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September 30, 2009
Dermatologist points out connection between stress, acne.
On the air and on its website, KABC-TV Los Angeles (9/28, Dador) reported that, according to dermatologist Diane Madfes, MD, a "spokesperson with the American Academy of Dermatology, preliminary data shows there is a connection between stress and acne."
Dr. Madfes pointed out that "when it's time to head back to school, she sees about a 20 percent increase in the number of teens and young adults in her office." While "older acne medications, such as Retin-A [tretinoin topical] and BenzaClin [clindamycin-benzoyl peroxide gel], are still very effective," they "contain high percentages of the active ingredient benzoyl peroxide." However, "newer, gentler medications on the market," including "Pacnex [benzoyl peroxide topical], Atralin [tretinoin topical], Epiduo [adapalene and benzoyl peroxide], and Acanya [benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin]," are "equally effective" without causing dryness or itching.
Related Links:
- School stress can cause teen acne," Denise Dador, KABC-TV Los Angeles, September 28, 2009.
Posted by admin at 10:21 PM
Psychiatrist offers six steps for dealing with stress.
In the Washington Post (9/29), Georgetown Medical School professor of psychiatry and family medicine James S. Gordon, MD, writes, "I have been practicing psychiatry for 40 years, but I've never seen this much stress and worry about economic well-being and the future," which has produced "endemic" low-level depression, resurgence of previously controlled symptoms of chronic illnesses and increased use of medications, drink, sleeping pills and antidepressants, as well as anti-anxiety medications.
He offers six simple stress-coping techniques: calming meditation, physical exercise, building social connections, finding a sympathetic listener, using the imagination to visualize the advice of a trusted figure, and actively speaking up for oneself. Dr. Gordon adds that all six strategies "remind us, in times when the economy has made us feel powerless, that there are things we can do to help ourselves. And none of them costs money."
Related Links:
- Some Simple Steps for the Stressed-Out," James S. Gordon, The Washington Post, September 29, 2009.
Posted by admin at 10:02 PM
September 27, 2009
Researchers associate suicides in rural areas with higher number of bars.
HealthDay (9/18, Dotinga) reported that, according to a study published online and to appear in the December print issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, "there's a link between suicide and rural communities that have higher numbers of bars."
Researchers from the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, CA, "examined suicide statistics from California for 1995 to 2000, comparing them with the density of bars in rural areas." They found that "suicides occurred more often in less populous areas, such as rural communities, and in areas with older, lower-income white residents." Dennis M. Gorman, of the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, who "was not involved in the study," theorized that "rural places with lots of bars might be depressing places to live in due to isolation, lack of social ties, etc."
Related Links:
- Suicides Higher in Rural Areas With Bars," HealthDay, September 18, 2009.
Posted by admin at 08:32 PM
Early drinking may jump-start genetic predisposition to alcohol dependency, researchers say.
HealthDay (9/18, McKeever) reported that, according to a study published online Sept. 18 and to appear in the December print issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, adolescents "who start drinking before age 15 could jump-start any genetic conditions they might have that predispose them to developing alcohol dependency."
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine analyzed data on "6,257 adult twins" and found that "the younger people were when they had their first drink, especially if that occurred before age 15, the more symptoms of alcohol dependency they developed." In addition, "early drinkers also tended to have an increased genetic vulnerability for alcohol."
Related Links:
- With Alcohol, Starting Young May Lead to Dependency
," HealthDay, September 18, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:55 PM
Reform bill would require insurers to simplify benefits information.
The Los Angeles Times /Kaiser Health News (9/21, Meyer) reports, "Critics say some insurers intentionally make their policies and procedures confusing."
But the "Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's health reform bill would require insurers to meet new standards for honesty and transparency," and an amendment added by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) would "encourage states" to fine insurers that fail "to communicate with consumers in plain English." America's Health Insurance Plans spokesperson Robert Zirkelbach says AHIP wants to "look at the details" of any proposals for "standardized information. 'We could do a better job of providing information to consumers, but burdensome regulations could stifle innovation and make healthcare coverage unaffordable,'" he explained. Meanwhile, many health plans are "making better communications a priority."
Related Links:
- For many, health policy jargon is clear as mud," Harris Meyer, Los Angelos Times, September 21, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:43 PM
Sexual abuse may be precursor for suicidal behavior, research suggests.
