Health & Wellness - September 2012 Archives

Military suicide is a major public health concern. The suicide rate in the U.S. Army exceeds the rate in the general population, and psychiatric admission is the most ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — September 10, 2012.  The suicide rate in the U.S. Army now exceeds the rate in the general population, and psychiatric admission is now the most common reason for hospitalization in the Army. These concerning trends are described by Timothy Lineberry, M.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and suicide expert for the Army, in the September edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. In the article, he also outlines steps to assess and address military suicide — an issue he calls a major public health concern. Dr. Lineberry proposes greater use of gun locks, improving primary care for depression, and better monitoring for sleep disturbances, among other steps. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Dr. Lineberry is available on the Mayo Clinic News Network. "Despite the anticipated end of large-scale military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the effects on the mental health of active-duty service members, reservists, and veterans is only just beginning to be felt," Dr. Lineberry says. "Moreover, the potential effect on service members of their war experiences may manifest indefinitely into the future in the form of emerging psychiatric illnesses." In the article, Dr. Lineberry integrates published research on increased rates of psychiatric illness in the military during the past decade and highlights the need for ongoing resources for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. While the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense have already invested millions of dollars into military suicide prevention and research, some key clinical steps can also be taken to tackle the problem. Dr. Lineberry outlines four steps based on past research and emerging evidence that he believes could help begin curbing military suicide: Reduce access to guns and other means of suicide. Nearly 70 percent of veterans who commit suicide use a gun to do it. Veterans are more likely to own firearms. All veterans with psychiatric illness should be asked about their access to firearms and encouraged to lock up guns, giving someone else the key, or remove them from the home altogether. Just slowing down gun access by a few minutes may be enough to stop the impulse. Watch for sleep disturbances. Complaints of insomnia or other sleep disturbances in otherwise healthy soldiers, reservists, or veterans may signal the need for taking a careful history and screening for depression, substance misuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sleep disturbances have been previously identified as a risk factor for suicide. These complaints may also serve as opportunities for referring those potentially needing more intensive treatment. Prescribe opioid medications carefully and monitor. Unintentional overdose deaths, primarily with opioids, now outnumber traffic fatalities in many states. Individuals with psychiatric illness are overrepresented among those receiving prescriptions for opioids and those taking overdoses. This same trend has been seen in former military personnel. A recent study found that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder who were prescribed opioids were significantly more likely to have opioid-related accidents and overdoses, alcohol and non-opioid drug-related accidents and overdoses, and self-inflicted and violence-related injuries. Improve primary care treatment for depression. Research suggests that patients who die by suicide are more likely to have visited a primary care physician than mental health specialist in the previous month. Programs developed to improve primary care physicians' recognition and treatment of depression could help lower suicide rates.

Resistant Hypertension Has Several Possible Causes September 7, 2012 Dear Mayo Clinic: I was recently told I have resistant hypertension. What exactly is ...

For Many, Treadmill Stress Test a Thing of the Past September 7, 2012 Dear Mayo Clinic: I just read that the treadmill stress ...

In this Medical Edge Radio episode, Mayo Clinic Dr. Debra Barton outlines her recent study that looked at the use of ginseng in battling cancer ...

MEDIA ADVISORY: Suicide Prevention, Telemedicine are Topics at Mayo Clinic Transform 2012 The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is holding its annual symposium on redesigning how health ...

WHAT: The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is holding Transform 2012, its fifth symposium on redesigning how health care is experienced and delivered. WHO: Participants include Journalist and commentator John Hockenberry, serving as moderator Garrison Keillor, host and writer of "A Prairie Home Companion" Phil Satow and John MacPhee of the Jed Foundation, college suicide prevention group Journalist Michael Wolff, who will discuss caring for his terminally ill mother Adam Darkins, M.D., who leads Department of Veterans Affairs telehealth programs WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 9 – Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012 WHERE: Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive SE, Rochester, Minn. NOTE: Journalists unable to attend may view the following sessions live at http://bcove.me/4xamzupd

ROCHESTER, Minn. — September 6, 2012.  Bullying was once considered a childhood rite of passage. Today, however, bullying is recognized as a serious problem. Up to half of all children are bullied at some point during their school years, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. And thanks to tech-savvy kids, cyberbullying and other forms of electronic harassment are now commonplace. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Broadcast audio and video resources are available to download on the Mayo Clinic News Network. Watch Medical Edge packages on bullying in sports and stopping bullying in the classroom. Mayo Clinic experts are available to comment on a variety of bullying angles and issues. Mayo Clinic bullying prevention experts Peter Jensen, M.D., and Bridget Biggs, Ph.D., can talk about cyberbullying, and physical and verbal bullying among adolescents. Children who are bullied may be afraid to go to school, Drs. Jensen and Biggs say. They may complain of headaches or stomachaches and have trouble concentrating on schoolwork. In the long term, the consequences of bullying may be even more severe, they say. "Children who are bullied have higher rates of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and other mental health conditions," Dr. Jensen says. "Children who are bullied are more likely to think about suicide. Some of these wounds may linger into adulthood." If you suspect that your child is being bullied, take the situation seriously, say Drs. Jensen and Biggs. Tips on what to do include: Encourage your child to share his or her concerns. Learn as much as you can about the situation. Teach your child how to respond to the bullying. Contact school officials. Follow up. Keep in contact with school officials. Boost your child's self-confidence. Seek professional help if needed. Anywhere there is a pecking order, the potential for bullying exists, says Max Trenerry, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic sports medicine psychologist. For children, the competitive nature of sports can add an extra element of aggression, says Dr. Trenerry, who also is a soccer coach and sports psychology consultant.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Psychologists, Psychiatrists Discuss Bullying Prevention, Identifying Tips Up to half of all children are bullied at some point during their school years, ...

JACKSONVILLE, Flórida — O verão pode significar mais do que apenas aumento da temperatura, de umidade e de mais atividades físicas ao ar libre. Pode ...

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JACKSONVILLE, Flórida — A remoção total do pâncreas de pacientes com câncer — ou com cistos pré-cancerosos em partes do órgão — não torna impossível ...