Reuters (1/26, Morgan) reported that last week, experts warned US lawmakers about the gaps in the mental health system that have prevented many kids from getting treatment that could prevent tragedies later in life. In written testimony to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Michael Hogan, head of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, said, “We see the results of insufficient mental healthcare in school failure and suicide.” Hogan remarked, “while the gaps in children’s mental healthcare are huge, there is also reason for hope,” adding that this is in part “because we know more about what works, and what doesn’t.” Hogan was scheduled to appear at the Senate committee’s hearing, which was prompted by the shootings at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Related Links:

— “U.S. mental health experts urge focus on childhood screening,”David Morgan, Reuters, January 25, 2013.

American Medical News (1/28, Fiegl) reports that “suicides by active U.S. service members exceeded the number of combat deaths in 2012, and the rate of suicide among military members has been on the rise.” The article adds, American Medical Association President Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, a psychiatrist in Denver, said that “physicians should educate themselves and have information about mild brain injuries, postcombat depression and PTSD.” According to American Medical News, “about half of active military members and veterans with illness related to their service will seek care from a physician in private practice,” and Lazarus “said physicians should be prepared to ask questions and screen these patients for depression and anxiety.”

Related Links:

— “Doctors warned on combat link to military suicide risk,”Charles Fiegl, Amednews, January 28, 2013.

Bloomberg News (1/28, Cortez) reports the Alzheimer’s Association and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging advocate that “advanced imaging that detects plaque in the brain should be covered by Medicare and private insurers for select people with dementia to help diagnose or rule out Alzheimer’s disease.” The recommendations “are the first to help govern the burgeoning field of brain imaging and may increase the use of the practice to improve care for the 5 million Americans affected with Alzheimer’s.” The article notes that “amyloid plaque is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease,” but not everyone who has it also is afflicted with Alzheimer’s. “PET scans require a drug injected into patients to highlight the plaque for doctors.” Eli Lilly’s Amyvid (florbetapir F 18 injection) is the “only compound currently approved for use with PET scans for this purpose,” and it is currently not covered by Medicare. The cost of the scans can vary from $1,000 to $3,000.

Related Links:

— “Insurers Urged to Cover Brain Imaging for Alzheimer’s, “Michelle Fay Cortez, Bloomberg, January 28, 2013.

The Los Angeles Times (1/25, Healy) reported in its “Booster Shots” health blog that a study found that between 2005 and 2010, “ADHD medication-related emergency room visits have more than doubled – from 13,379 in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010,” with the increase being “particularly pronounced in those over 18.” The data was “reported Thursday in an issue of the DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network) Report, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an office of the National Institutes of Health.” About half of the “stimulant-related emergency department visits –15,585 in 2010 – were for ‘non-medical’ use of ADHD medication: They were to treat stimulant-related effects in patients who either had not been diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed the drugs or in patients who were not taking the medication as prescribed.”

Related Links:

— “Emergency room visits for ADHD medications rise sharply, report says, “Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2013.

CQ (1/25, Attias, Subscription Publication) reports members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday held what they said was their first meeting on mental healthcare since 2007. There, lawmakers referenced the Newtown school shooting and also addressed questions about mental healthcare overall and their own priorities. For example, Chairman Tom Harkin “said ‘the critical investments’ need to be made to provide access to treatment for those with mental illness so they can lead healthy lives.” On this topic, Thomas Insel of the National Institute of Mental Health said sequestration cuts “would prevent certain studies from being carried out, which could include scaling up a project focused on the predictors for early psychosis.” While Democrats pushed for the release of a mental health parity rule, which SAMHSA director Pamela S. Hyde said was in the works, Insel noted that those “who receive treatment are 15 times less likely to commit a severely violent act than those who are not treated.”