NBC Nightly News (1/14, story 7, 0:30, Williams) aired a report highlighting “some sad numbers out of the Pentagon tonight: More American military service members died from suicide than combat last year.” In 2012, 349 US servicemembers took their own lives, while 295 “active duty troops died fighting in Afghanistan.” NBC added, “The Pentagon has correctly labeled the suicide rate an epidemic.”

The same point was made by US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), according to aReuters (1/15). Murray said, “This is an epidemic that cannot be ignored.” She added, “As our newest generation of servicemembers and veterans face unprecedented challenges, today’s news shows we must be doing more to ensure they are not slipping through the cracks.”

The AP (1/15, Burns) reports, “Suicide prevention has become a high Pentagon priority, yet the problem persists.” Officials “say they are committed to pursuing ways of finding help for service members in trouble.” On Monday, Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said, “Our most valuable resource within the department is our people. We are committed to taking care of our people, and that includes doing everything possible to prevent suicides in the military.”

Related Links:

— “US military suicides hit record in 2012, outpace combat deaths, Reuters Middle East, January 15, 2013.

In a 2,469-word story, the Wilmington (DE) News Journal (1/14, Miller) reports that following an alarming number of suicide deaths among young people in Delaware’s “Kent and Sussex counties” last spring, state officials asked the CDC to conduct a review. The agency identified a “suicide cluster” in the two counties, where between January and May, “11 residents ages 12-21 took their own lives” and about 116 people within the same age group made suicide attempts. The CDC found no indicators for “suicide contagion” in the two counties, but it did conclude that mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, were factors in “at least seven of the 11 cases.” The Journal focuses primarily on the Krueger family’s struggle to come to terms with the suicide of their son Anthony, who was one of the 11 cases noted in the CDC report.

Related Links:

— “Recovery in a suicide zone, “Beth Miller, The News Journal, January 13, 2013.

The Washington Times (1/11, Sherfinski) reports, “Vice President Joseph R. Biden hinted Friday that a federal weapons trafficking statute and more readily available mental health assistance could be included in a set of recommendations to address gun violence in the country that he plans to deliver to President Obama by a self-imposed Tuesday deadline.”

The Los Angeles Times (1/12, Mason) reports, “Vice President Joe Biden culminated a week of meetings on gun policy Friday, telling representatives of the video game industry that ‘there’s no silver bullet’ when it comes to confronting gun violence.” The story notes that the meeting “included executives from major video game producers such as Electronic Arts and the Entertainment Software Assn. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also attended.”

The Wall Street Journal (1/11, Lejacq) reports on the meeting noting the presence of Secretary Sebelius.

Democrats Urge Attention To Mental Health In Recommendations.The Hill (1/14, Baker) reports in its “Healthwatch” blog, “A pair of Senate Democrats on Friday pressed Vice President Biden to include expanded access to mental-health services in his recommendations for addressing gun violence. … Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) called for Biden to include mental-health parity in his recommendations to curb gun violence.”

The Hill (1/14, Viebeck) reports in its “Healthwatch” blog that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) “urged Vice President Biden Friday not to ignore mental health issues as his panel grapples with U.S. gun violence.”

Related Links:

— “Biden broaches gun-trafficking statute, more mental health aid, “David Sherfinski, The Washington Times, January 11, 2013.

HealthDay (1/12, Norton) reported that Americans who “develop depression after surviving a stroke may die sooner than those without the mental health disorder,” according to study results that the American Academy of Neurology released in advance of annual meeting in March. The researchers “found that of more than 10,000 Americans followed for two decades, those who developed depression after suffering a stroke were about three times more likely to die of any cause during the study period, versus people without either condition.” The study team noted that previous research has shown a “similar link” among survivors of heart attacks who develop depression.

MedPage Today (1/13, Neale) noted that lead study author Amytis Towfighi, MD, of the University of Southern California, “pointed out that stroke rehabilitation guidelines from the Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense include recommendations on screening for depression, but said that ‘there are no guidelines that I am aware of that emphasize outpatient screening for depression.'”

According to Medscape (1/12, Hughes), Dr. Towfighi emphasized that she and her colleagues think physicians should be required to routinely screen stroke survivors for depression.

Related Links:

— “Depressed Stroke Survivors May Face Higher Early Death Risk, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, January 14, 2013.

CQ (1/11, Attias, Subscription Publication) reports that yesterday, “a trio of Democrats…released a Government Accountability Office [GAO] report [pdf] that shows children in foster care take psychotropic medications at higher rates than other youngsters, while many in the foster system may not be receiving needed mental health services. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa and Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Lucille Roybal-Allard of California requested the report to look into those medications’ effects on foster children.” According to the GAO, “18 percent of children in foster care took at least one psychotropic” medication, and 30 percent of foster kids who could have used mental healthcare did not receive it over the course of a one-year period.