The Hill (1/18, Viebeck) “Healthwatch” blog says the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will host a January 24 hearing, in which the heads of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institutes of Mental Health will discuss “how to improve treatment for the mentally ill in light of recent mass shootings.” Although President Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence calls for rules implementing mental health parity and Federal research on gun violence, advocates “say more work is needed to strengthen the U.S. mental healthcare system, which has faced cuts in recent years.” Committee staff said the hearing “will provide senators an opportunity to examine the most pressing problems in our mental health system, including a need to focus on prevention and early intervention.”

Related Links:

— “HELP panel to hold hearing on mental health,”Elise Viebeck, The Hill, January 17, 2013.

HealthDay (1/18, Doheny) reports that a recent study found that obese children are more likely to experience “immediate problems, including asthma, learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,” as well as heart disease as they grow into adulthood. According to study author Dr. Neal Halfon, director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities at UCLA, “Childhood obesity not only has long-term impact in terms of future heart disease, diabetes and other problems that we have been hearing so many things. It also has an immediate impact on the health, mental health and development of children.” The CDC notes that “Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years in the United States,” and now 12.5 million children are considered obese.

The Huffington Post (1/17, Pearson) reports, “In the new study, published in the journal Academic Pediatrics, researchers analyzed data from more than 43,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17 collected in 30-minute phone interviews as part of the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health. Researchers found ties between obesity and 19 indicators of overall health, psychological and social functioning and chronic conditions.” Dr. Seema Kumar, an assistant professor of pediatrics with the Mayo clinic who researches prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, said the findings confirm a “dose-response” effect, meaning that the “more overweight the child, the greater his or her risk of health problems.”

Related Links:

— “Obese Kids May Face Immediate Health Woes, Study Finds, “Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, Janueary 17, 2013.

Washington Times (1/17, Dinan) reports President Obama “is using the national debate over gun violence to push for further action on his health care law, including insisting on the kind of mental health coverage states must provide under their Medicaid programs.” President Obama plans to take 23 executive actions, including the finalization of regulations “clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges,” and the commitment “to finalizing mental-health parity regulations.”

Politico (1/17, Cheney) says President Obama noted “ways that Obamacare will broaden access to mental health care – and tried to stamp out what he called the misperception that a narrow provision of the 2010 health law had made it illegal for doctors to talk to their patients about gun safety.” The health components of his gun control agenda “were immediately embraced by many prominent groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association. Notably, Obama outlined a $150 million proposal to hire thousands of new mental health professionals and social workers, provide teachers and school officials with training to identify symptoms of mental illness and shore up services for at-risk youths.”

Bloomberg News (1/17, Flinn) reports President Obama “called for a national dialogue and greater resources for mental health care today as part of his package of legislative proposals and executive actions aimed at curbing gun violence.” Bloomberg quotes American Psychiatric Association President Dilip Jeste as saying, “We are heartened that the administration plans to finalize rules governing mental health parity. Such action will best ensure that Americans get the full range of mental-health services we believe they are intended to receive under federal law.”

APA Statement Praises Obama Proposals. In a statement, American Psychiatric Association President Dilip V. Jeste, MD, said, “On behalf of the leadership of the American Psychiatric Association and myself, I applaud the proposals set forth by President Barack Obama today aimed at reducing gun violence and preventing future horrific events such as the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut last month. In particular, several proposals address the need to improve access to quality mental health care.” Jeste continued, “We are heartened that the Administration plans to finalize rules governing mental health parity under the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the Affordable Care Act, and Medicaid.” The statement added, “We strongly urge the Administration to close loopholes involving so-called ‘non-quantitative treatment limits’ and to ensure that health plans deliver a full scope of mental health services in order to comply with the law.” Additionally, Jeste added, “We are glad that the President has clarified that doctors are not prohibited from asking their patients about guns in their homes. The APA has consistently advocated for such a position.” Jeste adds that the “APA intends to play an active role during Congressional discussions about the President’s proposed policies, particularly as they impact access to psychiatric treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Obama using gun issue to advance health law, ” Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, January 16, 2013.

Medscape (1/16, Brauser) reports that “individuals who successfully quit smoking may experience a marked reduction in anxiety, whereas failure to achieve abstinence may lead to a long-term increase in anxiety, new research suggests.” The study, which was published in the January issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry and included nearly 500 adult smokers who attended smoking cessation clinics in England, “showed that those who relapsed 6 months after treatment had significantly higher anxiety scores than those who remained abstinent.” Moreover, the study found that “the smokers who had a comorbid psychiatric disorder and who relapsed had the highest increases in anxiety scores from baseline, whereas the comorbid group who continued to stay abstinent had more decreases in scores.”

The New York Times(1/16, Carey, Hartocollis, Subscription Publication) reports on its front-page about gun control legislation proposed in Washington, DC and Albany, noting one “fundamental problem with looking for ‘warning signs’ is that it is more art than science,” given that people with serious mental disorders account for only about 4% of all violent crimes. The Times continues, “The sort of young, troubled males who seem to psychiatrists most likely to commit school shootings – identified because they have made credible threats – often do not qualify for any diagnosis, experts said. They might have elements of paranoia, of deep resentment, or of narcissism, a grandiose self-regard, that are noticeable but do not add up to any specific ‘disorder’ according to strict criteria.”

Related Links:

— “Warning Signs of Violent Acts Often Unclear, “Benedict Carey, The New York Times, January 15, 2013.

