HealthDay (8/28, Mundell ) reports, “Diabetes can age the brain by up to four years, a new study based on MRI scans shows.” However, researchers also observed that “healthy lifestyle changes could help prevent that neurological aging.” The findings were published in Diabetes Care.
Related Links:
— “Diabetes Can Age Your Brain, But Lifestyle Change Can Reverse That, HealthDay, August 28, 2024
Psychiatric News (8/28) reports, “Mindfulness-based interventions at schools can help students improve their thinking, resilience, emotional regulation and awareness, and overall mental health, according to a literature review.” In order “to be included in the analysis, the intervention had to have mindfulness as its primary focus and include at least two components (for instance, a combination of breathing awareness and awareness of bodily sensations).” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services.
Related Links:
— “School-Based Mindfulness Interventions Show Positive Mental Health Benefits for Students, Psychiatric News, August 28, 2024
Modern Healthcare (8/27, McAuliff , Subscription Publication) reports, “While Congress appears stalled with its legislative proposals to streamline prior authorizations, many states have surged ahead and imposed tighter rules on health insurance companies.” A National Conference of State Legislatures database shows that “23 states enacted more than 43 bills related to prior authorization in the last few years, with 18 enacted so far in 2024 alone.”
Related Links:
— “Prior authorization targeted by more and more states,”Michael Mcauliff, Modern Healthcare, August 27, 2024
The Washington Post (8/27, Meckler , Natanson , Elwood ) reports, “Students returning to school in a growing number of states and districts are facing tight restrictions and outright bans on cellphone use as evidence mounts of the damaging impact persistent connection to the internet has on teenagers.” Of the 20 largest school districts in the US, “at least seven forbid use of cellphones during the school day or plan to do so, while at least another seven impose significant restrictions, such as barring use during class time but permitting phones during lunch or when students are between classes, according to a Washington Post review.” Pressure on school officials “has come from teachers and parents who see cellphones as a distraction, an impediment to learning and a constant toll on students’ mental health.”
Related Links:
— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)
Psychiatric News (8/26) reports, “First-line antidepressants may help lower the risk of falls and fall-related injuries in older patients with depression, according to a study.” After examining “claims data amassed from 101,953 Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older who received a diagnosis of depression in 2017 or 2018,” investigators also observed that adults “receiving psychotherapy did not demonstrate any increased or decreased risk of falls or related injuries” when compared with “adults receiving no treatment.” The findingswere published in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “First-Line Antidepressants Linked to Lower Fall Risk in Older Patients With Depression, Psychiatric News , August 26, 2024
Healio (8/26, Herpen) reports, “Individuals who engaged in some form of exercise or physical activity on a regular or semi-regular basis demonstrated better brain health compared with inactive individuals, according to research.” Specifically, investigators discovered that study participants engaging in at least 150 minutes of exercise per week “with at least 50% of total MVPA occurring within 1 to 2 days” exhibited “a lower risk for dementia, stroke, PD, depression and anxiety,” while those “who engaged in some form of regular exercise, regardless of the activity pattern, demonstrated lower risks for PD, anxiety and depression compared with those in the inactive group.” The findings were published in Nature Aging.
Related Links:
— “Any level of physical activity linked to improved brain health,”Robert Herpen, Healio, August 26, 2024
NBC News (8/25, Bendix ) reports “a recent survey suggests that” the share of US adults who don’t have close friends “has risen overall, particularly among those who did not graduate college – creating a kind of class divide in people’s level of social engagement and connection.” Investigators observed that “nearly a quarter of U.S. adults with a high school diploma or lower education level said they had no close friends,” with the number being “higher for Black adults in that group: 35%.” These findings “come amid a documented rise in social isolation nationwide,” wherein “around 30% of adults say they’ve felt lonely at least once per week over the past year, and 10% say they’re lonely every day, according to a January poll from the American Psychiatric Association.” The findings were published by the Survey Center on American Life.
Related Links:
— “A stark social divide: Adults without college degrees more likely to have no close friends, survey finds,”Aria Bendix, NBC News, August 25, 2024
Psychiatric News (8/23) reported, “More than three-quarters of Americans (84%) believe school staff play a crucial role in identifying signs of mental health problems in students, but less than half (45%) believe most school staff have been trained in identifying these concerns, according to the latest Healthy Minds Monthly Poll, commissioned by APA and fielded by Morning Consult.” Investigators also found “that Americans are widely supportive of education about mental health in school, with 89% saying that students should be educated about mental health and the same number saying that school staff should participate in mental health trainings.” APA President Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, “affirmed the importance of mental health training for school staff” in a statement, saying, “One of the best things we can do in light of the youth mental health crisis is to give children and teenagers, and the people that are around them most days, the tools to understand what to do if someone isn’t feeling right.
Related Links:
— “Majority of Americans Believe Schools Play a Vital Role in Youth Mental Health, Psychiatric News , August 23, 2024
HealthDay (8/22, Mundell ) reports, “There’s a strong association between a state’s policies and laws around the rights of transgender people and the mental health of transgender residents, a new study shows.” Investigators also discovered that Washington-based participants “who said they were aware of [the state’s] efforts to safeguard trans people’s rights had a 56% lower odds for current depression and an 89% lower odds for anxiety, compared to those who weren’t aware.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “State Laws Strongly Affect Mental Health of Trans People, Study Finds,”Ernie Mundell, HeathDay, August 22, 2024
Healio (8/21, Rhoades) reports, “Individuals with type 2 diabetes who experience trauma may be at a lower risk for microvascular complications after resolving PTSD symptoms, according to…results from a retrospective study of U.S. veterans.” Investigators also “reported an association between no longer meeting the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and lower risk for mortality,” as well as “a lower likelihood of starting insulin (HR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.88) among veterans aged 18 to 49 years.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “Resolving PTSD may lower risk for some diabetes-related complications,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades, Healio, August 21, 2024