Medscape (1/15, Brauser, Subscription Publication) reports that even though “diet can influence mental health and cognitive function, evidence of benefit for many specific diets is actually quite weak,” investigators concluded “in the ‘most up-to-date overview of the new field of nutritional psychiatry.’” The overview “found strong evidence that following a ketogenic diet of high fat and low carbohydrates may reduce seizures in children with epilepsy” and “also confirmed that the Mediterranean diet guards against depression and anxiety.” Additionally, the review revealed “a strong link between vitamin B12 deficiency and an increased risk of fatigue, depression, and memory problems,” but found only “inconclusive” evidence “of any efficacy of vitamin D supplements or any nutrient in mitigating symptoms of autism or” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The findings were published in the December issue of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

Related Links:

— “Diet and Mental Health: The Evidence to Date, “Deborah Brauser, Medscape, January 15, 2020

HealthDay (1/15, Reinberg) reports, “After a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy,” one in six women may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “nearly a year later,” researchers concluded after studying some “650 women who experienced a miscarriage – defined as loss of pregnancy before 12 weeks – or an ectopic pregnancy.” The findings were published online Dec. 13 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Related Links:

— “Trauma of Miscarriage May Trigger PTSD, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, January 15, 2020

The Washington Post (1/14, Rich, Higham, Horwitz) reports that data from the Drug Enforcement Administration “shows that more than 100 billion doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone were shipped nationwide from 2006 through 2014 – 24 billion more doses of the highly addictive pain pills than previously known to the public.” In July, The Post “reported that the data revealed that the nation’s drug companies had manufactured and distributed more than 76 billion pain pills.” The “two additional years of information – 2013 and 2014 – was recently posted by a data analytics company managed by lawyers for the plaintiffs in a massive lawsuit against the opioid industry.”

Related Links:

— “More than 100 billion pain pills saturated the nation over nine years, “Steven Rich, Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz, The Washington Post, January 14, 2020

Psychiatric News (1/14) reports, “College students in states where recreational use of marijuana is legal appear to be using marijuana more frequently than peers in states where such use is not legal,” researchers concluded after analyzing survey responses from “undergraduates aged 18 to 26 to the National College Health Assessment survey between 2008 and 2018.” Included in that final sample were “234,669 students who attended 135 college in seven U.S. states where recreational use of marijuana was legalized, and 599,605 students who attended 454 colleges in 41 states where recreational use was not legal.” The study revealed that “students who attended college in states where recreational use of marijuana is legal were 23% more likely to report marijuana use than students in states where such use is not legal.” The findings were published online Dec. 13 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “College Students in States With Legalized Marijuana Report Greater Use of Drug, Psychiatric News, January 14, 2020

Healio (1/14, Schaffer) reports, “Women with polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] are more likely to have an eating or sleeping disorder and report decreased sexual satisfaction than those without PCOS,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 36 studies conducted through August 2018 assessing prevalence of any eating, sleep or sexual function disorders among women with PCOS (n = 349,529).” The findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis were published online in Clinical Endocrinology.

Related Links:

— “PCOS increases likelihood of eating, sleeping disorders, “Regina Schaffer, Healio, January 14, 2020

NPR (1/15, Chatterjee) reports that “an estimated 1 in 7 pregnant women and new mothers become clinically depressed during pregnancy or postpartum” across the US, but their obstetricians “often lack the skills to address this common problem,” which results in few women getting “a diagnosis or treatment.” However, “a statewide program in Massachusetts offers support to obstetricians and gynecologists in screening for and treating depression in pregnant women and new moms.” Nancy Byatt, founding medical director of the program known as the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms (MCPAP for Moms), “says she developed the program after doctors told her they didn’t know how to help pregnant and new moms recover from depression, and that they needed a ‘lifeline’ to support them.”

Related Links:

— “‘A Lifeline’ For Doctors Helps Them Treat Postpartum Depression , “Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, January 15, 2020

Healio (1/13, Gramigna) reports, “Children and adolescents who self-harm have a significantly increased risk for future suicide compared with those in the general population,” investigators concluded in a 9,173-individual “prospective observational cohort study conducted in England.” The study also revealed that “this risk is especially prevalent among those who repeated self-harm, older adolescents and males.” The findings were published online Jan. 8 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rate among youth who self-harm 30 times higher than general population, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 13, 2020

HealthDay (1/13, Thompson) reports, “As legalization of recreational marijuana spreads across the United States, more people are showing up in” emergency departments “with psychotic symptoms after consuming too much pot, said” Itai Danovitch, MD, “chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.” Some people “with a family history of mental illness might wind up with a full-fledged psychotic disorder that will require extended treatment, Danovitch noted.” Dr. Danovitch “said he counsels young people to consider their genetic risk for mental illness before they use marijuana.”

Related Links:

— “Can Pot Bring on Psychosis in Young Users? It May Be Happening, Experts Say, ” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 13, 2020

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (1/11, Olson) reported a study “found greater risks of social and emotional problems in infants whose mothers consumed marijuana during pregnancy.” Specifically, the research “found that 9.1% of babies from marijuana users were at risk, compared to 3.6% of babies whose mothers didn’t consume the drug while pregnant.” The study, “based on toxicology urine tests of 3,435 pregnant women during prenatal checkups, and the performance of their children around 12 months of age” also found “that 8% of mothers tested positive during pregnancy for the presence of THC.” The findings were published in the Journal of Perinatology.

Related Links:

— “Minnesota study links pot use in pregnancy to infant health risks, ” Jeremy Olson, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 11, 2020

Healio (1/10, Gramigna) reported, “Patients with Alzheimer’s disease who use antipsychotic medications may be at an increased risk for head injuries and traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs,” investigators concluded in “a nationwide register-based cohort study conducted in Finland” that went on to identify “incident antipsychotic users from the Prescription Register,” then matching “them with nonusers by age, sex and time since diagnosis, for a total of 21,795 matched pairs.” The findings were published online Jan. 7 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Links:

— “Patients with Alzheimer’s who use antipsychotics at increased risk for head injury, TBI, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 10, 2020