Medscape (5/6, Anderson) reports that a literature review presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting “points to the potentially devastating effects of Internet addiction, especially in adolescents.” According to the “review of 13 published articles…people with Internet addiction disorder (IAD), especially those addicted to Internet gaming, tend to have certain brain abnormalities.” Researchers found that “increased blood flow is actually seen in the areas of the brain involving reward and pleasure centers, and decreased blood flow is observed in areas involved in hearing and visual processing.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Wall Street Journal (5/6, D4, Chen, Subscription Publication) reports that a digital game called SuperBetter, which will soon undergo a scientific study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, may help some people manage anxiety and depression. Other digital games and apps are being developed for the management of post-traumatic stress disorder. Nevertheless, such games are no substitute for psychotherapy, according to Carol Landau, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School.

Related Links:

— “Different Way to Treat Depression: Games,” Angela Chen, Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2014.

Medscape (5/5, Brooks) reports that according to research presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting, “high school students who frequent the tanning salon may actually be depressed and at risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior.” The study “found that excessive indoor tanning, defined as tanning 40 times or more in 12 months, was associated with a greater than two-fold increased odds of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and a greater than four-fold likelihood of suicide attempt.” In arriving at the study’s conclusion, researchers analyzed data from the biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey “to study the relationship between excessive indoor tanning with depression, defined as 2 weeks of sadness, and suicide ideation, plan, attempt, and treatment.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The NPR (5/3, Pauly) “Shots” blog reported that under both the Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health Parity Act, “health insurance companies are required to provide mental health coverage if they cover physical illnesses.” Not included under ACA or MHPA is travel insurance, however. Linda Kundell, a spokesperson for the United States Travel Insurance Association, pointed out that “travel insurance policies typically only cover common risks in order to keep costs down.” She said, “If insurance companies take on added risk, it raises the cost of premium for consumers.”

Related Links:

— “Don’t Count On Travel Insurance To Cover Mental Health,” Megan Pauly, National Public Radio, May 2, 2014.

The CBS Evening News (5/4, story 6, 2:00, Glor) reported, “A new study based on data from the Centers for Disease Control says hundreds of thousands of kids who say they are the victims of bullying are bringing some kind of weapon to school.” CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann explained, “The report analyzes the detailed survey of 15,000 high-school students who were asked questions about bullying.” The CDC survey revealed not only that one in five high-school students reported being the victim of a bully within the past year, but also that “an estimated 250,000 bullying victims were carrying guns, knives and clubs to school within the last 30 days of the survey being conducted.”

The NBC News (5/5, Briggs) website reported that “bullied students who have endured four types of aggressive clashes at school — being verbally tormented, sustaining a physical assault, suffering personal property theft or damage, and cutting school due to safety concerns — are nearly 49 times more likely to have recently carried a weapon to school and 34 times more likely to have carried a gun within the past 30 days.” Also covering the story are the CBS News (5/5, Strassmann) website and HealthDay (5/5, Preidt).

Related Links:

— “Bullied Students Sneak Thousands of Guns Into Schools,” Bill Briggs, , May 2, 2014.