On its front page, the Washington Post (8/13, A1, Bernstein) reports that one of the “most heartbreaking developments” in the nation’s “heroin epidemic” has been a “sharp rise” in the number of newborns exposed to heroin, leading to a quadrupling of the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome over the past nine years, up to 2.7 percent of all NICU admissions. In addition, the cost to care for these children “has also soared” to $53,000 on average in 2009.

Related Links:

— “When life begins in rehab: A baby heals after a mother’s heroin addiction,” Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post, August 12, 2015.

US News & World Report (8/12, Leonard) reported that mental health reform legislation pending in Congress has some critics who “point to portions that would loosen the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – a 1996 measure known as HIPAA that was intended to ensure patient privacy.” In addition, some critics “flag incentives for what’s called ‘assisted outpatient treatment,’ in which a judge can order someone with a serious mental illness – including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder – to follow a treatment plan that may include medication.” But, “John Snook, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, which supports outpatient assisted treatment, pointed to the fact that several groups have recognized it as a treatment option, including the…Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration.”

Related Links:

— “Would Mental Health Laws Threaten Privacy and Patients’ Rights?,” Kimberly Leonard, US News & World Report, August 12, 2015.

HealthDay (8/12, Preidt) reports, “Women with a mental health disorder taking commonly prescribed” selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) “antidepressants during pregnancy appear to have fewer delivery complications,” according to research published online Aug. 4 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. After examining “data from more than 845,000 single births in Finland between 1996 and 2010,” researchers found that expectant mothers taking SSRIs were less likely to give birth prematurely or undergo a cesarean delivery. The infants born to these women, however, “may have a higher risk of problems, such as breathing issues.”

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants During Pregnancy Have Benefits, Risks: Study,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 11, 2015.

The Washington Post (8/11, Kunkle) reports that the Food and Drug Administration gave de novo marketing approval to Cerebral Assessment Systems’ Cognivue, “a cognitive-assessment tool that functions somewhat like a video game” and “can detect subtle lapses in the brain’s perceptual ability that may signal the early stages of mental decline caused by dementia.” The device is for medical professional use only and “is not intended to be a standalone diagnostic tool.”

Related Links:

— “FDA approves tool for diagnosing dementia in a doctor’s office,” Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, August 10, 2015.

Noting that medical marijuana was legalized in California in 1996, the Pittsburgh Business Times (8/11, Mamula) “Morning Edition” blog reports that a study at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health found that “the number of marijuana dispensaries in a given area of California was a predictor of marijuana-related hospitalizations, abuse and dependence on the drug.” According to the article, “The study found that hospitalizations with marijuana abuse or dependence codes increased to 68,408 in 2012 from 17,469 in 2001, with more than 85 percent of marijuana-related hospitalizations coded as abuse rather than dependence.” The findings were published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence and the project was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Related Links:

— “Pitt study: Marijuana dispensaries related to abuse, dependence,” Kris B. Mamula, Pittsburgh Business Times, August 10, 2015.