Medscape (9/23, Cassels) reported that, according to a study published online Sept. 1 and in print in the Oct. issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, "sexual abuse is a significant precursor for suicidal behavior, particularly among women."
Researchers from the UK's University College London analyzed "data from the 2000 British National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity," in which "investigators interviewed 8,580 randomly selected volunteers aged 16 to 74 years." Next, the team "used the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised to determine affective disturbance at the time of the interview." The authors found that "sexual abuse was strongly related to suicidal intent in all time frames, as it was to suicide attempts."
Related Links:
- Sexual Abuse Strongly Linked to Suicidal Behavior," Caroline Cassels, Medscape, September 23, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:28 PM
Report says VA appears to be doing more to prevent suicides.
The AP (9/23, Hefling) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department appears to have stepped up its suicide prevention efforts."
The VA's inspector general (IG) "took a look at 24 facilities and found they generally met new requirements like appointing suicide prevention coordinators to track high-risk veterans, according to a report released Tuesday." The report also found that "coordinators and medical providers could do a better job of collaborating with each other. In a letter in response to the IG, a VA official said this fall, the agency would begin using a new system of tracking communication between the suicide prevention coordinators and medical providers." The AP adds, "New policies were implemented" at the VA "after growing concern about the number of suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans."
Related Links:
- VA IG says suicide prevention programs implemented ," Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press, September 22, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:18 PM
September 21, 2009
Schools attempting to ease psychological transition to student life for veterans.
On its front page, the Washington Post (9/18, A1, Brown) reports, "As more veterans...return to school, drawn by a new GI Bill that offers more-generous benefits than its predecessor, colleges and universities in the Washington region and across the nation are launching efforts to ease the daunting social, psychological, and logistical transition from combat to classroom."
The Post explains that the "number of student veterans receiving benefits is expected to climb as much as 25 percent this year to 460,000, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs." Meanwhile, "schools that can attract them will share in the $78 billion" the federal "government will spend in the next decade on educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which took effect Aug. 1."
Soldiers with PTSD may show growing attention deficits in year following return home, researchers say. Following a HealthDay story, Medscape (9/17, Cassels) reported that, according to a study published in the Sept. issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, "post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appears to be linked to reduced attention in soldiers one year after returning from Iraq."
In a study of "268 men and women who were regular active-duty US Army soldiers who served between 2003 and 2006," researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine found that "PTSD symptoms were not associated with poorer attention at a median of 122 days after returning from Iraq," but "this was not the case," however, "for veterans with PTSD symptoms who were assessed at one year."
Related Links:
- Easing From Combat to Classroom
," Emma Brown, The Washington Post, September 18, 2009.
- Persistent PTSD Symptoms Linked to Reduced Cognitive Function in Returning Veterans," Caroline Cassels, MedScape Today, September 17, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:31 PM
Researchers explore relationship between adolescent mental distress, acne.
Time (9/17, Cloud) reported that, according to a study published in the journal BMC Public Health, acne not only "goes hand-in-hand with depression and anxiety, but....teens' mental distress may" also "be worsening the condition of their skin."
Studying over 3,000 18- and 19-year-old students, Norwegian researchers found that "the level of mental distress kids reported was strongly associated with how much acne they said they had, independent of other factors." Notably, "roughly 19 percent of all kids who reported symptoms of anxiety and depression said they had acne, compared with only 12 percent of those who reported no mental distress." Boys "with depression and anxiety were 68 percent more likely to report acne than their happier peers," while girls "with mental distress were twice as likely as those without to report acne."
Related Links:
- Teen Acne and Depression: Can Mood Worsen Skin?," John Cloud, Time, September 17, 2009.
Posted by admin at 07:23 PM
September 20, 2009
FDA warnings on antidepressants may have failed to curb teen suicides.
In an analysis of FDA warnings on the use of antidepressants by teens, Arthur Allen wrote in Slate (9/15), "The FDA warnings, which came about because of worry that antidepressants might cause young people to commit suicide, have not caused suicide rates to drop, and may have even caused doctors to withhold treatment for those who need it."
Perhaps we "can't fault the FDA for this. Anxiety about the use of" selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors "has grown with their use" due to "our profound philosophical concerns about the prescribing of mind-altering medications, especially in children." Perhaps the black-box warnings were "as good a method as any to test a hypothesis on public health." Once the impact of the warning "becomes clearer, it may also help us clarify our thoughts about the role of pills in shaping our thoughts and actions."
