MedPage Today (8/20, Swift) reports, “Childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was associated with several psychiatric morbidities, including an increased risk of attempted suicide,” research indicated. What’s more, “the highest risk of anxiety and mood disorders occurred in the first year after an IBD diagnosis, suggesting the need for psychological support for young patients, according to” the study authors.

MD Magazine (8/20, Walter) reports that in the study, “investigators examined the data of 6,464 individuals with a childhood-onset IBD diagnosis from the Swedish national health care and population registers for all children under the age of 18 between 1973-2013.” The findings were published online Aug. 19 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Childhood-Onset IBD Tied to Psychiatric Disorders, “Diana Swift, MedPage Today , August 20, 2019

CNN International (8/19, Wolf) reports that “after the shootings earlier this month in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the American Psychiatric Association issued a statement calling the gun violence a public health crisis that needs attention.” The APA, which has “called for additional funding for mental health programs,” said in that statement, “It is important to note that the overwhelming majority of people with mental illness are not violent and far more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpetrators of violence. Rhetoric that argues otherwise will further stigmatize and interfere with people accessing needed treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health advocates say reopening institutions won’t stop mass shootings, “Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, August 19, 2019

Psychiatric News (8/19) reports, “Adults who experienced significant abuse or neglect during childhood may exhibit a preference for more ‘personal space’ and discomfort with some types of social touching,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 92-adult study were published online Aug. 16 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Childhood Abuse May Impact Development of Close Social Bonds as Adults, Psychiatric News, August 19, 2019

HealthDay (8/16, Preidt) reported, “Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] can ease depression in people with heart disease,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from nearly 2,700 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and moderate-to-severe heart disease who were enrolled in the Sleep Apnea Cardiovascular Endpoints” study. The findings were published online June 13 in the journal EClinicalMedicine.

Related Links:

— “For Heart Patients, CPAP Treatment May Ease Depression: Study, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 16, 2019

HealthDay (8/16) reported, “Transgender college students are two to four times more likely than their classmates to have mental health problems,” research indicated.

Healio (8/16, Demko) reported researchers arrived at this conclusion after examining “mental health status by gender identity among undergraduate and graduate students across U.S. campuses using data from the 2015 to 2017 Healthy Minds Study, an internet-based survey of 63,994 cisgender and 1,237 gender minority students.” The findings were published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Higher Risk of Mental Health Problems for Transgender College Students: Study, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 16, 2019

Psychiatric News (8/16) reported, “Military personnel who have firearms at home and a history of thoughts of death or self-harm are less likely to store their firearms in a safe manner than those with no such history,” researchers concluded after examining “the firearm storage practices of 1,652 active-duty military personnel who were seen in military primary care clinics between July 2015 and August 2018.” The findings of the 1,652-participant study were published online Aug. 16 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Military Personnel With Suicidal Ideation Less Likely to Store Firearms Safely at Home, Psychiatric News, August 16, 2019

TIME (8/15, Ducharme) reports that one-third of U.S. adults “are so stressed by the prospect of mass shootings that they avoid visiting certain places or attending certain events, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Harris Poll.” The survey, “released shortly after a pair of mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas left 31 people dead in the course of one weekend, found that an overwhelming majority of American adults – 79% – experience some amount of stress related to mass shootings. A third of the 2,000 respondents said that fear was so great they avoid going to certain places or events, and almost a quarter said they’ve changed their lives due to fear of mass shootings.”

Related Links:

— “A Third of Americans Avoid Certain Places Because They Fear Mass Shootings, “JAMIE DUCHARME, TIME, August 15, 2019

The AP (8/15, Stobbe) reports, “As many as 50 people in at least six states have come down with breathing illnesses that may be linked to e-cigarettes or other vaping products.” So far, “no deaths have been reported, but at least a few have come close.” Physicians “say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the body apparently reacting to a caustic substance that someone breathed in.”

The NBC News (8/15, Edwards) website reports that physicians who spoke with NBC News explained that “most patients are otherwise healthy teenagers or young adults who come to the hospital with symptoms of a bad respiratory infection: shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue and coughing.” Symptoms rapidly worsen, and many of these patients “need to go on ventilators.” So far, no one has been able to “pinpoint any specific device, brand or ingredient tying the cases together.”

Related Links:

— “Doctors suspect vaping behind dozens of lung illnesses in US, “Mike Stobbe, AP, August 15, 2019

Healio (8/15, Demko) reports research indicates that “combined use of opioids and cannabis was linked to greater symptoms of anxiety, depression and substance use problems compared with opioid use alone in adults with chronic pain.” The findings of the 450-patient study were published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Mixing opioids, cannabis tied to greater anxiety, depression symptoms, “Savannah Demko, Healio, August 15, 2019

HealthDay (8/15, Preidt) reports, “Nearly half of U.S. patients don’t tell their physicians about potentially life-threatening risks such as domestic violence, sexual assault, depression or thoughts of suicide,” researchers concluded after analyzing “the responses of more than 4,500 people who took part in two national online surveys.” The study revealed that “40%-47.5% of the respondents did not tell their” healthcare professional “about one of the four health threats.” What’s more, “more than 70% said the reason for withholding the information was embarrassment or fear of being judged or lectured.” The findings were published online Aug. 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Nearly Half of U.S. Patients Keep Vital Secrets From Their Doctors, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 15, 2019