Chris Cillizza, in a piece for the Washington Post (12/15) “The Fix” blog offered a video segment reporting that gun laws have been largely unchanged in the year since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, but 36 states have increased the money available for mental healthcare. Texas, South Carolina, and Colorado are among the states that have increased funding, with Colorado’s 13.5 percent increase in funding this year particularly noteworthy because of the mass shootings that have occurred there. The state budgeted $20 million to improve crisis centers. Texas, traditionally a low-budget state for mental healthcare, made its largest budget increase to date, with most of the money designed to go to teachers for training “in spotting the early signs of mental illness.”

Related Links:

— “The post-Newtown change you haven’t heard about, “Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post, December 14, 2013.

HealthDay (12/14, Preidt) reported that according to a study published online Dec. 4 in the Journal of Health Politics, a longer maternity leave may reduce the risk for postpartum depression. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after following some 800 postpartum women for about a year. The study authors concluded that current maternity leaves of a maximum of 12 weeks for American women under the Family and Medical Leave Act “may not be sufficient for mothers at risk for or experiencing postpartum depression.”

Related Links:

— “Could Longer Maternity Leave Prevent Postpartum Depression?, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, December 13, 2013.

The Wall Street Journal (12/13, Fields) “The Washington Wire” blog reports that yesterday, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce committee on Oversight and Investigation, and is a clinical psychologist, introduced the “Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013.” The measure comes about a year after the Newtown, CT shootings in which six adults and 20 elementary-school pupils were killed. The proposed legislation would create within the Department of Health and Human Services the new position of assistant secretary for mental-health and substance-use disorders. That position would be charged with examination of all aspects of mental healthcare funding as well as treatment.

The Washington Times (12/13, Sherfinski) reports, “The legislation clarifies federal privacy laws so that doctors and mental health professionals can inform family members of people who need help, increases access to psychiatric beds, and protects certain” medication classes “commonly used to treat mental illness” so physicians may prescribe appropriate medicines for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. The bill “already has support from” the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police and the American Psychiatric Association, among others.

Related Links:

— “Rep. Tim Murphy Introduces Mental-Health Legislation, “Gary Fields, The Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2013.

The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (12/6) reports that the recent attack on “state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds [D-Bath] by his mentally ill and suicidal son has pushed mental health reform to the top of” Virginia’s legislative agenda. At a panel focusing on healthcare issues on Wednesday, state Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. (R-Augusta), who chairs the state Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission, pointed out that the state is “on [a] path now where we are going to see approximately 1,200 suicides…this year.” Meanwhile, panelist and physician Del. John O’Bannon (R-Henrico), who also sits on the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission, expressed his belief that Virginia legislators need to look at a better way to monitor availability of psychiatric beds within the state.

Related Links:

— “Suicides, mental health needs in focus, lawmaker says, “Tammie Smith, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 5, 2013.

Fox News (12/4) reported that according to a review published in The Cochrane Library, “exercise may prove effective at helping older people with dementia retain their ability to complete simple, everyday tasks,” such as getting up from a chair or walking. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after examining data from “eight studies that assessed the ability of exercise to improve cognitive function in seniors with dementia.”

Related Links:

— “Exercise may be an effective treatment for some dementia patients,Fox News, December 4, 2013.

USA Today (12/5, Weintraub) reports that according to a policy brief released Dec. 4 “from Alzheimer’s Disease International [ADI], a federation of advocacy and research organizations…135 million people worldwide will be living with dementia by 2050.” Driven primarily “by increases in China and sub-Saharan Africa,” the updated “prediction is 17% above previous ones.”

Related Links:

— “Estimate: 135 million worldwide with dementia by 2050, “Karen Weintraub, USA Today, December 5, 2013.

Medwire (12/4, Oswald) reports that according to a study published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, “children with asthma and eczema are significantly more likely to have psychotic experiences during adolescence.” After studying data on some 6,784 youngsters who were interviewed at age 13, researchers discovered that “14.2%, 15.2%, and 16.0% of those with eczema, asthma, and both conditions, respectively, had had psychotic experiences in the previous six months compared with 11.7% among those with no atopy.” Then, after adjusting for confounding factors, investigators found that “equated to a respective 33%, 37%, and 44% increased odds for psychotic experiences compared with those with no childhood atopy.”

Related Links:

— “Childhood asthma, eczema linked to adolescent psychotic experiences, “Kirsty Oswald, Medwire, December 4, 2013.

Bloomberg News (12/4, Lopatto) reports that according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately six percent of US adolescents “report using a psychiatric medicine, such as an antidepressant or attention-deficit treatment,” while “drug therapy for the conditions remains steady.” The report found that boys were more likely to receive stimulants for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, while girls had an increased likelihood of using antidepressants. In fact, medications for AD/HD and depression “were the most-common medicines used by the 12- to 19-year-olds surveyed from 2005 to 2010.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric Drug Therapy Among U.S. Teens Steady at 6%, “Elizabeth Lopatto, Bloomberg News, December 3, 2013.

Medscape (12/3, Brooks) reports that according to a study published online Dec. 2 in the journal Pediatrics, “low birth weight, post-term pregnancy, low Apgar scores, and fetal distress were not factors for” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), “irrespective of sex.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after studying data on 12,291 kids and teens with AD/HD and 30,071 youngsters without AD/HD who served as controls. The study did reveal, however, “an elevated risk for AD/HD in both boys and girls when mothers had a urinary tract infection during pregnancy…or preeclampsia.”

Reuters (12/3, Pittman) reports that according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, young adults who experienced verbal aggression from parents during their childhood years had an increased likelihood for becoming depressed or anxious, even if the parents were otherwise affectionate. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after examining survey results from 2,500 young adults who ranged in age from 18 to 25.

Related Links:

— “
Positive parenting won’t make up for yelling, insulting, “Genevra Pittman, Reuters, December 2, 2013.