The MedPage Today (1/10, Gever) “Striking a Nerve” blog reports that certain anti-seizure medications are safer for the developing fetus during pregnancy than others, “with valproate probably the biggest no-no,” as evidenced by a studypublished online in the journal Neurology that compared language and cognitive development of youngsters born to mothers with epilepsy who took valproate, levetiracetam, or no anti-seizure medication at all during pregnancy. Kids whose moms took valproate during pregnancy had an increased risk for such problems, compared to kids whose moms took levetiracetam or no medication at all. Currently, because there is no set “algorithm for deciding which [medication] is best for a given patient,” the “decision still comes down to the individual clinician’s judgment and the patient’s tolerance for risk to herself and her unborn child.”

Related Links:

— “Striking a Nerve: Epilepsy Drugs in Pregnancy, “John Gever, MedPage Today, January 9, 2014.

The New York Times (1/10, Carrns, Subscription Publication) “Your Money” column reports that the Affordable Care Act and rules to fully implement the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 are expected to provide improvements and greater availability of “insurance coverage for mental conditions and addictions.” The ACA “includes mental health care and substance abuse treatment among its 10 ‘essential’ benefits, which means plans sold on the public health care exchanges must include coverage.” What’s more, “the parity law says that when health insurance plans provide coverage for mental ailments, it must be comparable to coverage for physical ailments.”

Related Links:

— “Understanding New Rules That Widen Mental Health Coverage, “Ann Carrns , The New York Times, January 9, 2014.

In a front-page story, USA Today (1/10, A1, Zoroya) reports that according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, “young veterans just out of the service and receiving health care from the government committed suicide at nearly three times the rate of active-duty troops in recent years.” According to USA Today, “Veterans ages 18-24 enrolled in the VA’s health program killed themselves at a rate of 46 per 100,000 in 2009 and nearly 80 per 100,000 in 2011,” while “non-veterans of the same age had a suicide rate during 2009 and 2010…of about 20 per 100,000.”

Related Links:

— “Young vets’ suicide rate alarming, ” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, January 9, 2014.

The Chicago Tribune (1/9, Graham) reports that Medicaid expansion under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act may provide additional opportunities for “poor people struggling with mental illnesses.” However, the expansion in coverage causes concerns among some analysts that some people may still have difficulty accessing mental health professionals, whom the Tribune notes are often in short supply in disadvantaged areas.

Related Links:

— “Doors to treatment opening for poor people struggling with mental illnesses, “Judith Graham, The Chicago Tribune, January 9, 2014.

One major television network, several major US newspapers, and numerous online media sources cover a Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday showing that many Americans are drinking too much alcohol, even though they are not alcoholics, and that many of these individuals have never discussed their alcohol use with their physicians.

NBC Nightly News (1/7, story 8, 1:50, Williams) reported that the CDC has released a new report revealing that “many millions of Americans drink too much,” a problem rarely discussed with their physicians. NBC News chief medical Editor Nancy Snyderman, MD, explained, “At least 38 million people in the United States drink too much and most are not alcoholics.” Still, 75 percent of binge drinkers claim never to have had a discussion about their alcohol use with their physicians. CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, was shown saying that a brief interview with a physician “can result in a substantial reduction of problem drinking for a long period of time.”

Related Links:

— “January 2014 Vital Signs Issue: Alcohol Screening and Counseling,CDC Vital Signs, January, 2014.