Healio (11/14, Gramigna) reports, “Patients who present to a hospital for self-harm are at a high risk for suicide in the first year after presentation, and particularly in the first month,” researchers concluded after examining “data for 90,614 presentations to the study hospitals between January 2000 and December 2013 by 49,783 individuals aged 15 years or older.” Mortality was followed up until “Dec. 31, 2015, which allowed for up to 16 years of follow-up.” The findings were published online Nov. 6 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicide risk significantly heightened first month, year after self-harm discharge, “Joe Gramigna, Healio , November 14, 2019

Psychiatric News (11/13) reports, “Having a concussion within the past year may raise the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior in high school students,” researchers concluded after examining “data from more than 13,000 respondents in grades 9 through 12 who participated in the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey.” The findings were published online Nov. 11 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Concussions May Raise Risk of Suicide in High School Students, Psychiatric News, November 13, 2019

Newsweek (11/13, Gander) reports, “Rates of cannabis use disorder have risen in U.S. states where the drug has been legalized, including among children and teenagers,” researchers concluded after examining “surveys completed by 505,796 people between 2008 to 2016.” The findings were published online Nov. 13 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis Use Disorder Is Rising In U.S. States Where Weed Is Legal, “Kashmira Gander , Newsweek, November 13, 2019

MedPage Today (11/13, George) reports researchers found in “a longitudinal community study” that “illiteracy was linked to a higher risk of prevalent and incident dementia, but not to more rapid cognitive decline.” The findings were published in Neurology.

HealthDay (11/13, Mozes) reports the researchers found that illiterate seniors “were two to three times more likely to develop dementia” than their literate peers.

Related Links:

— “Illiteracy Tied to Dementia Risk, “Judy George, MedPage Today, November 13, 2019

Reuters (11/13, Rapaport) reports, “Many people experience worsening depression symptoms over their final year of life,” researchers concluded after examining “data on 3,274 adults who participated in the nationwide Health and Retirement Study and died within one year of the assessment.” The findings were published online Nov. 5 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Links:

— “Depression symptoms increase over last year of life, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, November 13, 2019

Kaiser Health News (11/12, Reese) reports, “ERs throughout California are reporting a sharp increase in adolescents and young adults seeking care for a mental health crisis.” In 2018, the state’s “ERs treated 84,584 young patients ages 13 to 21 who had a primary diagnosis involving mental health,” which “is up from 59,705 in 2012, a 42% increase, according to data provided by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.” The article adds that the increase “in youth mental health visits corresponds with a recent survey” by the American Psychological Association “that found that members of ‘Generation Z’ – defined in the survey as people born since 1997 – are more likely than other generations to report their mental health as fair or poor.” This “trend corresponds with another alarming development, as well: a marked increase in suicides among teens and young adults.”

Related Links:

— “More Adolescents Seek Medical Care For Mental Health Issues, “Phillip Reese, Kaiser Health News, November 12, 2019

Healio (11/12) reports, “Both subthreshold and threshold PTSD are associated with binge-eating symptoms in men and women,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 36,309 noninstitutionalized U.S. civilians aged 18 years and older from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.” The findings were published online Oct. 22 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “PTSD associated with binge eating symptoms in men and women, Healio, November 12, 2019

NPR (11/11, Aubrey) reports on a review study published in JAMA Internal Medicine that examined the efficacy of “mind-body interventions” on chronic pain. The researchers reviewed “60 studies that included about 6,400 participants” that “evaluated a range of strategies, including meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy.” Eric Garland, a professor at the University of Utah and one of the study’s authors, said, “Mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and clinical hypnosis appear to be the most useful for reducing pain.”

Related Links:

— “Meditation Reduced The Opioid Dose She Needs To Ease Chronic Pain By 75%, “Allison Aubrey, NPR, November 11, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (11/11, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reports that study abroad programs are emerging as one of the most difficult areas for universities to manage, as more students struggle with mental health issues. To address the issue, schools are working with host families to identify problems and helping set up accommodations that students are accustomed to so they can adjust to new environments more easily.

Related Links:

— “Junior Year Abroad, With Help From Your Therapist, “Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2019

The Washington Post (11/8, Wan) reports, “Leading medical authorities argue the United States could reduce” its “skyrocketing” suicide “rates with a relatively simple solution by screening for suicide in health clinics and” emergency departments (EDs). According to the Post, “Universal screening entails asking everyone visiting a primary care clinic or” ED “whether they are having suicidal thoughts, and if so, following up with brief interventions such as telephone counseling and referrals for additional treatment.”

Related Links:

— “A few simple questions could help doctors stem the suicide epidemic, “William Wan, The Washington Post, November 8, 2019