USA Today (2/18, Zoroya) reports that a study released Feb. 18 by the RAND Corp. suggests that the US military is “struggling to provide adequate therapy sessions for thousands of active-duty troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.” According to the study, only a third of troops suffering from PTSD and fewer than a quarter of those suffering from clinical depression receive the minimum number of therapy sessions once they have been diagnosed. RAND “described the study as the largest independent examination of mental health treatment in the military.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Military falls short in treating new cases of war-related stress,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, February 18, 2016.

The CBS News (2/16, Kraft) website reports on the growing misuse of the stimulant medication Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine), which is often prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). A study published online Feb. 16 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry indicates that “incidences of misuse and emergency room visits related to Adderall increased dramatically for young adults between 2006 and 2011.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after examining data from the “National Disease and Therapeutic Index, a survey of office-based practices; National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a population survey of substance use; and Drug Abuse Warning Network, a survey of hospital emergency department visits.”

Related Links:

— “Adderall misuse rising among young adults,” Amy Kraft, CBS News, February 16, 2016.

The New York Post (2/17) reports that according to NYU professor of Global Public Health Michael Weitzman, some fathers experience a kind of postpartum depression, and “the father being depressed has an influence on the mom and her ability to mother.” A father’s depression can also have a negative impact on a child’s behavior in school.

Related Links:

— “Dads get postpartum depression, too,” Natalie O’Niell, New York Post, February 17, 2016.

Reuters (2/17, Rapaport) reports that after conducting an extensive review of studies on autism screening, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a statement published Feb. 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association saying there is insufficient evidence to recommend universal screening of autism in very young children.

TIME (2/16, Park) reports that the USPSTF’s statement “adds to growing contention among experts about which babies should be screened for autism, with the” task force’s “recommendations disagreeing with those from other prominent medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

Kaiser Health News (2/16, Luthra) points out that the USPSTF’s recommendations “apply to children between the ages of 18 months and 30 months who haven’t exhibited any signs of the disorder.” Nevertheless, some medical “professionals worry the position could result in pediatricians missing opportunities for early intervention and could exacerbate disparities in treating autism.”

Related Links:

— “Doctors unsure if early childhood autism screening makes sense,” Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, February 16, 2016.

In her column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (2/14), Gail Rosenbloom wrote that the University of Minnesota faculty members “are moving into the classrooms of first- and second-year” medical “students to tell them what it’s really like to be a psychiatrist” in “an effort to demystify the field and combat the stigma related to working with people living with mental illness” and to attract more students to the specialty. Explaining the advantages of becoming a psychiatrist, American Psychiatric Association president Renee Binder, MD, said, “Psychiatry offers a way of developing close relationships with patients.” What’s more, psychiatry “is becoming more collaborative, she noted, with mental health practitioners sharing office space with pediatricians, obstetricians and other disciplines.”

Related Links:

— “Rosenblum: In Minnesota, the push for more psychiatrists gets creative,” Gail Rosenblum, Minneapolis Star Tribune, February 14, 2016.