The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (5/25, McCoy) reported, “A University of Pittsburgh study exploring cyberbullying came up with a framework for guiding the design of social media that could counteract or prevent mean and cruel behavior online.” The framework includes “encouraging the would-be cyberbully to reflect before posting something, pointing to the consequences, encouraging a sense of empathy for the victim’s suffering, giving bullying targets a sense of empowerment, instilling fear of punishment, attention-getting messages and elements that would control or suppress cyberbullying content.”

Related Links:

— “Pitt study explores handling online bullying,” Adrian McCoy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 25, 2014.

The NPR (5/23, Singh) “Shots” blog reported that according to a study online published May 23 in the journal World Psychiatry, “mental disorders can reduce life expectancy by 10 to 20 years, as much as or even more than smoking over 20 cigarettes a day.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after examining “data on 1.7 million patients, drawing from 20 recent scientific reviews and studies from mostly wealthy countries.”

HealthDay (5/24, Preidt) reported that “the average life expectancy was 10 to 20 years shorter than normal for people with schizophrenia, 9 to 20 years shorter for those with bipolar disorder, 7 to 11 years shorter for those with recurrent depression, and 9 to 24 years shorter for people with drug and alcohol abuse.” In comparison, “heavy smoking shortens life by an average of 8 to 10 years, the study authors noted.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Illness Can Shorten Lives More Than Chain-Smoking,” Maanvi Singh, National Public Radio, May 23, 2014.

The Stars And Stripes (DC) (5/23, Tritten) reports that military recruit “mental health screening…passed the House on Thursday as part of the massive 2015 defense budget.” The measure, “sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., orders the National Institutes of Health to create a universal mental health evaluation for potential recruits that would catch past suicide attempts and psychiatric disorders.”

The screening “data could be used by the services to weed out candidates with potentially dangerous mental health issues.”

A similar proposal has also been introduced in the Senate.

Related Links:

— “House passes new mental health screening for recruits,” Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes, May 22, 2014.

The Hill (5/22, Viebeck) reports that a mental-health reform measure introduced by psychologist Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) has lost “support among some Democrats, raising questions about the bill’s prospects.” In the past week, Reps. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Marc Veasey (D-TX) “withdrew their co-sponsorships,” and Del. Donna Christensen (D-VI) “pulled away on April 2.” Meanwhile, on May 6, Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ), backed by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), introduced a different mental-health reform bill.

Related Links:

— “GOP mental health bill loses Dem co-sponsors,” Elise Viebeck, The Hill, May 21, 2014.

Medscape (5/22) reports that according to a study published online May 21 in BJOG, “maternal depression is more common at four years postpartum than at any time during the first 12 months, especially among women who do not have another child during that four years.” The study of more than 1,500 women revealed that “women with one child at the four-year follow-up reported approximately double the prevalence of depressive symptoms at every time compared with women with two or more children.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)