The New York Times (8/18, A15, Shear, Subscription Publication) reports that the White House announced on Monday a new initiative to help counter the “surge in heroin abuse” in 15 states in the Northeast. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Federal government will spend $2.5 million, directed to five “high intensity drug trafficking areas,” including Appalachia, New England, Philadelphia/Camden, New York/New Jersey, and Washington/Baltimore. The funding will “hire public safety and public health coordinators…in an attempt to focus on the treatment, rather than the punishment, of addicts.”

The Los Angeles Times (8/18, Toman-Miller) reports that an additional $1.3 million in funding will “go to fight trafficking on the border with Mexico, drug czar Michael Botticelli said.” Under the program, public health coordinators “will monitor heroin use and issue warnings regarding dangerous batches of the drug,” while public safety coordinators “will work with law enforcement to stem illegal imports.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Budgets Cash to Treat Heroin Abuse in Northeast,” Michael D. Shear, New York Times, August 17, 2015.

HealthDay (8/15, Preidt) reported that the number of US “children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is rising,” according to research conducted by the CDC. In addition, a news release from the FDA points out that kids with untreated AD/HD “have more emergency room visits and are more likely to have self-inflicted injuries than those who receive treatment.” Adolescents with untreated AD/HD may be “more likely to take risks, such as drinking and driving, and have twice as many traffic crashes as those who receive treatment, the FDA said.” Tiffany Farchione, MD, of the FDA, “said in a news release” that “parents who think a child has AD/HD should consult their family doctor or pediatrician.”

Related Links:

— “More American Children Diagnosed With ADHD,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 14, 2015.

MedPage Today (8/16, Frieden) reported on two mental health reform measures before Congress that would, “among other things, improve access to care for mental health patients on Medicaid and clarify what personal health information mental health [professionals] may disclose under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).” The two measures “are H.R. 2646, the ‘Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act,’ introduced by Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas); and S. 1945, the ‘Mental Health Reform Act of 2015,’ introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).”

Related Links:

— “Congress Mulling Mental Health Reform Bills,” Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today, August 15, 2015.

In a 2,414-word article, the AP (8/17, Watson) reports on a little known mental health condition affecting war veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Moral injury “produces extreme guilt and shame from something done or witnessed that goes against ones values or may even be a crime.” The article notes that mental health professionals are beginning to argue that moral injury may be the “reason why veterans are not improving with PTSD treatments.” The AP notes that “no one knows how many veterans suffer from it” and “debate persists over whether moral injury is a part of PTSD or its own separate condition.”

Related Links:

— “SOLDIER’S JOURNEY TO HEAL SPOTLIGHTS `SOUL WOUNDS’ OF WAR,” Julie Watson, Associated Press, August 17, 2015.

USA Today (8/17, Ungar) reports that suicide attempts “are alarmingly common among transgender individuals,” as 41% “try to kill themselves at some point in their lives, compared with 4.6% of the general public,” according to a study by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Williams Institute, which analyzed results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. USA Today notes that “more than a dozen other surveys of transgender people worldwide since 2001 have found similarly high rates.” Research suggests that “those who are harassed, bullied, victimized, discriminated against or rejected by family and friends are more likely to attempt suicide.”

Related Links:

— “Transgender people face alarmingly high risk of suicide,” Laura Ungar, USA Today, August 16, 2015.