HealthDay (11/19, Thompson) reports a review published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy found that one in four “US service members and veterans who start psychotherapy for PTSD quit before they finish treatment.” The review also found that “trauma-focused approaches like exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy tended to have higher dropout rates than approaches focusing on mindfulness, meditation and stress reduction.”

Related Links:

— “Some PTSD Therapy Approaches Prompt More Veterans To Flee Treatment,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, November 19, 2025

The American Journal of Managed Care (11/19, Steinzor) reports, “A new meta-analysis of 79 randomized trials reveals that while most users activate” mental health apps for depression and anxiety, “sustaining meaningful engagement remains challenging.” The analysis, published in JAMA Psychiatry, “identifies strategies – including reminders and human support – that can reduce dropout and improve adherence, providing evidence-based guidance for designing more effective digital mental health interventions.”

Related Links:

— “Addressing Uptake, Adherence, and Attrition in Mental Health Apps,”Pearl Steinzor, The American Journal of Managed Care , November 19, 2025

Neurology Advisor (11/18, Saha) reports a study found that “individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD) who also have depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience symptom onset several years earlier than those without psychiatric comorbidities.” Researchers observed that among study participants diagnosed with probable AD, “43.3% of patients had a history of depression, 32.3% had anxiety, and 1.0% had PTSD. Patients with these conditions experienced AD onset 2.2 years earlier (depression), 3.0 years earlier (anxiety), and 6.8 years earlier (PTSD) than those without them. A clear dose-response relationship was observed, in which having 1 psychiatric condition reduced the age at onset by 1.5 years, 2 conditions by 3.3 years, and 3 or more by 7.7 years.” A second cohort of participants from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) “reinforced these results. Participants with depression or anxiety developed AD 2.1 years earlier than those without either condition.” The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric Comorbidities Associated With Earlier Onset of Alzheimer Disease,”Rajan Saha, Neurology Advisor , November 18, 2025

Psychiatric News (11/18) reports, “Mood-stabilizing medications vary in their dermatologic side effects, but severe dermatologic adverse events are rare,” according to findings from a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Researchers found that “the most common dermatologic adverse event was rash, reported in 9.2% of patients who took lamotrigine, 6% who took carbamazepine, 2.9% who took valproate, and 1.3% who took lithium.”

Related Links:

— “Mood Stabilizers Vary in Skin Side Effects, but Severe Events Are Rare, Psychiatric News, November 18, 2025

The American Journal of Managed Care (11/17, Bonavitacola) reports a study found that “Medicaid covers half of all children’s hospital visits, reiterating the need for children to be covered for health care costs.” The study “used the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) for all discharges of children younger than 21 years that occurred between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022.” Researchers observed that “a total of 48.3% of all pediatric charges were paid for by Medicaid in 2022, which broke down into 54.9% of all nonnewborn discharges and 44.2% of all newborn discharges. Non-Hispanic White patients were the most frequent users of Medicaid (32.6%), followed by Hispanic (28.6%) and non-Hispanic Black (20.7%) patients.” They noted that “total charges for Medicaid discharges were $119.5 billion, which made up 51.1% of all charges for U.S. pediatric hospitalizations in 2022.” The study was discussed in a JAMA Pediatrics research letter.

Related Links:

— “Medicaid Pays for Half of All Pediatric Hospitalizations,”Julia Bonavitacola, The American Journal of Managed Care, November 17, 2025

Healio (11/17, Feliciano) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of 31 studies found that “among adolescents, exposure to digital alcohol marketing correlated with increased odds of recent alcohol use, binge drinking and susceptibility to drink.” Researchers observed that “compared with those not exposed, the young adults and adolescents who encountered alcohol marketing had greater odds of reporting alcohol use within the last 30 days, binge drinking and susceptibility to drink among never users.” The review was published in The Lancet Public Health.

Related Links:

— “Binge drinking rates higher in adolescents exposed to alcohol marketing,”Octavia Feliciano, Healio , November 17, 2025

HealthDay (11/17, Thompson) reports a study found that the diabetes drug metformin “can help manage weight gain among children prescribed medications to treat bipolar disorder.” For the study, “researchers recruited more than 1,500 8- to 19-year-olds taking second-generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder. All of the children” had overweight or obesity “at the start of the study.” According to the researchers, “data at six and 24 months showed that children taking metformin were more likely to avoid or minimize the weight gain associated with their psychiatric medications. These results dovetail with recent updates in national and international guidelines supporting the use of metformin in both children and adults taking second-generation antipsychotics, researchers noted.” The study was published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Diabetes Drug Quells Weight Loss Among Kids On Bipolar Meds,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, November 17, 2025

HealthDay (11/14, Edwards) reported a study suggests that “older adults who regularly listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who didn’t make music a part of their daily lives.” Researchers observed that of the 10,893 adults aged 70 and older, “about 7,000 said they listened to music most days, and those frequent listeners had the greatest reduction in dementia risk. The study did not specify what type of music was most beneficial.” The research team “emphasized that the study can’t prove that listening to music directly prevents dementia, but the results were strong enough to suggest a possible link.” The study was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Can Music Protect Your Brain? Study Says It Might Help Prevent Dementia,”I. Edwards, HealthDay, November 14, 2025

Psychiatric News (11/14) reported a study found that “individuals who experienced a sexual assault are at higher risk of developing functional somatic disorder (FSD) – widespread issues with fatigue, discomfort, and pain sensitivity – over the subsequent five years.” After adjusting “for variables like sex, emotional distress levels, neuroticism levels, and medical comorbidities,” researchers observed “that individuals exposed to sexual assault had a 69% increased risk of developing an FSD and a 54% increased risk of developing an [functional somatic syndrome] FSS.” In examining individual syndromes, they also “found that somatic repercussions of sexual assault are not equal – sexual assault was associated with chronic widespread pain, for example, but not irritable bowel syndrome or chronic fatigue.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

MedPage Today (11/13, George) reports a study found that “children whose dads took valproate up to 3 months before conception were more likely to have neurodevelopmental disorders.” Researchers observed that “compared with children whose fathers took lamotrigine or levetiracetam, kids with fathers exposed to valproate had a higher risk of a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis up to age 12 years.” They noted that “congenital malformation risk did not differ between exposure groups.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)