Publications on Mental Health Topics

PTSD Symptoms Improve Most When Patient Chooses Treatment, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Oct 21 2018.

“Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who receive their preferred form of treatment — whether drugs or therapy — are more likely to improve compared to those who are randomly prescribed the non-preferred treatment...The findings show that both medication — in this case, sertraline (brand name Zoloft) — and a specific form of therapy known as prolonged exposure were each effective in reducing PTSD symptoms during the course of treatment, with improvements maintained at least two years later. But patients who received their choice of treatment were more likely to stick to their treatment program, showed greater reduction in symptoms, and even lost their PTSD diagnosis over time. ”

Restless legs syndrome linked with risk for suicidal thoughts, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Oct 16 2018.

“People with restless legs syndrome may be more likely to think about suicide or to actually make plans to take their own lives, compared to people without the troublesome condition, a new study suggests. Typically, people with restless legs syndrome say that when they’re lying down, 'they have a creepy-crawly feeling in their legs plus an irresistible urge to move,' explained study coauthor Dr. Brian Koo, an associate professor of neurology at the Yale Medical School. 'That urge to move prevents them from staying in bed...'It’s entirely possible that the poor sleep is leading to depression and suicidality... ”

Omega-3 Supplements May Ease Anxiety, by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, Oct 11 2018.

“Omega-3 supplements may help reduce anxiety symptoms, a review of studies has concluded. The analysis, in JAMA Network Open, concluded that people with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders who took large doses of the supplement — up to 2,000 milligrams a day — benefited most...omega-3 is not a first-line treatment for anxiety, or a substitute for other evidence-based therapies. 'But for patients who are not responsive to psychotherapies, omega-3 might be a promising alternative.' ”

LGBT youth at higher risk for suicide attempts, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Oct 8 2018.

“LGBT adolescents are more likely than other kids their age to try to kill themselves, a new analysis confirms. Data pooled from 35 earlier studies show that sexual minority youth were more than three times as likely to attempt suicide as heterosexual peers, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics. Transsexual youth were at highest risk, nearly six times as likely to attempt suicide as heterosexual peers, researchers reported. ”

Teen Cannabis Use Linked to Impaired Cognitive Development, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Oct 7 2018.

“A new study shows that the lasting effects of adolescent cannabis use can be observed on important cognitive functions and appear to be more pronounced than those observed for alcohol...'While many studies have reported group differences in cognitive performance between young users and non-users, what had yet to be established was the causal and lasting effects of teen substance use on cognitive development,' said Jean-François G. Morin, co-author and a Ph.D. student at the Université de Montréal. ”

Study: Lingering illnesses can trouble women for years after assault, workplace harassment, by Laura Geggel, Washington Post, Oct 6 2018.

“Women can experience lingering health problems years after workplace sexual harassment or sexual assault, a new study finds. These health problems can include high blood pressure, poor-quality sleep, anxiety and symptoms of depression, the researchers found after doing medical exams of about 300 women. 'There is a clear correlation between the experience of sexual harassment or sexual assault for a woman and adverse effects on her life, be they physical or mental health consequences,' said Maureen Sayres Van Niel, a women’s psychiatrist practicing in Cambridge, Mass., and president of the American Psychiatric Association Women’s Caucus. She was not involved with the study. ”

Teens are smoking, vaping and eating cannabis, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Oct 3 2018.

“Adolescents who try marijuana are not just smoking it. Many are also vaping or eating cannabis, a U.S. study suggests. Almost one in three teens have smoked cannabis at least once, the survey of 3,177 Los Angeles high school students found. More than one in five adolescents have consumed edible cannabis, and more than one in 10 have vaped it. In the study of 10th-graders, two-thirds of teen cannabis users had tried at least two forms of the drug, and about 8 percent had tried all three methods of consuming cannabis. 'This raises the question whether teens who have traditionally been at lower risk for use of cannabis and other drugs in traditional smoked forms may be drawn into cannabis in alternative forms that may lack some of the deterrents . . . like the smell, taste, and harshness of inhaling cannabis smoke and difficulty concealing use of smoked cannabis to authority figures,' said senior study author Adam Leventhal, director of the University of Southern California’s Health, Emotion, and Addiction Laboratory in Los Angeles. ”

Absence of Daylight Linked to Postnatal Depression, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Sep 29 2018.

