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March 30, 2009

Study indicates college women may overestimate "need" to consume alcohol

HealthDay (3/27, McKeever) reported that, according to a study published in the March issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, college women may not "need to drink to excess to impress college men."

For the study, researchers from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles "surveyed 3,616 college students about women's drinking habits and men's views of drinking by women." The team found that the majority "of the women overestimated, by an average of a drink-and-a-half, how much men would like them to drink at any given event."

Specifically, nearly "26 percent said they thought men would most likely want to be friends with a woman who drinks five or more drinks, and 16 percent said women who drank the most attracted men sexually." In reality, "both estimates were twice what the men said they actually preferred."

The authors are now undertaking a follow-up study "to determine how men think women view male drinking habits."

Posted by admin at 07:23 PM

New guidelines urge physicians to routinely screen adolescents for depression

The AP (3/30, Tanner) reports that, according to guidelines issued by the US Preventive Services Task Force and published in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, physicians are urged "to routinely screen all American teens for depression -- a bold step that acknowledges that nearly two million teens are affected by this debilitating condition."

Currently, "an estimated six percent of US teenagers are clinically depressed," with evidence suggesting that "detailed, but simple, questionnaires can accurately diagnose depression in primary-care settings." In addition, the task force emphasized that, "when followed by treatment, including psychotherapy, screening can help improve symptoms and help kids cope."

And, "because depression can lead to persistent sadness, social isolation, school problems and even suicide, screening to treat it early is crucial, the panel said." Therefore, the "group recommends research-tested screening tests, even for kids without symptoms," citing "two questionnaires that focus on depression tip-offs, such as mood, anxiety, appetite, and substance abuse."

Posted by admin at 07:22 PM

Study indicates PTSD may be independent predictor of attempted suicide

Medscape (3/26, Gandey) reported that, according to a study published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, "post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an independent predictor of attempted suicide."

For the study, researchers from Johns Hopkins University examined data on "nearly 1,700 young adults from a group that has been followed since entering the first grade in Baltimore public schools," a "sample...composed of predominately African-Americans who grew up in an urban metropolitan area."

Next, the "investigators conducted interviews with participants to assess the occurrence of traumatic experiences, suicide attempts, and the development of PTSD." The team found that "people exposed to trauma who developed PTSD were at an increased risk for attempted suicide."

In addition, the authors "observed a more than three-fold increase in the risk for attempted suicide among people with PTSD from assaultive violence, compared with people who did not develop PTSD."

Posted by admin at 07:21 PM

Online health quiz allows pharmaceutical companies to market drugs to their users

On its front page, the New York Times (3/26, A1, Clifford) reports, "Americans yearn to be young. So it is little wonder that RealAge, which promises to help shave years off your age, has become one of the most popular tests on the Internet."

The test "asks 150 or so questions about lifestyle and family history to assign a 'biological age,' how young or old your habits make you," and "makes recommendations on how to get 'younger.'"

The website "makes its money," however, by acting "as a clearinghouse for" pharmaceutical "companies, including Pfizer, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline, allowing them to use almost any combination of answers from the test to find people to market to, including whether someone is taking antidepressants, how sexually active they are, and even if their marriage is happy."

Posted by admin at 07:19 PM

Service dogs seen as helping an increasing number of people live more independent lives

USA Today (3/25, Peters) reports that "a new wave of service dogs" are "trained to handle things their humans cannot.

From alerting owners to an impending seizure to helping people with psychiatric or memory conditions (including Alzheimer's) stay stable and safe, service dogs are helping an ever-broadening array of people live more normal, independent lives, just as they have helped hearing-, seeing-, and mobility-impaired people for decades."

In the future, "experts predict that...dogs will be trained to deal with many other human conditions in ways not yet contemplated." For example, "returning waves of severely injured military personnel have spurred some service-dog groups to investigate new ways to help."

Meanwhile, there is a "growing category of service dogs referred to as 'facility dogs'" who "are assigned to a health professional" in a rehabilitation facility, such as an occupational therapist. There, "the dog's duties depend on the needs of the person" the therapist is helping.

Posted by admin at 07:18 PM

VA hiring former veterans to help soldiers ease back into civilian life

The AP (3/25) says Derek Graner, who developed a case of PTSD in Iraq, is "one of 100 former service members hired nationally by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as outreach specialists to help get Iraq and Afghanistan veterans into programs aimed at easing their transition back to civilian life."

