The New York Times (4/8, Kolata) reports that even though nearly all elderly patients with dementia “are given a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, nearly every one of them has a mixture of brain abnormalities.” For scientists seeking treatments, “these so-called mixed pathologies have become a huge scientific problem,” research published last year in the journal BRAIN found. Investigators “can’t tell which of these conditions is the culprit in memory loss in a particular patient, or whether all of them together are to blame.”

Related Links:

— “The Diagnosis Is Alzheimer’s. But That’s Probably Not the Only Problem, “Gina Kolata, The New York Times, April 8, 2019

Reuters (4/4, Kelland) reports that “blood pressure and stroke risk rise steadily the more alcohol people drink, and previous claims that one or two drinks a day might protect against stroke are not true, according to the results of a major genetic study” published in The Lancet. The study “found that people who drink moderately – consuming 10 to 20 grams of alcohol a day – raise their risk of stroke by 10 to 15 percent.” For heavy drinkers, who consume “four or more drinks a day, blood pressure rises significantly and the risk of stroke increases by around 35 percent, the study found.”
The AP (4/4, Cheng) reports that researchers “weren’t able to figure out, though, whether small amounts of alcohol might also increase the chances of a heart attack.”

Related Links:

— “Major study debunks myth that moderate drinking can be healthy, “Kate Kelland, Reuters, April 4, 2019

Healio (4/4, Demko) reports, “College students from minority groups demonstrated similar or lower rates of diagnosed psychiatric disorders than white peers,” researchers concluded after analyzing “survey results from more than 67,000 undergraduates at 108 colleges throughout the U.S.” The study did reveal, however, that “Asian/Pacific Islander and multiracial students reported significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.” The findings were published online March 27 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Minority college students may have more undetected psychiatric disorders, “Savannah Demko, Healio, April 4, 2019

HealthDay (4/4, Preidt) reports researchers found that in patients with HIV, “depression appears associated with an increased risk of death.” The findings were published in HIV Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Depression Plus HIV Can Turn Deadly, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay , April 4, 2019

Newsweek (4/3, Gander) reports “children at risk of developing” certain mental illnesses may be “more likely to be bullied, according to scientists” who “studied 5,028 children of European ancestry from the Avon region of the U.K., who were taking part in the 14,062-participant Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.”

Healio (4/3, Demko) reports the findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Kids who were at the greatest risk of developing mental health conditions such as depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were also more likely to be bullied, the team found. Children with a high BMI, likely meaning they were overweight, also had a higher chance of being targeted.

Related Links:

— “Children At Risk Of Depression And Adhd More Likely To Be Bullied, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, April 3, 2019

HealthLeaders Media (4/3, Commins) reports, “Nearly 57 million adult Americans have a substance abuse or mental health condition, and nearly 40 million of them go untreated, according to data cited by the Government Accountability Office.” The data was from a 2017 survey administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which “found that people who perceived a need for behavioral health treatment but did not receive it blamed cost, stigma, and access challenges, such as not knowing where to go for treatment.” The report said, “According to experts GAO met with, available research in this area is limited by methodological challenges, including determining which healthcare costs can be attributed to an untreated behavioral condition, and by limited data on the full prevalence of certain behavioral health conditions.”

Related Links:

— “GAO: Most People With Substance Abuse, Mental Health Disorders Go Untreated, “John Commins, HealthLeaders Media, April 3, 2019

HealthDay (3/28, Preidt) reported researchers found that the combination of premature birth and having a fussy baby can increase the mother’s risk of depression. The findings were published online in Academic Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Fussy Baby May Raise Mom’s Risk of Depression, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 28, 2019

Healio (4/1, Demko) reports, “Veterans with” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “and major depressive disorder [MDD] saw significant improvement in suicidal ideation after receiving IV infusions of ketamine over a 12-day period,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 15-veteran study were presented as a poster at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s annual conference.

Related Links:

— “Ketamine improves suicidal ideation in veterans with PTSD, MDD, “Savannah Demko, Healio, April 01, 2019

In “Health & Science,” the Washington Post (3/29, Marcus) delved into the debate among physicians whether “genetic testing helps” them “better prescribe antidepressants.” Last November, “the Food and Drug Administration…released a statement warning patients and doctors to be cautious about genetic testing that has not been approved by the FDA, including those that guide the prescribing of antidepressants.” The statement, prepared by the directors of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health and of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, “The FDA is aware of genetic tests that claim results can be used by physicians to identify which antidepressant medication would have increased effectiveness or side effects compared to other antidepressant medications.” Nevertheless, “the relationship between DNA variations and the effectiveness of antidepressant medications has never been established,” the statement added.

Related Links:

— “Can genetic testing help doctors better prescribe antidepressants? There’s quite a debate, “Ilana Marcus, The Washington Post, March 29, 2019

Forbes (3/31, Disalvo) contributor David DiSalvo wrote, “Findings from a new study” published online March 22 in Nature Digital Medicine “suggest that users should be cautious” when it comes to mental health apps that claim “to effectively diagnose and manage several disorders.” The study found that “not only do few of the apps rely on real-world experience in their design,” but also that “most also lack any credible scientific evidence to support their claims.” Investigators arrived at these findings after having “identified 1,435 mental health apps from the two most popular app stores (iTunes and Google Play), and then” focusing “on 73 of the apps ‘representing the most highly ranked’ to evaluate their claims.” The study authors also noted that “these findings are important as industry certification options are discussed to improve offerings to consumers, along with screening of apps by accredited organizations like the American Psychiatric Association.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Mental Health Apps Are Loaded With Scientific Language, But Light On Scientific Evidence, “David DiSalvo, Forbes, March 31, 2019