The Wall Street Journal (8/26, A4, Winslow, Subscription Publication) reports that, according to a clinical guidance report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and published in the September issue of Pediatrics, the majority of vaccines and medications appear to be safe for nursing mothers. Still, breastfeeding women are cautioned against taking certain psychiatric medications, as well as herbal medicines and some painkillers, including oxycodone, hydrocodone and codeine.

MedPage Today (8/26, Phend) reports that the AAP report urges caution “for the small proportion of drugs that are concentrated in human milk, have a long half-life, have known toxicity to mother or child, or expose the infant to relatively high doses or detectable serum concentrations.” Pediatrician Hari Cheryl Sachs, MD, of the Food and Drug Administration, and colleagues suggested that healthcare professionals “look up safety of specific medications on the National Library of Medicine’s peer-reviewed LactMed database online.” “The report also addressed common concerns about antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics, many of which show up in low concentrations in breast milk.
Clinically significant levels of drug have been reported in breast milk for bupropion (Wellbutrin), diazepam (Valium), fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), lithium (Eskalith), lamotrigine (Lamictal), and venlafaxine (Effexor).”

Related Links:

— “Many Drugs Found Safe for Breast-Feeding Mothers, “Ron Winslow, The Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2013.

HealthDay (8/24, Gordon) reported that most children “with autism will grow up to be adults with autism.” According to autism researcher Paul Shattuck, PhD, of the Washington University in St. Louis, an estimated “45,000 to 50,000 kids with autism turn 18 each year.” A number of experts have noted that “a shortage of necessary programs for adults with autism already exists and is likely to worsen” as more youngsters with autism become adults. Higher education and employment for these young adults with autism may be difficult or even impossible, and many young adults with autism are forced to continue living at home with their families.

Related Links:

— “Who Will Care for Children With Autism When They’re Adults?, “Serena Gordon, HealthDay, August 23, 2013.

In a segment on the NBC Nightly News, NBC News correspondent Mark Potter reported, “To prevent more violence in classrooms, teachers, counselors and other workers in the Miami-Dade County [FL] schools are now being trained to spot the warning signs of student mental illness.” Those warning signs “include talk of suicide, high risk or odd behavior, withdrawal, increased anger, bizarre thoughts and persistent sadness.” Potter added, “The program is paid for by the American Psychiatric Foundation and…is currently used in 21 states,” as well as in the District of Columbia.

The Fort Myers (FL) News-Press (8/18, Gluck) reported that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of severe depression “has seen a resurgence at many US health centers in recent decades, experts say.” The procedure is not without controversy. Some patients who received the procedure in the past, as well as “anti-ECT groups, say it is little more than intentional brain damage.” Other patients cannot praise the treatment enough, and the procedure is endorsed by the US Surgeon General, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association. Researchers theorize that it works by enhancing certain beneficial brain chemicals or by “reducing ‘hyper-connectivity’ in the minds of severely depressed patients.” Most health insurers and Medicare cover ECT.

Related Links:

— “Despite controversial past, shock treatment sees resurgence, “Frank Gluck, The Fort Myers (FL) News-Press, August 18, 2013.

In a 2,700-word report, the Washington Post (8/18, McCrummen) profiles the workings of the mental health court that operates in Upper Marlboro in Maryland’s Prince George’s County, “one of a growing number of such courts.” The Post says the latest Federal data show more than half the inmates in jails and prisons suffer from signs of mental illness, and the court system is “adjusting to this reality” with about 300 specialized courts that try to match appropriate solutions from “a decentralized and often inadequate mental-health-care system” with people who often have “a tapestry of problems.” Partly because of the potential for violence, Judge Patrice E. Lewis often makes decisions that make “her pray she was right” in the Upper Marlboro court.

Related Links:

— “Pr. George’s mental health court aims to treat, rather than jail, defendants, “Stephanie McCrummen, The Washington Post, August 17, 2013.