The Washington Post (7/13) “Wonkblog” reports that the “growing suicide rate” in the US “reveals the much bigger effect of widespread firearm availability.” Two years ago, “42,773 Americans killed themselves according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” and half of those people “did so with guns.” The number of people who took their own lives with firearms is “not only more than the number of Americans who were killed in mass shootings, it’s more than the number of people who were killed with guns in homicides and accidents combined.”

Related Links:

— “To reduce suicides, look at guns,” Kim Soffen, Washington Post, July 13, 2016.

Politico (7/13, Ehley) reports that despite all that the Affordable Care Act did to help address issues in the mental health system, “the bottom line is that most [with mental health issues] still aren’t getting treatment.” This is partly due to the “serious shortage of behavioral health specialists, and a dwindling number of clinics and hospitals…designed to treat and house people with serious mental illnesses.” Additionally, “care can be costly,” even for those with an in-network healthcare professional, and many therapists don’t take insurance. Finally, “enforcement of other” ACA “mental health requirements…has ranged from weak to nonexistent.”

Related Links:

— “Obamacare and mental health: An unfinished story,” BRIANNA EHLEY, Politico, July 13, 2016.

HealthDay (7/13, Pallarito) reports, “People with serious mental illness who are victims of violence or exposed to stressful events are more likely to engage in a violent crime in the week following the trauma,” research indicates. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “a nationwide sample of more than 2.8 million people born in Sweden between 1958 and 1988 to study potential triggers for violent crime.” The findings were published online July 13 in JAMA Psychiatry. An accompanying editorial suggested “the need for further research into the role of stress in triggering violence.”

Related Links:

— “Can Trauma Trigger Violent Crime in Mentally Ill?,” Karen Pallarito, HealthDay, July 13, 2016.

HealthDay (7/13, Doheny) reports that “children who suffer from epilepsy or fever-related seizures may face a higher risk of also having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD),” research suggests. After tracking Danish youngsters born “from 1990 through 2007…until 2012,” the study authors also found that kids “with both epilepsy and fever-related seizures had a risk of AD/HD more than three times higher than those without a history of either condition.” The findings of the nearly one million-participant study were published online July 13 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Epilepsy May Triple ADHD Risk, Danish Study Finds,” Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, July 13, 2016.

TIME (7/11, Park) reports a new study published in JAMA Neurology suggests head injuries may be linked to a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. Study participants who had reported head injuries saw a 3.5 times higher chance of developing symptoms of Parkinson’s compared to those who did not report head injuries. The study, however, did not find a correlation between reported head injuries and a higher risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

HealthDay (7/11, Reinberg) reports that the research also showed a link between traumatic head injuries and a “greater risk of microscopic stroke.”

Related Links:

— “Parkinson’s Head Trauma Link Looks Even Stronger,” Alice Park, Time, July 11, 2016.