Mental health

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 8) — The Army today released suicide data for the month of September. Among active-duty Soldiers, there were seven potential suicides. One has been confirmed as a suicide, and six are pending determination of the manner of death. For August, the Army reported 11 potential suicides among active-duty Soldiers. Since the release of that report, four have been confirmed as suicides and seven remain under investigation.

There were 117 reported active-duty Army suicides from January 2009 through September 2009. Of those, 81 have been confirmed, and 36 are pending determination of manner of death. For the same period in 2008, there were 103 suicides among active-duty Soldiers.    » read more »

In an open letter, VFW Commander-in-Chief Glen Gardner is urging his 1.6 million members to help OEF/OIF veterans cope with the stresses of war.

May 29, 2009 -- Dear Comrades:

There is an enemy in our midst that is having a devastating effect on our servicemen and women in the field and at home. That enemy is stress.

Since 9/11, more military personnel and veterans have committed suicide than the total dead from both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, and this tragedy is occurring despite the best of intentions and programs offered by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. That is because the need has overwhelmed the capacity of government and civilian mental health centers. It's also because some people simply refuse to admit they need help.    » read more »

"Program will reach out to veterans in Bend, The Dalles, Eugene, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, and other communities"

May 28, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.- Continuing efforts to make sure all of Oregon’s veterans have access to the quality medical care they deserve, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D- Ore.) announced today that the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center will receive $1.9 million to improve mental health treatment for veterans in rural Oregon.    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to fund a $1.2 million study designed to reduce the high rate of suicides among Alaska natives.

In a letter to the Secretary, Murkowski pointed to a study proposed by Commissioner Warren Zapol of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission that would examine the mental and behavioral health issues facing Alaska Native populations living in the Arctic. Zapol’s study would be conducted by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences.

This new study would seek to determine the specific genes that contribute to major depressive disorders and alcohol abuse leading to targeted treatment options for Alaska Natives.    » read more »

Bill Provides Additional Support for Children & Families with Behavioral Health Needs

May 22, 2009 -- (Lincoln Neb.) -- Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman today signed LB 603 into law. The bill provides additional services, support and professional resources to help Nebraska families dealing with children’s behavioral health issues.

The bill helps address the gap in services for children with behavioral health issues by providing services and expertise to support children and their families.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Senator Mike Johanns is co-sponsoring legislation to help combat the rise in mental health challenges, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in U.S. troops and veterans. The Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act would require the Department of Defense to increase mental health screenings for military personnel deployed to combat.

"The military is seeing a sharp increase in the number of servicemen and women struggling to cope with their experiences," Johanns said. "Our troops face the rigors of battle and war every day, and we must do a better job of caring for their mental health. Identifying the warning signs when a service member is facing these challenges is an important first step."    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Advances in neuroscience research could benefit the Army, particularly in areas of soldier training and education. However, an emerging trend of using individual variability in neural processes such as cognition, stress response, and decision making to improve group performance is likely to challenge conventional approaches to training and educating soldiers, says a new report from the National Research Council.    » read more »

MicroRNA Plays Key Regulatory Role in Receptor Linked to Numerous Psychiatric Disorders

JUPITER, January 26, 2009 — Scientists from Scripps Florida, part of The Scripps Research Institute, and colleagues have for the first time linked a specific microRNA to behavioral problems frequently associated with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The finding presents new opportunities in the development of potential treatments.

The study is being published this week in the Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists had previously known that a number of brain disorders—including schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mood disorders, and    » read more »

Seoul -- 21 August 2008 -- In just a few decades, South Korea transformed itself from an impoverished country devastated by war into the world's 13th largest economy. But that dramatic growth has a dark side, some mental health professionals say. South Korea has seen its suicide rate rise sharply, and the nation's youth are at risk. Jason Strother has the story from Seoul.

On the platforms in many of Seoul's subway stations, tall glass gates open and close as passengers enter and exit the train cars.

These barricades are a safety precaution but they were also installed to prevent people from throwing themselves onto the paths of trains. Last year, 23 people in Seoul attempted suicide this way, up from 18 the year before.    » read more »

Troubling Alcohol Use Found Among Young Veterans; New Study Finds Disturbing Risk of Binge Drinking Among Servicemembers

August 13, 2008 -- NEW YORK - Yesterday, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study on alcohol abuse among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. According to the study, combat exposure significantly increases servicemembers' risk of heavy drinking, binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems. Young servicemembers are at the highest risk of developing these problems following their deployments. JAMA also found, "Those born after 1980 were at 6.72 increased odds of new-onset binge drinking."    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2008 – Defense Department officials are assessing ways to better prepare servicemembers, particularly members of the reserve and National Guard, for the stresses of combat so they’re better able to avoid alcohol-related problems when they return home, defense officials said today.

The goal, officials said, is to beef up existing strategies to address alcohol issues before and during deployments to mitigate post-deployment drinking problems.    » read more »

Economy heightens need to monitor mental health

June, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic research suggests unmarried women living in rural areas have lower self-rated health status than their married counterparts. This lower health status often includes greater instances of self-assessed feelings of depression. The results of the study were recently published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. They suggest that primary care physicians should take a proactive role in addressing health concerns of single women.    » read more »

13 June 2008 -- "I am shocked by the announced $8.4 million dollar cut in funds for mental health services for children in the state of Georgia, particularly considering the current crisis state mental health services face.    » read more »

Change follows Virginia Tech tragedy, campus safety review

June 9, 2008 -- Raleigh -- Patients deemed mentally ill by the courts have no business carrying guns in North Carolina, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said Monday in advance of a legislative hearing.

A bill that would keep guns out of the hands of those who have been involuntarily committed is scheduled to be heard Thursday, June 12, before the Senate Judiciary I committee.

Senate Bill 2081, sponsored by Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, would require court clerks to enter mental health commitments into a national database, which would provide the information for gun permit background checks.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 – The U.S. general responsible for operations in Baghdad announced today that he is taking proactive measures to prevent soldiers in his command from taking their own lives.

Soldiers are his “top priority,” Army Maj. Gen. Jeffery W. Hammond, commander of Multinational Division Baghdad and the 4th Infantry Division, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference from his Baghdad headquarters.

“We take proactive measures to improve soldier access to mental health care and prevent suicides and identify early symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,” Hammond pointed out.    » read more »