The New York Times (10/8, Reynolds) “Well” blog reported that according to a study published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, physical activity appears to enhance cognitive performance in youngsters. The study of 220 eight- and nine-year-old children revealed that kids who took part in a year-long exercise program “displayed substantial improvements in their scores on each of the computer-based tests of executive function.”

In addition, “they were better at ‘attentional inhibition,’ which is the ability to block out irrelevant information and concentrate on the task at hand, than they had been at the start of the program, and had heightened abilities to toggle between cognitive tasks.”

Related Links:

— “How Exercise Can Boost Young Brains,” Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, October 8, 2014.

Medscape (10/9, Brauser) reports that according to a meta-analysis published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, “psychotherapy may be effective in treating subclinical depression and may prevent progression to major depressive disorder (MDD).” The “meta-analysis of 18 studies of adult participants with subclinical depression showed that among those who received some form of psychotherapy, there was a significant reduction in the incidence of major depressive episode six months later, compared with those who received a controlled condition.” What’s more, “psychotherapy had a moderate effect on lowering depressive symptoms.”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

TIME (10/8, Sifferlin) reports that, according to two reports published in The Lancet Psychiatry, “schools should be a first line of defense for catching young people at risk for mental health issues from depression to” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).

UK-specific data in the reports indicate that “about 75% of adults who access mental health treatment had a diagnosable disorder when they were under age 18, but in high-income countries, only 25% of kids with mental health problems get treatment.” But, “by prioritizing mental health in a child’s early years, more people will get the treatment they need early on.”

Related Links:

— “Why Schools Should Screen Their Students’ Mental Health,” Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, October 7, 2014.

Medscape (10/8, Cassels) reports that, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in conjunction with the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly “a quarter of American adults experienced at least one mental health disorder in the past year.”

The report found that “22.5% of American adults (51.2 million people) had at least one mental disorder in the past year.” Some 17 million Americans “(7.4% of the adult population) suffered mood disorders, including major depression and bipolar disorders.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

In “The Appraisal,” the New York Times (10/7, A27, Chaban, Subscription Publication) reports that the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice seeks “to cut the United States incarceration rate of 2.3 million in half over the next decade.”

While this will involve “advocacy campaigns and lobbying, including for sentencing reforms and the decriminalization of drugs,” it will focus primarily on “the establishment of better mental health treatment for inmates in the United States,” starting with a 25-bed center to help people with convictions who also have mental illnesses.

Founder Francis J. Greenburger, a New York developer, has a son with mental illness who is now serving a five-year prison sentence for arson.

Related Links:

— “From a Father’s Anguish Comes a Plan to Help Mentally Ill Inmates,” Matt A. V. Chaban, New York Times, October 6, 2014.