In an opinion piece in the New York Times (7/11), physician and author Lisa Pryor writes that “depression is a global problem, and developing nations are not immune.” In fact, “World Health Organization data show that the highest prevalence of depression by region is for women in Africa, at 5.9 percent.” Like depression, “suicide is also a global problem. In 2015, 78 percent of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries.” Pryor concludes, “Suffering is compounded when the groups that are most in need of treatment for mental illness are the very groups who are less likely to receive it.”

Related Links:

— “How to Have a Better Conversation About Mental Illness ,”Lisa Pryor , The New York Times, July 11, 2018.

The Hill (7/11, Hellmann) reports that “the Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized a proposal” yesterday “giving the agency more power to control how many opioids are produced annually in the U.S.” According to the Hill, “Under the proposal, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could issue stricter limits on certain opioids if federal authorities believe they are being misused.”

Related Links:

— “DOJ unveils proposal giving feds more power to limit opioid production, ” Jessie Hellmann, , July 11, 2018.

HealthDay (7/10, Preidt) reports investigators “surveyed more than 12,000 teens in Germany, Poland and Romania and found those who used social network sites for more than two hours a day were at increased risk for cyberbullying.” The findings were published online July 10 in BMC Public Health. MedPage Today also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Teens Focused on Social Media May Be at Cyberbullying Risk ,”Robert Preidt , HealthDay, July 10, 2018.

Reuters (7/10, Carroll) reports that research published online July 10 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes suggests that “more than 16 years after cleanup was completed at the site of the September 11, 2001 attack on New York City’s World Trade Center complex, many who worked at the disaster site still struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may also have an elevated risk of heart attack and stroke as a result.”

HealthDay (7/10, Gordon) reports that approximately “20 percent of men and 26 percent of women who responded when the twin towers were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001 developed PTSD, which is at least twice the rate expected in the general population, the researchers said.” The investigators found that “those who developed” PTSD “faced more than double the risk of a heart attack and stroke compared to those who worked on New York City’s World Trade Center site but didn’t develop PTSD.”

Related Links:

— “PTSD raises heart and stroke risk in World Trade Center cleanup crews,”Linda Carroll, Reuters, July 10, 2018.

HealthDay (7/9, Preidt) reports, “Children whose parents spend time in prison are more likely to lead risky lifestyles as young adults,” researchers found after analyzing “data from more than 13,000 young adults, aged 24 to 32,” about 10 percent of whom “had a parent incarcerated during their childhood.” The study revealed that “young adults who had a parent incarcerated during their childhood were more likely to skip needed health care, smoke cigarettes, engage in risky sex, and abuse alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs.” The findings were published online in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “When Parents Do Time, Kids Pay the Price,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 9, 2018.