The New York Times (5/14, A19, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday found that “offering incentives was far more effective in getting people to stop smoking than the traditional approach” of smoking cessation counseling or nicotine replacement therapy. Specifically, researchers found that while more people agreed to a financial reward program over a penalty program, those who agreed to risk a penalty, such as losing a $150 deposit, “were twice as likely to quit” as those in the reward program. The study involved 2,500 people and was “the largest to date to test whether offering financial incentives could lead to better health.”

According to the Los Angeles Times (5/14, Kaplan), the researchers explain that while the penalty approach offers better results, only 14% of participants opted to go that route, while 90% enrolled in the pure reward program. The study’s authors believe future research will be needed to find “an ideal amount that’s not too steep to scare people off but still high enough to motivate smokers to earn it back.”

Related Links:

— “Study Asks if Carrot or Stick Can Better Help Smokers Quit,” Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times, May 13, 2015.

Noting the death in custody of Natasha McKenna, a woman with mental illness, an editorial in the Washington Post (5/14) cites a new report by Human Rights Watch which “documents the routine brutality exercised by guards who are untrained and ill-equipped to deal with mentally ill people, who make up enormous proportions of jail and prison populations.” The Post ties the report’s findings to McKenna’s case, pointing that according to the report, force is “used when there is an immediate security need to control the inmate, but the amount of force used is excessive to the need, or continues after the inmate has been brought under control.”

Related Links:

— “The abuse of the mentally ill in America’s prisons,” Editorial Board, Washington Post, May 13, 2015.

Reuters (5/14, Rapaport) reports that long-term depression may increase stroke risk in older adults, even if the depression is treated, according to a study published online May 13 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

TIME (5/14, Oaklander) reports that after analyzing “data from more than 16,000 middle-aged adults” who were followed for about 12 years, researchers found that those “who reported high symptoms of depression – three or more symptoms from an eight-item depression scale – for four consecutive years had about 114% higher risk of stroke compared to those who did not have symptoms of depression.” Those whose symptoms of depression had subsided “still had a 66% higher risk of stroke.”

Related Links:

— “Depression may double stroke risk in older adults,” Lisa Rapport, Reuters, May 13, 2015.

HealthDay (5/13, Reinberg) reports that research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that patients “undergoing hormone therapy to treat prostate cancer may experience impaired mental function within the first six months that persists for at least a year.” Investigators also found that “the risk of memory, learning and concentration problems associated with hormone therapy was greatest for men with a particular gene mutation.”

Related Links:

— “Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer May Impair Thinking,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, May 12, 2015.

HealthDay (5/13, Preidt) reports that research published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention suggests that individuals “who have suffered a traumatic brain injury are at increased risk for road rage.” Investigators “surveyed nearly 4,000 Canadian adult drivers, aged 18 to 97.” The researchers “found that those who had suffered at least one traumatic brain injury in their lifetime had many more incidents of serious road rage than those without a brain injury.”

Related Links:

— “Brain Injury Linked to Raised Risk of Road Rage,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, May , 2015.12

Medscape (5/12, Lowry) reports that a study published in the May issue of Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, reveals that approximately “20% of patients who are prescribed antidepressants stop taking them without telling their” physician. The 1,411-participant study also revealed that “characteristics of those most likely to discontinue these medications include younger age, being diagnosed with anxiety or substance use disorder in addition to depression, and being treated in a general medical setting rather than by a psychiatrist or other mental health specialist.” An accompanying editorial (5/12) observed that “the study addresses a key issue ‘that is commonly hidden from physicians.’”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Los Angeles Times (5/12, Healy) “Science Now” blog reports that “after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury, nearly nine in 10 teens who have ongoing concussion symptoms also have academic problems related to headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating,” according to a study (5/6) published online May 11 in the journal Pediatrics. In addition, “more than three-quarters of those who have yet to recover fully after four weeks report a decline in such academic skills as note-taking, studying and completing homework assignments.”

CNN (5/12, LaMotte) reports that the study also revealed that “across grades of schooling, high school students reported having the most learning problems, significantly more than middle or elementary school children.” The study authors “say their findings suggest that school systems and medical professionals should be working together to support students who are still in the recovery phase.”

Focusing on the study methodology, HealthDay (5/12, Haelle) reports that investigators “surveyed 239 student-parent pairs plus another 110 parents about any concerns they had regarding school work after students experienced a concussion.” The students, who ranged in age from five to 18, “were evaluated within a month of having had a concussion with several thinking, memory and concentration tests.”

Related Links:

— “After concussions, kids face persistent difficulties with school,” Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2015.

The New York Times (5/12, A13, Williams, Subscription Publication) reports that a report by Human Rights Watch to be released today shows that inmates with mental illnesses incarcerated “across the United States are subjected to routine physical abuse by guards, including being doused with chemical sprays, shocked with electronic stun guns and strapped for hours to chairs or beds.” The report contends that the mistreatment “has led to deaths, though the number of casualties is unclear in part because jails and prisons classify them in various ways.” The report also found that “jails and prisons are not uniformly required to report the use of force by guards.” The Times points out that a Justice Department study “found that 75 percent of women and 50 percent of men in state penitentiaries, and 75 percent of women and 63 percent of men in local jails, will suffer from a mental health problem requiring services in any given year.”

Related Links:

— “Mentally Ill Inmates Are Routinely Physically Abused, Study Says,” Timothy Williams, New York Times, May 12, 2015.

The Los Angeles Times (5/12, Netburn) “Science Now” blog reports that a new study published Monday in the Annals of Family Medicine found that 54 percent of people “who said they restricted their drug use to Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday admitted to using drugs on other days of the week as well, when questioned again in six months.” The study looked at 483 patients at Boston Medical Center who had admitting to using drugs in the past month when they came for regular medical care. According to Prof. Judith Bernstein, the study’s lead author, the message of the study for physicians is that “drug use is not static, so drug use is something you might want to monitor on a regular basis.”

Related Links:

— “Weekend-only drug use frequently slips into weekday drug use, study says,” Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2015.

In The Hill (5/8) “Contributors” blog, Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, wrote, “Fewer than half of Alzheimer’s patients are told they have the disease in the early stages, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report.” But, “despite the fear this disease generates,” Chapman argued that “it is crucial for patients and caregivers to be informed of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis at the earliest possible time so they can make the most of the cognitive strengths that remain and prepare for the future.” Chapman also urged passage of the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act, which would provide “comprehensive care planning services for Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”

Related Links:

— “Instilling hope in fight against Alzheimer’s,” Sandra Bond Chapman,, The Hill, May 8, 2015.