By Sarah C.P. Williams
The number of emergency room visits due to mental health problems of children and young adults is on the rise, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed data from 279 million visits kids made to emergency rooms around the country spanning 1999 through 2007. Over the eight-year period, the percentage of those visits attributable to psychiatric complaints rose from 2.4 percent to 3 percent.  » More

By Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel
Losing your home, or worrying about losing it, is enough to make you sick, says a recent study that offers insight into the toll the foreclosure crisis is taking on homeowners' health.
"Our findings prove yet again that economic well-being and physical well-being are connected," said economist Janet Currie, co-author of the study, published recently by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

"The foreclosure crisis is having a significant impact on mental health as well as on a wide range of preventable conditions that are susceptible to stress," she said.  » More

First reactions to news that Erie residents suffer from a high rate of depression might be to either dismiss the findings or jest about the results. After all, many of us have so much affection for our hometown that thousands of people flocked to a new Facebook group, "You might be from Erie Pa IF," to share fond memories about Erie's special foods, beautiful peninsula, quirky characters and endearing traits. » More

Philadelphia (July 22, 2011)—A new study by researchers at Drexel University’s School of Public Health suggests that abuse of prescription painkillers may be an important gateway to the use of injected drugs such as heroin, among people with a history of using both types of drugs. The study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, explores factors surrounding young injection drug users’ initiation into the misuse of opioid drugs. Common factors identified in this group included a family history of drug misuse and receiving prescriptions for opioid drugs in the past. The results support a need for efforts to prevent misuse of prescription drugs, particularly during adolescence. » More

By MIKAELA CONLEY
The Fourth of July is one of the worst days of the year for teenage boys to drink -- and get hurt.

A new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, found that underage males visit the emergency room twice as much during Fourth of July weekend than the rest of the month.  » More

More workers use heroin on the job than previously thought. Some of them fly planes. A sobering look at some of the latest workplace drug use stats.
By Anne Fisher; Fortune, CNNMoney.com Contributor
First, the good news, such as it is: The number of Americans using cocaine while at work has declined sharply in the past couple of years, falling 29% between 2008 and 2009 alone, to about .29% of the population. Now, the more disquieting news: Since the federal government tightened testing requirements last October, drug testing of employees like pilots, airplane mechanics, and train operators has revealed that twice as many employees as previously believed are using heroin and the use of prescription painkillers on the job is soaring. » More