http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. In the wake of recent mass shootings such as the one in Newtown, Conn., physicians are increasingly being called on to pass judgment in the permitting process on whether their patient is physically and mentally competent to safely have and use a concealed weapon. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-doctors-involved-concealed-weapons.html Health Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:59:02 EST news285497933 Grim images of gun incidents spanning from Newtown, Conn., to Los Angeles have filled news reports of late, presenting a challenge for parents whose children are exposed to these events through the media—whether by television, newspaper or the Internet. And with discussions in the Senate to potentially ban assault weapons and boost funding for school security, gun violence is a topic that remains in the public eye. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-news-violence-affects-kids.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:10:03 EST news284622910 News stories about mass shootings involving a shooter with mental illness heighten readers' negative attitudes toward persons with serious mental illness, according to a new report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers also examined how such news stories impact support for policies to reduce gun violence. Compared to study respondents who did not read a story about a mass shooting, reading a news article describing a mass shooting raised readers' support for both gun restrictions for persons with serious mental illness, and for a ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines. The results, are published in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry and have important implications for advocates and policy makers who promote gun safety policy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-media-coverage-mass-contributes-negative.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:59:09 EST news283013943 (HealthDay)—One in five Americans knows a victim of gun violence and four in 10 are worried about becoming the victim of gun violence, according to a new poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-americans-victim-gun-violence-poll.html Health Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:31:21 EST news281367053 A new commentary in the Annals of Internal Medicine from researchers with The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research and University of California, Davis, calls for more physician engagement in the current gun policy dialogue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-gun-violence-experts-physician-involvement.html Health Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:10:01 EST news279822250 (HealthDay)—Family physicians can play a role in addressing and preventing violence in the community, according to a Jan. 17 letter to President Obama from the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-aafp-obama-family-docs-key.html Health Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:03:18 EST news278341393 Bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-people-high-calorie-foods-tough.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:07:58 EST news278089671 The United States suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation, due in part to the widespread possession of firearms and the practice of storing them at home in a place that is often unlocked, according to a report released amid a fierce debate over gun control in the country. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-violence-role-shorter-life.html Health Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:21:00 EST news276960055 In the wake of the horrific school shootings in Newtown, Conn. in December, three Harvard experts say the best way to curb gun violence in the U.S. is to take a broad public health approach, drawing on proven, evidence-based strategies that have successfully reduced other public health threats like smoking, car crashes, and accidental poisonings. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-comprehensive-health-approach-urged-curb.html Health Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:14:03 EST news276797635 (HealthDay)—Responding to the Dec. 14 tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has expressed a willingness to work together with the government to ensure the health and safety of children, according to a letter written from the AAP to President Obama. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-aap-obama-safety-children-national.html Health Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:40:02 EST news275289315 The deadly US shooting rampage last week has revived debate about access to mental health care—a tough issue as state funds dry up and laws make it difficult to treat people against their will. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-revives-debate-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 20 Dec 2012 03:58:08 EST news275198074 On July 20, a gunman in Aurora, Colorado, used an assault rifle to murder 12 people and wound 58 others. Although this was one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, all mass shootings account for a small percentage of gun violence that occurs in the U.S. every day. In the past 100 days since the Aurora shooting, an estimated 3,035 Americans have died as a result of gun violence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-restricting-high-risk-individuals-guns.html Other Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:31:15 EST news270372663 (AP) — Is a gun like a virus, a car, tobacco or alcohol? Yes say public health experts, who in the wake of recent mass shootings in the U.S. are calling for a fresh look at gun violence as a social disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-doctors-gun-violence-social-disease.html Health Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:55:35 EST news263919325 (Medical Xpress) -- Most people killed or wounded in stray-bullet shootings were unaware of events leading to the gunfire that caused their injuries, and nearly one-third of the victims were children and nearly half were female, according to a new nationwide study examining an often-overlooked form of gun violence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-stray-bullet-women-kids.html Other Tue, 10 Jul 2012 07:30:01 EST news261123477