Illness

NEW YORK -- A simple, one-page patient questionnaire that provides an extraordinarily fast diagnosis of mental illness can help keep internists and family physicians from missing the first important signals that their patient may need help, researchers say.Testing of the questionnaire, conducted at four sites around the country, found that 26 percent of the 1,000 study participants had a diagnosable mental illness and an additional 13 percent had sufficient symptoms...

Baltimore County health officials are investigating why about 200 students at Pot Spring Elementary in Timonium - a third of the children there - got sick with gastrointestinal symptoms last week. The school's principal alerted school health officials after an "unusually high" number of students were absent Friday and a large number of students went to the nurse's office complaining of vomiting, said Debbie Somerville, coordinator of health services for the county schools. Nine staff members also got sick.

The Maryland Zoo's 4-year-old elephant Samson's serious illness with herpes is one example of how zoo breeding programs put elephants at risk ("Young elephant recovering from virus," March 14). This frightening disease causes massive internal hemorrhaging, typically affects elephants under 10 years of age, and has an 85 percent mortality rate. It's responsible for more than half of all juvenile elephant deaths in North American facilities. Death from the herpes virus usually occurs within seven days after an acute onset of symptoms, which include lethargy, swelling of the head and limbs, and a blue discoloration of the tongue.

The one-liners never stop when you're around Team O'Neill. Sometimes all that's missing is a brick wall, a stool and a microphone stand. Take the other day, for instance. Jockey Kevin Krigger has Goldencents out for his regular morning gallop in preparation for Saturday's Preakness. Trainer Doug O'Neill and his crew are watching it from the press box high atop Pimlico Race Course . As Krigger walks the Santa Anita Derby winner onto the track, the jockey looks up and waves.

The cafeteria at the Johns Hopkins at Keswick complex was shut down Tuesday after 18 people were sickened with an unknown condition and 600 evacuated from the building in North Baltimore. Fire and emergency management officials are still investigating what caused the illness that gave employees breathing problems, but one of the theories is possible food contamination. We are "trying to chase down what everybody ate," said Connor Scott, a spokesman with the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management.

The absence of one Hall-of-Famer was apparent this week during the press conference to introduce the rosters for the 30th annual Brooks Robinson High School All-Star Game. In his opening remarks Wednesday at the Warehouse at Camden Yards, local sportscaster Keith Mills touched on why legendary Oriole Brooks Robinson was not present. "And the reason Brooks is not here today is because, as many of you know, he is battling a very, very serious illness and [is] a little under the weather once again," Mills said.

Duchy Trachtenberg, a former Montgomery County Council member who was the first to enter the race for the Democratic nomination in Maryland's 6th Congressional District, said Wednesday she is withdrawing.  In a statement, Trachtenberg said she has had a recurrence of breast cancer that she was first diagnosed with in 2011. “While I undertook the campaign with a clean bill of health, circumstances have now deteriorated to the point where I honestly cannot continue the race,” she said.

John Burner Jr. always worried about the safety of his sons while they served in Iraq, but he was confident in the medical response for injured comrades. But the Catonsville man is left with doubts about the military's treatment of noncombat ailments after his eldest, Sgt. John F. Burner III, 32, died Thursday in Iskandariya while awaiting treatment for a respiratory illness as he traveled to join his battalion. "You're trained in trauma, but you're not trained for the common cold, or flu, or H1N1," said John Burner, 56. His son was a satellite systems team chief assigned to the 63rd Signal Battalion (Expeditionary)

McDonogh sophomore attackman Trey McGee had a difficult chore just getting on the lacrosse field this season, as he battled mononucleosis during the preseason. Despite still feeling a bit under the weather, he's certainly making the most of his time on the field. The biggest proof came in the Eagles' 7-6 overtime upset of then-No. 1 Calvert Hall on Friday, when McGee scored three goals, including the tying tally to force the extra time. In his second season on varsity, McGee has received more playing time and contributed 13 goals and four assists in the young Eagles' 5-4 start.

Regarding your recent editorial on making it easier for families to commit a mentally ill relative to a mental institution against their will, Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and some state delegates apparently are missing the urgent need to clarify the state's civil commitment standards ("The tricky question of involuntary commitment," April 6). Many relatives of individuals with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, recently testified about the consequences of the denying timely treatment under the current law. Those consequences include homicide, suicide, homelessness, job loss and permanent brain damage.

