Report: Routine Suicide Screening Of Young People Doesn’t Help
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a draft report that says it can't recommend routinely screening young people who have no obvious signs of suicidal thoughts. Critics of the report say screening can't cause harm. The same task force did suggest anxiety screening should start at age 8.
AP:
Influential Panel Raises Doubts On Youth Suicide Screening
An influential U.S. group is raising doubts about routine suicide screening for children and teens even as others call for urgent attention to youth mental health. In draft guidance posted Tuesday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said there’s not enough evidence to recommend routinely screening kids who show no obvious signs of being suicidal. The document is open for public comment until May 9, and opposing voices are already weighing in. (Tanner, 4/12)
Reuters:
Screening For Anxiety Should Begin At Age 8, U.S. Panel Says
Children as young as 8 years old should be screened for anxiety and those ages 12 and over for depression, according to new recommendations by the government-backed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The guidance for healthcare providers, still in draft form, applies to children and teens who are not showing signs or symptoms of these conditions. (Lapid, 4/12)
In related mental health news —
NPR:
Study: Nearly A Third Of Children With Disabilities Have Experienced Violence
A new study suggests that nearly a third of children and adolescents with disabilities has experienced violence – defined as physical, emotional or sexual abuse as well as neglect. It's everything from being struck or verbally attacked by a family member to cyberbullying. And they're reportedly twice as likely to experience violence as young people without disabilities. A tremendous number of kids are affected. An estimated 291 million children and adolescents — slightly more than 1 in 10 — have disabilities such as hearing or vision loss, epilepsy or intellectual disabilities. The review, published in the medical journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, reaffirms the discouraging conclusions of a World Health Organization-backed review published in The Lancet a decade ago, focusing on high-income countries. (Kritz, 4/12)
Axios:
How Your Gut Controls Your Mental And Physical Health
The foundation of your health and well-being isn't your heart, your lungs or your brain. It’s your gut. 70% of your immune system sits in your belly. You are what you eat. And a healthy gut keeps your body — and mind — from getting sick. A healthy gut is chock-full of immune cells and good bacteria that fight off viruses, fungi and bad bacteria. And an unhealthy gut can lead to infections — and even hinder your body's ability to fight cancer. (Pandey, 4/12)
CNN:
Your Personality Can Protect Or Age Your Brain, Study Finds
Certain personality traits may be a key factor in whether people develop mild cognitive impairment later in life, a new study found. Being more conscientious and extroverted keeps mild cognitive impairment at bay longer, while having higher levels of neuroticism increases the chances of cognitive decline, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "Personality traits reflect relatively enduring patterns of thinking and behaving, which may cumulatively affect engagement in healthy and unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns across the lifespan," lead author Tomiko Yoneda, a psychology postdoctoral student at the University of Victoria in Canada, said in a statement. (LaMotte, 4/11)
Kansas City Star:
What Is Mild Cognitive Impairment? Causes Include Alzheimer’s
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Robert Perry has long prided himself on his thinking, having had the kind of sharp and nimble mind that, when he was a young combat pilot, allowed him to fly F-111 jets at more than 1,500 miles per hour. Perry spent 22 years in the military, 20 more making decisions with the Johnson County Airport Commission until his 2012 retirement. But more recently he noticed his memory slipping — and he worried. His dad died of Parkinson’s disease, although doctors say he has no real signs of that. His mother lived to 89. She developed dementia toward the end. Perry, 74, of Overland Park, said it was his wife Nancy who noticed his short-term memory was “fading a little.” (Adler, 4/13)
In other public health news —
NBC News:
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried Died Of Rare, Often Overlooked Disease
Gilbert Gottfried, the beloved brash comedian, died Tuesday after having battled a disease that his publicist identified as a rare genetic muscle disorder. Gottfried, 67, had type II myotonic dystrophy, a kind of muscular dystrophy, said his longtime friend and publicist, Glenn Schwartz. It isn't clear when Gottfried was diagnosed with the disease, which has no cure or treatment and typically appears when people are in their 20s and 30s. (Bendix and Stelloh, 4/12)
Salt Lake Tribune:
Salmonella Found In Ground Beef At A Midvale Market
Utah government inspectors shut down the meat department at a Midvale grocery store, after finding salmonella in samples of ground beef sold there. The contamination was found during a routine inspection in late March at the International Marketplace, 125 W. 7200 South, Midvale, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food reported. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the store’s beef. “This happened on a routine inspection of the Marketplace,” said Bailie Woolstenhulme, public information officer for UDAF. “So hopefully we caught it before anybody actually consumed the product.” (Russell, 4/12)
The 19th:
Inflation Rates Leave Women Facing More Food Insecurity In Grocery Stores
The price sticker startled Tammy Ferrell. She looked at the variety pack of FritoLay chips again and again. Her forehead wrinkled. Surely, she must have misunderstood — the chips used to be $12, but the sticker read $17. Around her, everything else had new stickers, too — the dairy, the produce, the meat. She left Costco without the turkey wings her family loved, without meat at all. She thought of how she would explain it to her grandsons. As the weeks went on and prices continued to rise, Ferrell’s family began eating noodles instead of meat. They stretched what was in their pantry, walking to the store instead of driving to avoid paying skyrocketing gas prices. It was turning into a nightmare, she said. (Carrazana, 4/12)
