HealthDay (12/10) reports, “Bullied teens are more likely to develop mental health problems, and people with mental health problems are also more likely to become bullies, researchers report.” According to the study, “youth who said they’d been bullies were more likely to have a moderate to high rate of mental health problems than those who said they hadn’t bullied others,” and “that teens with moderate to high rates of mental health problems were more likely to bully others, compared to those without such issues.” The studywas published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Bullying’s ‘Vicious Circle’ Harms Mental Health, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, December 10, 2019

The New York Times (12/10, Underwood) “Parenting” blog reports that “one in nine children has an underlying clinical disorder that can be tied to particularly severe tantrums,” research indicates. According to the Times, “atypical or severe tantrums, which are often marked by extreme aggression, high frequency, suddenness and specific triggers, are often the first (and easiest to recognize) sign of a behavioral, mood or anxiety disorder.” The piece adds, “Note that the American Psychiatric Association only permits diagnosis of mood disorders at age six or older, though it can be helpful to learn early on if your child is demonstrating traits consistent with these disorders.”

Related Links:

— “Are My Kid’s Tantrums Abnormal?, “Paul L. Underwood, The New York Times, December 10, 2019

In a nearly 4,100-word piece, The Atlantic (12/9, Tullis) reports how in jails across the US, “people who should be placed in mental-health facilities for treatment are instead detained…for unconstitutionally long periods – sometimes months – before they have been convicted or even tried for any crime.” For example, “in Texas in 2018, the average period that people with mental illness not convicted of any crime were held in jail was 229 days, according to reporting by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.” In many cases, “their condition deteriorates further as they are held in facilities unable to care for them.”

Related Links:

— “When Mental Illness Becomes a Jail Sentence, “Paul Tullis, The Atlantic, December 9, 2019

Kaiser Health News (12/9, Stephens) reports on warmlines. Unlike hotlines “for those in immediate crisis, warmlines provide early intervention with emotional support that can prevent a crisis – and a more costly 911 call or” visit to the emergency department. Warmlines “are typically free, confidential peer-support services staffed by volunteers or paid employees who have experienced mental health conditions themselves.” Currently, “about 30 states have some form of a warmline within their borders.”

Related Links:

— “‘Warm’ Hotlines Deliver Help Before Mental Health Crisis Heats Up, “Stephanie Stephens, Kaiser Health News, December 10, 2019

The New York Times (12/8, A25, Petersen) reported on “several new psychotherapies to treat anxiety and depression in people with cognitive impairments, including early to moderate dementia.” Two examples highlighted in the article were Problem Adaptation Therapy, or PATH, which “focuses on solving tangible problems that fuel feelings of sadness and hopelessness,” and the Peaceful Mind program, which “simplifies traditional cognitive behavioral therapy and focuses on scheduling pleasurable activities and skills.” The Times added, “Early research on the new approaches is encouraging, but longer and larger studies will be needed to fully assess the effectiveness.”

Related Links:

— “New Therapies Help Patients With Dementia Cope With Depression, “Andrea Petersen, The New York Times, December 8, 2019

MedPage Today (12/8, George) reported, “Teens with epilepsy were more than twice as likely as adults to talk about suicide on the Internet, an analysis of 222,000 online posts” demonstrated. In fact, “a total of 3,200 of 41,000 posts (8%) by teens with epilepsy discussed suicide, compared with 5,800 of 181,000 posts (3%) by adults with epilepsy,” the study found. The findings were presented at the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Teens With Epilepsy More Likely to Discuss Suicide Online, “Judy George, MedPage Today, December 8, 2019

Psychiatric News (12/6) reported, “Almost half (48%) of children and adolescents with a psychotic disorder said they recently had suicidal thoughts or had in the past considered death by suicide when interviewed in the emergency department (ED) using a brief screening questionnaire,” research indicated. What’s more, “most of these youth did not report a chief complaint related to suicidal ideation or behavior when arriving at the ED.” The study suggested there may be utility to screening for suicide risk among pediatric patients with psychosis. The findings of the 87-child and adolescent study were published online Dec. 4 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Integrating Brief Screen in ER May Better Identify Youth With Psychosis at Risk of Suicide, Psychiatric News, December 6, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (12/5, Kesling, Subscription Publication) reports that mental health disorders prior to enlistment, not just the experiences in combat, may contribute to ongoing psychiatric problems in many veterans and active-duty military personnel, studies indicate.

Related Links:

— “For Many Soldiers, Mental-Health Issues Start Before Enlistment, “Ben Kesling, The Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2019

HealthDay (12/5, Holmes) reports, “The more often young teens turn to social media, the more prone they are to eating disorders,” researchers concluded after looking “at close to 1,000 middle school students and their use of four social media networks: Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr.” The findings were published online Dec. 4 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. Healio (12/5, Gramigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “More Teen Time on Social Media, More Eating Disorders?, “Rich Holmes, HealthDay, December 5, 2019

HealthDay (12/4, Reinberg) reports that researchers have “found a strong association between vaping and depression in a study of nearly 900,000 U.S. adults,” with the “apparent culprit” being nicotine. The findingswere published online Dec. 4 in JAMA Network Open. Healio (12/4, Gramigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Another Downside to Vaping: Higher Odds for Depression, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, December 4, 2019