n an editorial, the New York Times (3/13, A26, Subscription Publication) points out that a study published in the journal Neurology “has suggested that Alzheimer’s disease causes six times as many deaths as the official statistics would indicate,” catapulting the disease “from the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States to the third, behind heart disease and cancer.” The Times concludes that an aging population, coupled with the economic burden of Alzheimer’s, make “it imperative to intensify research into ways to treat and prevent the disease.”

Related Links:

— “High Mortality From Alzheimer’s Disease,” New York Times, March 12, 2014.

Reuters (3/13, Raven) reports a recent review of past studies published in the British Medical Journal indicates former smokers tend to benefit from an improved mood after quitting, while improvements in mental health were also apparent. Researchers analyzed data from 26 smoking cessation studies comparing patients’ mental health before they quit with their health six months later, People who quit experienced less anxiety, depression and stress as well as psychological quality of life improvements.

Related Links:

— “Quitting smoking linked to improved mood,” Kathleen Raven, Reuters, March 12, 2014

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (3/12, A19, Hinshaw, Scheffler, Subscription Publication), Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of California-Berkeley, and Richard M. Scheffler, PhD, a professor of health economics and public policy at the University of California-Berkeley, call for physicians in countries around the world to use medications for AD/HD more cautiously. The pair recommend that physicians first need to diagnose AD/HD using medical association guidelines, taking into account a patient’s full medical and behavioral history, before deciding to prescribe medications. While acknowledging the value of stimulant medicines in certain cases, Hinshaw and Scheffler assert that medication should not always be the primary or sole treatment for AD/HD.

Related Links:

— “How Attention-Deficit Disorder Went Global,” Stephen P. Hinshaw, , March 11, 2014.

The New York Times (3/12, A16, Schwarz, Subscription Publication) reports that according to a report to be released today by Express Scripts, the biggest prescription medicine manager in the US, “the number of young American adults taking medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [AD/HD] nearly doubled from 2008 to 2012.” The report also reveals that nearly “one in 10 adolescent boys were taking medications for the disorder.” According to some experts, “the report provided the clearest evidence to date that the disorder is being diagnosed and treated with medication in children far beyond reasonable rates, and that steeply rising diagnoses among adults might portend similar problems.”

Related Links:

— “Report Says Medication Use Is Rising for Adults With Attention Disorder,” Alan Schwarz, New York Times, March 14, 2014.

The Baltimore Sun (3/10, Walker) reports that Maryland legislators are considering a bill that would “make it easier to medicate mental hospital patients against their will, while examining the idea of court-ordered therapy for mentally ill people who aren’t hospitalized.” The proposal has drawn the ire of some patient advocates. One of the bill’s sponsors notes the tension between “necessary treatment and having high respect for people’s individual rights.”

Related Links:

— “Legislation pushes involuntary mental health treatment,” Andrea K. Walker, Baltimore Sun, March 10, 2014.