Related Links:
- Listening to the Black Box," Arthur Allen, Slate, Septemberf 15, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:48 PM
Combat troops may be at risk for hypertension, researchers say.
HealthDay (9/14, Edelson) reported that, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, "US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who go into combat are more likely to develop high blood pressure over the long term than those who serve in supporting roles."
For the study, researchers from the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego "drew on the records of 36,061 service members, including 8,829 deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2003. After a three-year follow-up, the researchers found that those who reported multiple combat exposures were 33 percent more likely to report they had high blood pressure than those spared combat." Therefore, "hypertension...joins the list of problems resulting from constant exposure to the life-threatening experience of combat," including "post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse, and attention deficits."
Related Links:
- Combat Exposure Tied to Chronic High Blood Pressure
," Ed Edelson, HealthDay, September 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:42 PM
Physicians fed up with insurance costs.
CNNMoney.com (9/14, Kavilanz) reported that some physicians, "fed up with the costs of their practice," are ready to shift careers.
For example, Dr. Douglas Evans, a 50-year-old pediatrician "said he's considering a mid-career change if insurer-provider relations aren't reformed." He points out that he has to wait for insurance authorization "to get an X-ray" for "young football player" with an obvious neck injury. Evans said he is "frustrated that this process will delay treatment by several days. ... 'My second concern is that there's a predatory lawyer out there,' meaning that if his patient's condition worsens while he waits to get authorization, it could expose him to a malpractice suit. And Evans said insufficient reimbursement from insurers is posing a heavy financial burden on his practice." The article goes on to highlight similar examples from other physicians.
Related Links:
- Rx for money woes: Doctors quit medicine
," Parija B. Kavilanz, CNN Money, September 15, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:31 PM
Physician questions short lengths of average clinic visits.
In an op-ed in the Washington Post (9/15), physician and author Daphne Miller, MD, describes the experience of shifting her practice to a fee-for-service model so that she could spend more time with patients.
The new system, she writes, had a large "impact on the quality of care I deliver to my patients." Notably it "allows patients with complicated health issues to express their desires and for their doctors to develop an individualized treatment plan." Meanwhile, University of California medicine professor Thomas Bodenheimer, an "expert on primary-healthcare policy," advocates the Swedish system, "where physicians see only about 20 percent of patients -- the really complicated cases and very sick people -- and leave the others to a team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nutritionists, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc. In short, the primary-care doctors become specialists." Dr. Miller adds, "The Swedish model deserves a closer look."
Related Links:
- Maybe It's Time to Slow Down the Pace of Medical Treatment," Daphne Miller, The Washington Post, September 15, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:19 PM
US culture seen as ignoring female drinking problems.
USA Today (9/15, Weise) reports that an estimated "one-third" of the approximately "17.6 million adults in the USA" who "are either alcoholics or have alcohol problems" may be women.
"Women alcoholics face a double whammy: addiction and a culture that is more likely to ignore drinking in women than in men." Recent stories in the media about "New York mother Diane Schuler," whose alcohol-impaired driving factored in a fatal SUV accident and the "admission from Los Angeles 'mommy blogger' and writer Stefanie Wilder-Taylor that she was an alcoholic" have called attention to "the uncomfortable relationship society has between women and drinking, especially when they are mothers." A sidebar to the article explains where women with a suspected problem with alcohol abuse can go for help.
Related Links:
- The secret lives of female alcoholics," Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, September 15, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:08 PM
Study indicates many children with apparently minor head trauma may not need CT scans.
The Sacramento Bee (9/15, A. Tong) reports that, according to investigators from the University of California-Davis, "a significant portion of children with seemingly minor head trauma do not need a CT scan."
Specifically, "researchers analyzed the cases of more than 42,000 children younger than 18 with apparently minor head trauma in 25 hospitals across the country," finding that "of these children, 20 percent over age two and almost 25 percent under age two were at very low risk of serious brain damage, rendering the CT scan needless." The study authors pointed out that in such cases, the benefit of "catching a serious brain injury" may be "outweighed by the dangers of exposing children to radiation."
