The Portland (ME) Press Herald (1/18, Lawlor) reported that “a program started at Maine Medical Center…has become a national model for early detection and treatment of mental illness.” Called the Portland Identification and Early Referral (PIER) program, the program “has gained a foothold in several states – including California – and as it expands it has attracted national media attention.”

The program detects the earliest symptoms of serious mental illnesses and treats them before problems become severe. In Maine alone, “symptoms turning into a ‘full-blown psychotic diagnosis’ fell 26 percent in the Portland area over a six-year period in the 2000s, but rose 8 percent in other parts of the state, where the PIER program was not in place, according to a study published in October in Psychiatric Services scholarly journal,” a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Maine treatment for mental illness serves as national model,” Joe Lawlor, Portland Press Herald, January 18, 2015.

The Hill (1/20, Ferris) reports a study by the National Institutes of Health has found that a “‘substantial percentage’ of people who drink alcohol regularly also take medications that could pose dangerous health risks.” The study says approximately 42 percent of drinkers reported taking medications while they drink that are “known to interact with alcohol” and “nearly 80 percent of people over the age of 65 reported taking medications while drinking.” Dr. George Koob, who director of “NIH’s program on alcohol abuse” states that that “Combining alcohol with medications often carries the potential for serious health risks.”

Related Links:

— “4 in 10 drinkers mix with medication, NIH study finds,” Sarah Ferris, The Hill, January 19, 2015.

TIME (1/18, Frizell) reported that research published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research suggests that “sleep-deprived teenagers are more likely than their peers to develop drinking problems later in life.”

The Los Angeles Times (1/18, Morin) “Science Now” blog reports that investigators analyzed “data contained in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a survey of 6,504 students in grades 7 through 12.” The researchers found that “during the first two years of the survey, adolescents who had sleep difficulties once a week, every day or almost every day in the last 12 months were about 47% more likely to have alcohol-related interpersonal problems, 47% more likely to engage in binge drinking and 80% more likely to engage in regretted sexual activities.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Teens Who Get Less Sleep More Vulnerable to Drinking Problems,” Sam Frizell, Time, January 17, 2015.

USA Today (1/15, Zoroya) reports Johns Hopkins scientists “studying the brains of young veterans who died long after war shed light on a growing theory” that the “damage caused by bomb blasts” is “unique enough to be its own disease.” The study “reveal brain lesions different than those that occur in sports, car crashes or drug overdoses.” Co-author Vassilis Koliatsos, said, “We saw a pattern that we had not seen before.”

Related Links:

— “Bomb-induced brain injury may be its own disease,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, January 15, 2015.

The Washington Times (1/16, Klimas) reports veterans groups “warned Thursday that the Choice Card program…is not a long-term fix for the VA’s poor services” and “told lawmakers to boost the department’s budget” to allow the hiring of additional staff and acquiring of “a new scheduling system to prevent another waiting list scandal.” Four “of the top veterans service organizations” released a report indicating that the VA needs an additional $2 billion in 2015 to meet demand. Carl Blake, of Paralyzed Veterans of America, said, “We don’t believe sufficient resources have been devoted to the VA health care system.”

Related Links:

— “Veterans advocates push for more funding for VA,” Jacqueline Klimas, Washington Times, January 15, 2015.