In a nearly 2,000-word article, the Chicago Tribune (11/11, Taylor) reports that “a growing body of research is exploring links among sleep deprivation, sleep disturbance and Alzheimer’s disease.” For example, Dr. Erik Musiek, an assistant professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, “said new research suggests that sleep and circadian rhythm problems experienced earlier in life actually may contribute to the risk of Alzheimer’s and accelerate the disease.”

In addition, a PET scan study of 70 seniors conducted at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging revealed that people who reported “poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration had higher amounts of beta-amyloid in their brains than those who reported sleeping longer and better.”

Related Links:

— [Free Registration Required] “Sleep Could be the Missing Link in Dementia,” Mark Taylor, Chicago Tribune, November 10, 2015.

The Wall Street Journal (12/2, Peterson, Subscription Publication) reports that yesterday, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) called for Congress to overhaul the US mental healthcare system. Ryan’s remarks come as a response to the shootings last week at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado.

The New York Times (12/2, A20, Pérez-Peña, Subscription Publication) reports, “While Democrats made it clear they believed that Republicans were avoiding the real problem – lax restrictions on access to guns – Mr. Ryan encouraged lawmakers from both” sides of the aisle “to present their ideas to address the problems with mental health care.”

Related Links:

— “Ryan Calls for Mental-Health Overhaul After Planned Parenthood Shooting,” Kristina Peterson, Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2015.

The CBS News (11/19, Welch) website reports that “about one in 10 Americans struggles with a drug use disorder at some point in their lifetime, according to” the results of a study published online Nov. 18 in JAMA Psychiatry. The research, conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), also reveals that most of these individuals do not get treatment.

TIME (11/19, Sifferlin) reports that the “data comes from interviews with 36,309 adults who participated in a national survey between 2012 and 2013.” Drug use disorders “involved a variety of substances from marijuana and cocaine to hallucinogens and heroin.” Overall, the study found that disorders were “more common among men, young unmarried adults, people with lower education and income, and white and Native American groups.” Drug abuse problems were also more likely to be reported by people who “abused alcohol and nicotine and those with mental health issues such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress.”

Related Links:

— “Nearly 10 percent of Americans struggle with drug problems,” Ashley Welch, CBS News, November 18, 2015.

The NPR (11/12, Korry) “Shots” blog reports that “an estimated 2.2 million adolescents – 8.8 percent of youth aged 12 to 17 years old – are currently using an illicit drug, according to a 2014 Behavioral Health Barometer prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).” Illicit “drug use changes brain development, and when substances are used during adolescence, young people are much more likely to become addicted…said” John Knight, MD, founder and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at Boston Children’s Hospital. “If we could only get kids to postpone their first drink or their first use of drugs, we could greatly diminish the prevalence of addiction in the US,” Dr. Knight said.

Related Links:

— “To Prevent Addiction In Adults, Help Teens Learn How To Cope,” Elaine Korry, National Public Radio, November 13, 2015.

USA Today (11/13, Brook, Locker) reports that a study found that “babies and toddlers of soldiers returning from deployment face the heightened risk of abuse in the six months after the parent’s return home, a risk that increases among soldiers who deploy more frequently.” David Rubin, the study’s senior author from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said that the study “demonstrates that elevated stress when a soldier returns home can have real and potentially devastating consequences for some military families.” The study will be published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

HealthDay (11/13, Haelle) reports that the research “looked at rates of confirmed maltreatment among children of more than 112,000 deployed US Army soldiers.”

Related Links:

— “Study finds more child abuse in homes of returning vets,” Tom Vanden Brook and Ray Locker, USA Today, November 12, 2015.