HealthDay (6/16, Dallas) reported that “although children with autism spectrum disorders [ASD] need more health care services, they have less access to specialized care than children with other conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, according to a new study” published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Investigators “examined previous studies that calculated the total health care costs paid by the families of children with autism spectrum disorders.” The researchers “found that children with autism, who are at risk for other conditions, such as seizures, sleep disturbances and gastrointestinal problems, paid more for the care they received than other kids with illnesses that required specialized care.”

Related Links:

— “Kids With Autism Face Health Care Disparities, Study Finds, “Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, June 15, 2012.

USA Today (6/15, Jayson) reports, “You may have felt it, but now a scientific analysis of stress over time offers some proof that there’s more stress in people’s lives today than 25 years ago.” Investigators who “analyzed data from more than 6,300 people” found that “stress increased 18% for women and 24% for men from 1983 to 2009.”

The CBS News (6/15, Castillo) “HealthPop” blog reports that the “study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology…marks the first time scientists have been able to track the level of stress across the US over time.”

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (6/15, Stoxen) “Health Check” blog reports, “According to” the “new research, being young, a woman, having a low education level and/or having low income represent the most stressed individuals in the United States.”

Related Links:

— “Stress levels increased since 1983, new analysis shows,”Sharon Jayson, USA Today, June 14, 2012.

The AP (6/15) reports, “Although New York officials agree cyber bullying among youth is one of today’s biggest concerns, a political deal already struck by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders won’t make it a crime.” Instead the bill they agreed upon focuses “on public awareness starting with a legal definition of cyber bullying and requiring schools to report these incidents.”

Related Links:

— “Cuomo: New York bill won’t make cyber bullying a crime,Associated Press, June 14, 2012.

The Time (6/15, Thompson) “Battleland” blog reported, “For years, motor-vehicle accidents have killed more US troops than any other non-combat cause.” However, “that changed Wednesday” with May’s issue of the Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, “which tracks trends in troops’ ailments and medical care.” According to Time, “in the dry and clinical prose favored by the medical community, the report said that in each of the past two years, more troops have died at their own hands than in motor-vehicle accidents.”

Related Links:

— “Suicides Eclipse Car Crashes as Top Non-Combat Cause of U.S. Troop Deaths ,”Mark Thompson , Time U.S., June 14, 2012.

The Air Force Times (6/15, Kime) reports on the Pentagon’s removal of Seroquel (quetiapine) from its approved formulary list. The article cites Stan White, whose son, Marine Cpl. Andrew White, “died Feb. 12, 2008, at age 23 from a lethal combination of medications prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mainly clonazepam, quetiapine and paroxetine — the latter two known to sometimes affect the heart’s regular rhythm.” The article reports that “questions have been raised over” quetiapine’s rise in popularity, noting that “in April 2010, manufacturer Astra-Zeneca agreed to pay $520 million to the federal government to settle a civil suit alleging that it illegally marketed Seroquel for a host of off-label uses such as Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, PTSD and sleeplessness.” Citing the AP, the article notes that “the Pentagon spent $8.6 million on the drug, while the Veterans Affairs Department spent $125.4 million.”

Related Links:

— “DoD cracks down on off-label drug use,”Patricia Kime, AirForce Times, June 14, 2012.