TIME (5/14, Kedmey) reports that a study published online May 13 in the journal Tobacco Control suggests that “people suffering from depression, anxiety and other mental disorders are more than twice as likely to spark up an e-cigarette and three times as likely to ‘vape’ regularly than those without a history of mental issues.” Investigators “at the University of California-San Diego drew their findings from an extensive survey of American smoking habits,” which revealed that “among 10,041 respondents, 14.8% of individuals suffering from mental health disorders said they had tried an e-cigarette, compared with 6.6% of individuals who had no self-reported history of mental disorders.”

HealthDay (5/14, Preidt) reports that the study also found that “more than 60 percent of smokers with mental health disorders said they were likely or very likely to try e-cigarettes in the future, compared with about 45 percent of smokers without mental health conditions.”

Related Links:

— “The Weird Link Between E-Cigarettes and Mental Health Disorders,” Dan Kedmey, Time, May 13, 2014.

Medscape (5/13, MacReady) reports that research published online in Pediatrics suggests that kids “who suffer a concussion may experience symptoms for several weeks after the injury, and those symptoms may differ from the ones seen at presentation.”

HealthDay (5/13, Reinberg) reports that in the “study from the emergency medicine division at Boston Children’s Hospital,” physicians “found that, while headache, dizziness and blurry vision can appear right after a concussion, emotional and mental symptoms, such as irritability and frustration, show up much later and stay longer.” Although the majority of “children recovered within two weeks after the injury, 25 percent still had headache a month after their injury.” Meanwhile, “more than 20 percent suffered from fatigue, and nearly 20 percent reported taking longer to think for a month after their concussion.”

Related Links:

— “Kids’ Concussion Symptoms Can Linger Long After Injury: Study,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, May 12, 2014.

Scientific American (5/13, Upsori) reports that China is facing a public health crisis as the number of elderly people with dementia increases. The country already “has more than nine million people with some form of dementia and more cases of Alzheimer’s disease than any other country, according to a 2013 paper in The Lancet,” the authors of which “dubbed dementia ‘the single largest challenge to health and social care systems’ in China.”

The article goes on to interview psychiatrist Michael Phillips, MD, MA, MPH, who “has dual appointments at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the Collaborative Center for Global Mental Health at Emory University.” At the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting, Dr. Phillips described the challenges China faces as it deals with a growing population of aging people.

Related Links:

— “Health Care Crisis Looms as China Faces Elderly Dementia Upsurge,” Sandra Upson, Scientific American, May 12, 2014.

The Military Times (5/9, Kime) reported that an understanding of what veterans “have experienced during their time in service is vital to good patient care, military officials said recently in a seminar at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting.” Now, even though “online short courses are available that cover the obvious — rank, military occupational specialties, histories and traditions — the Pentagon is gearing up to promote a new eight-hour course for health care [professionals] to gain a deeper understanding of military culture.” For example, the course called “‘Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Providers’ covers four subjects: health care provider beliefs and biases; military definitions, language and culture; military functions; and the role of military ethos in health behavior.”

Related Links:

— “Building cultural bridges between doctors, troops,” Patricia Kime , Military Times, May 9, 2014.

HealthDay (5/10, Preidt) reported that according to a study published May 7 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, “premature menopause may increase a woman’s risk of mental decline later in life.” The study of some 4,800 women revealed that, “compared to those who began menopause after age 50, women with premature menopause were 40 percent more likely to do poorly on verbal and visual memory tests.”

In addition, they “had a 35 percent higher risk of decline in psychomotor speed (coordination between the brain and the muscles that brings about movement) and overall mental function.” The study authors defined premature menopause as occurring around age 40.

Related Links:

— “Premature Menopause May Affect Women’s Brains,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, May 9, 2014.