Thanks to a $2 million grant from the GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GE, school-based health centers in New Orleans will be able to continue providing valuable healthcare services. Grant funds awarded to School Health Connection, a program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, will help provide comprehensive preventive, primary care and primary mental health services for enrolled school students. Read the full article.

The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) now has tip sheets for handling the mental health burdens of the oil spill in six different languages: English, Cambodian, Haitian/Creole, Lao, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The tip sheets provide resources for talking to children, managing stress and grief, and recognizing signs of alcohol and substance abuse in others. Read more.

If you are looking for more resources about helping friends and family cope with mental health issues - especially those between the ages of 18-25 - SAMHSA has launched an initiative called “What a Difference a Friend Makes.” The initiative’s website offers information about mental illness and guidance for helping friends through difficult times. Visit the site.

In some areas of the US, as many as 1 in 110 children exhibit symptoms of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASDs are developmental disabilities that impact children’s social, communication, and behavioral development at all stages of life. Although ASDs usually can be detected before age 3, diagnoses are not made on average until age 4 1/2 because parents don’t know the early signs. To help parents become more aware of ASD signs and symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a website to educate parents about ASDs, including information on developmental milestones that children are expected to achieve and information to help parents act early if they suspect their child may be delayed in reaching them. Read more.

The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released 6 tip sheets providing people with guidance for dealing with mental health issues following the Gulf oil spill. The documents offer information on talking to children and youth about the disaster and coping with your own stress and grief. Also included are tip sheets about recognizing alcohol and substance abuse problems and helping other manage their stress, as well as resources for navigating difficult financial times. Read more.

New research from a team at Harvard University shows that emotions can spread through communities just like diseases. When looking at patterns of both happiness and sadness in a Massachusetts town, the researchers found clusters of people having similar emotions. The patterns they found were close to those that are expected when looking at cases of a disease within a given population. They also found that each happy friend increased a person’s chance of becoming happy by 11%, while each sad friend doubled one’s chance of becoming sad. If sadness starts to infect your circle of friends, exercise may help improve your mood and turn your frown upside down. Click here to read more about how emotions can spread like diseases. Click here to read more about the emotional benefits of exercise.

Two new studies have found that exercise and vitamin D can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. In a 20 year study of 1,200 residents of Framingham, MA, people who regularly did moderate to heavy exercise were 40% less likely to have Alzheimer’s. Those who did the least physical activity were 45% more likely to develop the disease, of which severe memory loss is a key symptom. In the second study, British researchers found that vitamin D deficiency made subjects 42% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. While vitamin D is naturally produced in the body, studies have shown that many older Americans don’t have enough of it because the body’s ability to produce the vitamin wears down. These people could benefit from taking vitamin D supplements. Read more.

The federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has passed new standards making it easier for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to receive benefits. While the previous standards required veterans to provide documentation of traumatic events experienced during service, the new rules only require that veterans performed a job, even non-combat, that could have led to the disorder. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after experiencing a terrifying or physically harmful event. Read more.

You may already know that exercise is good for your heart, but did you also know that it’s good for your brain? New research shows that exercising may increase your brain’s ability to grow new cells and make new nerve connections, a process called neurogenesis. The more neurogenesis your brain does, the better it performs. Scientists say that exercise has this effect by changing the amounts of two brain molecules: BMP, which prevents neurogenesis, and Noggin, which increases this brain cell growth. The researchers say that even moderate exercise can have a big effect on your brain. Read more.

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare raises awareness about mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) disorders in children. Children’s mental health issues are of special concern because the mental health needs of close to 80% of children are not adequately met. Children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are especially at risk of MEB disorders. When left untreated, MEB disorders can develop into mental health problems that impact how children function at home, in school, and in their communities. The good news is that prevention and treatment can be especially successful when started early in a child’s development. Effective prevention of MEB disorders includes strengthening families, strengthening individuals by building resilience and skills, screening children at risk, promoting facts about mental health in schools, and promoting child mental health through healthcare and community programs. Click here to get the facts.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) has requested $10 million from British Petroleum (BP) to fund mental health services for those affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill. DHH says that mental health problems are already arising from the disaster, with families and communities feeling significant anxiety, depression, stress, and grief. The state wants to address these issues before they grow into more serious mental health problems. The money requested will spoort therapeutic and psychiatric servies from both local human service departments and DHH’s Louisiana Spirit outreach teams. If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally overwhelmed because of the oil spill, free telephone-based counseling is available from DHH by calling 1 (866) 310-7977. Read more.