Mental Health The Chart

August 18th, 2014

11:10 AM ET
Over the past half century, the prevalence of childhood disabilities in the United States has been on
the rise, possibly due to an increased awareness about these issues. Now a study published in this
week's online issue of Pediatrics suggests the nature of those newly diagnosed disabilities is
changing.
The report, "Changing Trends of Childhood Disability, 2001-2011" found the number of American
children with disabilities rose 16% over a 10-year period. While there was a noted decline in physical
problems, there was a large increase in disabilities classified as neurodevelopmental conditions or
mental health issues, such as ADHD and autism.
"We found that that physical disability health conditions in children were down 12%, but the
disabilities related to mental and neurodevelopmental health went up 21%," said lead study author
Dr. Amy Houtrow, chief of the Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Children's Hospital of
Pittsburgh.
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July 15th, 2014
03:09 PM ET
Babies usually start speaking by their first birthday. But new research suggests talking to your
baby stimulates his brain well before she utters those first words.
For the study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
the authors compared how 7- and 11-month-old babies from English-speaking families processed
sounds from English and Spanish.
Researchers at the University of Washington looked at 57 babies who were 7, 11 and 12 months
old. The babies sat in an egg-shaped, noninvasive brain scanner that measures brain activation and
listened to speech sounds played over a loudspeaker.
The researchers examined patterns of brain activation in areas of the brain that analyze sound, as
well as areas that plan the motor movements required to produce speech.
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July 4th, 2014
11:14 AM ET
Here's a roundup of five medical studies published this week that might give you new insights into
your health, mind and body. Remember, correlation is not causation - so if a study finds a connection
between two things, it doesn't mean that one causes the other.
Motrhead is one of the most hardcore rock 'n' roll acts on Earth
Journal: The Lancet
That Motrhead has the reputation as one of the most hardcore rock'n'roll acts on earth may not
surprise you. But finding evidence to support this claim in one of the major medical journals might.
According to a case study published Thursday in The Lancet, a man "developed a chronic subdural
hematoma (bleeding in the brain) after headbanging at a Motrhead concert."
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June 26th, 2014
08:04 AM ET
When people want to learn more about a new drug warning, they turn to the internet - that's no
surprise. But is the information they find there accurate and up-to-date? Not always, according to a
report published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week.
"Despite debates over its credibility, Wikipedia is reportedly the most frequently consulted online
health care resource globally," the authors write. "Wikipedia pages typically appear among the top
few Google search results and are among the references most likely to be checked by internet
users."
Wikipedia, along with Google and WebMD, is where more than half of all Americans turn to for
health information, according to the report.
Researchers found that when the FDA issues a drug safety warning, Google searches about that
drug increase 82% on average in the following week. Wikipedia pages about the drug see a 175%
increase in views on the day of the announcement.
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Food trucks are generally as safe or safer than restaurants, a new study found.
June 20th, 2014
03:05 PM ET
Here's a roundup of five medical studies published this week that might give you new insights into
your health, mind and body. Remember, correlation is not causation - so if a study finds a connection
between two things, it doesn't mean that one causes the other.
You are the (Facebook) company you keep
Journal: PNAS
It may be time to think twice before accepting that friend request on Facebook. A new study by
scientists at Cornell University and Facebook suggests that emotions can be spread via Facebook
and other social networks. Yes, you read that right: Your Facebook posts are contagious. The
scientists looked at 3 million Facebook posts from a group of 155,000 randomly selected users.
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June 19th, 2014
08:54 AM ET
Young women are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or die of heart disease if they suffer from
depression, a new study suggests.
Researchers looked at 3,237 patients with suspected or established heart disease who were
undergoing coronary angiography - a medical procedure used to diagnose narrowing in the arteries
that supply blood to the heart. On the same day of the procedure, the patients answered nine
questions assessing their state of mind.
If the patient was experiencing moderate to severe depression, and was under 55 years old,
researchers found she had double the chance of experiencing a heart attack in the next few years.
Depressed women under 55 were also twice as likely to have heart disease or to die from any
cause during that time period than those who were not depressed. Men and those women older
than 55 with depression did not show the same increased risk.
Depression is as powerful a risk factor for heart disease as diabetes and smoking, study author Dr.
Amit Shah, a cardiologist at Emory University in Atlanta, concluded.
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June 13th, 2014
12:01 AM ET
Here's a roundup of five medical studies published this week that might give you new insights into
your health, mind and body. Remember, correlation is not causation - so if a study finds a connection
between two things, it doesn't mean that one causes the other.
Keep your phone out of your pocket - your sperm will thank you
Journal: Environmental International
Since guys don't usually carry handbags, they tend to keep mobile phones in their pants pockets. A
recent study from the University of Exeter suggests this may not be a great idea.
That cell phone could actually have a negative effect on your sperm quality.
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June 10th, 2014
04:52 PM ET
The cause of autism is still unknown, but researchers hope harnessing the power of Google will help
them solve this neurodevelopmental puzzle.
The research and advocacy group Autism Speaks announced Tuesday they are collaborating with
the Google Cloud Platform to build the largest autism genome database to date. The collaboration,
known as The Autism Speaks Ten Thousand Genomes Program (AUT10K), will combine extensive
DNA databases with cloud storage technology, in hopes of moving mountains in autism research,
according to a press release.
Autism Speaks believes the AUT10K program holds the potential to radically transform ASD
genomics research. "Working with Google is a game-changer," said Rob Ring, who is the
organization's chief science officer.
This collaboration is part of a larger movement in the medical field to use big data to speed research
efforts. IBM's supercomputer Watson, for instance, is helping oncologists find treatments for a rare
aggressive brain cancer in partnership with the New York Genome Center.
Autism Speaks has already donated 12,000 DNA samples, which members describe as the "the
largest private collection" with diagnostic and specific genetic information. The organization says
the collaboration with Google will allow them to provide researchers access to what will eventually
be huge amounts of data. This, in turn, should help researchers find connections between patients
faster.
Zachary Warren, director of Vanderbilt University's autism research institute, says in order
to understand the vast developmental and behavioral differences linked to ASD, more powerful
platforms to analyze genetic data are needed.
"Only by understanding autism risk can we begin to develop treatments that target not just the
symptoms but the root causes of autism spectrum disorder," his colleague and genetic autism
researcher Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele said in agreement.
The number of children with autism has continued to go up over the past decades, as have the costs
for caring for someone with ASD.
Earlier this year, the CDC reported that 1 in 68 children in the United States has autism. A new
study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, estimates the lifetime cost of supporting an
individual with ASD can be up to $2.4 million.
May 22nd, 2014
07:32 AM ET
Alprazolam, the prescription sedative more commonly known by its brand name, Xanax, is being
implicated in a spiraling number of emergency room visits, according to a new report by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Over the past few years, the number of ER visits associated with misuse of the drug more than
doubled. In 2005, the number of patient cases involving Xanax was 57,419, and by 2011 (the last
year for which there is data), there were 123,744.
"We have been clamping down on opiates (prescription painkillers) but Xanax is becoming a fast-
riser in the game," said Dr. Howard Mell, an emergency room physician based in Cleveland, Ohio.
"It's not even a little surprising," he said of the new figures. "I wish it was."
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May 14th, 2014
02:24 PM ET
About half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug each month, and 10% take more than
four, according to a new government report.
"Health, United States, 2013" is an annual report on the nation's health prepared by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. This year's report includes a
special section on prescription drugs.
Here are a few key facts from that section:
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr.
Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers.
They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care
of yourself and the people you love.