The New York Times (9/28, BU1, Abelson, Subscription Publication) reported on continuing battles patients fight to have mental healthcare covered by insurers, a situation the Times says is unlikely to get better until Federal regulators write the rules for parity under the Affordable Care Act. Until then, the effect of the law is “still unclear.” Despite the earlier Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which is generally agreed to have “fallen short of its goal,” patients often owe thousands for treatment of serious mental illness. The Times says that’s partly because there’s little agreement or generally accepted standards of care for “how mental illness should be treated – and at what cost.”

Related Links:

— “Lacking Rules, Insurers Balk at Paying for Intensive Psychiatric Care, “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, September 27, 2013.

MedPage Today (9/27, Neale) reports that research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting suggests that people “who have both diabetes and depression have an increased likelihood of having a myocardial infarction (MI).” The likelihood “of having an MI compared with individuals without either condition were greatest among those ages 45 to 64, with the strongest association seen in women (OR 7.1, 95% CI 6.1-8.2), according to Karin Rådholm, of Linköping University in Sweden.” Meanwhile, “the corresponding odds ratio for men in that age group was 2.8 (95% CI 2.5-3.2), Rådholm reported.”

Related Links:

— “Diabetes and Depression Combo Hikes MI Risk, “Todd Neale, MedPage Today, September 26, 2013.

Medscape (9/27, Mulcahy) reports that research presented here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 55th Annual Meeting suggests that a brief “2-question survey can effectively screen cancer patients for depression.” The test, called “PHQ-2 [Patient Health Questionaire-2], asks how often, in the past 2 weeks, the patient has felt ‘little interest or pleasure in doing things,’ and how often the patient has felt ‘down, depressed, or hopeless.’” Researchers found that “the quick quiz identified patients at risk for depression as well as or better than longer surveys did.” The study included 455 patients.

All three broadcast networks opened their Wednesday evening newscasts with coverage of newly released footage of Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis during his killing spree. ABC World News called it “a haunting new video, a killer roaming the halls of the Washington Navy Yard looking for targets.” On NBC Nightly News, Pete Williams reported, “Cameras inside the Navy Yard building show Aaron Alexis carrying the sawed-off shotgun he used to shoot most of his victims.” TheCBS Evening News reported the FBI said Alexis “was driven by the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by electromagnetic waves beamed into his body.”

The AP (9/26, Marot) reports that the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) “outlined a set of broad guidelines[pdf]…that it believes should be adopted in an effort to help” student “athletes cope with everything from depression to suicidal thoughts.” The group’s “recommendations include using athletic trainers and team physicians to help with early detection of potential mental illnesses, provide advice and make treatment referrals while maintaining patient confidentiality.”

Reuters (9/26, Pittman) notes that the new guidelines were published online Sept. 25 in the Journal of Athletic Training. The article also points out that, according to the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, approximately 30 percent of university-aged young people said they had some kind of mental illness during the years 2010 and 2011.

Related Links:

— “Trainers Group Makes Mental Health Recommendations, “Michael Marot, Associated Press, September 25, 2013.