So far this year, the Los Angeles Times (8/22, Zamosky) reported, “there have been more than 32 health data breaches as a result of hacking, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.” These breaches often disclose personal information including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and patients’ health records. According to the Times, “experts say” the biggest concern for affected consumers is medical identity theft. A recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that medical identity theft “affected 2.3 million adults in 2014, an increase of roughly 22% since 2013.”

Related Links:

— “Who else has accessed your medical data?,” Lisa Zamosky, Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2015.

Medwire News (8/22, McDermid) reported, “Patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) have an increased risk of later developing certain psychiatric disorders,” according to a study published online in the Journal of Headache and Pain. The findings of the study, which involved “3273 TN patients” and 13,092 people without the condition, revealed that TN “patients to be at risk of developing depression, anxiety and sleep disorders, but not bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric disorders may follow trigeminal neuralgia,” Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, August 21, 2015.

Reuters (8/21, Pierson) reports that the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled unanimously that the New York State Psychiatric Association has standing to sue UnitedHealth Group for treating mental health claims differently than other health claims and claims administrators may be liable for coverage decisions under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Modern Healthcare (8/21, Schencker, Subscription Publication) reported that in an Aug. 20 ruling, “a panel of judges for the 2nd US Court of Appeals decided…that UnitedHealth Group, as a third-party administrator for an employee health plan, is not exempt from ERISA, which regulates traditional pensions and other employer-provided benefits.” The panel also ruled that “under ERISA, the administrator must follow the mental health parity law.” The ruling may “lead to more patients and [healthcare professionals] challenging plan administrators who try to limit access to mental health services, some say.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric group’s ERISA case against UnitedHealth revived,” Brendan Pierson, Reuters, August 21, 2015.

HealthDay (8/21, Reinberg) reports that taking care of “a spouse who has had a stroke can hurt your mental and physical health,” according to a study published online Aug. 20 in the journal Science. After assessing some “250 caregiving partners of stroke survivors,” researchers also found that caregivers’ “vitality and social life…suffered, not only in the first years after stroke, but over many years.”

Related Links:

— “When Your Spouse Has a Stroke, Your Health May Suffer, Too,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 20, 2015.

The St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch (8/21, Munz) reports that “emotional issues are cited as a leading reason students struggle during college,” and the college years are also the time “when severe psychiatric orders — such as bipolar and schizophrenia — typically manifest, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.” The Jed Foundation, which works “to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students,” suggests that “a parent’s goal should be to encourage their child to seek help before problems become debilitating.” Before kids head off to college, parents should “discuss ways” to manage stress and mental health issues.

Related Links:

— “How parents can protect the mental health of a college-bound child,” Michele Munz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 21, 2015.