Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of August 1, 2011

Mental Health in the Headlines is a weekly newsletter produced by Mental Health America, providing the latest developments at Mental Health America and summaries of news, views and research in the mental health field. Coverage of news items in this publication does not represent Mental Health America’s support for or opposition to the stories summarized or the views they express.

[NOTE: Mental Health in the Headlines will not publish the next two weeks. Our next issue will be August 22.]

TODAY’S HEADLINE

The United States and France have the highest rates of depression in the world, according to researchers who found that wealthier nations tend to have a higher incidence of depression than poorer nations…more

IN THE NEWS

Debt Deal Reached

Congressional leaders and the White House reached agreement Sunday on raising the debt ceiling. The plan would reduce federal spending by more than $900 billion over 10 years by imposing annual limits on spending for most federal agencies and programs. In addition, the bill would create a 12-member bipartisan committee, with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans from the House and the Senate, to recommend ways of reducing future deficits by another $1.5 trillion over 10 years—above and beyond the amounts saved as a result of the annual caps on appropriations.  If the committee does not reach agreement or if Congress fails to adopt its recommendations by December, the government would automatically cut spending beginning in 2013. The cuts would be split evenly between domestic and defense spending. Programs for the poor, including Medicaid and Social Security, would be exempted. But Medicare payments to providers would not. (Los Angeles Times, 8/1/11)

Wealthier Nations Have Higher Rates of Depression: Study

The United States and France have the highest rates of depression in the world, according to researchers who found that wealthier nations tend to have a higher incidence of depression than poorer nations. An international team of researchers collected the results of face-to-face interviews of nearly 90,000 people considered representatives of their population. In the 10 countries considered high-income, an average of 15 percent of participants said they’d experienced a depressive episode in their lifetime. In lower-income countries, the rate was 11 percent. France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.S. all had rates higher than 18 percent. (CNN, 7/26/11)

NFL Player Reveals Mental Health Condition

Pro football player Brandon Marshall has revealed that he has been diagnosed and treated for borderline personality disorder. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver says proper diagnosis and treatment for the disorder saved his life. He now plans to raise awareness to the disorder, which he indicated may have led to the domestic violence issues in his household. (USA Today, 7/31/11)

Music Therapy May Help with Depression

Researchers report adults who were given music therapy sessions, in which they played drums or instruments such as xylophones, showed fewer symptoms of depression or anxiety than those who just had standard counseling. For the study, thirty three participants were offered music therapy sessions in addition to their regular treatment for depression.  The remaining 46 participants only received standard treatment and acted as the control group. After three months, the researchers found that participants who had received music therapy showed greater improvement than those who received only standard care. In addition, they had significantly fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.  They also scored better on general functioning, researchers report in the British Journal of Psychiatry. (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/1/11)

IN DEPTH

NPR looks at whether therapy can change sexual orientation.

The New York Times reports on new studies examining lessons learned about the mental health response to the 9/11 tragedy.

Latest Research

One-Third of Patients Getting Nose Job Had Mental Health Condition: About one-third of individuals who receive a nose job also have symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a new study asserts. BDD is a mental health condition in which excessive concern about imagined or minor defects in appearance interferes with daily life. Researchers surveyed 266 patients seeking a nose job over the course of 16 months. They found that 33 percent of those surveyed had moderate to severe symptoms of BDD.  The percentage increased to 43 percent among patients who said that they wanted a nose job for the sole purpose of improving their appearance. Just 2 percent of people who needed a nose job for strictly medical reasons had moderate to severe BDD symptoms. (HealthDay News, 7/27/11)

Kids with Medical, Behavioral Difficulties More Likely to be Bullied: Children who have medical, emotional or behavioral difficulties are more likely to be bullied in school, a new study finds. Researchers tracked more than 1,450 kids in fourth through sixth grades from 34 rural schools. A third of the kids had problems such as asthma, chronic pain, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities or emotional and behavioral problems. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found these children were more likely to be bullied or feel socially isolated. (HealthDay News, 7/27/11)

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