HealthDay (10/23, Reinberg) reported, “More regular moderate to vigorous physical activity and less sedentary time improve the mental and physical health of older cancer survivors and older people without a cancer diagnosis, say researchers from the American Cancer Society.” Researchers “analyzed aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, sitting time and mental and physical health of nearly 78,000 people who took part in the society’s Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort,” and “found clinically meaningful differences in mental and physical health between the most and least active, and the least and most sedentary.” The findings were published in Cancer.

Related Links:

— “Exercise Boosts Physical Mental Well-Being of Older Cancer Survivors, HealthDay, October 23, 2020

According to the AP (10/23, Stobbe), 2019 saw the US suicide rate drop slightly, “the first annual decline in more than a decade, according to new government data.” The AP adds, “Experts aren’t sure how the coronavirus will influence this year’s suicide numbers, though American mortality overall is looking far bleaker.”

Related Links:

— “US suicide rate fell last year after decade of steady rise “Mike Stobbe, AP, October 23, 2020

According to Healio (10/22, Michael), valproate use “during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring during early childhood.” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the French national health data system” that “included singleton livebirths that occurred from January 2011 through December 2014.” The findings were published online Oct. 22 in Scientific Reports.

Related Links:

— “Antiepileptic drug exposure in pregnancy linked to neurodevelopmental disorders “Erin Michael, Healio, October 22, 2020

Healio (10/22, Gramigna) reports, “An increase in green space may improve children’s mental health,” investigators concluded after seeking “to examine the effects of several environmental factors, including artificial light at night…near-roadway air pollution,” noise “and green space, on self-reported stress among 2,290 children living in eight densely populated urban communities in southern California.” The findings of the “cohort study” were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “More green space may improve children’s mental health “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 22, 2020

Healio (10/21, Weller) reports, “Higher levels of psychological flexibility were associated” with “lower prevalence and incidence of depression among patients who had chronic kidney disease [CKD] and were treated with peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis or no dialysis,” investigators found. Included in the “cross-sectional” analysis were 433 patients. The findings were published online in the journal Kidney Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Psycological Flexibility linked to lower rates of depression among patients with CKD “Madison Weller , Healio, October 21, 2020

The New York Times (10/21, Bakalar) reports, “A mother’s psychological distress during pregnancy may increase the risk for asthma in her child,” investigators concluded in a study that “had the parents of 4,231 children fill out well-validated questionnaires on psychological stress in the second trimester of pregnancy, and again three years later.” When their offspring “were 10 years old, parents reported whether their child had ever been diagnosed with asthma.” The findingswere published online in the journal Thorax.

Related Links:

— “Depression in Pregnancy May Raise Risk of Childhood Asthma “Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, October 21, 2020

Healio (10/21) reports, “Americans are significantly more anxious now compared with this time last year, according to poll results released” Oct. 21 by the American Psychiatric Association. In 2020, “62%” of 1,004 “respondents reported increased anxiety vs. last year, which marks a significant increase over APA polls from the past three years” in which “poll results for anxiety ranged from 32% to 39%.” In a news release, APA President Jeffrey Geller, MD, MPH, said, “It’s not surprising that more Americans are anxious, given the circumstances we all find ourselves in this year.” Dr. Geller added, “However, given the huge jump in anxiety, coupled with the impact the pandemic is having on those who were already living with mental illness or substance use disorders, the most important thing that we can do as a country is to invest in our mental health system.”

Related Links:

— “APA poll shows 62% of Americans more anxious now vs. this time last year, Healio, October 21, 2020

The AP (10/20, Stobbe, Sainz) reports multiple states have reported an increase in drug overdose deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The AP adds, “National data is incomplete, but available information suggests U.S. drug overdose deaths are on track to reach an all-time high.” Experts say the pandemic is to blame, because it “has left people stressed and isolated, disrupted treatment and recovery programs, and contributed to an increasingly dangerous illicit drug supply.”

Related Links:

— “US overdose deaths appear to rise amid coronavirus pandemic “Mike Stobbe And Adrian Sainz, AP, October 20, 2020

Psychiatric News (10/20) reports research tracking “patients with first-episode psychosis over a 12-year period points to several characteristics of patients that may predict those most likely to develop treatment-resistant schizophrenia.” For the study, investigators “identified 617 patients with a diagnosis of first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders enrolled in early intervention services” who were then “matched by sex, diagnosis, and age with 617 patients with first-episode psychosis who had received standard care services.” The study revealed that “patients with younger age of onset, poorer premorbid social adjustment during adulthood, longer duration of first episode, a greater number of relapses, and a higher level of [daily defined dose] of antipsychotic medication in the first 24 months had an increased risk of developing TRS [treatment-resistant schizophrenia] earlier.” The findings were published online in the Schizophrenia Bulletin.

Related Links:

— “Study Identifies Predictors of Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia, Clozapine-Resistant Schizophrenia, Psychiatric News, October 20, 2020

Healio (10/20, Gramigna) reports “flexible assertive community treatment (FACT)…a Dutch model of community-based mental healthcare that provides flexible, multidisciplinary support to people with severe mental illness,” appears to be “more effective than other models for individuals with severe mental illness,” investigators concluded in a large study that included data on “887 individuals in the CMHT-FACT group, 887 in the matched CMHT group, 130 in the ACT-FACT group and 130 in the matched ACT group.” The findings were published online Oct. 19 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Community treatment model effective for individuals with severe mental illness “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 20, 2020