ABC News /Reuters (9/14) noted that the present study appeared in The Lancet. It also cited a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last month indicating that CT scans are one of the two greatest contributors to radiation exposure.
Related Links:
- Study: Children with minor head injuries may not need CT scans," Anna Tong, The Sacramento Bee, September 14, 2009.
- New rules may help doctors avoid excess CT scans," Reuters, September 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 02:56 PM
September 15, 2009
Study suggests depression may be linked to increased death rate among patients with cancer.
BBC News (9/14) reports that, according to a study in the journal Cancer, "Depression can damage a cancer patient's chances of survival."
Researchers conducted "a review of 26 separate studies including 9,417 patients," finding that "death rates were up to 25 percent higher in patients showing symptoms of depression." In fact, "in patients actually diagnosed with major or minor depression death rates were up to 39 percent higher." Notably, "the increased risks remained even after other clinical characteristics that might affect survival were taken into consideration."
Related Links:
- Depression 'cuts cancer survival' ," BBC News, September 14, 2009.
Posted by admin at 04:49 PM
Regular physical activity may lessen symptoms of depression, psychiatrist explains.
The Chicago Tribune (9/13, Stein) reported that "regular, moderate physical activity may lessen depression symptoms as much as some medications."
According to Andrew Leuchter, MD, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California-Los Angeles, "exercise does appear to have significant effects in terms of elevating mood." Dr. Leuchter explained that "physical activity...often is used to augment treatments, such as medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. 'If people are on medication or in treatment and haven't had a complete recovery from depression, exercise is useful in getting them all the way there,'" he said.
Related Links:
- Exercise a strong weapon in fight against depression," Jeannine Stein, Chicago Tribune, September 13, 2009.
Posted by admin at 04:36 PM
Judge rules New York discriminated against thousands of mentally ill people in adult homes.
The New York Times (9/9, A24, Barron) reports, "New York State discriminated against thousands of mentally ill people in New York City by leaving them in privately run adult homes, which effectively replaced state-run psychiatric hospitals...but turned out to be little more than institutions themselves, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday."
In doing so, the state violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, the judge said. The state housed "more than 4,300 mentally ill people in New York City in more than two dozen adult homes" that offered patients "little hope of mingling with anyone in the wider community." But, the judge "stopped short" of telling "state officials they could no longer steer mentally ill people into adult homes."
The judge noted that "thousands of people who, with assistance, could be leading productive lives have instead been kept in adult homes," the New York Times (9/9, A24, Dwyer) notes in a separate article. The case, "brought by a nonprofit organization, Disability Advocates," stemmed from efforts by the state to reform the adult home system by moving "6,000 of the 12,000 individuals with mental illness living in adult homes...to more integrated settings." The judge noted that "over the years, the steam went out of the reform efforts," and "by 2008...the state 'facilitated' the placement of more people in adult homes."
The judge ruled that "Disability Advocates had proven...that virtually all its constituents were qualified to live in 'supported housing,' including apartments scattered throughout the community while receiving needed services," the AP (9/9, Esch) reports. According to witnesses during the trial, "the large homes were in some respects more restrictive than the mental institutions they replaced."
New York's Newsday (9/8, Riley) reported that "the state argued that more independent housing settings were not appropriate for many patients, and that paying for smaller settings and support services would be far more costly." But, the court "rejected those claims, finding that many patients would thrive on their own and that the cost to New York State would be similar." The state was "ordered...to present a remedial plan by Oct. 23," the Elmira Star-Gazette (9/8, Matthews) noted.
Related Links:
- State Discriminated Against Mentally Ill, Judge Rules
," James Barron, New York Times, September 8, 2009.
- A Cycle of Promises Not Kept," Jim Dwyer, New York Times, September 8, 2009.
- Federal judge: NY violated rights of mentally ill ," Mary Esch, Valley Morning Star, September 8, 2009.
- Ruling could alter mental health care in state," John Riley, New York Newsday, September 8, 2009.
Posted by admin at 03:54 PM
September 01, 2009
Love From Depression Campaign Begins
Check out our campaign to help college students struggling with depression and anxiety: LOVE FROM DEPRESSION!
See all our promo spots together in one video here:
-- or visit our YouTube page to watch them individually. Want more information? Go directly to LoveFromDepression.com and read more about dealing with depression and anxiety in college life.
Also, visit us at Facebook!
Posted by admin at 09:29 PM