Medscape (4/13, Davenport, Subscription Publication) reports, “The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) has released new global telemedicine guidelines” that emphasize the “need for international collaboration in psychiatry.” These guidelines, “which also address concerns over data security and device intercompatibility, were presented at the virtual European Psychiatric Association 2021 Congress.” Medscape adds that the “guidelines are available in the United States, Canada, Australia, and India, including the 2018 Best Practices in Videoconferencing-Based Telemental Health, released by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Telemedicine Association.”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/13, Gramigna) reports, “Certain cognitive deficits in childhood were distinctively linked to different psychopathological symptoms among young people,” researchers concluded in a study that sought to assess “the specificity of associations between attention, working memory and inhibition in childhood and borderline personality disorder,” and “psychosis, depression and hypomania in adolescence and young adulthood.” Investigators analyzed data from “6,333 individuals for any psychopathological measures between ages 11 and 12 years, 4,903 between ages 17 and 18 years and 2,963 between ages 22 to 23 years.” The findings of the cohort study were published online April 7 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Childhood cognitive deficits play role in later mental health problems “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 13, 2021

HealthDay (4/12, Preidt) reports, “Ovarian cancer is a tough diagnosis to cope with, and now a new study finds these patients face a much higher risk of depression and other mental” illnesses. In addition, “the emotional anguish exacted a significant toll: The researchers also found it was associated with an increased risk of death during the study period among these women.” The study is “scheduled for presentation during the AACR’s virtual annual meeting, held from April 10 to 15.”

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— “Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Can Take Big Toll on Women’s Mental Health ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 12, 2021

Healio (4/12, Gramigna) reports, “Adolescents whose mothers had anxiety or depressive symptoms were at increased risk for conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms at age 17 years,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from a birth cohort study conducted in Western Australia and” using “the DSM-oriented scales of the Child Behavior Checklist to assess participants’ conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the June issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

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— “Maternal anxiety, depression may increase offspring risk for behavioral disorders “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 12, 2021

The Wall Street Journal (4/9, A1, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reported on the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in the US. Many children have been isolated at home with schools closed. Many have lost parents or grandparents to COVID-19, others have parents who have lost their jobs.

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— “Loneliness, Anxiety and Loss: the Covid Pandemic’s Terrible Toll on Kids “Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2021

HealthDay (4/9, Murez) reported research indicates that physical activity may benefit children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A small study published “in the April issue of the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal reported that 10 minutes of low-intensity exercise reduced verbal repetition of phases or words and hand-flapping, two common behaviors associated with autism.”

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— “Kids With Autism Can Really Benefit From Exercise “Cara Murez, HealthDay, April 9, 2021

Psychiatric News (4/9) reported, “Opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose among young people who fill an initial opioid prescription are rare but more likely to occur in those who have other substance use disorders or who have mood or anxiety disorders,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the health insurance claims of more than 3.2 million youth aged 11 to 25 years who filled an initial opioid prescription between 2006 and 2016.” The findings were published online March 19 in the journal Addiction.

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— “Study Identifies Risk Factors for Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose in Youth, Psychiatric News, April 9, 2021

Healio (4/9, Gramigna) reported, “Hospitalized individuals who had mood disorder history were at increased risk for greater COVID-19 morbidity and mortality,” investigators concluded in a study that sought “to assess the link between prior mood disorder diagnosis and hospital outcomes among 2,988 individuals, of whom 717 had a prior mood disorder diagnosis, who were admitted with COVID-19 to two academic medical centers and four community hospitals in Eastern Massachusetts between Feb. 15, 2020, and May 24, 2020.” The findings of the “retrospective cohort study” were published online April 6 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Mood disorder diagnosis increases risk for COVID-19 mortality among hospitalized patients “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 9, 2021

HealthDay (4/8) reports that when investigators “used standardized scales to measure” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “symptoms, stress levels and resilience in 558 college students, they found that those who reported more symptoms also had more stress,” but “four benchmarks of resilience – social support, social skills, the perception of one’s ability to reach a goal, and planning and prioritizing – made a big difference.” The study revealed that “resilient students had less stress than their AD/HD symptoms would have otherwise predicted.” The findings were published online ahead of print April 6 in the Journal of College Counseling.

Related Links:

— “College Can Really Ramp Up Stress for People With ADHD ” Denise Mann, HealthDay, April 8, 2021

Healio (4/8, Gramigna) reports, “More than 40% of U.S. military veterans reported moderate or greater levels of posttraumatic growth linked to the COVID-19 pandemic,” with “most common areas of growth” including “greater appreciation of life, improved social relationships and increased personal strength.” The findings of the 3,078-veteran survey study were published online April 8 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “43% of veterans report increased posttraumatic growth linked to COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio , April 8, 2021