Time (7/26, Groden) reported on a study by the Harvard School of Public Health in “The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry” showing a decreased chance of suicide attempts among caffeine users, primarily coffee drinkers. The study reportedly followed 200,000 people for over 16 years and found suicide risk cut by 50 percent. Head researcher Michel Lucas said caffeine may act like “a mild anti-depressant.” Additionally, a “2011 study found that women who drink coffee cut their risk of depression by 15 percent compared to those who don’t.”

Forbes (7/28) contributor David DiSalvo explained the scientific link to coffee and antidepressants. “By mimicking adenosine, caffeine blocks receptors in the nervous system from receiving the signals to decrease energy expenditure. When that happens, levels of the brain’s homegrown neuro-stimulants – dopamine and glutamate – increase, and we experience the brain stimulating effects associated with drinking” coffee.

FOX News (7/26) reported on the study, saying “During the 20-year study period, 277 deaths in the cohort were linked to suicide.” The article concludes by noting that researchers found “little further benefit” in consumption above 400 mg, or 2-3 cups, per day.

The CBS News (7/27, Castillo) website listed other studied benefits of coffee, including “a 20 percent lower stroke risk” and “a 50 percent lower chance of dying from oral and pharyngeal cancers” among those who had four or more cups a day.

“The research was designed to analyze all forms of caffeine consumption, but coffee was the main source of caffeine, making up 71 percent across the three studies,” reported theSyracuse (NY) Post-Standard (7/28, Axelson), which incorporated the study into an analysis of which factors contribute to the happiest people in society.

The Daily Mail (UK) (7/27, Robertson) pointed out that the limit on the benefit is unsupported by a previous study, which observed “a maximal effect among those who drank four or more cups per day.”

The Daily Telegraph (UK) (7/27, Gray), Daily Caller (7/26, Cohen), and the New York Daily News (7/26, Settembre) also reported on the story.

Related Links:

— “How Coffee Could Save Your Life, “Claire Groden, TIME, July 26, 2013.

The New York Times (7/30, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports that an analysis published in the American Journal of Psychiatry has found that New York’s controversial Kendra’s Law, which requires patients with severe mental illness “to receive treatment when they are not hospitalized, has had positive results,” leading to reductions in readmissions, arrests, and increased medication compliance, and associated mental health and Medicaid costs have dropped by more than half. The program costs New York State $32 million annually to treat around 2,000 to 2,500 court ordered patients each year, providing “intensive monitoring by caseworkers,” and an additional “$125 million a year for enhanced outpatient mental health services for others.”

Related Links:

— “Program Compelling Outpatient Treatment for Mental Illness Is Working, Study Says, ” Pam Belluck, The New York Times, July 30, 2013.

Medwire (7/26, McDermid) reports that adult males “with psychosis tend to have lower than average IQ, along with evidence of learning difficulties in childhood,” according to a study published online July 22 in the journal Psychiatry Research. After studying about 50,000 military draftees in Switzerland, researchers “found that the 61 men who had psychotic disorders diagnosed, based on their responses to a psychiatric screening questionnaire, had a significantly lower average IQ than those without mental disorders.”

Related Links:

— “IQ may forewarn of psychosis vulnerability, “Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, July 26, 2013.

Bloomberg News (7/26, Gerlin) reports that patients taking ACE inhibitors to treat high blood pressure and heart failure “had lower rates of deterioration caused by certain types of dementia, according to researchers who reviewed Canadian hospital records.” The researchers, led by William Molloy of University College Cork in Ireland, “examined records of past treatment of 361 dementia patients at two memory clinics in Ontario, Canada,” finding that those who were taking ACE inhibitors showed a smaller drop in their score on a test measuring cognitive ability than those who weren’t on the drug. The study, published in the online journal BMJ Open, “indicate that ACE inhibitors hold promise as an inexpensive way to ease the burden of dementia, Molloy said.”

Related Links:

— “Dementia Slowed in Patients on Blood-Pressure Drugs, “Andrea Gerlin, Bloomberg News, July 25, 2013.

CQ (7/24, Adams, Subscription Publication) reports that a new national campaign focusing on mental illness awareness has been launched by the National Association of Broadcasters [NAB]. The campaign will “publicize a national crisis hotline and provide an online community for people affected by mental illness.” To publicize the campaign, television and radio public service announcements will be run across the US. CQ notes that “Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made brief remarks in the Rayburn office building at the launch of the campaign,” in which she pointed out that 20% of Americans will end up with a mental health diagnosis at some time in their lives and that the ACA will help by expanding mental health coverage.