Dear
AJPM
reader,
Each year, we recognize
Mental Health Month
in May
to raise awareness about the importance of mental health but also to help combat the stigma that is often associated with mental illness.
According to the CDC
, more than half the U.S. population will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime, and 1 in 5 Americans lives with mental illness in a given year. Despite those figures,
mental illness continues to be
too infrequently discussed or too often shrouded in secrecy and shame.
In celebration of the growing awareness and acknowledgement of mental illness, we are featuring our
Mental Health Collection
, which explores mental health, often in the context of disparities in access to prevention and care. In our monthly May issue, our readers will also find articles listed below that address the physical, economic, and social factors associated with suicide, which serve to inform future prevention and policy efforts aimed at reducing the rapidly rising rates of self-harm.
Gertner AK, Rotter JS, Shafer PR.
- The authors model the relationship between wages and suicide using state-based data and found a one-dollar increase in minimum wage was associated with an average 1.9% decrease in the state suicide rate.
Hoffmire CA, Monteith LL, Holliday R, Park CL, Brenner LA, Hoff RA.
- Suicide ideation was found to be significantly higher among veterans reporting administrative discharge versus honorable discharge, although mental health service use and time since separation significantly modified this relationship.
Horwitz AG, Smith DL, Held P, Zalta AK.
- Both male and female veterans were more likely than their civilian suicide decedents to use a firearm for completed suicides.
As always, we hope you find these articles, and the rest of our
May issue
, to be topical, timely, and thought provoking.
Yours in prevention and health,
Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
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Vercammen KA, Moran AJ, McClain AC, Thorndike AN, Fulay AP, Rimm EB.
Compared to adults with full food security, adults with very low food security have a 20% or higher odds of 10-year cardiovascular disease risk, and adults with either low or marginal food security were found to have higher BMIs and higher odds of current smoking.
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Lee LK, Monuteaux MC, Galbraith AA.
After the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, women with lower incomes were more likely to find affordable insurance; see or talk to a doctor within the last 12 months; and receive screening tests for blood pressure, cholesterol, and breast cancer.
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Hatcher AM, Stockl H, McBride RS, Khumalo M, Christofides N.
In a study conducted in a peri-urban settlement near Johannesburg, South Africa, authors found food insecurity was associated with twice the odds of intimate partner violence, with mental health issues and relationship quality linking the two conditions.
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Youth Violence Prevention
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