Medscape (10/9, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reported research suggests that “about a quarter of police officers in one large force report past or present mental health problems.” Included in the study were “434 members of the Dallas Police Department, the ninth largest in the United States.” In response “to a survey, 26% of police officers on the Dallas Police Department screened positive for depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or symptoms of suicide ideation or self-harm.” What’s more, “mental illness rates were particularly high among female officers, those who were divorced, widowed, or separated, and those with military experience.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in JAMA Network Open. In a comment “on the study for Medscape Medical News, Anthony T. Ng, MD, regional medical director, East Region Hartford Healthcare Behavioral Health Network, and member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Communications, found the study ‘helpful.’”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medical Daily (10/8) reports that parents “who are undecided about whether to enroll their children in music classes may want to take notice of a small study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, which found that music may increase a child’s attention span and improve memory.” The researchers “followed 40 children, half of whom played an instrument.” Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers “examined the blood flow to the brain through the images as children performed tests that measured their memory and reaction time.”

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— “Musical Children Tend to Have Better Memories, Medical Daily, October 8, 2020

HealthDay (10/8, Reinberg) reports, “Kids who reach puberty earlier than other kids are at an increased risk of harming themselves as teens,” investigators concluded. After examining “data from more than 5,000 boys and girls,” researchers concluded that “early puberty resulted in a higher risk for self-harm at age 16.” What’s more, “for girls, the risk continued into adulthood.” The findings were published online Oct. 6 in the journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences.

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— “For Kids Who Hit Puberty Early, Risk of Self-Harm Rises “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 8, 2020

HealthDay (10/8, Reinberg) reports, “By about age 16, teens diagnosed with depression have substantially lower educational attainment,” investigators concluded after using “British health and education records to identify nearly 1,500 kids under 18 years of age with depression,” then comparing “educational attainment…with a group of young people who were not depressed.” The findings were published online in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

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— “Depressed Teens May Struggle in School “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 8, 2020

According to Psychiatric News (10/8), on Oct. 7, the American Psychiatric Association announced “the release of My Mental Health Crisis Plan, a mobile app that allows people with serious mental illness (SMI) to create a plan to inform their treatment should they experience a mental health crisis.” Using the app, individuals “can easily create and share a psychiatric advance directive (PAD), a legal document that outlines one’s preferences around treatment during a crisis.” In a news release, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “A psychiatric advance directive is an important tool for individuals with serious mental illness to be able to plan ahead and have some control over their treatment at a time when they may not be able to make decisions.”

Related Links:

— “New App Helps People With Serious Mental Illness Develop a Crisis Plan, Psychiatric News, October 8, 2020