The New York Times (5/21, A14, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports, “The rate of severe mental illness among children and adolescents has dropped substantially in the past generation,” according to a report published May 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The report’s conclusions come at a time when “critics argue that modern psychiatry is over-diagnosing and treating an increasing number of the worried well or merely quirky.” In addition, the report “exposed gaps in scientists’ grasp of mental health trends,” particularly those of youths, making it difficult for organizations funding research and government policymakers to target resources appropriately.

The AP (5/21, Marchione) reports, “The study used nationwide surveys done by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality over three periods from 1996 to 2012, covering more than 53,000 youths ages six to 17.” Researchers found that an increasing number of youngsters and adolescents “are taking mental health medicines than ever before, but more also are getting therapy, not just” medication, with “the biggest rise in treatment rates” seen “among the most troubled kids.” Still, more than half (56%) of troubled young people are not getting any care whatsoever.

Related Links:

— “Severe Mental Illness Found to Drop in Young, Defying Perceptions,” Benedict Carey, New York Times, May 20, 2015.

The Hill (5/21, Ferris) reports that Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), in an effort to revive the “long-stalled” Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, authored by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), “is demanding changes to one of its most controversial provisions,” the one regarding court-ordered involuntary outpatient treatment, a provision that “has created a sharp divide between mental health groups and has prevented the bill from advancing.” In a Facebook chat this week concerning mental health, Sen. Murphy said, “We are trying to find a less draconian way to go.”

Related Links:

— “Dem senator eyes changes to ‘draconian’ provision in mental health bill,” Sarah Ferris, The Hill, May 21, 2015.

HealthDay (5/22, Preidt) reports that a study from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that “4.3 million Americans with full-time jobs had an anxiety disorder in the past year,” a number that “represents 3.7 percent of full-time workers aged 18 and older, according to” SAMHSA. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “data from 67,500 respondents aged 12 and older who took part in SAMHSA’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2008 and 2012.”

Related Links:

— “Over 4 Million Working Americans Suffer From Anxiety Disorders,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, May 21, 2015.

Medscape (5/21, Jeffrey) reports that nearly two decades after the 1995 terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City, “survivors report more depression and anxiety than controls, and almost a quarter of them report symptoms that would meet criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” according to research presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after surveying “138 direct survivors of the bombing, more than 80% of whom had been injured by the blast,” then comparing “their responses…with those of 171 community members who were demographically similar but who were not directly or indirectly exposed.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

ABC World News (5/20, story 11, 0:20, Muir) reported that a new study suggests there may be “a link between depression and Parkinson’s disease.”

The New York Times (5/21, Bakalar) “Well” blog reports that the study published online May 20 in Neurology “compared 140,688 people with depression with 421,943 controls without” depression, then followed both groups from seven to 25 years. Researchers found that “the rate of Parkinson’s disease among people with depression was almost three times that of people without it.”

The New York Daily News (5/21, Pearson) reports that people “with more serious cases of depression were more likely to develop Parkinson’s – people who were hospitalized five or more times were 40% more likely to develop the disease than those who had been hospitalized only once,” the study found.

Related Links:

— “Nicholas Bakalar,” , New York Times, May 20, 2015.