On the front of its Business Day section, the New York Times (11/1, B1, Thomas, Subscription Publication) reports, “The Food and Drug Administration said it was looking more closely at the way generic companies made extended-release drugs after it found one such medicine failed to work as well as its brand-name counterpart.” That “is a rare departure for the agency, which for years has insisted that generic drugs are just as effective as their brand-name versions.” So far, “regulators have said the episode appears to be limited to one dosage level of a single drug,” that is “a 300-milligram dose of bupropion…manufactured by Impax Laboratories.” Dr. Gregory P. Geba, director of the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs, said, “This has actually prompted us to change our policy.” The change “has provided fodder to some longtime critics, who say the FDA and generic drug companies have been reluctant to acknowledge that sometimes generics don’t work as well as the brand-name originals.”

Related Links:

— “An Increase in Scrutiny for Generics,”Katie Thomas, The New York Times, October 31, 2012.

Medscape (10/30, Harrison) reports, “Psychotic symptoms greatly increase the risk for suicidal behavior in adolescents in the general population as well as those with diagnosable psychiatric disorders,” according to a study published online Oct. 29 in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The large study “found that psychotic symptoms, primarily auditory hallucinations, increased the risk for any suicidal behavior by 10-fold in both early and mid adolescence.” Teens “with depressive disorders who also experienced psychotic symptoms were nearly 14-fold more likely to express severe suicidal behavior, including suicide plans and acts, compared with adolescents with depressive disorders who did not experience psychotic symptoms.”

The New York Times (10/30, B8, Rhoden, Subscription Publication) reports, “For all of the current focus on traumatic brain injury as a result of concussions, mental illness, often overlooked, exists at every level of sports.” In fact, “sports too often is a masking agent that hides deeply rooted mental health issues. The better the athlete, the more desperate to reach the next level, the less likely he or she will reach out for help. The gladiator mentality remains a primary barrier.” Many athletes pride themselves on being mentally tough, making it very difficult for them to admit they need help.

Related Links:

— “With No One Looking, a Hurt Stays Hidden, “William C. Rhoden , The New York Times, October 29, 2012.

Medscape (10/26, Boughton) reports, “One of the largest studies to date on exercise and psychological distress shows that the optimal amount of physical activity for improved mental health may be from 2.5 to 7.5 hours of activity per week.” But, “the cross-sectional observational study also showed that individuals who exercised more than 7.5 hours per week had diminished mental health.” The study, which was based on data on some 7,674 adults, was published online Sept. 7 in the journal Preventive Medicine.

Healthy Lifestyle Habits In Midlife May Lead To Successful Aging. HealthDay (10/26, Preidt) reports, “Healthy lifestyle habits in midlife improve the chances that you’ll remain healthy as you get older,” according to a study published Oct. 22 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. After following “5,100 healthy British men and women, aged 42 to 63, for 16 years,” researchers found that people in the successful aging group were those who maintained “good mobility, lung function, mental health, and thinking and memory skills, and [had] no chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke or disability at age 60 or older.”

Related Links:

— “Study IDs 4 Key Habits of Successful Aging,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 25, 2012.

In a post appearing in the Boston Globe (10/26) “Child in Mind” blog, Claudia M. Gold, MD, refers to an article that appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Integrating Mental Health Care Into Pediatric Primary Care Settings.” She quotes the article, which states that “pediatric training provides limited experience in screening or intervening for mental disorders,” while “child psychiatry training emphasizes the treatment of children with established psychiatric diagnoses and typically offers limited experience with children at risk for mental disorders or children whose symptoms do not reach the threshold for diagnosis.” Gold says the article suggests that “the current structure of the health care system does not have room for prevention.”

Related Links:

— “Preventive mental health care for children falls through the cracks, “Claudia M Gold, Boston.com, October 25, 2012.