"The New Normal" was supposed to be the new normal. After "Modern Family" brought two gay dads into the spotlight on ABC, NBC was bringing audiences a show that put a gay family at its center. "The New Normal" executive producer Ryan Murphy had already shown two gay teens' first sexual encounter on "Glee. " There was little concern his new show's central couple (Bryan and David) would be the chaste, sexless gay men generally seen on primetime television. I tuned in eagerly when the show premiered, elated to see a romantic gay duo given the amount of screen time generally reserved for straight sitcom leads.

Summer is almost here, and with it likely some blistering hot days. A recent study suggests the elderly should beware when the temperature spikes, because they face an increased risk of winding up in the emergency room short of breath on those days. And that's just a taste of what health problems to expect as global climate change cranks the heat up in many places. Researchers for Johns Hopkins, Harvard and Yale universities reviewed a nationwide health database of 12.5 million older Americans on Medicare and found that increases in outdoor temperatures raise the risk for the elderly of being rushed to the hospital with respiratory disorders.

Your editorial "Tyranny of the minority" (April 19) provided a clear and convincing picture of how poorly Americans have been served by a minority in Congress that has been bullied by the NRA. Most Americans realize that a sophisticated, well educated society needs to move beyond a vigilante, cowboy-like environment. They also understand that we are a diverse society that guarantees individuals the right to own a gun to protect their home, to hunt or to engage in sporting activities.

Regarding your recent editorial on making it easier for families to commit a mentally ill relative to a mental institution against their will, Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and some state delegates apparently are missing the urgent need to clarify the state's civil commitment standards ("The tricky question of involuntary commitment," April 6). Many relatives of individuals with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, recently testified about the consequences of the denying timely treatment under the current law. Those consequences include homicide, suicide, homelessness, job loss and permanent brain damage.

Amid growing concerns about the relationship between substance abuse and mental illness in children and adolescents, the Harford County Office on Mental Health will hold an educational town hall meeting for Harford County families and service providers. A panel of local experts on drug abuse, mental illness and suicide prevention will present information about recent trends and local resources. The town hall meeting, "Resiliency: Building a Path to Recovery for Children and Adolescents," is scheduled on Thursday May 2 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the William N. McFaul Activities Center.

As a recent letter to the editor noted, studies have shown that a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide, murder and accidents ("Arming school employees only raises danger," April 7). As a footnote to all the media coverage about the massacre that occurred in Newtown, Conn., it should be noted that had Adam Lanza's mother taken the precautions needed and necessary to having guns in her home with an unstable individual having access to them, just maybe this terrible shooting would not have occurred.

The state law that requires insurance companies to offer greater coverage for mental illnesses has been suspended again, less than 24 hours after a Baltimore Circuit Court judge lifted an injunction that had kept it from going into effect.Yesterday, Chief Judge Alan M. Wilner of the Court of Special Appeals granted a new injunction against the law, pending a hearing Monday in his court.The law requiring insurers to offer mental illness benefits comparable to those for other illnesses was to have become effective Jan. 1. Lawyers for insurers and a policyholder filed suit Dec. 28, claiming the law was vague.

"Night Falls Fast," by Kay Redfield Jamison. Knopf. 432 pages. $25.So many people throughout time have died from suicide, written about it, tried to make sense of it. In this new book, Kay Redfield Jamison attacks this complex, emotionally charged topic without fear. She has created a single, fresh text that answers the question so many have agonized over for so long: Why?In a sweeping, authoritative look at suicide, laced with the compelling tales of those who died or nearly died at their own hands, including herself, Dr. Jamison exposes the truth: Suicide is not one isolated moment of madness for otherwise rational people, but mostly an impulsive act of a patient trying to end the awful pain of a psychiatric illness.

To say that, and I quote Daniel Rodricks, "Ben Carson had firmly developed, antiquated beliefs that he wants a wide audience to hear," is an understatement ("Ben Carson's conservative views are drawn from the Bible" Mar 30). Dr. Carson is an admirable man because of the contributions in pediatrics that he has made throughout his career, but as a human being and as a member of our society, he needs to educate himself and understand that this is 2013 and we, as a society, need to evolve.

At an age when many workers are thinking about winding down their careers, Victoria Baldassano of Silver Spring says she can't afford to give retirement a thought. The part-time English professor at Montgomery College said her income has been too low for too long to save for retirement, and she's carrying about $40,000 in credit card debt racked up to pay living expenses. "It's an awkward situation to be in at 61," said Baldassano, who said she thinks more about day-to-day bills than retirement.