The Hill (5/8, Ferris) reports that HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell “said Thursday that the nation is coming closer to eliminating the ‘shame and secrecy’ around mental illnesses, in part because of ObamaCare.” Burwell said that new coverage rules under the ACA are providing 60 million people with access to behavioral health services, including free preventive services such as screenings for alcohol abuse and depression. These benefits are especially important for young people, the HHS chief said in a speech marking Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. “When we think about mental illnesses, we often focus on getting adults the help they need,” Burwell said, adding, “But many conditions surface long before those affected reach adulthood.”

Related Links:

— “HHS chief touts legacy of ObamaCare on mental health,”Sarah Ferris, The Hill, May 7, 2015.

The Los Angeles Times (5/7, Healy) “Science Now” blog reports that research published in Neurology suggests that “healthful eating is among the best ways to protect your aging brain against slippage.” However, “a diet that skimps on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fish and includes lots of fried foods, red meat and alcohol is highly likely to pave a road to cognitive ruin.”

CNN (5/7, Ansari) reports that investigators “monitored the eating habits of 27,860 men and women across 40 countries.” Study “participants were tested for their thinking and memory skills, at the start of the study, then again after two and five years.” The data indicated “that participants with the healthiest diets were 24% less likely to experience cognitive decline compared to those with the least healthy diets.”

Related Links:

— “Healthful eating is smart way to sustain brain power, study finds,”Melissa Healey, Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2015.

The AP (5/7, Stobbe) reports that a research letter published May 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that bisexual and gay children “are more likely to be bullied as they’re growing up – even at an early age.” Researchers found that “many of the nearly 4,300 students surveyed said they were bullied, especially at younger ages,” but 13 percent of the 630 bisexual and gay youngsters reported being bullied “on a weekly basis,” compared to just eight percent of the other children.

Related Links:

— “Study: Gay, Bisexual Kids Bullied More, Even at Early Age,”Mike Stobbe, AP, May 6, 2015.

BBC News (5/7, Bloch) reports on the stress experienced by pilots in the wake of the Germanwings crash, featuring a 36-year veteran pilot named John who said he “just found it impossible to go to work. I felt very close to tears, as I had done on various occasions at the end of shifts, without really understanding what was happening.” John describes the difficult days that involve early mornings, long days, and often multiple flights each day. However, Andrew Vincent, the director of Nova Vida Recovery in Portugal, said pilots are often unwilling to divulge their experiences with “depression or stress” because “of the fear of losing the job.”

Related Links:

— “Airline pilots ‘buckling under unacceptable pressures’,”Sarah Bloch, BBC News, May 7, 2015.

Reuters (5/5, Doyle) reports that the majority of concussions suffered by high school and college football student-athletes occur during football practices, not at the games themselves, according to a study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (5/5, Reinberg) reports that after studying “data on more than 20,000 young football players across the” US, researchers found that “more than 57 percent of concussed high school and college players were injured at practice, not games.” The NPR (5/5, Shute) “Shots” blog also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Most football concussions happen at practice,” Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, May 4, 2015.

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.