The Washington Post (1/7, Ingraham) reports in its “Wonkblog” that a study of 2,800 US 12th graders conducted by Texas A&M and the University of Florida revealed that alcohol is a gateway drug, finding “the vast majority of respondents reported using alcohol prior to either tobacco or marijuana initiation.” Tobacco was the first drug, of the three, to be used by 32% of respondents. The study (1/7) was published in the January issue of the Journal of School Health.

Related Links:

— “The real ‘gateway drug’ is 100% legal,” Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, January 6, 2016.

HealthDay (1/7, Preidt) reports, “Premature menopause may increase a woman’s later risk of depression,” the findings of a 14-study review published online Jan. 6 in JAMA Psychiatry indicate. Researchers found that women “whose menopause began when they were 40 and older had a lower risk of depression later in life than those with premature menopause.”

Related Links:

— “Can Early Menopause Trigger Depression Later in Life?,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, January 6, 2016.

The Washington Post (1/4, Bernstein) reported in “To Your Health” that the National Council for Behavioral Health was scheduled to announce yesterday that “it will train another 500,000 people in its Mental Health First Aid course” in order to “help people recognize when someone is suffering from a mental health or substance abuse disorder and to encourage intervention.”

Related Links:

— “Trying to make mental health first aid as familiar as CPR,” Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post, January 4, 2016.

The Wilmington (DE) News Journal reported that “hearing voices can be a symptom of a mental health disorder, such as schizophrenia.” However, a study “published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that surveyed more than 31,000 people on the prevalence of hearing voices over their lifetime found that only one in 10 experienced delusions.” Hearing voices may also result from trauma, the article pointed out.

Related Links:

— “Hearing voices is not necessarily a sign of mental illness,” Jen Rini, Wilmington (DE) News Journal, January 4, 2016.

On its “Morning Edition” program and in its “Shots” blog, NPR (1/5, Hamilton) reported on “growing evidence that a lack of sleep can leave the brain vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease.” Brain scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University are “about to launch a study of people that should clarify the link between sleep problems and Alzheimer’s disease in humans.” Evidence in mice suggests that in “animals that don’t get enough solid shut-eye,” toxins related to Alzheimer’s “can build up and damage the brain.”

Related Links:

— “Lack Of Deep Sleep May Set The Stage For Alzheimer’s,” Jon Hamilton, National Public Radio, January 4, 2016.