Politico (9/6, Gavin) reports that “since leaving office in 2011, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy has a new campaign he’s focusing on: mental health.” The former lawmaker “says that his primary hope for Washington lawmakers is to reassess mental injuries endured in combat.” He “said that the federal government should change ‘both its language and its action around these signature wounds to the war’ and treat them the same as other” types of injuries.

Related Links:

— “Patrick Kennedy: ‘Speak up’ for mental illness, “Patrick Gavin, Politico, September 5, 2013.

Reuters (9/5, Harding) reported that, according to a new study conducted by Stanford University, trauma therapy could relieve feelings of depression and distress among mothers whose children are born prematurely. The study targeted 105 mothers whose children were born at 24 to 35 weeks’ gestation and focused on the elements of COPE (Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), proven in clinical trials to ease parental anxiety. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Trauma therapy may ease distress for mothers of preemies, “Anne Harding, Reuters, September 5, 2013.

HealthDay (9/6, Thompson) reports that two studies published in JAMA Psychiatry suggest that “cognitive behavioral therapy can be a powerful tool for preventing depression, equaling or exceeding the effectiveness of antidepressants and other types of care.” In the first study, which involved 241 adults, researchers found that “follow-up cognitive therapy can be as effective as antidepressant medications in preventing a relapse for patients at high risk for another bout of depression.” In the other study, which involved 316 teenagers, investigators “found that cognitive behavioral therapy did better than usual forms of care in preventing depression in at-risk teens.”

Related Links:

— “Psychotherapy a Powerful Tool to Fight Depression, Studies Show, “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, September 5, 2013.

Heartwire (9/6, Hughes) reports that two studies presented at the “European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2013 Congress…suggested that statin drugs may be linked to lower rates of dementia in older people.” In one “study of 58,000 elderly patients,” researchers found “that found a dose-related inverse relationship between statin use and new-onset nonvascular dementia.” In the other study, investigators “found a lower incidence of dementia in patients taking statins compared with those not taking statins in a study of 5221 AF patients.”

HealthDay (9/6, Preidt) reports that research published in Epidemiology suggests that “eating a Mediterranean diet may be good for your brain and might reduce the risk of dementia.” Investigators looked at data from 12 studies. The researchers found that “nine studies found that people with higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet had better brain function, lower rates of mental decline and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” although “close adherence to a Mediterranean diet had an inconsistent effect on mild cognitive impairment.”

Related Links:

— “Mediterranean Diet May Be Good for the Brain, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 5, 2013.