Healio (1/16, Laday) reports, “Frequent mental distress is commonly reported among adults with arthritis across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with the highest prevalence reported in the Appalachian region and southern states,” investigators concluded after evaluating data “provided by 147,288 respondents.” The findings were published online Jan. 3 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Mental distress highly prevalent among adults with arthritis in Appalachia, southern US, “Jason Laday, Healio, January 16, 2020

Healio (1/15, Gramigna) reports, “College students’ alcohol use behaviors may be closely related to their perceptions of the alcohol-related behaviors and attitudes of other students within their close-knit peer group,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from a sample of 1,054 college students (61% female) across 35 intact same-sex club sport teams.” The study revealed that “perceptions of peers being more approving of drinking prospectively predicted greater alcohol use frequency at later timepoints, which is indicative or conformity processes.” The findings were published online Jan. 13 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “College students’ peer groups significantly influence alcohol use, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 15, 2020

MD Magazine (1/15, Rosenfeld) reports, “More openness from physicians about overcoming mental health issues could increase the likelihood that medical students will access care if they need it,” researchers concluded after surveying “second-year medical students and” conducting “a physician panel and small-group discussion to learn the benefit of exposure to physicians with self-disclosed histories of having overcome mental illness.” The 43-student study revealed that “91% of students agreed knowing veteran physicians who struggled with mental health issues, got treatment, and were doing well could make them more likely to seek care if they ever needed it.” The findings were published online Jan. 8 in the Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Openness Improves Med Students’ Attitudes, “Samara Rosenfeld, MD Magazine, January 15, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (1/15, Abbott, Subscription Publication) reports a Medscape survey indicates almost half of physicians age 40 to 54, members of Generation X, reported burnout, as did nearly 40 percent of Millennials and Boomers. About half of the 15,000 respondents reported willingness to trade salary for improved work-life balance.

Related Links:

— “Physician Burnout Is Widespread, Especially Among Those in Midcareer, “Brianna Abbott, The Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2020

Medscape (1/15, Brauser, Subscription Publication) reports that even though “diet can influence mental health and cognitive function, evidence of benefit for many specific diets is actually quite weak,” investigators concluded “in the ‘most up-to-date overview of the new field of nutritional psychiatry.’” The overview “found strong evidence that following a ketogenic diet of high fat and low carbohydrates may reduce seizures in children with epilepsy” and “also confirmed that the Mediterranean diet guards against depression and anxiety.” Additionally, the review revealed “a strong link between vitamin B12 deficiency and an increased risk of fatigue, depression, and memory problems,” but found only “inconclusive” evidence “of any efficacy of vitamin D supplements or any nutrient in mitigating symptoms of autism or” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The findings were published in the December issue of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

Related Links:

— “Diet and Mental Health: The Evidence to Date, “Deborah Brauser, Medscape, January 15, 2020