HealthDay (8/29, Dallas) reports that, according to a study from the Global Burden of Disease Study published online Aug. 29 in The Lancet, in 2010, “mental and substance abuse disorders were the leading cause of nonfatal health issues” globally. A separate study in the same issue found that “opioid dependence causes the greatest health burden of all illicit drugs.” An accompanying commentary “noted that the ‘relative lack of information about the prevalence of mental and drug use disorders, and the harms associated with these disorders, emphasizes the need…for increased efforts to quantify both the prevalence of mental and drug use disorders and the risks posed by these conditions.”

The NPR (8/29, Knox) “Shots” blog reports that two legal substances, smoking and alcohol, “account for around 10 percent of the worldwide burden of illness and death.”

Related Links:

— “Mental and Substance Disorders Major Cause of Nonfatal Illnesses, “Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, August 28, 2013.

USA Today (8/29, Szabo) reports that, according to a study published online Aug. 28 in JAMA Psychiatry, “depression may be far more common in men than previously estimated.” When symptoms such as “anger, aggression, substance abuse or risk taking, such as gambling or womanizing,” were factored in, in addition to traditional symptoms such as trouble sleeping and crying, investigators discovered that approximately “30% of both men and women had been depressed at some point in their lives.”

In a front-page story, the Los Angeles Times (8/29, A1, Healy) reports that the study’s conclusion upends “long-accepted statistics indicating that, over their lifetimes, women are 70% more likely to have major depression than men.” What’s more, when depression’s “symptoms are properly recognized in men, major depression may be even more common in men than in women.”

Related Links:

— “New criteria increase number of men with depression, “Liz Szabo, USA Today, August 28, 2013.

USA Today (8/28, Zoroya) details the effects of sequestration on military medical workers, reporting that “nearly 3,400 military medical workers quit this year in the months when furloughs were threatened or being carried out,” with most of the losses being incurred by Army medical facilities. The majority of people “leaving went to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs which was not included in the budget cuts,” Army surgeon general Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho explained to USA Today. Horoho “says she was forced to furlough about 60% of her doctors and nurses.” Furloughs and job uncertainty created a climate in which medical personnel felt devalued, which Horoho attributed to so many people leaving.

Related Links:

— “Military civilian medical workers quit after furloughs, “Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, August 28, 2013.

HealthDay (8/28, Norton) reports that, according to a study recently published in the North American Journal of Science and Medicine, youngsters with autism, when allowed to choose how they play, tend to “pick games that engage their senses and avoid games that ask them to pretend.” After spending “six months observing children who attended a local museum’s Au-some Evenings, a monthly program designed for children with autism,” researchers discovered that youngsters with autism “were naturally drawn to activities that got them moving, or allowed them to watch moving objects.”

Related Links:

— “What Is ‘Play’ to a Child With Autism?, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, August 27, 2013.

The Los Angeles Times (8/27, Koseff) reports that Medal of Honor winner Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter “has spoken openly of his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], which many veterans bring home after violent experiences in combat.” Carter “has said he wants to eliminate the stigma and shame that discourages soldiers from getting help,” urging “the American public to learn more about PTSD” and its effects on combat soldiers.

The Washington Post (8/27, Vogel) “Federal Eye” blog reports that in remarks during the medal presentation ceremony, President “Obama said it was ‘absolutely critical…to put an end to any stigma’ that prevents troops from getting treatment for PTSD.”

Related Links:

— “Medal of Honor recipient urges support for PTSD, “Alexei Koseff, Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2013.

The Wall Street Journal (8/27, A6, Lagnado, Subscription Publication) reports that a two-year effort by nursing homes and Medicare to reduce use of antipsychotic medications has been unsuccessful. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid officials witnessed a 9% decrease in antipsychotic usage from 2011 to 2013, far from the goal of a 15% decrease by the end of 2012. Officials now hope to reach the 15% rate decrease by the end of the year. According to nursing home officials, instead of addressing the issue of hiring more staff, many nursing homes instead resort to antipsychotics to pacify their residents.

Related Links:

— “Nursing Homes’ Drug Use Falls,The Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2013.

Medscape (8/27, Cassels) reports that, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in the BMJ, “antidepressant use by pregnant women around the time of delivery is linked to an increased risk for postpartum hemorrhage.” The study of 106,000 pregnant women of childbearing age diagnosed with either anxiety or a mood disorder revealed “a 1.5-fold increased risk for postpartum hemorrhage associated with all classes of antidepressants and not just selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.” An accompanying editorial called the increased risk a “cause for concern.”

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants and postpartum haemorrhage,BMJ, August 21, 2013.

The Wall Street Journal (8/26, A4, Winslow, Subscription Publication) reports that, according to a clinical guidance report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and published in the September issue of Pediatrics, the majority of vaccines and medications appear to be safe for nursing mothers. Still, breastfeeding women are cautioned against taking certain psychiatric medications, as well as herbal medicines and some painkillers, including oxycodone, hydrocodone and codeine.

MedPage Today (8/26, Phend) reports that the AAP report urges caution “for the small proportion of drugs that are concentrated in human milk, have a long half-life, have known toxicity to mother or child, or expose the infant to relatively high doses or detectable serum concentrations.” Pediatrician Hari Cheryl Sachs, MD, of the Food and Drug Administration, and colleagues suggested that healthcare professionals “look up safety of specific medications on the National Library of Medicine’s peer-reviewed LactMed database online.” “The report also addressed common concerns about antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics, many of which show up in low concentrations in breast milk.
Clinically significant levels of drug have been reported in breast milk for bupropion (Wellbutrin), diazepam (Valium), fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), lithium (Eskalith), lamotrigine (Lamictal), and venlafaxine (Effexor).”

Related Links:

— “Many Drugs Found Safe for Breast-Feeding Mothers, “Ron Winslow, The Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2013.

HealthDay (8/24, Gordon) reported that most children “with autism will grow up to be adults with autism.” According to autism researcher Paul Shattuck, PhD, of the Washington University in St. Louis, an estimated “45,000 to 50,000 kids with autism turn 18 each year.” A number of experts have noted that “a shortage of necessary programs for adults with autism already exists and is likely to worsen” as more youngsters with autism become adults. Higher education and employment for these young adults with autism may be difficult or even impossible, and many young adults with autism are forced to continue living at home with their families.

Related Links:

— “Who Will Care for Children With Autism When They’re Adults?, “Serena Gordon, HealthDay, August 23, 2013.

In a segment on the NBC Nightly News, NBC News correspondent Mark Potter reported, “To prevent more violence in classrooms, teachers, counselors and other workers in the Miami-Dade County [FL] schools are now being trained to spot the warning signs of student mental illness.” Those warning signs “include talk of suicide, high risk or odd behavior, withdrawal, increased anger, bizarre thoughts and persistent sadness.” Potter added, “The program is paid for by the American Psychiatric Foundation and…is currently used in 21 states,” as well as in the District of Columbia.