The York County (ME) Coast Star (4/14, Laurent) reported, “A study, published last month in the journal Pediatrics, suggests nearly 30 percent of those with childhood” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “still have the condition as adults – often after discontinuing treatment.” According to the article, “patients usually present with six out of nine symptoms listed for the different types according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” psychiatrist David Schopick, MD explained. “Adult AD/HD symptoms may include: trouble focusing or concentrating, becoming easily bored, poor attention to details, careless mistakes, forgetfulness, disorganization, failure to complete tasks, low frustration tolerance and trouble coping with stress.”

Related Links:

— “ADHD can continue into adulthood, “Suzanne Laurent, Seacoast Online, April 14, 2013.

The AP (4/14, Crary) reported, “By the dozens, survivors of attempted suicide across the United States are volunteering to be part of a project by a Brooklyn-based photographer, Dese’Rae Stage, called ‘Live Through This’ – a collection of photographic portraits and personal accounts.” The AP added, “It’s one of several new initiatives transforming the nation’s suicide-prevention community as more survivors find the courage to speak out and more experts make efforts to learn from them.” In addition to the “Live Through This” effort, “there’s a new survivors task force, an array of blogs, some riveting YouTube clips, all with the common goal of stripping away anonymity, stigma and shame.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide Survivors Help to Shape Prevention Efforts, “David Crary, Associated Press, April 13, 2013.

In an editorial, the New York Times (4/12, Subscription Publication) encourages Judge Anita Brody of Philadelphia’s Federal District Court to allow over 200 grouped cases filed by over 4,000 retired National Football League players against the league to proceed. The lawsuits allege the NFL failed “to protect players from chronic risks of head injuries routinely inflicted in professional football games – and then willfully concealing those risks from players.” The Times notes a “an extensive study of brain samples from deceased football and hockey players, military veterans and others who suffered repeated hits to the head added to the mounting evidence of a link between head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., an incurable, degenerative disease leading to dementia and depression.” The editorial board concludes that following “years of debate in the volatile court of public opinion, the place to address and resolve these serious and important charges is in a steady and independent court of law.”

Related Links:

— “Brain Disease and the N.F.L., “The Editorial Board, The New York Times, April 11, 2013.

On its “Healthwatch” blog, The Hill (4/12, Viebeck) reports that the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations “is asking the Obama administration to assist its review of U.S. mental health policy by providing a comprehensive list of all programs and research projects that address the topic.” Reps. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), who head the subcommittee, “wrote to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Wednesday as part of an effort to study and better coordinate the U.S. mental healthcare system following the Newtown, Conn., shooting late last year.” The Hill adds that “Murphy and DeGette requested that OMB provide, in addition to its list, an accounting of all federal funds devoted to mental health programs.”

Related Links:

— “Lawmakers seek full list of federal mental health programs, “Elise Viebeck, The Hill, April 11, 2013.

HealthDay (4/12, Preidt) reports, “US veterans who suffered major limb injuries in combat showed little improvement with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the two years after receiving treatment for their wounds,” according to research presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. For the study, researchers “conducted phone interviews with nearly 300 veterans who suffered major combat-related limb injuries.” Notably, “at various points during the interview period, nearly 14 percent of the veterans reported generalized anxiety disorder, 14 percent reported depression and five percent had suicidal thoughts.” Almost half (46%) struggled with low-level PTSD, while another 12% said they suffered from higher-level PTSD.

Related Links:

— “Severely Injured Vets May Need Ongoing Emotional Care, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 11, 2013.