Time (7/19, Futrelle) reports in “Moneyland” that “a new study of workers in the state of Michigan…found that those who were worried about their jobs were significantly more likely to develop depression or suffer anxiety attacks or both.” A previous study “by the same lead researcher, sociologist Sarah Burgard of the University of Michigan, found that employees worried about their jobs were more likely to suffer from depression and poor health than those who lost their jobs and got a new one.” Meanwhile, “research by Stuart Whitaker, an occupational-health expert at the University of Cumbria in England, also suggests that worrying about being fired may be worse than being fired.”

Related Links:

— “Is High Unemployment Making Us All Sick?, “David Futrelle, TIME, July 18, 2012.

In the “Opinionator” blog in the New York Times (7/18), Tina Rosenberg wrote, “According to the World Health Organization, the disease that robs the most adults of the most years of productive life is not AIDS, not heart disease, not cancer. It is depression,” particularly “in places that have experienced war, disaster or crushing deprivation.” Rosenberg pointed out, “According to the World Health Organization, three-quarters of the world’s neuropsychiatric disorders are in low-income or low-middle income countries.” Rosenberg goes on to depict the problems of depression in the developing world and the measures various countries are taking to improve the mental health of their citizens.

Related Links:

— “Fighting Depression, One Village at a Time, “Tina Rosenberg , “Opinionetor” NYT, July 18, 2012.

Stars And Stripes (7/19, Shane) reports, “Despite millions spent treating post-traumatic stress disorder, defense and Veterans Affairs officials have little idea how effective those programs are because they don’t track cases closely enough, a new report contends.” Officials from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which “issued the report last week at the request of Congress, said the departments need a better handle on what treatments work.” In “separate statements, Pentagon and VA officials did not address the issue of tracking treatment success rates, but said their departments have worked closely to find solutions to the PTSD problems.” The KUOW-FM Seattle, WA (7/19) website publishes a similar story.

Newspaper Says Conclusions Of IOM Report Are “Startling.” In an editorial, the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer(7/18) calls the conclusions of the IOM report “startling.” The IOM “plans a follow-up analysis in 2014. Let’s hope that one can say we acted” on the IOM’s first analysis.

Related Links:

— “Report: DOD, VA don’t adequately track success rates of PTSD treatment, “Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes, July 18, 2012.

The Military Times (7/18, Kime) reports, “An effort to persuade the Obama administration to legalize marijuana for sufferers of post-traumatic stress has met with a sound rejection from the White House. Responding to a petition signed by 8,258 people on the White House website, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske wrote last month that marijuana is not a ‘benign drug’ and does not meet standards of safe or effective medicine.” The “Allow United States Disabled Military Veterans Access To Medical Marijuana To Treat Their PTSD” petition came from Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access Executive Director Mike Krawitz, who “said he launched the drive partially out of concern that veterans sometimes risk losing their Veterans Affairs Department medical coverage if they are found to smoke pot.”

Related Links:

— “No pot for PTSD, White House says, “Patricia Kime, Military Times, July 17, 2012.

HealthDay (7/17, Gordon) reports on a study published online July 16 in Pediatrics finding that “the housing crisis that has left so many people without a permanent home may have worsened another serious problem: child abuse.” The study’s lead author said, “We need to recognize that losing a home is very stressful, and we need to let families know that it’s OK to ask for help.” The study was based on a review of “data from 38 hospitals across the United States included in the Pediatric Hospital Information System database,” finding that “the rates of child abuse and traumatic brain injury admissions increased by 0.79 percent and three percent, respectively, from 2000 to 2009,” while “all-cause injuries in children decreased by 0.8 percent per year.” The NBC News (7/17, Fox) “Vitals” blog also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Child Abuse Rises When Economy Sags: Study,”Serena Gordon, Health Day, July 16, 2012.

MedPage Today (7/17, Walsh) reports, “Adolescent girls with a variety of eating disorders — even conditions less severe than anorexia or bulimia — are at risk for obesity and alcohol and drug use,” according to a study published online July 16 in the journal Pediatrics and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. “Among those who reported binge eating but not purging, the risk for becoming overweight or obese was doubled (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.48) compared with healthy peers,” the study of 8,594 young girls found. “Similarly, teenage girls who purged more than once each week even without binge eating were at risk for starting to use drugs (OR 1.72, 95% CI 0.97 to 3.06) or to overuse alcohol frequently (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.65),” researchers reported.

Related Links:

— “Eating Disorders Tied to Drug Use, Drinking, “Nancy Walsh, MedPage Today, July 16, 2012.

CQ (7/17, Norman, Subscription Publication) reports, “People with serious mental illnesses have a lifespan of 53 years on average, often dying early from suicide and injury — but also frequently from chronic medical conditions, according to a briefing Monday by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.” Because of this, “advocates for people with mental illnesses say that makes it imperative that the nation better bring together behavioral and primary healthcare in the same place.” The piece adds, “While since 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services has had a grant program that unites community mental health clinics with primary care sites and independent initiatives around the country, advocates say much more work is needed to improve health outcomes for people with mental illnesses whose physical problems often go untreated.”

The Boston Globe (7/16, A1, Wen) reports in a front-page story on “a program called Strategic Sharing, which helps young people who have struggled with mental health issues talk about their past in selective ways.” Those involved “want to lead efforts to curb long-held prejudices against people with mental illness, but must carefully consider what they say publicly to protect their image as they enter the adult world.” The “program, created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, counsels young people with mental illness how to promote awareness of psychiatric issues but not share too much that might hurt them on the job or in new relationships.”

Related Links:

— “Youths cautiously sharing mental health histories
, “Patricia Wen, The Boston Globe, July 16, 2012.

According to an AP (7/14) story carried by at least 547 media sources, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report released on Friday recommended that “soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan be screened for post-traumatic stress disorder at least once a year and that Federal agencies conduct more research to determine how well the various treatments for PTSD are working.”

The New York Times (7/14, Dao) “At War” blog noted that the “first comprehensive review of the government’s programs” for treating PTSD recommended that the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs “expand access to services, particularly for people in rural areas, in the National Guard or Reserves, or in combat zones.” The nearly 400-page report also urged the two departments to “improve their assessment of how well their many treatment programs work, as well as find better ways of coordinating care that can begin overseas and then continue on bases or in small towns across the country.” Friday’s report “represents the first half of a multiyear review of the broad range” of PTSD assessment and services provided by the two departments; and the “14 panel members will assess emerging treatments” for a second report, which is slated to be released in 2014.

Related Links:

— “Study Calls for Better Assessment of Government P.T.S.D. Programs, “James Dao, The New York Times, July 13, 2012.

According to a Time (7/23, Gibbs, Thompson) cover story, no “program, outreach or initiative has worked against” a “surge in Army suicides, and no one knows why nothing works.” Time does point out, however, that there is a national shortage of mental-health “personnel, which means the Army is competing” with Veterans Affairs “and other services — not to mention the civilian world — to hire the people it needs.” Time also points out that VA “and all the services have launched resiliency-training programs and emergency hotlines.”

Related Links:

— “The War On Suicide?, “Nancy Gibbs, Time Magazibe, July 23, 2012.