HealthDay (11/2, Preidt) reported that, according to a study due for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, “the risk of domestic violence often is passed from parents to their children.” After analyzing data on some 1,600 US families, researchers found that almost “four out of five families in which parents were involved with intimate-partner violence had adult children who committed violence against partners, and three-quarters of those families had adult children who became victims of domestic violence.”

Related Links:

— “Domestic Violence Travels Down Through Generations, Study Finds, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 1, 2013.

Medwire (11/1, Grasmo) reports that, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, “anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder [BD] and adversely affect their outcomes.” The study, which had a five-year follow-up period, revealed that “62% of 413 children and adolescents aged 7–17 years with confirmed bipolar disorder had at least one anxiety disorder.” Of that group, approximately “half were diagnosed with two or more anxiety disorders.”

Related Links:

— “Comorbid anxiety problematic for adolescents with bipolar disorder, “Ingrid Grasmo, Medwire News, November 1, 2013.

The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine have issued a joint reportsaying that not enough is being done to stop concussions in young athletes. The 306-page report, called “Sports-Related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture,” faults players, parents, and coaches for not reporting concussions. Combined, the three major television news networks gave over five minutes of coverage to the story. Major newspapers, wire services, and consumer medical journals also cover the story, many noting that high-school athletes appear to have a greater risk of concussions than college athletes do and that the current sports culture discourages youngsters from reporting concussions and finishing treatment.

The CBS Evening News reported, “Parents and doctors now know that young athletes should not try to just shake off a head injury.”

Related Links:

— “Sports-Related Concussions in Youth, The National Academy Press, October, 2013.

US News & World Report (10/31, Leonard) reports that, according to a viewpoint articlepublished online Oct. 30 in JAMA Psychiatry, “complications from smoking, such as heart disease, lung disease and cancer,” appear to be shortening the lives of people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In fact, people with mental illnesses appear to smoke at twice the rate of people without mental disorders. Researchers point “to the acceptance of smoking in treatment facilities, the physical needs of someone who has a mental illness, the lack of collaboration between behavioral health and public health agencies and insufficient Medicaid funding for tobacco control.”

Related Links:

— “An Ignored Group of Smokers: People With Mental Illness, “Kimberly Leonard, US News & World Report, October 30, 2013.

Reuters (10/31, Pittman) reports that, according to a review of 14 studies published online Oct. 30 in PLoS One, online groups and social media may be a source of support for troubled teens who may be at increased risk for suicide and self-harm. However, they may also heighten those risks by exposing those adolescents to endorsements of self-harm. In some cases, online groups and social media may also harbor cyber-bullies who pick on vulnerable teens.

The NPR (10/31, Shute) “Shots” blog reports that the review also found a strong association “between online forums and increased risk of suicide, a risk not found with other forms of social networking.”

Related Links:

— “Online forums a ‘mixed bag’ for depressed youth, “Genevra Pittman, Reuters, October 30, 2013.