The "goal is to persuade" those struggling to adjust "to visit one of 230-plus vet centers nationwide, which are operated by the VA." Experts "applaud the effort to actively search for veterans who may need help," but some advocates, like Paul Rieckhoff, of the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, "say the program should be much bigger."

Posted by admin at 07:17 PM

Psychiatrist emphasizes importance of play as way of combating depression

USA Today (3/24, Lloyd) reports that "during these difficult economic times," psychiatrist Stuart Brown, MD, urges people to "find regular time to play," or else risk becoming depressed.

In his "new book, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul," Dr. Brown reveals "what goes wrong when people do not play," sharing the results of "more than 6,000 play studies on everyone from serial killers to substance abusers to career-driven CEOs."

Dr. Brown explained the particular importance of play "during periods that are sustainedly stressful, like now where we don't see an end to this economic downturn." For the "play-challenged," he advises "opening up to the idea that play is a state of mind."

Dr. Brown defines play as "an absorbing, apparently purposeless activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of self-consciousness and sense of time."

Posted by admin at 05:32 PM

Massachusetts program eases students' return to school after care for depression

The Boston Globe (3/24, Wertheimer) features the experiences of Hannah Cummins, whose return to Brookline High School in Massachusetts after having been hospitalized for depression was facilitated by the Brookline Youth Resilient Team (BRYTE). BRYTE was "created in 2004 as a partnership between" Brookline High School "and the town's mental-health center."

To date, "the program has worked with more than 200 teens after they were hospitalized for depression or other long-term medical issues," as "social workers and a classroom aide help the students to make the transition...back into the mainstream."

Currently, "a pending budget amendment before the state Legislature would give $75,000 grants to help continue" similar "programs and start them at other high schools, said state Representative Ellen Story (D- Amherst)." According to Rep. Story, however, "budget constraints would make it difficult to pass the amendment this year."

Posted by admin at 05:30 PM

Article discusses link between anxiety, depression, and heart risk

A Los Angeles Times (3/23, Kaplan) piece discusses how "anxiety, depression, and stress" can "contribute to increased incidence of heart disease."

The piece then cites findings from several studies, most of which were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). In one of these studies, "risk of cardiovascular disease and death rose by more than 50 percent among people with depression and anxiety."

In another study published in JACC, nearly "double the risk of heart attack or death was found in coronary artery disease patients with the highest level of anxiety." And "among those patients, a 10 percent increased risk of heart attack or death was found in those whose anxiety rose over time."

Posted by admin at 05:19 PM

FDA approves Lexapro for depression in adolescents

The AP (3/20) reported, "Forest Laboratories Inc. said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved its depression and anxiety" medication "Lexapro [escitalopram oxalate] for use in children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old."

Forest "has come under scrutiny by the US government for its marketing practices, with the Justice Department in February filing a complaint alleging Lexapro and Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide) was promoted for use by children, even though it is not approved for their age group," although "Forest has denied it marketed the" medications "for any use other than the approved indications."

Posted by admin at 04:56 PM

March 16, 2009

Data indicate risk of psychiatric readmission may increase shortly after childbirth

MedWire (3/5, Cowen) reports that a study appearing in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that "new mothers with psychiatric disorders, particularly those with bipolar affective disorder, face an increased risk for psychiatric readmission in the first month after childbirth," but "overall, new mothers with mental health disorders were less likely to be readmitted to psychiatric hospital than women with mental health disorders who were not mothers."

For the study, "the team used the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register to assess data on readmission rates among 28,124 women with mental health disorders between 1973 and 2005. Of these women, 10,218 became mothers during the period studied."

Between 10 and 19 days postpartum, the researchers found that new mothers "were 2.71 times more likely to be readmitted...than women who were not mothers." Among those, the "risk was highest among new mothers with a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder, who were 37.22 times more likely to be readmitted" during that period.

Related Links:

- "Risk of psychiatric readmission highest first month after childbirth," Mark Cowen, Medwire News, March 5, 2009.

Posted by admin at 07:00 PM

Research suggests women in strained marriages more likely to suffer from depression, metabolic symptoms

WebMD (3/4, Hendrick) reported that "women in tense, strained marriages are more likely than men to suffer from mental problems like depression, but also dangerous physiological conditions, such as high blood pressure and obesity," a study by researchers at the University of Utah suggests.

