The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 8, 2:05, Rose) reported, “Scientists are trying to unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease, including why it affects so many more women than men.” Now, a new study suggests that “older women with mild memory problems worsen about twice as rapidly as men.”

The Wall Street Journal (7/21, A3, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that the study was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and is to be published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. The findings were derived from a long-term nationwide study of 398 patients called the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, which is partly funded by the National Institute on Aging.

The New York Times (7/22, A16, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports that after “controlling for factors that influence memory and mental acuity, like age, education and genetic predisposition, the research team found that women’s scores slipped by an average of about two points a year, compared with one point for men.” In addition, researchers examined “a standard measure of life quality, rating how well people functioned socially: at home, at work and with family.” They found that “that, too, slipped faster for women than for men, at about the same rate.”

Related Links:

— “Women With Memory Impairment Deteriorate Faster Than Men, Alzheimer’s Study Shows,” Shirley S. Wang, Wall Street Journal, July 21, 2015.

The AP (7/18, Elliott, Riccardi) reported, “Experts say prisons are ill-equipped to treat the growing number of inmates with mental illnesses.” Unfortunately, “the incarceration of mentally ill inmates in jails and prisons has been a persistent national problem since the widespread closure of mental hospitals in the 1970s.” No “local community care system to handle the newly released” people with mental illnesses ever “materialized, and now they often end up behind bars.” While “the Constitution entitles them to basic medical treatment, said Dr. Renee Binder, president of the American Psychiatric Association…it’s often hard to meet that standard.” The AP added, “The APA and other groups are pushing for more programs to keep the mentally ill out of prison initially – be those special courts or local treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Holmes will join many other mentally ill inmates in prison,” Dan Elliot and Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press, July 17, 2015.

HealthDay (7/18, Preidt) reported that “talk therapy may help treat insomnia in people with physical or mental health problems.” Investigators looked at data from 37 studies that included approximately 2,200 individuals. Investigators found that “cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia reduced insomnia symptoms and sleep disturbances.” The data also indicated that “cognitive behavioral therapy was also associated with positive effects on co-existing psychiatric and medical conditions, but it showed the strongest benefit with psychiatric disorders.” The findings were published online in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Talk Therapy May Help Ease Insomnia, Even With Other Health Woes,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 17, 2015.

In an op-ed in the New York Times (7/18, SR5, Subscription Publication), Richard A. Friedman, MD, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, asserted, “Given the critically important value – and popularity – of therapy, psychotherapy research deserves a much larger share of research dollars than it currently receives.” Dr. Friedman pointed out that this year, “10 percent of the overall National Institute of Mental Health research funding has been allocated to clinical trials research, of which slightly more than half — a mere 5.4 percent of the whole research allotment — goes to psychotherapy clinical trials research.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatry’s Identity Crisis,” Richard A. Friedman, New York Times, July 17, 2015.

The Washington Post (7/20, Kunkle) reports that saliva “may just reveal” whether someone is likely to develop Alzheimer’s. In a study presented yesterday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, researchers suggested that “analyzing certain chemical compounds in saliva could provide a cheap, noninvasive way to learn whether the brain has begun to undergo the changes that culminate in loss of memory and cognitive function.”

Related Links:

— “Saliva seen as possible diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s disease,” Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, July 19, 2015.

The Wall Street Journal (7/20, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that yesterday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, researchers presented data from the Biocard study, a long-term study of people at higher risk for Alzheimer’s. As a result of this study, investigators now believe that six biomarkers considered together may predict future Alzheimer’s disease.

The AP (7/20, Neergaard) reports, “Tracking about 350 people starting in middle age,” investigators “found a combination of tests predicted development of mild cognitive impairment within five years.” In addition to presence of the ApoE4 gene, the tests “include a spinal tap to measure toxic levels of Alzheimer’s hallmark amyloid and tau proteins; MRI scans to detect shrinking brain regions; and two standard memory assessments.” As of right now, “the combination isn’t ready for doctors’ offices, but should help” pharmaceutical makers “tell who to enroll in early-stage treatment studies.”

Related Links:

— “Study Shows Promise in Detecting an Individual’s Likelihood of Developing Alzheimer’s,” Shirley S. Wang, , July 19, 2015.

The Houston Chronicle (7/17, Hawryluk) reports that “according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School, mental illness was the most common reason for a hospital admission among children age 10 to 14 from 2004 to 2010, while pregnancy topped the list for those age 15 to 17.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health, pregnancy top reasons for teen hospitalizations,” Markian Hawryluk, Houston Chronicle, July 16, 2015.

HealthDay (7/17, Preidt) reports, “Childhood stress appears to play a significant role in some women’s weight gain,” according to a study published online in the journal Social Science & Medicine. However, “stress during adulthood does not affect women’s weight gain.” The study also found that “neither childhood nor adult stress is associated with weight gain in men.” Investigators came to these conclusions after analyzing data on approximately 2,200 women and 1,300 men.

Related Links:

— “Childhood Stress May Spur Weight Gain in Women,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 16, 2015.

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.