HealthDay (8/15, Preidt) reported that the number of US “children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is rising,” according to research conducted by the CDC. In addition, a news release from the FDA points out that kids with untreated AD/HD “have more emergency room visits and are more likely to have self-inflicted injuries than those who receive treatment.” Adolescents with untreated AD/HD may be “more likely to take risks, such as drinking and driving, and have twice as many traffic crashes as those who receive treatment, the FDA said.” Tiffany Farchione, MD, of the FDA, “said in a news release” that “parents who think a child has AD/HD should consult their family doctor or pediatrician.”

Related Links:

— “More American Children Diagnosed With ADHD,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 14, 2015.

MedPage Today (8/16, Frieden) reported on two mental health reform measures before Congress that would, “among other things, improve access to care for mental health patients on Medicaid and clarify what personal health information mental health [professionals] may disclose under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).” The two measures “are H.R. 2646, the ‘Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act,’ introduced by Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas); and S. 1945, the ‘Mental Health Reform Act of 2015,’ introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).”

Related Links:

— “Congress Mulling Mental Health Reform Bills,” Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today, August 15, 2015.

In a 2,414-word article, the AP (8/17, Watson) reports on a little known mental health condition affecting war veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Moral injury “produces extreme guilt and shame from something done or witnessed that goes against ones values or may even be a crime.” The article notes that mental health professionals are beginning to argue that moral injury may be the “reason why veterans are not improving with PTSD treatments.” The AP notes that “no one knows how many veterans suffer from it” and “debate persists over whether moral injury is a part of PTSD or its own separate condition.”

Related Links:

— “SOLDIER’S JOURNEY TO HEAL SPOTLIGHTS `SOUL WOUNDS’ OF WAR,” Julie Watson, Associated Press, August 17, 2015.

USA Today (8/17, Ungar) reports that suicide attempts “are alarmingly common among transgender individuals,” as 41% “try to kill themselves at some point in their lives, compared with 4.6% of the general public,” according to a study by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Williams Institute, which analyzed results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. USA Today notes that “more than a dozen other surveys of transgender people worldwide since 2001 have found similarly high rates.” Research suggests that “those who are harassed, bullied, victimized, discriminated against or rejected by family and friends are more likely to attempt suicide.”

Related Links:

— “Transgender people face alarmingly high risk of suicide,” Laura Ungar, USA Today, August 16, 2015.

MedPage Today (8/14, Walsh) reports that research suggests that “women with multiple symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a markedly elevated risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis [RA].” Investigators found that “the presence of four or more symptoms of PTSD was associated with a 76% increased risk of incident rheumatoid arthritis compared with no history or symptoms of trauma.” Additionally, “compared with women who reported no trauma and no symptoms of PTSD, those who had trauma exposure but no symptoms of PTSD had a 25% increased risk…and those having one to three PTSD symptoms had a 31% increased risk.” The findings were published online in Arthritis Care & Research.

Related Links:

— “PTSD and RA: Is There a Smoking Gun?,” Nancy Walsh, MedPage Today, August 13, 2015.

The Kaiser Health News (8/14, Gold) reports that despite California’s “proactive stance…in enforcing” mental health parity laws, it is still “proving difficult to ensure mental patients truly have equal access to treatment,” as demonstrated by difficulties encountered by Kaiser Permanente patients that resulted in fines against the health maintenance organization and actions taken by the California Department of Managed Health Care (DHMC). Problems achieving mental health parity are not just restricted to Kaiser, however. Last year, the DMHC found that “of 26 managed care insurers…zero were able to prove that they were fully in compliance.” Randall Hagar, director of government relations for the California Psychiatric Association, said that “after many years of ‘abysmal’ enforcement, ‘now we have regulators who seem to be enthusiastic.’” Still, problems remain, because “access to care…is also an issue of capacity.” There are simply not enough mental health professionals to serve everyone who needs help.

Related Links:

— “Achieving Mental Health Parity: Slow Going Even In ‘Pace Car’ State,” Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News, August 13, 2015.

The New York Times (8/12, Reynolds) “Well” blog reported that a study published last month in PLoS One suggests that “overall, ‘a small dose of exercise’ may be sufficient to improve many aspects of thinking and more sweat may not provide noticeably more cognitive benefit,” although it will improve aerobic fitness. The study of “101 sedentary older adults, at least 65 years of age,” revealed that “briskly walking for 20 or 25 minutes several times a week” appeared to be enough to help keep “brains sharp as the years pass.”

Related Links:

— “The Right Dose of Exercise for the Aging Brain,” Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, August 12, 2015.

Bloomberg News (8/13, Tracer) reports that after years of shifting more healthcare costs to employees, “companies are slowing their adoption of high-deductible plans next year, according to a survey of more than 100 large US employers.” About 33 percent of business will offer high-deductible plans as the only option next year, up just one percentage point over this year, according to the survey from the National Business Group on Health. Bloomberg News adds that the relief “could be temporary,” however, as companies are waiting to see if Congress will repeal the ACA’s so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost health plans.

CNBC (8/13) reports that the Cadillac tax “is imposed on the employer or the insurer that administers the health plan, but benefits analysts said the costs will likely be shifted to workers especially at smaller companies.” The article notes the levy goes into effect in 2018.

Related Links:

— “Companies Slow Down Shift of Health Costs to Workers,” Zachary Tracer Richard Rubin, Bloomberg News, August 12, 2015.

On its front page, the Washington Post (8/13, A1, Bernstein) reports that one of the “most heartbreaking developments” in the nation’s “heroin epidemic” has been a “sharp rise” in the number of newborns exposed to heroin, leading to a quadrupling of the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome over the past nine years, up to 2.7 percent of all NICU admissions. In addition, the cost to care for these children “has also soared” to $53,000 on average in 2009.

Related Links:

— “When life begins in rehab: A baby heals after a mother’s heroin addiction,” Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post, August 12, 2015.

US News & World Report (8/12, Leonard) reported that mental health reform legislation pending in Congress has some critics who “point to portions that would loosen the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – a 1996 measure known as HIPAA that was intended to ensure patient privacy.” In addition, some critics “flag incentives for what’s called ‘assisted outpatient treatment,’ in which a judge can order someone with a serious mental illness – including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder – to follow a treatment plan that may include medication.” But, “John Snook, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, which supports outpatient assisted treatment, pointed to the fact that several groups have recognized it as a treatment option, including the…Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration.”

Related Links:

— “Would Mental Health Laws Threaten Privacy and Patients’ Rights?,” Kimberly Leonard, US News & World Report, August 12, 2015.