HealthDay (10/11, Preidt) reports that, according to the results of a 512-participant study published online in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, an erroneous belief that people “suffer from a serious disease (hypochondria) can worsen as they scour the Internet in an attempt to pinpoint symptoms.” The study’s lead author explained that “persistent fear about having a disease can trigger worries about potential medical bills, disability and job loss, which can lead to even more Internet searching…unnecessary medical tests and stress,” and visits to physicians.

Related Links:

— “Too Much Online Health Info May Worsen Worriers’ Anxiety, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 10, 2013.

In the Forbes (10/11) “The Apothecary” blog, contributor Nicole Fisher writes that the nation’s capital “has been consumed by a government shutdown, with lawmakers and policymakers trying to determine how to rein in our country’s financial burdens and overspending.” But, “as federal and state governments look to cut budgets at every turn, mental and behavioral health services are often” the first to be cut from budgets. These budget “cuts, compounded with US stigma often applied to mental health troubles and disparate access to services across the county, mean that those who need services most are often those left without proper care.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Loses Funding As Government Continues Shutdown, “Nicole Fisher,, Forbes, October 10, 2013.

CNN (10/10, Rodriguez) reports, “In 2011, 15.9% of Hispanic adults reported suffering from a mental illness the previous year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” Still, many do not seek treatment. Experts believe “the most problematic issue for the Latino community is their fear of being highly stigmatized for accessing mental health services.” According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Office of Minority and National Affairs, “among Hispanics with a mental disorder, fewer than one in 11 contact a mental health specialist.”

Related Links:

— “Latinos struggle to find help for mental health issues, “Cindy Y. Rodriguez, CNN, October 9, 2013.

Reuters (10/10, Raven) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, there appears to be an increased rate in depression in US women in those states in which there are large variations in personal income. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after analyzing mental health survey data on some 34,653 adults, then calculating income inequality levels for each state. Notably, women resident in the District of Columbia and in New York, appeared to have twice the risk for depression compared to women living in Alaska and Utah, where incomes did not vary so much.

Related Links:

— “Income inequality linked to depression, “Kathleen Raven, Reuters, October 9, 2013.

USA Today (10/10, Jayson) reports that research published in the journal Crisis suggests that “suicide talk on Twitter mirrors state suicide rates closely enough that the social network could prove to be an early-warning system for those at risk.” The researchers “found that Midwestern and Western states and Alaska had a higher proportion of suicide-related tweeters than expected, as well as higher actual rates of suicide.” The investigators found that “the opposite was true for Southern and Eastern states.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide talk on Twitter mirrors state suicide rates, “Sharon Jayson, USA Today, October 10, 2013.