The Dallas Morning News (12/14, Swanson) reported that the number of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) “treatments in Texas has increased 67 percent since 2001, according to figures compiled by the state health department.” The procedure “was used 14,176 times in Texas on 2,243 patients between Sept. 1, 2012, and Aug. 31, 2013, the last available reporting year.” Physicians who perform ECT “attribute its growing use to its success” at treating patients with major depression. Efficacy of the treatment has been recognized both by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association. Medicare also covers the treatment.

The AP (12/15) reprises the Dallas Morning News piece, reporting that opponents of ECT “say it has always caused, and continues to inflict, brain damage and long-term memory loss.” Three years ago, “the Food and Drug Administration published a survey of medical studies on the treatment, saying the studies generally concluded that it ‘is probably more effective than some anti-depressants.’” In addition, “the FDA says the studies…found that there is no evidence to suggest the treatment causes brain damage.”

Related Links:

— “Texas sees resurgence in use of electroconvulsive therapy,” Doug J. Swanson, Dallas Morning News, December 13, 2014.

The Washington Times (12/13, Klimas) reported that on Dec. 12, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), “said…a bill that veterans groups are trying to get passed before Congress leaves town for the year carries too hefty a price tag for authority that the VA could, in most cases, already exercise.” The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act “would require a report on successful veteran suicide prevention programs and allow the VA to pay incentives to hire psychiatrists,” among other provisions. Coburn, a physician, referred to the proposed measure as “ineffective legislation.”

In response, “Saul Levin, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association, said, ‘Hundreds of additional lives will be lost’ if lawmakers wait until the next Congress to put these reforms into place.” When the article went to press, Coburn had plans to block the measure.

Related Links:

— “Tom Coburn puts hold on veterans suicide prevention bill,” Jacqueline Klimas, Washington Times, December 12, 2014.

On CBS News-60 Minutes (12/15), correspondent Scott Pelley reports that two years after the Newtown, CT shooting rampage, “we’ve learned that the killer suffered profound mental illness.” Even though “his parents sought treatment…at least once, their health insurance provider denied payment.” In investigating what some parents have gone through to get their children “psychiatric care,” CBS News “found that the vast majority of claims are routine, but the insurance industry aggressively reviews the cost of chronic cases.”

Forbes (12/15, Japsen) contributor Bruce Japsen points out that “Pelley highlighted several cases where doctors working for insurance companies, including Anthem (ANTM), denied claims by mentally ill patients in need of chronic long-term mental health care.” In addition, Pelley “said ‘60 Minutes’ found the claim denial rate often exceeded 90 percent by Anthem in cases it reviewed.” The segment “pressed the case that many of the cases were chronic and involved the need of patients for long-term care and that it largely came down to costs rather than quality of care provided.”

Related Links:

— “Denied,” Scott Pelley, CBS News 60 Minutes, December 14, 2014.

HealthDay (12/12, Dotinga) reports that according to a study published in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs, nearly “half of US kids experience traumas that can disrupt their development.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after “analyzing the results of a 2011-2012 survey of the parents of more than 95,000 children under the age of 17.” The survey focused on children “who experienced several types of trauma, such as living in extreme poverty, seeing their parents divorce, living with someone who was mentally ill or abused drugs/alcohol, having a parent who served time behind bars, or having a parent who died.”

Related Links:

— “http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/misc-kid-s-health-news-435/almost-half-of-u-s-kids-suffer-trauma-that-harms-their-health-for-years-study-694439.html,” Randy Dotinga, HealthDay, December 11, 2014.

The AP (12/12, Eaton-Robb) reports that nearly two years after the Dec. 14, 2012 shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, “the scope of the psychological damage to children, parents and others is becoming clear, and the need for treatment is likely to persist a long time.”

Many townspeople are “reporting substance abuse, relationship troubles, disorganization, depression, overthinking or inability to sleep, all related to the” shooting rampage that cost 27 lives. Various agencies are putting together a long-term support system bolstered by $15 million in grant monies from the US Justice Department and the US Education Department, along with private donations made to the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation.

The town school system is putting into place a long-term program to help kids come to terms with what has happened. Meanwhile, the town has been consulting with outside experts to put together long-range plans to meet residents’ mental health needs for the next decade and beyond.

Related Links:

— “IN NEWTOWN, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS STILL EMERGING,” Pat Eaton-Robb, Associated Press, December 11, 2014.