A Lancet Psychiatry study that analyzed responses from a 21-year-long World Health Organization survey projects that half of the world's population will develop a mental disorder by the age of 75, ranging from major depressive disorder and anxiety to substance abuse and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.

Most of these mental health conditions will emerge early in life, with their first appearance peaking at age 15. "Mental health disorders are the chronic disorders of the young," said study co-author John McGrath.

There were reported gender differences: For men, alcohol abuse had the highest prevalence, followed by major depressive disorder and specific phobias. For women, it was major depressive disorder, specific phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Women had a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders than men.

Body of Knowledge

Veins look blue not because deoxygenated blood flows through them but because the red portion of the visible light spectrum easily penetrates skin and becomes absorbed by hemoglobin in the blood. Blue light scatters when it hits skin and gets reflected back to your eye, causing veins to appear blue.

Get Me That, Stat!

A new study found that the attrition rate for Black students in M.D.-Ph.D. training programs is 50% higher than for white students: 29% compared to 17%. The finding bodes ill for increasing diversity in biomedical research. The study did not probe the reasons for the difference in attrition rates, reported STAT, but its authors noted that Black medical students report higher rates of mistreatment and discrimination that can lead to depression, burnout and leaving training.

Doc Talk

Gossypiboma — an object, such as a sponge, accidentally left inside a patient following a surgical procedure

Phobia of the Week

Domatophobia — fear of houses (not a good thing with trick-or-treating coming up)

Food for Thought

Though fundamentally recognized as a poison and so not advisable in food, arsenic is sometimes present in grains, fruits and vegetables due to absorption from soil. A 2013 German study found traces of arsenic in beer because the beer was filtered using diatomaceous earth, which contains iron, metals and sometimes arsenic.

It can also be detected in animal products treated with some veterinary drugs or shellfish which aggregate arsenic from seawater.

Best Medicine

An internist, a psychiatrist, a surgeon and a pathologist go duck hunting.

A flock of ducks passes overhead, and the internist takes aim and then puts the gun down.

"I couldn't shoot. More investigation is required. I'm not sure those were actually ducks."

A few moments later, another flock passes. The psychiatrist takes aim, pauses and says, "Those definitely looked like ducks, but how did they feel about themselves?"

Moments later, more birds fly by. The surgeon takes aim and fires rapidly. He puts down his gun and turns to the pathologist: "Can you go and see if I got some ducks?"

Observation

"My doctor recently told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel 10 years older already." — Comedian Milton Berle, whose life ran out at the age of 93 in 2002

Medical History

This week in 1981, the FDA approved the artificial sweetener aspartame for tabletop use and as an ingredient in candy, breakfast cereals, instant coffee and tea, gelatins, puddings, fillings, dairy-product toppings and chewing gum, among other uses. It had first been approved in 1974, but legal objections delayed market deployment. Aspartame is sold as Nutrasweet. It is, by weight, 200 times sweeter than sugar and is created by combining two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalamine.

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that's hard to take seriously, and even harder to ignore.

In 1993, the Ig Nobel Prize in visionary technology went to Jay Schiffman, inventor of an image projection device that made it possible to drive a car and watch television at the same time. The prize was shared with the Michigan State Legislature for making it legal to do so.

Sum Body

Five words that sound vaguely obscene, or at least inappropriate, but aren't:

1. Aholehole — a species of small tropical fish

2. Boobyalla — a bird native to Australia

3. Clatterfart — A 16th-century term for a gossip or blabbermouth

4. Invagination — to turn something inside out or fold back into itself

5. Sack-butt — When spelled with one t (sackbut), the word refers to an early Renaissance brass instrument similar to a trombone. With two t's, it's a word for a wine barrel.

Last Words

"And now, a final word from our sponsor." — Radio and TV announcer Charles Gussman (1913-2000). Seriously ill and hospitalized, his daughter mentioned to Gussman that he had always wanted his last words to be memorable. He removed his oxygen mask and whispered ...

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Towfiqu barbhuiya at Unsplash