The study also found that strained marriages "cause depression in men," but "men in such relationships, unlike women, aren't at increased risk of developing the physiological conditions of metabolic syndrome."

During the study, researchers had "276 couples married an average of two decades" fill out questionnaires concerning their marriage and submit to a medical screening. Researchers found that "women reporting more marital strain were more likely to report depressive symptoms" and "had more metabolic syndrome symptoms," while "men in bad marriages reported depressive symptoms unrelated to any signs of metabolic syndrome."

One researcher noted that the "gender difference they found is important because heart disease is the biggest killer of women, as well as men, and 'we are still learning a lot about how relationship factors and emotional distress are related to heart disease.'"

Related Links:

- "Bad Marriages Take Health Toll on Women," Bill Hendrick, WebMD, March 4, 2009.

Posted by admin at 06:57 PM

Alcohol abuse may increase the risk of depression, study suggests

HealthDay (3/6, Preidt) reported that "alcohol abuse may increase the risk of depression, instead of the other way around," according to research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Investigators looked at "1,055 people born in 1977 who were assessed for alcohol abuse and depression at ages 17 to 18, 20 to 21, and 24 to 25."

According to the researchers, "the number of participants who met criteria for alcohol problems and major depression were: 19.4 percent and 18.2 percent, respectively, at ages 17 to 18; 22.4 percent and 18.2 percent at ages 20 to 21; and 13.6 percent and 13.8 percent at ages 24 to 25."

The investigators found that, "at all ages, alcohol abuse or dependence was associated with a 1.9 times increased risk of major depression.

Related Links:

- "Drinking May Trigger Genetic Marker for Depression," Robert Priedt, Healthday, March 6, 2009.

Posted by admin at 06:51 PM

March 05, 2009

Study suggests depression's link to heart attack risk may not be entirely due to genetics

USA Today (3/4, Elias) reports, "Depression almost doubles the risk of developing heart disease over 12 years, according to a long-term study of twins."

Recent studies had found "that some genes that increase the risk of heart disease also may make people more prone to depression, which has raised the question of whether the depression-heart disease link is genetic."

But this study, to be presented at a medical association's meeting on Wednesday, "teases out the influence of genetics and finds that depression takes a huge toll on the heart that can't be chalked up to a roll of the genetic dice."

For the study, researchers followed more than 600 sets of male twins from their early 40s to their mid-50s. Jeanne McCaffery, a psychologist at Brown University Medical School, said the study "tells us you can't explain away the role of depression in heart disease by saying it's all due to genetics."

Still, François Lesperance, MD, a psychiatrist at the University of Montreal, noted that "there's no evidence yet that treating depression will make adults less likely to have heart attacks."

Related Links:

- "Depression can break the heart," Marilyn Elias, USA Today, March 4, 2009.

Posted by admin at 04:18 PM

Study suggests PTSD may increase suicide risk in young adults

HealthDay (3/2, Preidt) reported, "Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of suicide in young adults, says a US study of 1,698 participants who were tracked for 15 years after they started first grade in Baltimore public schools."

During the study, which appears in the March edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers interviewed the subjects "when they were young adults (average age 21) to assess the incidence of traumatic events, suicide attempts, and the development of PTSD.

Of the group, 1,273 had experienced a traumatic event, and 100 of those exposed to trauma (eight percent) developed PTSD." Of those with PTSD, "suicide had been attempted by 10 percent...compared with 2 percent of the youths who experienced trauma but did not develop PTSD and 5 percent of those never exposed to a traumatic event."

The researchers concluded that their "results point to the need to base risk estimates of attempted suicide on data that take into account the psychiatric response to the trauma."

Related Links:

- "Post-Traumatic Stress Tied to Increased Suicide Risk," Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 2, 2009.

Posted by admin at 04:16 PM

Suicide-prevention presentations to be given to Marines

The Los Angeles Times (2/28, Perry) reported, "Alarmed by a rising suicide rate among their troops, Marine officials announced Friday that all Marines, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, will receive a two-hour suicide-prevention presentation next month."

