On its website, CBS News (4/2, Firger) reports that a new study published in the journal Neurology found that regular “rigorous physical activity” by young people could improve mental fitness later in life. According to the article, the study examined levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in 2,747 young adults between 18 and 30 years old with two treadmill tests 20 years apart.

Researchers found a link between the time a person could stay on a treadmill and the number of correctly-recalled words on a memory test. In the follow-up, participants who could remain on the treadmill longer “also tended to score higher on the memory test,” with better performance in psychomotor speed and executive functioning.

Reuters (4/3, Doyle) reports in its coverage that those in better shape when the study began were more likely to possess higher education, healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels, be more active, and smoke less. During the memory test, researchers found that for each additional minute a subject spent on a treadmill during the initial test, that individual correctly recalled .12 more words, and performed better on trick question and reactions speed tests.

The study’s author, David R. Jacobs, said that it is possible that more exercise when younger simply reduces blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk for dementia and cognitive decline.

Related Links:

— “Exercising young keeps the brain fit in middle age,” Jessica Firgir, CBS News, April 2, 2014.

In the “ABCs Of Child Psychiatry” column in Psychology Today (4/1), child psychiatrist David Rettew, MD, wrote that “activities related to wellness (things like exercise, good relationships, and nutrition) can really help those who struggle with psychiatric disorders, in addition to helping those who don’t meet criteria for a disorder but are trying to optimize mental functioning.”

Rettew pointed out that Dr. Dilip Jeste, former president of the American Psychiatric Association, “promoted the importance of ‘positive psychiatry’ during his tenure.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Is More Than Mental Illness,” David Rettew, M.D., Psychology Today, April 1, 2014.

Reuters (4/2) reports that according to a study published March 31 in the journal Circulation, young adults who do not have hypertension or higher than normal blood pressure may maintain better cognitive function in their middle years, compared to young adults whose blood pressure was higher than normal. For the study, researchers followed more than 3,000 young adults ranging in age from 18 to 30 for 25 years. At the 25-year point, participants underwent a battery of tests to evaluate various cognitive functions.

Related Links:

— “Heart health in young adults tied to later dementia risk,” Fox News, April 1, 2014.

On its front page, the New York Times (4/2, A1, Santos, Goode, Subscription Publication) reports in a 1,500-word story “on the growing number of people with severe mental disorders who, in the absence of adequate mental health services, are coming in contact with the criminal justice system, sometimes with deadly consequences.”

Across the US, “police officers find themselves playing dual roles as law enforcers and psychiatric social workers.” Unfortunately, some mental health crises can be made worse by fearful or reflexive actions taken by police officers. For that reason, some cities have established mental health crisis intervention units or have at least “put in place training for officers in how to deal with mentally ill people, teaching them to defuse potentially volatile situations and to treat people who suffer from psychiatric illnesses with respect.”

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in 17 people living in the US may have a mental illness of a serious nature.

Related Links:

— “Police Confront Rising Number of Mentally Ill Suspects,” Fernando Santos, New York Times, April 1, 2014.

The AP (4/1, Volz) reports that Disability Rights Montana on Monday filed a Federal lawsuit against seven officials with the Montana Department of Corrections and Department of Public Health and Human Services over claims that the officials have “warehoused” individuals with mental illness.

According to the lawsuit, the state officials have been placing patients with mental illness into Deer Lodge prison in order to increase bed space in the Montana State Hospital; the patients are then “mistreated and denied proper mental-health care,” representing cruel and unusual punishment and violations of due process, the AP says.

Disability Rights Montana says those determined to be “guilty but mentally ill” that are transferred from the hospital to the prison encounter significant hardship and is asking a judge to find that the inmates were discriminated against and had their constitutional rights violated.

Related Links:

— “Group: Montana warehouses mentally ill inmates,” Matt Volz, Washington Times, April 1, 2014.