Reuters (9/25, Joelving) reports that in new draft recommendations released Monday, the US Preventive Services Task Force said that healthcare professionals should inquire into their patient’s drinking habits. The guidelines were released along with a review of past analyses that suggested counseling could help curb excessive drinking in individuals who are not full-blown alcoholics. Reuters quotes Dr. Daniel Jonas a lead researcher in the review as saying, “The really good interventions incorporate self-help materials, they incorporate an action plan made by the doctor and the patient — they’re not just a prescription.” The review was published online Sept. 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

CQ (9/25, Norman, Subscription Publication) reports that in its recommendations, the USPSTF urges that primary care practitioners screen all adults for alcohol misuse. According to the article, “the recommendation covers young adults over 18 and pregnant women but not teens ages 12 to 17, task force officials said.” It notes that “there’s insufficient evidence about whether it’s effective to do screening in that younger age group, said the task force, an independent panel of experts that reviews scientific evidence on health issues.” The task force “said alcohol misuse is a major public health problem and can play a role in many conditions, including liver disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers and depression,” CQ reports.

The New York Times (9/25, A14, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) reports that “after reviewing recent research, the panel concluded that primary care doctors and nurses could help patients cut down on drinking by offering a brief counseling session or a series of sessions.” The Times describes that “doctors would determine whether counseling was needed by asking a simple set of questions about alcohol use during the patient’s primary care visit.” Additionally, the article notes that “the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism considers more than 14 drinks a week excessive for men and more than seven drinks a week excessive for women.”

Related Links:

— “Screen all adults for alcohol misuse: task force, “Frederik Joelving, Reuters, September 24, 2012.

MedWire (9/25) reports that “the prevalence of attempted suicide is high among inpatients with bipolar disorder (BD), with nearly half of patients having attempted to take their own lives at least once,” according to a study published online Sept. 21 in the journal Bipolar Disorders. “In a study of 206 BD patients (54% women), aged a mean of 42 years, who were admitted to hospital with mania, a mixed episode, or depression between 2002 and 2009, the team found that 45.1% had a lifetime history of suicide attempts.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide attempts common in bipolar disorder inpatients, “Mark Cowen, MedWire News, September 25, 2012.

On the front of its Personal Journal section, the Wall Street Journal (9/25, D1, Beck, Subscription Publication) reported that according to experts, autism appears to have both genetic and environmental causes. For example, a study of 192 pairs of twins with an autism spectrum disorder revealed that even when one identical twin has autism, the other twin has a 70% chance of also having autism. Among fraternal twins, the likelihood of the second twin being diagnosed with an ASD is about 35%. Both the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and the Autism Sequencing Consortium are working with DNA samples to identify genes related to autism. Other factors that may contribute to autism are advanced paternal age, being born prematurely, and poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy.

Related Links:

— “Progress in Identifying the Genetic Roots of Autism, “Melinda Beck, The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2012.

American Medical News (9/24, Moyer) reported, “An updated national suicide prevention strategy (pdf) calls on physicians to screen patients at increased risk of taking their own lives and to educate family members about ways to support such individuals.” People at risk for suicide “include those with an illness that impairs their physical functions or causes chronic pain, members of the Armed Forces and veterans.” These “recommendations are part of the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention issued Sept. 10 by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of the Surgeon General and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide prevention strategy calls for screening those most at risk, “Christine S. Moyer, American Medical News, September 21, 2012.

The Los Angeles Times (9/23, Roan) reported that healthcare experts and scientists “are pushing for broad recognition of addiction as a disease and more medical approaches to therapy,” rather than a reliance on self-help programs and “medication-free” treatments. The government also “has announced the creation of new resources to help guide patients, families and doctors toward science-based addiction treatment.” Gil Kerlikowske, head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and President Obama’s top advisor on drug policy, has sought to reframe addiction, noting it “is not a moral failing on the part of the individual. It’s a chronic disease of the brain that can be treated.” At the National Institute on Drug Abuse, chief Nora Volkow, MD, said there is more emphasis on vaccines for cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and nicotine, that will block the brain’s response to those drugs. The Times provides much more detail on developments in the field.

Related Links:

— “Treatment for addicts is starting to change, “Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2012.