The "sessions will remind troops to watch for warning signs among their buddies and to immediately inform their superiors if they believe a Marine is thinking of suicide. In 2008, 41 Marines committed suicide, a rate of 19 per 100,000 troops. In 2007 the figure was 33 suicides (16.5 per 100,000)," while "in 2006 it was 25 (12.9 per 100,000)."

The "Army had a similar increase. In 2008, 128 soldiers committed suicide, a rate of 20.2 per 100,000, up from 16.8 in 2007."

Related Links:

- "Marine suicide rate up, prompting more prevention trainin," Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times, February 28, 2009.

Posted by admin at 04:12 PM

Walter Reed taking proactive approach to mental healthcare

AFP (3/2) reports that anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "and record-high suicide rates are haunting American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, amid a taboo over mental distress," but
at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, "psychological help is part and parcel of the care provided to soldiers wounded in combat, according to Colonel John Bradley, chief of the hospital's psychiatric department.

'We don't wait for a declaration of emotional distress or dysfunction but we rather see the patient right
from the beginning. We are looking for early signs of depression or difficulty coping with their battle injuries,' he told AFP."

According "to Bradley, 10 to 15 percent of wounded veterans treated at Walter Reed suffer from PTSD."

Related Links:

- "Stress, suicide: tough wounds for the US Army," AFP, March 2, 2009.

Posted by admin at 04:08 PM

Unhappy children said to be more prone to depression, sickness as adults

BBC News (3/2) reports that a study by researchers at Kings College in London suggests that "unhappy children are more likely to grow up to become adults who are permanently sick or disabled."

After studying "over 7,100 people born between 1950 and 1955," investigators discovered that "those described as 'miserable' or 'unhappy' by teachers were five times more likely to be off work through ill-health in middle age." Moreover those children were "likely to be more prone to depression."

For the study, researchers "tracked down" many of the participants of a large study of children in the 1950s, when "teachers were asked about their temperament and school attendance." Researchers found that "some 392 reported they were unable to work because of permanent disability or ill-health -- 5.5 percent of the total questioned."

Meanwhile, "a quarter of those whose teachers had reported them as 'often appearing miserable, unhappy, tearful or distressed' were permanently sick or disabled." Max Henderson, MRCPsych, the study's lead researcher, said, "We can't say these childhood trends cause the ill-health later in life, but they certainly seem to be a contributing factor."

Related Links:

- "Unhappy children 'end up unwell'," BBC News, March 2, 2009.

Posted by admin at 04:04 PM

Girls' Anti-Social Behavior Predictive of Later Depression

HealthDay (2/27, McKeever) reported that "anti-social behavior among young elementary school girls and increased anxiety in either boys or girls that age tend to predict whether they develop depression in adolescence," according to a study appearing in The Journal of Early Adolescence.

For the study, researchers "followed more than 800 predominantly white children for seven years, starting when they were in first or second grade. Children, parents and teachers provided information that measured the students' levels of depression, anxiety, anti-social behavior and social competency."

Also, parents were asked about "family and marital conflict, family stress, and parental depression." The researchers found that, "when all the risk factors were analyzed, anti-social behavior and anxiety were the most predictive of later depression."

Researchers noted "that young children can identify themselves as being anxious and depressed...they are able to understand and report feeling depressed or anxious, and tell us so."

Related Links:

- "Girls' Anti-Social Behavior Predictive of Later Depression," Kevin McKeever, HealthDay, February 27, 2009.

Posted by admin at 03:59 PM

Advocates say increase in PTSD cases is contributing to "staggering" military suicide rate

The Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press (2/26, Gregory) reported, "An increasing number of veterans are surviving combat but not the after-effects -- namely post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."

The "accompanying addictions or mood disorders" associated with PTSD "create a fatal recipe that veteran advocates say is contributing to a staggering suicide rate among military personnel." Currently, however, the US Army "is in the middle of a 'stand-down,' which requires that individual units devote a day between Feb. 15 and March 15 to suicide prevention training.

The stand-down will be followed by 120 days of 'chain teaching' across the entire Army." Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, "is publicizing a service-wide suicide prevention hotline."

Related Links:

- "Chattanooga: Stress syndrome, suicide physiologically linked," Lauren Gregory , Chatanooga Times free Press, February 26, 2009.

Posted by admin at 03:55 PM

Walter Reed said to be treating more brain traumas, psychological disorders

The Stars And Stripes (2/27, Shane) reports, "Doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are treating fewer torso and limb injuries in troops returning from combat but more brain trauma and psychological disorders," Ward Casscells, "the top Pentagon health official," said Wednesday.

