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The number of Texans who used a gun to take their life last year was the highest since at least 1999, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC researchers say multiple factors likely contributed to a similar increase nationally, including the COVID-19 pandemic that might have exacerbated risk factors for suicide like social isolation, relationship stressors and substance use. In Texas, gun safety and mental health advocates point to another factor: Easy access to guns. Nationally, the rate of people using a gun in their suicide reached a record high last year when there were approximately 27,000 such deaths, according to a CDC report this month. (Serrano and Simpson, 12/12)

The hardest group for Dennis Gillan to get to talk about suicide is older men. They also happen to have the highest rate of suicide in the United States. Gillan, 60, is from Greenville, South Carolina, and he has been a front-row observer to the crisis. He's a self-trained suicide expert who speaks on college campuses and at corporate training offices about mental health awareness. He draws on his personal experience after the deaths, about a decade apart, of his brothers Mark and Matthew by suicide. Both men were in their early 20s. (Cuevas, 12/11)

The brain of the Lewiston, Maine gunman Robert Card is now being tested for potential trauma. Boston University's CTE Center will take a closer look at Card's brain in hopes of learning about any injury or trauma it may have received during his service in the Army reserves. Card is accused of opening fire at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston in October, killing 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others. (Schooley, 12/11)

Nearly 1 in 5 teens say they're on YouTube or TikTok "almost constantly," according to a Pew Research Center report. The report paints a picture of a rising generation whose lives are dominated by a handful of social platforms — amid ongoing debate over the possible mental health harms that could result. Pew's latest survey on teens and technology — which polled 1,453 kids online, ages 13-17 — found roughly the same amount of internet use as last year, but substantially more than when the survey was conducted in 2014-2015. (Kingson, 12/11)

By the time Peter Doelger signed the paperwork to have JPMorgan Chase & Co. handle his fortune, he had built a company spanning the US, sold it to a conglomerate and bet the proceeds on stocks and oil, beating the markets. By 78, he said he was worth at least $50 million. And, according to his family, he was starting to show signs of dementia. (Schoenberg, 12/12)

At this time of year, everywhere around there are full of holiday images of family gatherings, brightly lit trees, lavish gifts and tables laden with rich foods, beverages and desserts. For those whose depression and anxiety is triggered by the holiday season and those who have lost a loved one, a treasured pet, or even a job and are grieving, the holidays can be tough to navigate. (Smiley, 12/11)

Supportive relationships play a big role in how people handle life’s ups and downs.  Luckily, most people across the planet feel socially supported, according to newly released findings from Meta-Gallup’s report on the Global State of Social Connections.  The findings show that seven out of 10 people feel very and fairly supported in their daily lives.  Meanwhile, nearly one out of every 10 people said they did not feel supported at all. About 143,600 people across 142 countries took part in the survey last year, which defined social support as “how much you feel cared for by people.”  (12/12)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: LA County Invests Big In Free Virtual Mental Health Therapy For K-12 Students 

Los Angeles County public schools are rolling out an ambitious effort to offer free mental health services to their 1.3 million K-12 students, a key test of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sweeping, $4.7 billion program to address a youth mental health crisis. Spearheaded by the county’s Medi-Cal plans — which provide health insurance to low-income residents — in collaboration with its Office of Education and Department of Mental Health, the LA school program relies on teletherapy services provided by Hazel Health, one of a clutch of companies that have sprung up to address a nationwide shortage of mental health services that grew much worse during the covid-19 pandemic. (Castle Work, 12/12)