STAT (2/10, Thielking) reports that new data (pdf) from the CDC indicate that approximately “8.4 percent of women smoke during pregnancy, despite the risks for the developing fetus.” The agency “warns that smoking while pregnant raises the risk of premature deliveries, low birth weight, and certain birth defects.”

Related Links:

— “More than 8 percent of women smoke while pregnant, despite risks,” Megan Thinking, STAT, February 10, 2016.

The Hill (2/10, Sullivan) reports on “partisan tensions over gun control” that emerged yesterday during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee while members took up a mental healthcare reform measure from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Cornyn’s bill “seeks to increase treatment for” people with mental illnesses “as an alternative to imprisonment – a bipartisan goal.” Democrats, however, contend that “other sections of the bill would make it easier for” people with mental illnesses to “get guns.” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said, “That is the opposite direction from which we should be moving.”

Related Links:

— “Gun politics stymie mental health push,” Peter Sullivan, The Hill, February 11, 2016.

HealthDay (2/10, Preidt) reports, “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens who experience severe harassment can suffer from serious mental health problems,” a study published online Jan. 21 in the American Journal of Public Health suggests. After following some “250 LGBT youth in Chicago for four years,” researchers found that adolescents at highest risk for “lasting mental health problems – such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – were those who suffered moderate harassment (such as having things thrown at them) that increased over time and those who had continuously high levels of harassment (such as physical or sexual assault)” while the study was going on.

Related Links:

— “Lasting Damage Seen in LGBT Teens Who Suffer Harassment,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 10, 2016.

According to USA Today (2/10, Szabo), a 5,200-patient study published online Feb. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine and supported by National Institute on Aging reveals that “dementia rates fell steadily over the past four decades, most likely due to declining rates of heart disease.” The biggest decline was seen in rates of vascular dementia, “although rates of Alzheimer’s disease also fell.” The study’s findings were based on data collected from the Framingham Heart Study.

The New York Times (2/11, A14, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports that the study “provides the strongest evidence to date that a more educated population and better cardiovascular health are contributing to a decline in new dementia cases over time, or,” at a minimum, are “helping more people stave off dementia for longer.” Both findings “suggest that the long-term cost of dementia care may not be as devastatingly expensive as policy makers had predicted.” Nevertheless, “the actual number of dementia patients will increase because” aging baby boomers are “living longer.”

Related Links:

— “Study finds dementia rates falling steadily,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, February 11, 2016.

Medscape (2/9, Brooks) reports that once again, the Food and Drug Administration is “proposing to reclassify electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) from a high-risk to a low-risk intervention,” a change which “the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is encouraging its members to support.” In a blog post, APA CEO and medical director Saul Levin, MD, MPA and APA president Renée Binder, MD, wrote, “[I]t is so important for psychiatrists to take the lead in expressing their views in regard to the role that ECT plays in clinical practice and in the treatment of major depressive disorder.” In an interview with Medscape, Dr. Binder said, “Psychiatrists are in the position of knowing about ECT, and they should provide comments on this issue.” The agency’s “draft guidance on the proposed reclassification and a link for posting comments can be accessed online” here.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)