Casscells, "assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said that's largely due to the drop in violence in Iraq, and could reverse as fighting intensifies in Afghanistan in coming months. But he also credited better recognition of brain injuries by doctors and a lessening of the stigma associated with some psychological diagnoses."

Stars And Stripes notes that on Tuesday, Casscells "and other military health experts toured" Walter Reed "to see changes made in the two years since a Washington Post investigative report found poor living conditions and frustrating regulations for some patients." Casscells "said he's pleased with the improvements."

Related Links:

- "Torso injuries fall, brain traumas rise at Walter Reed," Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes, February 26, 2009.

Posted by admin at 03:52 PM

Uninsured hospital admissions rose by 34 percent between 1997 and 2006, report indicates

HealthDay (2/19, Predit) reported, "Between 1997 and 2006, hospital admissions for uninsured Americans rose by 34 percent, from 1.7 million to 2.2 million stays," according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Furthermore, "the increase is more than double the 14 percent rise in overall hospital admissions during that same period." The study also found that "the cost for treating uninsured patients increased 76 percent between 1997 and 2006, from $11,000 to $19,400 per patient, after adjusting for inflation."

Over the same period, "there was a 69 percent increase in hospital charges overall." Several conditions stood out as "major contributors to the significant increase in uninsured hospitalizations," including a rise in skin infections, "chest pain with no known cause," and " hospitalizations for depression and other mood disorders. "

The agency based its report on the study "'Trends in Uninsured Hospital Stays, 1997-2006'...which uses statistics from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays."

Related Links:

- "Uninsured Hospital Stays On the Rise," Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 19, 2009.

Posted by admin at 03:48 PM

Children said to lack adequate access to mental healthcare

Writing in the New York Times (2/19) Domestic Disturbances blog, Judith Warner observed that the majority of the adolescents "between the ages of 13 and 17," who were dropped off last year under "the Nebraska law meant to keep desperate new mothers from abandoning their babies," had "serious mental-health issues.

Some were handed over to the state by relatives who had no other way of securing for them the heavy-duty psychiatric care they needed." Warner pointed out that the "lack of access to...truly good care is the real mental-health 'epidemic' affecting children in our time."

According to psychiatrist Christopher Bellonci, M.D., "the result of all this fractured, fragmented, chaotic, or non-existent care...is that children with psychiatric problems get steadily worse, and eventually 'fail up' through repeated trials of medication and short-term hospitalizations until they can no longer be kept at home." Therefore, "parents who have not been abusive or neglectful are put in the untenable situation of having to surrender custody," Dr. Bellonci said.

Related Links:

- "Children in the Mental Health Void," Judith Warner, New York Times, February 26, 2009.

Posted by admin at 03:40 PM

March 02, 2009

2009 Outstanding Merit Award Nominations Open Until March 2

The annual Outstanding Merit Award is given tor a worthy endeavor in Maryland that accomplishes one or more of the following:

* Increases public awareness and understanding of mental illness
* Enhances the quality of care for psychiatric illness
* Reduces the stigma of mental illness

Nominations for this award of $500 are being invited from the entire Maryland community. A short nomination form must be submitted with a cover letter by March 2, 2009, to the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, 1101 Saint. Paul Street, Suite 305, Baltimore, MD 21202. The form is available as PDF or Word document.

The 2008 winner was the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies project at Child Center and Adult Services, Inc. in Gaithersburg. Their measures to document the progress of people in the program and their efforts to work with mothers at risk to prevent future mental illness were particularly impressive. In
addition, an Honorable Mention was awarded to the work of the New Vision of Hope Program at Gaudenzia Foundation, Inc. in Baltimore, which provides outstanding services to a very difficult population of dual diagnosis patients with substance abuse and mental illness as well as many with
criminal backgrounds.

Related Link:

- Download 2009 Outstanding Merit Award nomination form (Microsoft Word document)
- Download 2009 Outstanding Merit Award nomination form (PDF document)
- 2008 Winner: Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies program
- 2007 Winner: Bowie Therapeutic Nursery Center, Inc.
- 2006 Winner: Mr. Edgar K. Wiggins

Posted by admin at 12:25 PM