The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Murphy, Subscription Publication) reports that playing two sports that use different skills is both physically and mentally beneficial, according to Jordan Metzl, a sports medicine physician at the New York-based Hospital for Special Surgery. By doing so, Metzl says that athletes become more well-rounded physically, while also staying engaged and interested.

Related Links:

— “Playing Two Different Sports Does a Mind and Body Good,” Jen Murphy, Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2015.

The Kaiser Health News (5/2, Gillespie) reported that the “American Psychiatric Association is releasing a first-of-its-kind book to decode in plain English the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – a guide for mental health” professionals “that is also used to determine insurance coverage.”

The APA’s new “resource, Understanding Mental Disorders: Your Guide To DSM-5, includes in-depth explanations of risk factors, symptoms and symptom management, treatment options and success stories.” Psychiatrist and APA spokesman Jeff Bornstein, MD, “said empowering patients with a better understanding of what they are facing will enable them to better advocate for themselves.”

US News & World Report (5/2, Leonard) reported that APA’s new patient resource has garnered “endorsements from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America.”

Related Links:

— “Decoding Your Diagnosis: Psychiatrists Unveil Plain-English Guide For Patients,” Lisa Gillespie, Kaiser Health News, May 1, 2015.

The New York Times (5/4, D9, Megdal, Subscription Publication) reports that concussion activists are concerned that FIFA is not properly addressing the issue of head injuries to players, despite progress in both recognition and treatment. Although FIFA has considered rule changes such as mandatory stoppages and temporary substitutions for players with head injuries, no such rules have been adopted, leading to widely varying treatment, with players and coaches often determining if an injury requires removal.

Related Links:

— “Competitive Environment Complicates Decisions About Head Injuries,” Howard Medal, New Yrk Times, May 3, 2015.

In a nearly 1,400-word story, the New York Times (5/4, A1, Bosman, Subscription Publication) reports on its front page on “an unfolding crisis” of suicides taking place among young people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Since December, “nine people between the ages of 12 and 24 have committed suicide.” In addition, “at least 103 attempts by people ages 12 to 24 occurred from December to March, according to the federal Indian Health Service.” The Times points out that “tribe officials, clergy members and social workers say they cannot remember such a high rate of suicides and attempts in such a short period on the reservation.” In a statement, Ron Cornelius, the Great Plains director of the IHS, said this agency “is committed to working with the tribe to address this heartbreaking problem.”

Related Links:

— “Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Struggles With Suicides Among Its Young,” Julie Bosman, New York Times, May 1, 2015.

MedPage Today (5/2, Peck) reported that the American College of Physicians is “promoting its coalition of 36 medical, legal, and community organizations, all of which have now signed on to a document titled ‘Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action from 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar Association.” Among the groups that have signed on are the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American College of Emergency Physicians. Meanwhile, “ACP Executive Vice President Steven Weinberger, MD, said a number of other medical groups – including the American Medical Association – are considering signing on but are awaiting review and approval from their governance bodies.”

Related Links:

— “Taking Aim at Gun Violence: ACP Builds Coalition,” Peggy Peck , Medpage Today, May 1, 2015.

The AP (5/6, Yen) reports that a bipartisan group of senators is calling for an independent investigation into mismanagement by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A report by Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV) and Bob Casey (D-PA) on Wednesday concludes that VA efforts haven’t been enough to reduce backlogs, and the lawmakers plan to introduce legislation requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct an inquiry into each of the VA’s 56 regional offices.

Related Links:

— “ARE BUNGLED VA CLAIMS SYSTEMIC? SENATORS WANT AGENCY REVIEW,” Hope Yen, Associated Press, May , 2015.

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times (4/23), author John Bateson, who for 16 years was the executive director of a San Francisco Bay Area suicide prevention center, calls the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act “commendable,” but says “it won’t come close to ending military suicides.” According to Bateson, “That would require radical changes in the policies, procedures, attitudes and culture in two of our biggest.

Related Links:

— “Op-Ed Support our troops? Dealing with PTSD requires commitment,”John Bateson, Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2015.

HealthDay (4/23, Preidt) reports that research published April 21 in Circulation: Heart Failure suggests that “depression seems to increase the risk of hospitalization and death in black heart failure patients.” In the large study, investigators found that “even moderate depressive symptoms appeared to boost the risk of hospitalization or death for black patients.”

Related Links:

— “Depression Tied to Worse Outcomes for Black Patients With Heart Failure,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 22, 2015.

In a 2,050-word piece, Kaiser Health News (4/23, Gorman) reports, “Because they may not see depression as a brain disease or fear stigma, many Asian immigrant families don’t reach out for help until there is a crisis, experts say.” Even when families seek help, “they often find both medication and psychotherapy a poor fit.” When it comes to the treatment of depression in teenagers, “parents sometimes stand in the way…intentionally or not, because of the high standards they set.” Ranna Parekh, MD, director of the American Psychiatric Association’s division of diversity and health equity, said, “It takes a few generations before they can finally be free.”

Related Links:

— “When Depression And Cultural Expectations Collide,”Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News , April 22, 2015.

Major domestic and British newspapers, wire sources, and Internet medical outlets cover a study demonstrating no association between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, not even in children at high risk for autism.

The Wall Street Journal (4/22, Whalen, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published April 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals no association between the MMR vaccine and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children.

The Los Angeles Times (4/22, Healy) “Science Now” blog reports that the “study of nearly 100,000 children found that toddlers known to have an elevated risk of autism were no more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder if they” received the MMR vaccine than if they did not. In addition, “the diagnosis rate for high-risk children who were vaccinated was the same as for immunized children with no family history of the disorder.” By failing to find any association “between the MMR vaccine and autism spectrum disorders…in children with an older sibling who had the disease, the study leaves no doubt that the two are not connected, experts said.”

Related Links:

— “Another Study Shows No Link Between MMR Vaccine and Autism,”Jaenne Whalen, The Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2015.