The New York Times (9/29, Luo, McIntire, Subscription Publication), a 5,300-word feature highlighted the incidence of accidental shootings in US homes when children find weapons in the house and play with them. The paper reviewed “hundreds of child firearm deaths” and discovered that such accidental shootings are happening at about twice the rate officially recorded. This higher rate of accidental gun deaths is said to be caused by “idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities.” Earlier this year, the National Rifle Association cited the official numbers in its fact sheet stating the group’s opposition to “safe storage” laws. Using the number the Times found, the NRA’s assertion that falls, poisoning, or environmental factors were more likely to kill children than guns would be “incorrect.” Currently, less than 20 states have implemented laws holding adults criminally responsible if their guns aren’t stored safely.

Related Links:

— “Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll, “Michael Luo, The New York Times, September 28, 2013.

The New York Times (9/28, BU1, Abelson, Subscription Publication) reported on continuing battles patients fight to have mental healthcare covered by insurers, a situation the Times says is unlikely to get better until Federal regulators write the rules for parity under the Affordable Care Act. Until then, the effect of the law is “still unclear.” Despite the earlier Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which is generally agreed to have “fallen short of its goal,” patients often owe thousands for treatment of serious mental illness. The Times says that’s partly because there’s little agreement or generally accepted standards of care for “how mental illness should be treated – and at what cost.”

Related Links:

— “Lacking Rules, Insurers Balk at Paying for Intensive Psychiatric Care, “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, September 27, 2013.

MedPage Today (9/27, Neale) reports that research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting suggests that people “who have both diabetes and depression have an increased likelihood of having a myocardial infarction (MI).” The likelihood “of having an MI compared with individuals without either condition were greatest among those ages 45 to 64, with the strongest association seen in women (OR 7.1, 95% CI 6.1-8.2), according to Karin Rådholm, of Linköping University in Sweden.” Meanwhile, “the corresponding odds ratio for men in that age group was 2.8 (95% CI 2.5-3.2), Rådholm reported.”

Related Links:

— “Diabetes and Depression Combo Hikes MI Risk, “Todd Neale, MedPage Today, September 26, 2013.

Medscape (9/27, Mulcahy) reports that research presented here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 55th Annual Meeting suggests that a brief “2-question survey can effectively screen cancer patients for depression.” The test, called “PHQ-2 [Patient Health Questionaire-2], asks how often, in the past 2 weeks, the patient has felt ‘little interest or pleasure in doing things,’ and how often the patient has felt ‘down, depressed, or hopeless.’” Researchers found that “the quick quiz identified patients at risk for depression as well as or better than longer surveys did.” The study included 455 patients.

All three broadcast networks opened their Wednesday evening newscasts with coverage of newly released footage of Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis during his killing spree. ABC World News called it “a haunting new video, a killer roaming the halls of the Washington Navy Yard looking for targets.” On NBC Nightly News, Pete Williams reported, “Cameras inside the Navy Yard building show Aaron Alexis carrying the sawed-off shotgun he used to shoot most of his victims.” TheCBS Evening News reported the FBI said Alexis “was driven by the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by electromagnetic waves beamed into his body.”