A study by the University of Michigan and the Department of Veteran Affairs revealed that although veterans diagnosed with depression are not more likely to commit suicide than other civilian patients, there is a significant difference in the suicide rate for younger war veterans.

Recoding more than 800,000 veterans, the study has been identified as the largest and most comprehensive, as well as the first to include in its participants veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the New York Times

Four deaths are linked to improper use of a painkiller, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are warning doctors about it.

In a letter from the drug manufacturer, Cephalon Inc., the company said the deaths were the result of improper dosing of its drug called Fentora

The average American can expect to live to be nearly 77.9 years old, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compiled with data from 2005. Although just a slight increase over 2004 (.1), it is the longest life expectancy reported in the nation's history. Over the past decade, life expectancy has increased from 75.8 years in 1995. In 1955, it stood at 69.6 years.

One trend that has not changed, however, is the disparity among races. Life expectancy for whites in 2005 was at 78.3, while blacks only reached an average of 73.2

The suicide rate among preteen and young teenage American girls rose 76 percent, the highest level in a decade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday.

The suicide rate for children and young adults between ages 10 to 24 rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004, marking the largest annual increase in more than 15 years, the federal agency said

Recent events affecting students on college campuses have heightened awareness of mental health issues. According to a report by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) college students across the country are making use of mental health services in rising numbers.

The report also finds that despite schools as a whole offering a wide variety of mental health services, many don't offer services specific to anxiety disorders, the most frequently diagnosed mental illness in children and teens, and do not have the staff to respond to the growing demand