National Journal (10/9, Mimms, Owens, Subscription Publication) reports on stalled efforts to pass mental health reform legislation in Congress. According to National Journal, “while Democrats are taking an all-or-nothing approach to the legislation they’d like to see passed, Republicans who actually get to decide what legislation will see the light of day seem to have higher-ranking items on their” current list of priorities.

Related Links:

— “Partisan Standoff Stalls Both Gun and Mental-Health Bills,” Sarah Mimms and Caitlin Owens, National Journal, October 8, 2015.

The Washington Post (10/8, Wax-Thibodeaux) “Federal Eye” blog reported that “female veterans die by suicide at nearly six times the rate as those with no service record,” because they use guns. Suicides among female veterans have reached “such an alarming number that mental health experts at the Department of Veterans Affairs say the agency is reaching out to former servicewomen to talk about gun safety.” Currently, “VA hospitals and clinics are offering free gun locks and education at every VA to ensure firearm safety…said” Caitlin Thompson, the VA’s deputy director for suicide prevention.

Related Links:

— “VA addresses suicide by gun problem among female veterans,” Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, October 8, 2015.

The New York Times (10/9, Sanger-Katz, Subscription Publication) reports in “The Upshot” that “more than 60 percent of people” in the US “who die from guns die by suicide.” Experts in public health “cite two reasons” why “guns are particularly dangerous.” First, firearms “are more lethal than most other methods people try,” and second, “suicide attempts often occur shortly after people decide to kill themselves, so people with deadly means at hand when the impulse strikes are more likely to use them than those who have to wait or plan.” Having a gun in the home “can make self-harm both easy and deadly.”

Related Links:

— “Gun Deaths Are Mostly Suicides,” Margot Sanger-Katz, New York Times, October 8, 2015.

Reuters (10/7, Seaman) reports that the prevalence of PTSD is far higher than originally thought in women veterans who served during the era of the Vietnam war, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after examining data on 4,219 female service members who served in Vietnam, near Vietnam, and in the US from 1965 to 1973. Also covering the story are HealthDay (10/8, Dallas) and Medscape (10/8, Harrison).

Related Links:

— “PTSD common among female Vietnam-era veterans,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, October 7, 2015.

Medscape (10/8, Harrison) reports that 78 percent of US adults “support mandated mental health coverage in health plans,” according to the results of “a cross-sectional national poll” published in the October issue of the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. The poll, to which 2,124 people responded, also found that “support is stronger when substance abuse treatment is not explicitly included in that coverage.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)