The Ocala (FL) Star-Banner (4/21, Thompson) reported that an Ocala, Florida “mental health treatment facility” called The Centers is currently seeking a Federal “grant to help fund a move toward telepsychiatry, wherein patients could be treated via computer within their own homes or in other locations.” Charles R. Powell, executive director of The Centers, “said the agency wants to apply for an infrastructure grant from the US Department of Agriculture. The funding would help pay for new computers and related equipment.”

Related Links:

— “The Centers seeks to connect with patients virtually, “Bill Thompson, The Ocala, April 20, 2013.

HealthDay (4/20, Preidt) reported that a review “published April 18 in the journal Science outlines the underlying causes of learning disabilities and the best way to tailor individual teaching and learning for affected children.” In addition, the study “discusses how best to train teachers, school psychologists and doctors who deal with these children.” Investigators “said that specific learning disabilities (SLDs) are the result of abnormal brain development caused by complicated genetic and environmental factors,” leading “to conditions as dyslexia, dyscalculia, AD/HD, autism spectrum disorder, and specific language impairment.”

Related Links:

— “Kids’ Learning Disabilities May Have Multiple Causes, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 19, 2013.

Bloomberg News (4/20, Wayne) reported, “The Obama administration, trying to advance new gun-control measures amid resistance from Congress, proposed a rule making it easier to submit names of the mentally ill to a US database of people prohibited from buying guns.” Bloomberg News adds, “State authorities that decide whether people should be committed or found insane would gain an exemption to federal health privacy rules under the new regulation, allowing them to report those names to the federal database.” In a statement, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said, “In order to protect our children and communities, we must ensure that information on potentially dangerous individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms is available to the background check system.”

Related Links:

— “Mentally Ill May Be Banned More Easily From Guns by U.S., “Alex Wayne, Bloomberg News, April 19, 2013.

The AP (4/19) reports that “several new initiatives” are “transforming the nation’s suicide-prevention community as more survivors find the courage to speak out and more experts make efforts to learn from them.” According to the AP, “There’s a new survivors task force, an array of blogs, some riveting YouTube clips, all with the common goal of stripping away anonymity, stigma and shame.” Jane Pearson, a suicide prevention expert with the National Institute of Mental Health, stated: “There are still clear consequences for talking about your mental health history. It’s getting better, but there are still challenges as to what that means for your life.”

Related Links:

— “More survivors of suicide attempts speak out, “David Crary , Associated Press, April 19, 2013.

In continuing coverage, the AP (4/19, Neergaard) reports that “psychological aftershocks are the often invisible wounds of disaster. Most affected are the injured and those closest to the blasts. But even people with no physical injuries and…who weren’t nearby can feel the emotional impact for weeks as they struggle to regain a sense of security.” Only a few people may go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, however, and those who are at higher “risk for lingering psychological effects are people who’ve previously been exposed to trauma, whether it’s on the battlefield or from a car crash or a hurricane.”

Related Links:

— “Psychological aftershocks are invisible wounds of disaster but most people recover with time, “Associated Press, The Washington Post, April 19, 2013.

The Boston Globe (4/19, Kotz) “Daily Dose” blog reports that in Boston, “sleeping difficulties have been one of the most common health complaints since the attack, according to local hospital physicians.” The blog adds, “Sleep specialists say that insomnia and nightmares are normal within the first several days after such a traumatic event, and many people may be making problems worse by self-medicating with alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine.”

Related Links:

— “Sleep problems plaguing many in Boston after marathon bombing, “Deborah Kotz, The Boston Globe, April 18, 2013.

The AP (4/19) reports that “several new initiatives” are “transforming the nation’s suicide-prevention community as more survivors find the courage to speak out and more experts make efforts to learn from them.” According to the AP, “There’s a new survivors task force, an array of blogs, some riveting YouTube clips, all with the common goal of stripping away anonymity, stigma and shame.” Jane Pearson, a suicide prevention expert with the National Institute of Mental Health, stated: “There are still clear consequences for talking about your mental health history. It’s getting better, but there are still challenges as to what that means for your life.”

Related Links:

— “More survivors of suicide attempts speak out, “David Crary , Associated Press, April 19, 2013.

The Boston Globe (4/19, Kotz) “Daily Dose” blog reports that in Boston, “sleeping difficulties have been one of the most common health complaints since the attack, according to local hospital physicians.” The blog adds, “Sleep specialists say that insomnia and nightmares are normal within the first several days after such a traumatic event, and many people may be making problems worse by self-medicating with alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine.”

Psychological Aftershocks Of Bombings May Last For Weeks. In continuing coverage, the AP (4/19, Neergaard) reports that “psychological aftershocks are the often invisible wounds of disaster. Most affected are the injured and those closest to the blasts. But even people with no physical injuries and…who weren’t nearby can feel the emotional impact for weeks as they struggle to regain a sense of security.” Only a few people may go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, however, and those who are at higher “risk for lingering psychological effects are people who’ve previously been exposed to trauma, whether it’s on the battlefield or from a car crash or a hurricane.”

Related Links:

— “Sleep problems plaguing many in Boston after marathon bombing, “Deborah Kotz, The Boston Globe, April 18, 2013.

The Time (4/16, Sifferlin) “Healthland” blog reports that “an analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that there are few effective options for treating the condition” known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). “The researchers reviewed 32 randomized controlled trials, in which patients were randomly assigned to either an intervention such as drugs to control cognitive decline, herbal remedies, physical activity or mental exercises including crossword puzzles; or left to continue living their lives without any changes. By comparing the various methods of treating cognitive decline, the scientists hoped to come up with some ranking of how effective the various interventions were.”

HealthDay (4/16, Preidt) reports that the review found that “mental exercise can help prevent thinking and memory decline in seniors, but evidence for the benefits of supplements and exercise is weak.” Notably, “estrogen was associated with an increase in mental decline and dementia.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Exercise May Help Keep Seniors Sharp, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 15, 2013.

In wake of Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon, many US parents are wondering what to tell their children. USA Today (4/17, Weise) reports that turning off the television set is “the most important advice for parents from child mental health experts.” The piece adds, “‘Young children especially don’t realize that the images that get shown again and again on TV are of the same event,’ says Robert Hilt, a child psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s Hospital.” In other words, “parents should control the images and messages their children receive.”

HealthDay (4/17, Esposito) reports, “By now, children have already seen and heard a lot about the Boston tragedy, noted Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a psychiatrist and post-traumatic stress disorder expert at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.” Dr. Yehuda said, “The parent’s job is to make the child feel very safe and encourage the child to ask any questions that they have.” Nevertheless, “Yehuda said, parents should ‘resist completely minimizing the anxiety, because we do live in a world where it is important to prepare ourselves and our children for adversity.'”

Related Links:

— “How to talk to kids about the Boston bombing, “Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, April 17, 2013.