HealthDay (8/18, Preidt) reports, “Family problems early in life might raise boys’ risk of depression and anxiety, which is also tied to altered brain structure in their late teens and” into early adulthood, according to a study published online Aug. 17 in JAMA Pediatrics. The study, which “included nearly 500 males, ages 18 to 21,” found that “those boys who faced family problems during” the years from birth to age six “were more likely to have depression and anxiety at ages seven, 10 and 13.” Such boys “were more likely to have lower volume of…’gray matter’ in the brain by the time they reached ages 18 to 21.”

Related Links:

— “Family Struggles May Affect Boys’ Brain Development,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 17, 2015.

Kids Who Grow Up In Military Families During Wartime May Have An Increased Likelihood For Risky Behaviors.
The Wall Street Journal (8/18, A3, Hackman, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published online Aug. 17 in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that youngsters who grow up in military families during wartime may have an increased likelihood for risky behaviors.

The Stars And Stripes (DC) (8/18, Svan) reports that such children appear to be “more likely than their nonmilitary peers to abuse drugs and alcohol, get into fights or bring guns to school, among other risky forms of behavior.” For the study, researchers “mined data from nearly 689,000 middle and high school students who took the 2013 statewide California Healthy Kids Survey, including more than 54,000 who were part of military families.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Military Children More Prone to Risky Behavior,” Michelle Hackman, Wall Street Journal, August 17, 2015.

The New York Times (8/18, A15, Shear, Subscription Publication) reports that the White House announced on Monday a new initiative to help counter the “surge in heroin abuse” in 15 states in the Northeast. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Federal government will spend $2.5 million, directed to five “high intensity drug trafficking areas,” including Appalachia, New England, Philadelphia/Camden, New York/New Jersey, and Washington/Baltimore. The funding will “hire public safety and public health coordinators…in an attempt to focus on the treatment, rather than the punishment, of addicts.”

The Los Angeles Times (8/18, Toman-Miller) reports that an additional $1.3 million in funding will “go to fight trafficking on the border with Mexico, drug czar Michael Botticelli said.” Under the program, public health coordinators “will monitor heroin use and issue warnings regarding dangerous batches of the drug,” while public safety coordinators “will work with law enforcement to stem illegal imports.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Budgets Cash to Treat Heroin Abuse in Northeast,” Michael D. Shear, New York Times, August 17, 2015.

HealthDay (8/15, Preidt) reported that the number of US “children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is rising,” according to research conducted by the CDC. In addition, a news release from the FDA points out that kids with untreated AD/HD “have more emergency room visits and are more likely to have self-inflicted injuries than those who receive treatment.” Adolescents with untreated AD/HD may be “more likely to take risks, such as drinking and driving, and have twice as many traffic crashes as those who receive treatment, the FDA said.” Tiffany Farchione, MD, of the FDA, “said in a news release” that “parents who think a child has AD/HD should consult their family doctor or pediatrician.”

Related Links:

— “More American Children Diagnosed With ADHD,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 14, 2015.

MedPage Today (8/16, Frieden) reported on two mental health reform measures before Congress that would, “among other things, improve access to care for mental health patients on Medicaid and clarify what personal health information mental health [professionals] may disclose under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).” The two measures “are H.R. 2646, the ‘Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act,’ introduced by Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas); and S. 1945, the ‘Mental Health Reform Act of 2015,’ introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).”

Related Links:

— “Congress Mulling Mental Health Reform Bills,” Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today, August 15, 2015.