CNN (9/28, Holcombe) reports “adolescents whose parents drank regularly or binge drank were four times more likely to drink themselves, according to a study.” The reason behind “that connection could be tied to multiple things like modeling, alcohol accessibility in the home or a parent’s permissiveness around drinking, said Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School in Boston.” The findings were published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “How much you drink could have an influence on how your teen drinks, study shows,”Madeline Holcombe, CNN, September 28, 2023

HealthDay (9/27, Murez) reports that research suggests “psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression may emerge long before classic…symptoms” of multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers found that patients with MS “experienced mental illness at nearly twice the rate of the general population, 28% compared to 15%.” Additionally, “physician and psychiatrist visits, prescriptions for these conditions and related hospitalizations were…consistently higher among” patients with MS, and “in each of the five years leading up to the onset of disease, that gap grew.” The findings were published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Emotional Issues Could Be Early Sign of MS,”Cara Murez, HealthDay , September 27, 2023

The New York Times (9/27, Barry) reports that “Peace Corps applicants have shared stories about being disqualified because of mental health history, including common disorders like depression and anxiety.” The issue “is the subject of a lawsuit filed this week in federal court, accusing the Peace Corps of discriminating against applicants with disabilities in violation of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination in programs receiving federal funds.” The lawsuit “includes accounts from nine people whose Peace Corps invitations were rescinded for mental health reasons,” and “alleges that those decisions were made without considering reasonable accommodations or making individualized assessments based on current medical knowledge.”

Related Links:

— “Peace Corps Sued Over Mental Health Policy,”Ellen Barry, The New York Times, September 27, 2023

NBC News (9/26, Snow) says, “A…report about kids and their smartphone use may offer other parents a warning: Children…are inundated with hundreds of pings and prompts on their phones all day and all night – even when they should be paying attention in class or getting a good night’s rest.” The study by “Common Sense Media released Tuesday finds about half of 11- to 17-year-olds get at least 237 notifications on their phones every day.” Around “25% of them pop up during the school day, and 5% show up at night.” And “in some cases, they get nearly 5,000 notifications in 24 hours. The pop-ups are almost always linked to alerts from friends on social media.”

Related Links:

— “Kids and teens are inundated with phone prompts day and night,” Erika Edwards and Kate Snow, NBC News, September 26, 2023

Healthcare Finance News (9/26, Morse) reports, “The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has announced $131.7 million in grant programs for behavioral health services.” Addressing “the ongoing mental health crisis, particularly among the nation’s youth, is a top priority of the Biden administration and a key pillar in the president’s Unity Agenda for the nation, HHS said.”

Related Links:

— “HHS awards $131.7 million to support behavioral health,”Susan Morse, Healthcare Finance News , September 26, 2023