, “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.” Dr. Binder added, “Parents are supposed to die first. It’s a violation of the natural order.”

Related Links:

— “Parental Grief Has Often Been a Factor in Presidential Politics,” Joshua Kendall, New York Times, October 22, 2015.

The Wall Street Journal (10/23, A3, Campo-Flores, Subscription Publication) reports on the increasing number of US communities that are attempting to make quality of life better for people with dementia. In such communities, people who staff businesses and public establishments receive special training to become more aware of the needs of people with dementia and their caregivers.

Related Links:

— “More Cities Aim to Be ‘Dementia-Friendly’,” Arian Campo-Flores, Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2015.

The Boston Globe (10/19, Thielking) reports Boston is one of the many cities that is using dementia training programs “in an aggressive effort to create dozens of ‘dementia-friendly’ communities across the state.” The program gives participants an idea of what it feels like to be elderly and suffer from dementia, since 5.3 million American now have Alzheimer’s and “16 million are expected to have the disease by 2050.”

Related Links:

— “Efforts spread to aid dementia sufferers,” Megan Thielking, Boston Globe, October 18, 2015.