HealthDay (5/13, Preidt) reports that research published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention suggests that individuals “who have suffered a traumatic brain injury are at increased risk for road rage.” Investigators “surveyed nearly 4,000 Canadian adult drivers, aged 18 to 97.” The researchers “found that those who had suffered at least one traumatic brain injury in their lifetime had many more incidents of serious road rage than those without a brain injury.”

Related Links:

— “Brain Injury Linked to Raised Risk of Road Rage,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, May , 2015.12

Medscape (5/12, Lowry) reports that a study published in the May issue of Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, reveals that approximately “20% of patients who are prescribed antidepressants stop taking them without telling their” physician. The 1,411-participant study also revealed that “characteristics of those most likely to discontinue these medications include younger age, being diagnosed with anxiety or substance use disorder in addition to depression, and being treated in a general medical setting rather than by a psychiatrist or other mental health specialist.” An accompanying editorial (5/12) observed that “the study addresses a key issue ‘that is commonly hidden from physicians.’”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Los Angeles Times (5/12, Healy) “Science Now” blog reports that “after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury, nearly nine in 10 teens who have ongoing concussion symptoms also have academic problems related to headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating,” according to a study (5/6) published online May 11 in the journal Pediatrics. In addition, “more than three-quarters of those who have yet to recover fully after four weeks report a decline in such academic skills as note-taking, studying and completing homework assignments.”

CNN (5/12, LaMotte) reports that the study also revealed that “across grades of schooling, high school students reported having the most learning problems, significantly more than middle or elementary school children.” The study authors “say their findings suggest that school systems and medical professionals should be working together to support students who are still in the recovery phase.”

Focusing on the study methodology, HealthDay (5/12, Haelle) reports that investigators “surveyed 239 student-parent pairs plus another 110 parents about any concerns they had regarding school work after students experienced a concussion.” The students, who ranged in age from five to 18, “were evaluated within a month of having had a concussion with several thinking, memory and concentration tests.”

Related Links:

— “After concussions, kids face persistent difficulties with school,” Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2015.

The New York Times (5/12, A13, Williams, Subscription Publication) reports that a report by Human Rights Watch to be released today shows that inmates with mental illnesses incarcerated “across the United States are subjected to routine physical abuse by guards, including being doused with chemical sprays, shocked with electronic stun guns and strapped for hours to chairs or beds.” The report contends that the mistreatment “has led to deaths, though the number of casualties is unclear in part because jails and prisons classify them in various ways.” The report also found that “jails and prisons are not uniformly required to report the use of force by guards.” The Times points out that a Justice Department study “found that 75 percent of women and 50 percent of men in state penitentiaries, and 75 percent of women and 63 percent of men in local jails, will suffer from a mental health problem requiring services in any given year.”

Related Links:

— “Mentally Ill Inmates Are Routinely Physically Abused, Study Says,” Timothy Williams, New York Times, May 12, 2015.

The Los Angeles Times (5/12, Netburn) “Science Now” blog reports that a new study published Monday in the Annals of Family Medicine found that 54 percent of people “who said they restricted their drug use to Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday admitted to using drugs on other days of the week as well, when questioned again in six months.” The study looked at 483 patients at Boston Medical Center who had admitting to using drugs in the past month when they came for regular medical care. According to Prof. Judith Bernstein, the study’s lead author, the message of the study for physicians is that “drug use is not static, so drug use is something you might want to monitor on a regular basis.”

Related Links:

— “Weekend-only drug use frequently slips into weekday drug use, study says,” Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2015.