Recovery Update

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Mental Illness Not To Blame For Gun Violence, Study Finds

Counter to a lot of public opinion, having a mental illness does not necessarily make a person more likely to commit gun violence. According to a new study, a better indicator of gun violence was access to firearms. A study by researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston looked into the association between gun violence and mental health in a group of 663 young adults in Texas. Their results were published in the journal Preventive Medicine.

Being Kind To Yourself Has Mental And Physical Benefits, Research Shows

Taking time to think kind thoughts about yourself and loved ones has psychological and physical benefits, new research suggests. A study by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford has found that taking part in self-compassion exercises calms the heart rate, switching off the body's threat response. Previous studies have shown that this threat response damages the immune system. Researchers believe the ability to switch off this response may lower the risk of disease.

Gender, Work Status Influences Mental Health in Veterans With IBD

While depression and anxiety are common in veterans with inflammatory bowel disease, data from a longitudinal study presented at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2019 demonstrated that symptoms significantly varied by gender, dietary modifications and work status. “IBD impacts physical, psychological, and social wellbeing and the reverse is true as well –psychological health affects IBD," Niharika (Rika) Mallepally, MD, an internal medicine resident at Baylor College of Medicine, said during her presentation. "Clinically, this is evident. Both conditions are chronic with medication regimens and symptomatic control that vary over time, requiring changes in management and constant adjustment for patient and provider."

Infant Regulation and Child Mental Health Concerns: A Longitudinal Study

To examine profiles of infant regulatory behaviors and associated family characteristics in a community sample of 12-month-old infants and mental health difficulties at 5 and 11 years of age.

Is Young People's Mental Health Getting Worse?

Poor mental health among children and young people has been described as an epidemic and an "escalating crisis." The number of children seeking help from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) in England, has more than doubled over the past two years. But establishing how much of this represents an actual rise in young people experiencing problems, and how much is down to better awareness of symptoms and diagnosis, is difficult.

As Concern About Kids' Mental Health And Social Media Use Grows, Authorities Take Action

Concern over children's use of social media and its effect on their mental health has increased markedly in recent years, and now official action on the issue is also stepping up. In the U.K., government ministers are considering imposing new rules on social media companies, while a trial introducing mindfulness exercises will be extended to up to 370 English schools. The response comes as separate surveys have revealed feelings of "overwhelming pressure" and inadequacy among young social media users, as well as the prevalence of online bullying.

Virginia Panel Scraps Mental Health Question After Law School Student Push

The state agency that oversees qualifications for the Virginia State Bar will no longer ask students to disclose mental health treatment on their application. Last spring, law students from across the state organized and sent letters to the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners asking the panel to axe a portion of the application that prompts the disclosure of mental health conditions, saying that students who need mental health counseling aren't getting it for fear they will be denied admission to the state bar.

A New Mental Health Jail Vs. Community Mental Health Treatment

The problems with mistreatment of inmates with mental illness at Los Angeles County Jail, and the decision by the Board of Supervisors that Men's Central Jail must be demolished, present Los Angeles with an important choice between two different approaches. One is to build a large "mental health jail." The other is to "divert" a significant proportion of individuals with serious mental illness away from jail and into closely supervised community treatment and rehabilitation programs.

LA County Lobbies for Medicaid Waiver on Mental Health

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to urge state officials to apply for a Medicaid waiver that would expand coverage for inpatient mental health treatment at residential facilities. Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended pushing for the expansion. "Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health services and expansion of this coverage would be critical to those who are in need of treatment," Barger said.

Effort Underway To Update State's Mental Health Code

An effort is underway to update Michigan's 45-year-old mental health code to encourage the development of more psychiatric urgent care and crisis centers that would work more closely with hospitals, group homes and families to hold and treat people with behavioral health problems until inpatient hospital beds are available. The state's mental health code, which was written in 1974 and had its last major update in 1996, prohibits crisis centers from holding patients against their will longer than 24 hours unless they receive treatment — even if there is a legitimate public health and safety reason.

Researchers Find a Dearth of Mental Health Interventions For Ethnic Minority American Youth

Hispanic and Latino youth are more likely to drink alcohol at a younger age than their African-American and non-Hispanic Caucasian peers, but they are less likely to receive treatment for substance abuse. African-American youth show more symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than their Caucasian peers, but they are less likely to receive appropriate treatment for disruptive behaviors.

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