The AP (1/16, Ritter, Tanner) says that, according to mental health experts, New York’s proposed gun control law “might interfere with treatment of potentially dangerous people and even discourage them from seeking help.” The law requires healthcare providers to tell government authorities if they believe a patient may harm himself or others, a move that would spur the revocation of the patient’s gun permit and seizure of any guns. Dr. Steven Dubovsky, chairman of the psychiatry department at the University at Buffalo, described the new measure as meaningless and “pure political posturing.” The law’s intent “seems to be to turn mental health professionals into detectives and policemen, he said, but ‘no patient is going to tell you anything if they think you’re going to report them.'”

The Wall Street Journal (1/16, El-ghobashy, Subscription Publication) cites Harvey Rosenthal, executive director of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, who said New York’s proposed law appears designed to allay public fears of armed, mentally ill people, who studies show are far more likely to be the victims of violence. He warned that the law may deter mentally ill people from seeking treatment, a sentiment shared by Eric Neblung, a psychologist and the president of the New York State Psychological Association. He warned that the law could turn psychologists into police officers.

Related Links:

— “Experts: Proposed NY gun law might hinder therapy, “Malcom Ritter, The Washington Times, January 15, 2013.

NBC Nightly News (1/14, story 7, 0:30, Williams) aired a report highlighting “some sad numbers out of the Pentagon tonight: More American military service members died from suicide than combat last year.” In 2012, 349 US servicemembers took their own lives, while 295 “active duty troops died fighting in Afghanistan.” NBC added, “The Pentagon has correctly labeled the suicide rate an epidemic.”

The same point was made by US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), according to aReuters (1/15). Murray said, “This is an epidemic that cannot be ignored.” She added, “As our newest generation of servicemembers and veterans face unprecedented challenges, today’s news shows we must be doing more to ensure they are not slipping through the cracks.”

The AP (1/15, Burns) reports, “Suicide prevention has become a high Pentagon priority, yet the problem persists.” Officials “say they are committed to pursuing ways of finding help for service members in trouble.” On Monday, Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said, “Our most valuable resource within the department is our people. We are committed to taking care of our people, and that includes doing everything possible to prevent suicides in the military.”

Related Links:

— “US military suicides hit record in 2012, outpace combat deaths, Reuters Middle East, January 15, 2013.

In a 2,469-word story, the Wilmington (DE) News Journal (1/14, Miller) reports that following an alarming number of suicide deaths among young people in Delaware’s “Kent and Sussex counties” last spring, state officials asked the CDC to conduct a review. The agency identified a “suicide cluster” in the two counties, where between January and May, “11 residents ages 12-21 took their own lives” and about 116 people within the same age group made suicide attempts. The CDC found no indicators for “suicide contagion” in the two counties, but it did conclude that mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, were factors in “at least seven of the 11 cases.” The Journal focuses primarily on the Krueger family’s struggle to come to terms with the suicide of their son Anthony, who was one of the 11 cases noted in the CDC report.

Related Links:

— “Recovery in a suicide zone, “Beth Miller, The News Journal, January 13, 2013.

The Washington Times (1/11, Sherfinski) reports, “Vice President Joseph R. Biden hinted Friday that a federal weapons trafficking statute and more readily available mental health assistance could be included in a set of recommendations to address gun violence in the country that he plans to deliver to President Obama by a self-imposed Tuesday deadline.”

The Los Angeles Times (1/12, Mason) reports, “Vice President Joe Biden culminated a week of meetings on gun policy Friday, telling representatives of the video game industry that ‘there’s no silver bullet’ when it comes to confronting gun violence.” The story notes that the meeting “included executives from major video game producers such as Electronic Arts and the Entertainment Software Assn. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also attended.”

The Wall Street Journal (1/11, Lejacq) reports on the meeting noting the presence of Secretary Sebelius.

Democrats Urge Attention To Mental Health In Recommendations.The Hill (1/14, Baker) reports in its “Healthwatch” blog, “A pair of Senate Democrats on Friday pressed Vice President Biden to include expanded access to mental-health services in his recommendations for addressing gun violence. … Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) called for Biden to include mental-health parity in his recommendations to curb gun violence.”

The Hill (1/14, Viebeck) reports in its “Healthwatch” blog that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) “urged Vice President Biden Friday not to ignore mental health issues as his panel grapples with U.S. gun violence.”

Related Links:

— “Biden broaches gun-trafficking statute, more mental health aid, “David Sherfinski, The Washington Times, January 11, 2013.

HealthDay (1/12, Norton) reported that Americans who “develop depression after surviving a stroke may die sooner than those without the mental health disorder,” according to study results that the American Academy of Neurology released in advance of annual meeting in March. The researchers “found that of more than 10,000 Americans followed for two decades, those who developed depression after suffering a stroke were about three times more likely to die of any cause during the study period, versus people without either condition.” The study team noted that previous research has shown a “similar link” among survivors of heart attacks who develop depression.

MedPage Today (1/13, Neale) noted that lead study author Amytis Towfighi, MD, of the University of Southern California, “pointed out that stroke rehabilitation guidelines from the Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense include recommendations on screening for depression, but said that ‘there are no guidelines that I am aware of that emphasize outpatient screening for depression.'”

According to Medscape (1/12, Hughes), Dr. Towfighi emphasized that she and her colleagues think physicians should be required to routinely screen stroke survivors for depression.

Related Links:

— “Depressed Stroke Survivors May Face Higher Early Death Risk, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, January 14, 2013.