“New research suggests women in late pregnancy during darker months of the year may have a greater risk of developing postpartum depression once their babies are born. The analysis suggested that the number of daylight hours a woman was exposed to during her final month of pregnancy and just after birth had a major influence on the likelihood that she developed depressive symptoms. Investigators discovered the lowest risk for depression (26 per cent) occurred among women whose final trimester coincided with seasons with longer daylight hours. ”

Breastfeeding might benefit babies by reducing stress, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Sep 26 2018.

“Mothers have long been told that “breast is best” when it comes to feeding newborn babies, but a small experiment suggests at least some of the benefits may have nothing to do with the milk itself...While the current study in humans is small, and doesn’t span multiple generations, the results do suggest that nurturing behavior by human mothers can make their babies less reactive to stress...Bonding during breastfeeding may be a different experience than the nurturing babies get from bottle feedings, Wright said. It’s possible that the increased maternal bonding that occurs with breastfeeding may alter babies’ stress response and make infants more resilient when they have stressful experiences, Wright added. ”

Video-conferencing brings therapists to patients with anxiety, by Cheryl Platzman Weinstock, Reuters, Sep 25 2018.

“Talk therapy for anxiety disorders can be effective even when done via video-conference, a new study confirms. This finding could be especially helpful for patients in underserved and rural areas, researchers write in Family Practice...Fourteen of the studies reported statistically significant improvements in anxiety and 11 reported clinically significant improvements, meaning the improvements made a difference in patients’ daily lives. Four of the six gold-standard trials found statistically significant improvements with video therapy, and five of the six found clinically significant improvements. ”

Brain Region Involved with Stress Bigger in Those Depressed or Bipolar, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Sep 23 2018.

“A new study reveals that in people who are depressed or have bipolar disorder, the left hypothalamus was on average 5 percent larger than that of their healthy counterparts...The scientists also found that more severe the depression, the larger the hypothalamus was. Medication did not have any effect on the size of the hypothalamus, they added...For the study, the researchers used a high-resolution 7-Tesla MRI scanner on the study participants. The severity of disorders was measured using standardized questionnaires and interviews, according to the researchers. ”

How to Help Teenagers Embrace Stress, by Lisa Damour, New York Times, Sep 19 2018.

“Now that the school year is in full swing, many young people are feeling the weight of academic demands. But how much strain students experience may depend less on their workloads and more on how they think about the very nature of stress. Stress doesn’t deserve its bad rap. Psychologists agree that while chronic or traumatic stress can be toxic, garden-variety stress — such as the kind that comes with taking a big test — is typically a normal and healthy part of life...According to Jeremy P. Jamieson, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Rochester who studies how stress impacts emotions and performance, 'Avoiding stress doesn’t work and is often not possible. To achieve and grow, we have to get outside our comfort zones and approach challenges.' ”

Childhood Trauma And Its Lifelong Health Effects More Prevalent Among Minorities, by Tara Haelle, NPR, Sep 17 2018.

“When researchers first discovered a link in the late 1990s between childhood adversity and chronic health problems later in life, the real revelation was how common those experiences were across all socioeconomic groups...People with low-income and educational attainment, people of color and people who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual had significantly higher chance of having experienced adversity in childhood. The study finds three out of five adults across the U.S. had at least one adverse experience in their childhood, such as divorce, a parent's death, physical or emotional abuse, or a family member's incarceration or substance abuse problem. A quarter of adults have at least three such experiences in childhood, which – according to other research — increases their risk for most common chronic diseases, from heart disease and cancer to depression and substance abuse...Those identifying as black or Latino and those with less than a high school education or an annual income below $15,000 were more likely to have more ACEs. But a relatively new finding was that multiracial and gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals carried the greatest burden. ”

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Youth at Increased Risk of Using Multiple Substances, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Sep 16 2018.

“Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are at increased risk of using substances such as alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana, according to a new study. The study from researchers at Oregon State University also found that these teens are at a higher risk of using more than one substance, known as polysubstance use...Among youth, alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine are the three most commonly used drugs. That is a concern because kids who use those substances are at risk of negative health and social outcomes, including addiction and poor cognitive, social and academic function, the researcher noted. ”

Survey: 1 in 5 College Students Stressed, Considers Suicide, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Sep 11 2018.

“A new survey reveals that while college years may be a time of excitement and optimism they are also often stressful. And, the stress is accompanied by increased mental health diagnoses and the risk of suicide or suicidal thoughts. Brigham and Women’s hospital investigators queried more than 67,000 college students from across more than 100 institutions and found that while racial/ethnic, sexual or gender minorities are especially vulnerable, high rates for stress events, mental health diagnoses and the risk of suicide were reported among all students surveyed. ”