On its “Talk of the Nation” segment, NPR (8/21) reported, “Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder has focused attention on the shame that sometimes accompanies mental health diagnoses in the African-American community.” NPR’s John Donvan interviewed psychiatrist William Lawson, MD, PhD, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine, who discussed the reasons why such stigma may exist, including the fact that many African-Americans “may believe that to be mentally ill is a sign of weakness or a sign of a character fault.” Dr. Lawson also pointed out that fewer than two percent of US psychiatrists are African-American.

Related Links:

— “Behind Mental Health Stigmas In Black Communities,NPR, August 20, 2012.

The Wall Street Journal (8/21, D2, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reports that middle-aged people who suffer from obesity and hypertension, along with other metabolic issues, may have an increased risk for faster decline in their cognitive faculties as they age, compared with their counterparts of normal weight, according to a study published in the Aug. 21 issue of the journal Neurology.

HealthDay (8/21, Reinberg) reports that after following some 6,400 adults ranging in age from 39 to 63 for an entire decade, researchers also found that “even obese people without these physical conditions experienced a faster decline in functions, such as memory.” Richard Lipton, MD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who was not involved in the study, said that “this study suggests that taking the steps recommended to prevent heart attack and stroke in midlife, including controlling body weight, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profiles, may also have a beneficial effect on cognitive function late in life.” BBC News (8/21) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Obesity in Middle Age Tied to More Rapid Mental Decline: Study, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 20, 2012.

The Army Times (8/20, Gould) reports, “To treat troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, doctors must first treat the sleep disorders that often accompany PTSD, researchers say.” The Times points out that the US Army is “providing $300 million to fund” PTSD “research projects, $20 million of it focused specifically on sleep.” James Spira, of the National Center for PTSD at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said, “If someone continues to have substantial sleep disruption several months after they return” from a combat deployment, “it would be very prudent for them to seek medical support.”

Related Links:

— “Insomnia exacerbates PTSD, research shows, “Joe Gould, Army Times, August 20, 2012.

The Washington Post(8/18, Moyer) reported a study, titled “Reasons for Suicide Attempts in a Clinical Sample of Active Duty Soldiers,” that confirms suicide “isn’t just a symptom of mental illness, but a response to stress may change the way psychologists treat veterans suffering from battle-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. … To reduce suicide, the study says, vets might not need to medicate, but meditate.” According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, breathing exercises and transcendental meditation “may more effectively help soldiers reduce the stress that triggers the bad decisions that could end in a suicide attempt.”

Related Links:

— “A new study explores why soldiers commit suicide, “Justin Moyer, The Washington Post, August 17, 2012.

Reuters (8/18, Jenkins) reported on a sharply higher suicide rate among active-duty soldiers in July, according to the US Army, which tracks the statistics. At 26 suicides, July’s rate more than doubled from June’s — 12 such deaths — and was believed to be the most ever recorded in a single month. Through July, the Army said it likely had 116 suicides, compared to 165 for all of 2011. The Army said 12 reserve soldiers also were believed to have committed suicide in July, for a total this year of 71. Separately, the Marine Corps said it experienced eight likely suicides in July, compared to six in June, bringing its 2012 total to date to 32, which was the total for all suicides in 2011.

Related Links:

— “U.S. Army suicides reached record monthly high in July, “Colleen Jenkins, Reuters, August 17, 2012.

HealthDay (8/18, Goodwin) reported, “For students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or AD/HD, making the transition to college can be especially difficult,” according to experts. However, “by adopting certain strategies, such as sticking to a structured daily schedule and tapping into the university’s disability support services, freshman with AD/HD can do well.” Experts at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York and Kansas State University provided specific tips for parents and teens on how to make the “transition to college.”

Related Links:

— “Teens With ADHD May Need Help Making Transition to College, “Jenifer Goodwin, HealthDay, August 17, 2012.

HealthDay (8/18, Dallas) reported, “Girls diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide as young women,” according to a study recently published online in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The study of 228 girls also revealed that “girls in the AD/HD-combined group,” that is, with “a combination of hyperactive, impulsive and inattentive symptoms,” were also “much more likely to hurt themselves.”

Related Links:

— “ADHD May Raise Girls’ Risk for Suicide as Young Adults, “Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, August 17, 2012.

New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding hepatitis C testing received a significant amount of coverage, mostly online, as well as on one of last night’s national news broadcasts. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden and Dr. John Ward, who runs the CDC’s viral hepatitis division, were quoted in multiple articles. NBC Nightly News (8/16, story 5, 1:30, Williams) reported that the government has a “health warning…for an entire American generation” regarding hepatitis C.

The AP (8/17, Stobbe) reports, “All baby boomers should get a one-time blood test to learn if they have the liver-destroying hepatitis C virus, US health officials said.” Dr. Frieden, during a call with reporters, said, “Unless we take action, we project deaths will increase substantially.”

Related Links:

— “CDC to baby boomers: Get tested for hepatitis C, “Mike Stobbe, Associated Press, August 17, 2012.

MedWire (8/17, Cowen) reports that according to a study published online Aug. 9 in the Journal of Affective Disorders, “only a small proportion of depressed adolescents with hypomania spectrum episodes will develop bipolar disorder in adulthood.” In the “study of 64 individuals aged 16-17 years who screened positive for depression symptoms and lifetime hypomania spectrum symptoms, only six had experienced another hypomanic episode, or an episode or mania, by the age of 30-33 years.” These “come from a community-based study of 2300 adolescents who were screened for depression and hypomania between 1991 and 1993.”

Related Links:

— “Adolescent hypomania does not predict bipolar disorder, “Mark Cowen, MedWire News, August 17, 2012.

MedPage Today (8/16, Petrochko) reports, “Students who started drinking and getting drunk at an early age were more likely to engage in frequent heavy drinking and associated problems by senior year of college,” according to a study published online Aug. 15 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. “A longitudinal analysis of incoming college freshmen showed a significant association not only between younger drinking age and heavy drinking, but also with difficulties in work and school, blackouts, vomiting, and other problems by senior year (P<0.001 for all)," researchers reported. "Those who started drinking and getting drunk at a later age were at a lower risk for heavy drinking and problems overall, but had significantly steeper increases in heavy drinking and associated problems over time (P<0.001 for both)," the study of 1,160 incoming university freshmen found. Related Links:

— “Young Drinking Tied to Drinking Problems Later, “Cole Petrochko, MedPage Today, August 15, 2012.