Publications on Mental Health Topics

A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly, by Paula Span, New York Times, Mar 16 2018.

“For years, geriatricians and researchers have sounded the alarm about the use of benzodiazepines among older adults. Often called “benzos,” the problem drugs include Valium (diazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Xanax (alprazolam) and Ativan (lorazepam). The cautions have had scant effect: Use of the drugs has risen among older people, even though they are particularly vulnerable to the drugs’ ill effects...Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tell the story: In 1999, it tallied just 63 benzodiazepine-related deaths among those aged 65 and older. Almost 29 percent also involved an opioid. By 2015, benzo deaths in that age group had jumped to 431, with more than two-thirds involving an opioid.  ”

ADHD Meds May Improve Mood in Healthy Humans, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Mar 15 2018.

“New research finds that when healthy people take attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, the medication stimulates the release of a chemical in the brain associated with positive emotion. ADHD medications cause a surge in the neurotransmitter glutamate in key parts of the brain. Subsequently, this increase is associated with changes in positive emotion. ”

Sexual orientation top risk for suicidal thoughts in college freshmen, by Cheryl Platzman Weinstock, Reuters, Mar 15 2018.

“ Nearly one third of first-year college students have thought about suicide, according to a study across eight countries, and non-heterosexual identity or feelings were the biggest risks for this kind of thinking or behavior. Having a religion other than Christianity, being female, having unmarried parents or at least one deceased parent and being age 20 or older were also important risk factors, though being a sexual minority also carried the highest risk of transitioning from suicidal thoughts to plans to attempts, the researchers found. ”

Men and Women With Depression Show Opposite Molecular Changes, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Mar 14 2018.

“New research finds that men and women with major depressive disorder (MDD) have opposite changes in the expression of the same genes. If true, the discovery suggests that men and women may need different types of treatment for depression...The findings, published in Biological Psychiatry, indicate distinct pathology for men and women. This important paper highlights the divergent molecular mechanisms contributing to depression in men and women. It challenges the assumption that a similar diagnosis across people has the same biology,' said John Krystal, M.D., editor of Biological Psychiatry. ”

Is sex addiction real? Depends on whom you ask, by Ian Kerner, CNN, Mar 13 2018.

“From Anthony Weiner to Tiger Woods, there's no shortage of so-called sex addicts these days. But is sex addiction a real condition? Getting to the bottom of this question is the source of much controversy among therapists. On one end of the spectrum are sex therapists (myself included), who tend to doubt that sex can be addictive and view the label as potentially shaming. On the other end are sex addiction therapists who believe that for a small group of people, sex and the behaviors surrounding it can be as destructive and addictive as any drug. ”

Severe Shortage Of Psychiatrists Exacerbated By Lack Of Federal Funding, by Samantha Raphelson, NPR, Mar 9 2018.

“A growing shortage of psychiatrists across the U.S. is making it harder for people who struggle with mental illness to get the care they need — and the lack of federal funding for mental health services may be to blame...Since 2000, Kirch says medical schools have worked to expand psychiatry departments, increasing the number of spots by 30 percent. But the federal government, which funds medical residency programs, put a cap on them under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997...'The pool of psychiatrists working with public sector and insured populations declined by 10 percent from 2003-2013," notes a 2017 report by the National Council Medical Director Institute, an organization of mental health and drug addiction providers. "Aging of the current workforce, low rates of reimbursement, burnout, burdensome documentation requirements and restrictive regulations around sharing clinical information necessary to coordinate care are some of the reasons for the shrinkage.'  ”

Jump In Overdoses Shows Opioid Epidemic Has Worsened, by Rob Stein, NPR, Mar 6 2018.

“There's more bad news about the nation's devastating opioid epidemic. In just one year, overdoses from opioids jumped by about 30 percent, according to the a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall increase in opioid overdoses seen in hospital emergency rooms between the third quarter of 2016 and 2017 occurred across the nation. Some parts of the country experienced far greater increases than others while a few reported declines, the analysis shows...'We saw, sadly, that in every region, in every age group of adults, in both men and women, overdoses from opioids are increasing,' Schuchat says. The latest data could underestimate the overdoses, since many people who overdose never end up in the emergency room. 'It might be even worse,' Schuchat says. ”

Opioids no better than NSAIDs for chronic back or arthritis pain, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Mar 6 2018.

“Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are better than opioids at easing the intensity of chronic pain in the back, knees or hips, a U.S. experiment suggests. And opioids are no better than these other drugs at reducing how much pain interferes with daily activities like walking, working, sleeping or enjoying life, researchers report in JAMA, online March 6...'We already knew opioids were more dangerous than other treatment options, because they put people at risk for accidental death and addiction,' said lead study author Dr. Erin Krebs of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and the University of Minnesota. 'This study shows that extra risk doesn’t come with any extra benefit,' Krebs said by email. ”

Early Psychosis Interventions May Reduce Patient Mortality, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Mar 4 2018.

“Special interventions designed for people in early psychosis can significantly reduce patient mortality, according to a new Canadian study by researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute, Western University and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)...'Evidence shows that early treatment of psychosis, from the first symptoms or episode, is very important in improving long-term outcomes.' ”

Study of Bipolar Disorder Drugs Finds Lithium is Still Gold Standard, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Mar 1 2018.

“A new Swedish study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that lithium remains the gold standard for helping individuals with bipolar disorder avoid hospitalization. Investigators discovered that for an average follow-up time of more than seven years, lithium treatment was associated with the lowest risk of rehospitalization in mental or physical disease. The medication achieved a risk reduction of about 30 percent compared with no treatment at all. Long-acting injections of antipsychotic drugs were also effective. ”

Aerobic exercise slows cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, by Mary Gillis, Reuters, Feb 27 2018.

“Cardiovascular exercise training may help slow the decline in brain function seen in Alzheimer’s patients, a new review of past research suggests...Aerobic exercises include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and other activities that boost the heart rate and strengthen the heart and lungs...Results indicated that exercise - specifically, cardiovascular exercise - had a strong favorable impact, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 'We found a statistically significant increase in cognitive function that favored the groups receiving the exercise interventions compared to the non-exercise control groups,' lead study author Gregory Panza, from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, told Reuters Health by email...This study is the first to suggest that aerobic exercise may be more effective than other types of exercise when the goal is to preserve the cognitive health of older adults at risk of or with Alzheimer’s disease, Panza said. ”

The Struggles of Women Who Mask Their Autism, by Francine Russo, The Atlantic, Feb 24 2018.

“Over the past few years, scientists have discovered that, like Jennifer, many women on the spectrum “camouflage” the signs of their autism. This masking may explain at least in part why three to four times as many boys as girls are diagnosed with the condition. It might also account for why girls diagnosed young tend to show severe traits, and highly intelligent girls are often diagnosed late...'Camouflaging is often about a desperate and sometimes subconscious survival battle,' says Kajsa Igelström, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Linköping University in Sweden. 'And this is an important point, I think—that camouflaging often develops as a natural adaptation strategy to navigate reality,' she says. 'For many women, it’s not until they get properly diagnosed, recognized, and accepted that they can fully map out who they are.' ”

Study seeks to end antidepressant debate: the drugs do work, by Kate Kelland, Reuters, Feb 21 2018.

“A vast research study that sought to settle a long-standing debate about whether or not anti-depressant drugs really work has found they are indeed effective in relieving acute depression in adults. The international study - a meta-analysis pooling results of 522 trials covering 21 commonly-used antidepressants and almost 120,000 patients - uncovered a range of outcomes, with some drugs proving more effective than others and some having fewer side effects. But all 21 drugs - including both off-patent generic and newer, patented drugs - were more effective than placebos, or dummy pills, the results showed. ”

New acne diagnoses linked to increased depression risk, by Shereen Lehman, Reuters, Feb 19 2018.

“In the first year after being told by a doctor that they have acne, patients’ risk for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder spikes by more than 60 percent compared to the general population, a new study shows...'We found that acne increased the risk of developing clinical depression by 63 percent in the first year following an acne diagnosis and that this risk remained elevated for five years after the initial acne diagnosis,' Vallerand said.   ”

Self-inflicted injuries surge among tween and early teen girls, by Susan Scutti, CNN, Feb 13 2018.

“Emergency room visits for non-fatal, self-inflicted injuries surged in recent years among US girls and young women, especially those between the ages of 10 and 14, according to a new study. However, rates of self-harm among boys and young men between the ages of 10 and 24 remained stable throughout the years 2001 through 2015, the researchers said. 'Suicide is preventable,' said Melissa C. Mercado, lead author of the study published Tuesday in JAMA and a behavioral scientist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'These findings underscore the need for the implementation of evidence-based, comprehensive suicide- and self-harm-prevention strategies.' ”