Healio (11/19, Rhoades) reports “internet use could help improve mental health and well-being in adults aged 50 years or older, study results” suggest. The data “showed that internet usage ‘could be an effective strategy to improve overall mental health in middle-aged and older populations,’ but policymakers ‘need to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for older people with different sociodemographic characteristics,health behaviors, physical health and genetic risk,’ the researchers concluded.” The findings were publishedin Nature Human Behaviour.

Related Links:

— “Internet use may improve mental health in middle-aged, older adults,” Gina Brockenbrough, MA, Healio, November 19, 2024

The Hill (11/19, Timotija ) reports, “Awareness of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline is growing since the number was updated, but it is still low, according to a new survey.” The Annenberg Public Policy Center/SSRS poll “found that only 15 percent of survey respondents named the correct number for the hotline, officially named the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as of September this year.” That number rose “by 4 percent since August 2023, when just 11 percent of surveytakers shared the accurate numbers.” In January of last year, “just 8 percent knew the correct digits, according to the survey’s analysis.”

Related Links:

— “Public awareness of 988 national suicide prevention hotline low, but growing: Poll,” Filip Timotija, The Hill, November 19, 2024

HealthDay (11/18, Thompson ) reports “a new survey shows that many parents struggle to manage their kids’ anger, and some even suspect they’re not providing a good example themselves.” About “seven in 10 parents think they sometimes don’t handle anger well and their kids may model that behavior, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.” The poll found that “one in seven parents think their kids get angrier than peers the same age, and four in 10 say their child has experienced negative consequences when angry.”

Related Links:

— “Poll Finds Many Parents Struggling to Manage Kids’ Anger,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, November 18, 2024

HealthDay (11/18, Mundell ) reports, “A dose of green may be just what school kids with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues need, new research shows.” Researchers “found that a school program that let 10- to 12-year-olds spend a little time each week in nature paid dividends in improving kids’ mental well-being.” One investigator said, “Nature-based programs may offer targeted benefits for children with higher levels of mental health vulnerabilities and potentially act as an equalizer of mental health among school-age children.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “When Schools Give Kids Time in Nature, Anxiety and Behavior Issues Ease,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, November 18, 2024

Neurology Advisor (11/18, Khaja) reports, “In older adults who survived stroke, incident stroke is associated with acute and accelerated long-term cognitive decline, according to study findings.” The researchers said, “Targeting modifiable vascular risk factors at an early stage may reduce the risk of stroke but also subsequent risk of stroke-related cognitive decline and cognitive impairment.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Cognitive Decline After Stroke Is Prevalent Among Older Stroke Survivors,” Hibah Khaja, PharmD, Neurology Advisor, November 18, 2024

Cushing’s Disease News (11/15, Wexler ) reported, “People with Cushing’s disease frequently experience cognitive and psychiatric complications, often persisting after surgery to remove the disease-driving tumor, a review study” found. This “could be because high cortisol levels during active phases of Cushing’s disease can cause physical changes in brain structure that persist after cortisol levels are back under control following surgery, the researchers said.” The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology.

Related Links:

— “Brain structure changes may explain Cushing’s cognitive issues,” Marisa Wexler, MS, , November 15, 2024

Psychiatric News (11/15) reported, “Alcohol consumption among adults increased during the early part of the COVID pandemic, and this increase was sustained two years later, according to an analysis.” Investigators came to this conclusion after examining “data from the 2018, 2020, and 2022 editions of the nationally representative National Health Interview Survey…which included responses on drinking behaviors from 24,965 adults 18 or over in 2018, 30,829 in 2020, and 26,806 in 2022.” The findings were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Pandemic-Fueled Rise in Drinking Persisted Into 2022,” Psychiatric News, November 15, 2024

USA Today (11/14, Brook , Mayes-Osterman ) reports, “The Army saw fewer suicides in recent months, a change in a trend that has long plagued the military.” A report that was “released by the Pentagon Thursday showed suicides rose throughout the military last year, before they began decreasing this year in the Army, which is the military’s largest branch.” The Army reported “the most suicides last year at 279, an increase of 25 from the prior year.” Meanwhile, “the Marine Corps recorded 71 suicides, the Navy recorded 78, the Air Force recorded 93, and the Space Force recorded two suicides.” Military officials “say numbers improved in 2024 because of an emphasis on safe storage of guns and drugs, and a renewed effort to limit stress in soldiers’ lives.”

Related Links:

— “Military suicides still on the rise, but Army gets good news after recent surge,” Tom Vanden Brook and Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, November 14, 2024

The Washington Post (11/14, Kim ) reports “a meta-analysis, using longitudinal data from over 600,000 people, has found that loneliness increases the risk for dementia because of any cause, including Alzheimer’s disease.” The research also found “that loneliness is associated with cognitive impairment, an early stage of cognitive decline that may precede the onset of dementia.” The findings were published in Nature Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (11/13, Rhoades) reports “exercise interventions reduced the risk for postpartum depression and the severity of depression and anxiety in women who recently gave birth, results from a review and meta-analysis” showed. Researchers found that “certain thresholds of exercise over the first 3 months of postpartum may need to be met to ultimately achieve the benefits.” The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Exercise may reduce the risk for major postpartum depression,” Andrew Rhoades, Healio, November 13, 2024