In a 2,500-word article titled “As Mass Killings Rise, How Can Sheriffs Keep Guns From Mentally Unstable?,” McClatchy (1/22, Gordon) reported, “Addressing the obstacles to keeping firearms away from mentally troubled people has emerged as an area of potential common ground among some stakeholders in the…debate over gun control.” But, “any attempt at compromises is sure to be complicated by thorny legal, ethical and political questions over how to balance mental health patients’ privacy, Americans’ Second Amendment rights…and the need to keep guns away from those posing a clear danger.”

Related Links:

— “As mass killings rise, how can sheriffs keep guns from mentally unstable?,” Greg Gordon, McClatchy, January 22, 2016.

In a nearly 1,600-word article, the Scientific American (1/25, Landhuis) reports, “Recent studies in North America, the UK and Europe suggest that dementia risk among seniors in some high-income countries has dropped steadily over the past 25 years.” Should that trend be “driven by midlife factors such as building ‘brain reserve’ and maintaining heart health, as some experts suspect, this could lend credence to staying mentally engaged and taking cholesterol-lowering drugs as preventive measures.”

Related Links:

— “Is Dementia Risk Falling?,” Esther Landhuis, Scientific American, January 25, 2016.

Karen Ranus and Greg Hansch, both of NAMI Texas, and Dennis Borel, of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, write in the Austin (TX) American-Statesman (1/26, Subscription Publication) that “because guns are now allowed in Texas’ 10 state-run psychiatric hospitals, individuals accessing treatment for serious and persistent mental health conditions are now at higher risk for trauma and more vulnerable to suicide.” The trio says that “as advocates for individuals with mental illness and their families,” they “have grave concerns about this major policy shift, which allows the open carry of guns in areas used in the treatment and care of a highly vulnerable population in our state hospitals.”

Related Links:

— “Commentary: Open carry in state hospitals fails to protect vulnerable,” Karen Ranus, Greg Hansch, and Dennis Borel, Austin American-Statesman, January 26, 2016.

In his column in the Boston Globe (1/25), Kevin Cullen writes that last month, Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) “filed a bill that would require insurers to disclose how often they deny mental health and substance abuse claims and to explain why.” Kennedy’s measure “is just one piece aimed at reforming a dysfunctional system in which we have tried to lock up rather than treat those with mental illnesses and addictions.” In the “next seven months,” Kennedy is planning “to roll out a series of reforms,” Cullen says.

Related Links:

— “Forcing the conversation on mental health,” Kevin Cullen, Boston Glone, January 25, 2016.

NPR (1/23, Wen) reported that “many young people falsely believe that…synthetic drugs provide a safe and legal alternative with the same high as illicit drugs,” even though “some synthetic cannabinoids can be up to 100 times more potent than marijuana.” In addition, “users don’t know which of thousands of chemical combinations they may be taking.” As a result, “cities across the U.S. have seen surges in” ED “visits and hospitalizations tied” to synthetic drugs.

Related Links:

— “Young People Surprised By Risky Synthetic Drugs They Considered Safe,” Leana Wen, National Public Radio, January 23, 2016.