The Huffington Post (11/9, Schumaker) reports a study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research reviewed 17 studies concerning the effects of alcohol policies on suicide rates, finding “that polices like alcohol taxation, limiting the number of stores that sell alcohol in a given area, increasing minimum drinking ages and restricting hours for alcohol sales were associated with lower suicide rates.” Study author Ziming Xuan said, “If one can reduce the average alcohol consumption in a population level, then ideally we can shift the [suicide] risk at a population level.”

Related Links:

— “How Little-Known Tax Laws Could Drive Down Our Suicide Rate,”Erin Schumaker, The Huffington Post, November 9, 2016.

HealthDay (11/8, Norton) reports that over the past 10 years, “‘self-harm’ has been the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Colorado,” researchers found after examining maternal death records in that state between 2004 and 2012, including “both deaths during a pregnancy or in the year afterward.” In fact, “of all 211 maternal deaths in Colorado between 2004 and 2012, 30 percent were attributed to self-harm,” including “suicides and…overdoses – most often in the year after a woman gave birth,” the study revealed.

Related Links:

— “Self-Harm a Cause of Death During Pregnancy and for New Moms,”Amy Norton, HealthDay, November 8, 2016.

Reuters (11/8, Doyle) reports that in the aftermath of a car accident, youngsters may “experience post-traumatic stress disorder for months or years afterward although parents may have trouble recognizing it,” researchers found after studying “71 families of children ages two to 10 and their parents or caregivers who went to an emergency department after a motor vehicle collision in 2004 or 2005.”

HealthDay (11/8, Preidt) reports the study also revealed “a strong link between parents having PTSD and their children having it as well, even years after the traumatic event.” The findings were published online Nov. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “PTSD can persist for years in kids, but parents may not see it,”Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, November 8, 2016.

The New York Times (11/8, D5, Brody, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry “reveals just how lethal suicide attempts, as a risk factor for completed suicide, are.” After tracking “all first suicide attempts in one county in Minnesota that occurred between January 1986 and December 2007 and” then recording “all the deaths by suicide for up to 25 years thereafter,” researchers found that “the fatality rate among suicide attempters was nearly 59 percent higher than had been previously reported.” The study also found that “the odds of successfully committing suicide are 140 times greater when a gun is used than for any other method.” The authors of an accompanying editorial observed that gun “availability should be restricted through such measures as ‘legal restrictions regarding permission to purchase firearms, waiting periods, safe storage, background checks and registration guidelines.’”

Related Links:

— “After a Suicide Attempt, the Risk of Another Try,”Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, November 8, 2016.

Reuters (11/7, Rapaport) reports on a study published online in Pediatrics finding that state laws requiring schools to help students return to school after a concussion fail to state what sort of help should be given and do not result in the students receiving sufficient help. Illinois alone has a law setting standards for aid, following guidelines developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study only looked at state laws and did not examine school policies or practices or the experiences of individual students.

HealthDay (11/7, Norton) reports that just eight states have laws regarding students returning to the classroom. The laws do not require any training for teachers, nor do they declare who is responsible for ensuring that the students are helped to return to studies.

MedPage Today (11/7, Basen) reports lead author Monica Vavilala, MD, of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center in Seattle, and colleagues wrote that no state law “provided guidance on support of students with persistent postconcussive symptoms.”

Related Links:

— “‘Return-to-Learn’ laws may not help students after concussions,”Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, November 7, 2016.