HealthDay (5/19, Norton) reports that after examining “33 years’ worth of data,” investigators “found that states with more gun owners generally had more suicides by firearm among both men and women.” The findings were published online May 19 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Related Links:

— “States With More Gun Owners Have More Gun-Related Suicides: Study,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, May 19, 2016.

HealthDay (5/19, Mundell) reports that “risks for attempting suicide more than tripled for transgender adults who experienced a ‘high level’ of familial rejection,” research published online in LGBT Health suggests. After analyzing “2008-2009 data on almost 3,500 transgender adults interviewed from all 50 states, as part of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey,” researchers also found that “the risk for alcohol or drug abuse…rose much higher in these situations.”

Related Links:

— “,” E. J. Mundell, HealthDay, May 19, 2016.

Medscape (5/18, Anderson) reports that at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting, former Democratic Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy, “who helped spearhead the national battle to end discrimination against mental illness,” called for more advocacy to ensure enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act that was passed in 2008. Kennedy “said, ‘We have the promise of parity, but in order to make it a reality, we really need to put together a political movement.’” Kennedy then “urged the audience to ‘take on this issue from a place of personal commitment.’”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (5/17, Norton) reports on new research from the Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas at Dallas that shows that “busyness” among older adults may improve memory, information processing and reasoning. A study of 330 men and women between the ages of 50 and 89 showed that the people who were “busier” – those who stated that they often had too many things to do each day to complete – tested better in memory, information processing speed, reasoning, and vocabulary.

Medical Daily (5/17, Borreli) also reports on the study, which evaluates the benefits of a “healthy” busy schedule on mental health. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, required participants to rank their “busyness” according to standards from the Martin and Park Environmental Demands Questionnaire (MPED). However, lead author Sara Festini said that although the study showed better cognitive performance associated with busier schedules, findings “do not mean being busy directly improves cognition” and that “it’s possible people with better cognitive function seek out a busier lifestyle, or that busyness and cognition reinforce and strengthen each other.”

Related Links:

— “Keep Busy! Stay Sharp!,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, May 17, 2016.

Medscape (5/17, Brooks) reports, “A rigorous programmatic approach to suicide prevention led by Magellan Health Services, in Arizona, that involves the local behavioral health community, is achieving promising results,” research presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting suggests. In fact, during “the first 90 days of implementation, there were no reported suicides in the” Maricopa County Medicaid “behavioral health population in Arizona.” In addition, the so-called “Magellan Driving Suicide to Zero Initiative…decreased the suicide rate (number of suicides per 100,000) by 67% for the population and by 42% in people with serious mental illness.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)