CNN (9/19, Wilson) reports that currently, about 35 million individuals worldwide have dementia, but by “2050, that number is expected to more than triple,” with most in need of “constant care,” which can “can impact their loved ones in unmeasurable ways,” according to a new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International.

The AP (9/20, Neergaard) reports that “cognitive impairment is the strongest predictor of who will move into a care facility within the next two years…the report found.” The report points out that the needs of patients with dementia differ from the needs of other individuals with chronic ailments, and it “said families need early education about what services are available to help before they’re in a crisis.” Reuters (9/20) reports that the group calls for an increase in funding for research on dementia.

Related Links:

— “Overwhelming burden, cost of Alzheimer’s to triple, report says, “Jacque Wilson, CNN, September 19, 2013.

The AP (9/24, Ritter) reports that research suggests that daytime naps may help preschool-age children learn. The study included “40 children, ages 3 to 5.”

The US News & World Report (9/24, Bidwell) reports that researchers “studied the effects of daytime naps on” the “children by measuring their performance on a simple memory game.” Participants, “in the morning…played a visual-spatial game in which they must try to remember the locations of different images and were then either kept awake during their regular naptime or encouraged to sleep.”

The ABC News (9/24, Quinsey) “Medical Unit” blog reports that the researchers found that “memory performance was better for children who took a midday nap than those who did not, even when tested 24 hours later.”

On its website, CBS News (9/24, Castillo) reports that the investigators “also asked 14 additional children to come to a sleep lab and had them undergo a polysomnography, or a sleep study.” The investigators “linked the nap-induced memory boosts with an increase in the amount of sleep spindles seen on the tests.” The article points out that “sleep spindles are bursts of activity that occur when the brain keeps new information it learns.”

Related Links:

— “Midday naps help preschoolers learn, study says, “Malcolm Ritter, Associated Press, September 24, 2013.

USA Today (9/22, Painter) reported, “Anti-psychotic medications should not be the first treatments doctors or patients think of when dealing with dementia in an elderly person, behavior problems in a child or insomnia in an adult, a leading group of psychiatrists says in a new statement.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (9/21, Zeltner) reported that on Sept. 20, the American Psychiatric Association released a “list of five common uses of” antipsychotic medications “that are potentially unnecessary and could cause harm.”

Medscape (9/21, Cassels) reported that the new “list is part of an initiative from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation called Choosing Wisely, which has brought together leading specialty societies to develop 30 new evidence-based lists of tests and procedures that may be overused in their specific field.” APA president Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, stated, “The recommendations from APA released today provide valuable information to help patients and physicians start important conversations about treatment options and make informed choices about their healthcare.”

Related Links:

— “Doctors: Anti-psychotic meds overused for dementia, kids, “Kim Painter, USA Today, September 23, 2013.

Medwire (9/19, Piper) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, “researchers have identified clinical and psychologic characteristics that could help predict the risk for suicide in patients with bipolar disorder [BD].” The study of 3,083 patients with BD revealed that “a positive history of suicide attempt was the strongest predictor of a future suicidal event, increasing the risk 2.6-fold.” In addition, “having a score above 36 on the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire and spending a high percentage of days depressed in the preceding year…increased the risk for future suicide events 1.96-fold and 1.01-fold, respectively.”

Related Links:

— “Bipolar suicide characteristics found, “Lucy Piper, Medwire News, September 19, 2013.

The New York Times (9/18, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports on $45 million in Federal grants “to test an Alzheimer’s drug on healthy people at greatest risk for the most common form of the disease,” in addition to a number of prevention studies granted funding. National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis S. Collins said, “The worst thing we could do would be to just hunker down and hold off tackling very important problems. … Obviously, this is high-risk research, but goodness, the stakes are so high that we felt we had to go forward even in the face of the most difficult budget environment that anyone can remember in the N.I.H.” According to Laurie Ryan, program director for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials at the NIH’s National Institute on Aging, the plan is to approach Alzheimer’s using similar strategies used to treat chronic diseases; by looking “at people at risk, just like we do with people who have” chronic disease, researchers can see if early intervention can prevent or delay Alzheimer’s.

Related Links:

— “Test of Alzheimer’s Drug Gets Large Federal Grant, “Pam Belluck, The New York Times, September 18, 2013.

HealthDay (9/18, Preidt) reports that, according to the results of a report released Tuesday by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the “street drugs called ‘bath salts’ were linked to nearly 23,000 emergency department visits in the United States in 2011.” SAMHSA chief medical officer Elinore McCance-Katz, MD, stated in a news release, “Bath salts drugs can cause heart problems, high blood pressure, seizures, addiction, suicidal thoughts, psychosis and, in some cases, death,” particularly in combination with the “use of other drugs.”

Related Links:

— “‘Bath Salts’ Drugs Led to 23,000 ER Visits in One Year: U.S. Report, “Robert Preidt, , September 17, 2013.

Medscape (9/18, Brooks) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in the American Journal of Public Health, “social isolation is a risk factor for premature death that rivals more traditional mortality risk factors of smoking and” hypertension. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after analyzing “data on 16,849 adults participating in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and the National Death Index,” then using “the Social Network Index (SNI) to measure social isolation.”

In a piece mentioning that alleged Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis was reporting auditory hallucinations, NBC News (9/18, Aleccia) reports on its website that “such hallucinations are the hallmark of psychiatric disorders; about 75 percent of those diagnosed with schizophrenia experience voices.” However, “many people with no disorder also report hearing voices – and they’re often neutral, even innocuous, said” Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, president of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Lieberman also went on to say that as further details come out about Alexis, “he was concerned that the shooting renews worries for people with mental illness and once again raises questions about how society treats disorders.”

Related Links:

— “Not a diagnosis: Voices in head more common than thought, “JoNel Aleccia, NBC News, September 17, 2013.

AFP (9/18) reports that research published in the BMJ suggests that the 2008 financial crisis led to an increase in suicides among men. Investigators looked at suicide data from 54 countries prior to and after the 2008 crisis. The researchers found that “among European men, there was an 11.7 percent rise in suicides” among those aged 15 to 24. The data indicated that “in the Americas, the biggest increase was among men aged 45-64, which saw a” 5.2 percent increase.

BBC News (9/18) reports that while it’s “possible other factors may” have led to the increase, “mental health charities say their own experience would back up the researchers’ theory.”

Related Links:

— “Male suicides rose after 2008 financial crash: study,AFP, September 18, 2013.

HealthDay (9/14, Preidt) reported that research published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology suggests that “teens who text about bad behaviors such as drug use or fighting are more likely to actually engage in those behaviors.” Researchers examined the text messages of more than 170 ninth-graders. Their behaviors were rated by their teachers, parents, and fellow students. The investigators “found a strong link between antisocial text messages and higher ratings of antisocial and aggressive behavior at the end of the school year.”

Related Links:

— “Teens’ Antisocial Texts May Foretell Bad Behavior, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 13, 2013.