The Philadelphia Inquirer (4/17, Pattani) reports researchers examined data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that “half of all pregnant women who experience depression do not get any treatment, and some may turn to alcohol, marijuana, and opioids to self-medicate.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services in Advance. The article mentions that “the American Psychiatric Association says there is growing evidence that it’s safe for pregnant women to use antidepressants, and they can be helpful for some.”

Related Links:

— “https://www.philly.com/health/pregnant-women-depression-treatment-mental-health-addiction-20190417.html, “Aneri Pattani, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 17, 2019

The AP (4/17, Banda, Collins) reports on “the effects of trauma and turmoil experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings.” Previously, many officers viewed “seeking psychiatric help as a sign of weakness – particularly in elite units like SWAT” – and saw “their own mental health as secondary when civilians suffer grave loss.” However, “attitudes are starting to change. A group of global law enforcement administrators recently began work on a set of uniform guidelines for psychological care for SWAT teams and other officers who respond to the worst of the worst carnage.” In addition, several state legislatures recently passed “laws to extend workers’ compensation for mental health to police and other first responders.”

Related Links:

— “School shootings draw attention to officers’ mental health, “Solomon Banda, AP, April 17, 2019

Healio (4/16) reports, “Almost a quarter of older adult survey respondents from Washington stored their guns unlocked and loaded, regardless of whether they had memory loss or suicide risk factors,” researchers found in a study involving “4,428 older adults” who reported having a firearm in their home. The findings were published April 16 in a research letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Survey shows some older adults do not store firearms safely, “Savannah Demko, Healio, April 16, 2019

ABC News (4/17, McLaughlin) reports that American Veterans (AMVETS) “is calling for a multi-agency investigation into what they’re calling a ‘suicide epidemic among veterans and service members,’ after three veterans killed themselves at Veterans Affairs facilities in the span of five days this month.” The veterans group “asked the inspectors general of the VA, Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services to immediately launch ‘a joint, coordinated investigation into the veteran and service member suicide epidemic, to include a macro evaluation of mental health treatment programs and personnel assigned to operate them.’”

Related Links:

— “Veterans group calls for multi-agency investigation after 3 vets killed themselves at VA facilities in 5-day span, “Elizabeth Mclaughlin, ABC News, April 17, 2019

Newsweek (4/15, Gander) reports that research indicates “90 percent of under-18s who are killed by a current or ex-partner are girls, while almost 90 percent of perpetrators are men.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

The NPR (4/15, Chatterjee) “Shots” blog reports that the researchers “found that of the more than 2,000 adolescents killed between 2003 and 2016, nearly seven percent – 150 teens – were killed by their current or former intimate partners.” In nearly “80 percent of the cases, the perpetrator was 18 years or older.”

Related Links:

— “90 percent of teens killed by their partners are girls—and most of the killers are men, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, April 15, 2019

The AP (4/15, Neergaard) reports that “research suggests seniors who aren’t on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Reuters (4/15, Rapaport) reports that investigators “gave scam awareness questionnaires to 935 older people who didn’t have dementia.” Reuters adds, “After an average follow up of six years, 151 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease and 255 developed mild cognitive impairment.” The researchers found that “low scam awareness was associated with a 56 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s and a 47 percent higher risk of mild cognitive impairment.”

Also covering the story are CNN (4/15, Scutti), Newsweek (4/15, Gander), HealthDay (4/15, Norton), and MedPage Today (4/15, George).

Related Links:

— “Senior’s weakness for scams may be warning sign of dementia, “Lauran Neergaard, AP, April 15, 2019

Forbes (4/12) contributor Laurel Farrer wrote, “Remote workers often experience symptoms of anxiety and depression at a higher rate than people commuting into traditional office spaces,” research indicated. Even though “in the 2019 State of Remote Work report produced by Buffer…thousands of remote workers surveyed rave about the work-life balance, schedule flexibility, and work performance,” they also list the “downsides of location flexibility.” For example, “49% of remote workers note that their biggest struggle is wellness-related.” For example, the report found that “insomnia and sleep disturbance are common, along with increased fatigue, irritation, sadness and feelings of disconnection.”

Related Links:

— “Are Home Offices Fueling A Mental Health Crisis?, “Laurel Farrer, Forbes, April 12, 2019

MD Magazine (4/12, Campbell) reported a 347-study review “has identified several risk factors and limitations of past articles that examine physician suicides and its causes.” According to MD Magazine, “unique risks included specialized knowledge, access to lethal methods, and specialties.” Other “less-studied risks included personality traits, adverse childhood events, relationship status with a partner, relationship with parents, economic burdens, religiosity, and cultural upbringing.” The findings were presented at the ACP 2019 Internal Medicine Annual Meeting.

Related Links:

— “Physician Suicide Remains a Misunderstood Problem, “Patrick Campbell, MD Magazine, April 12, 2019

The New York Times (4/14, Steinhauer) reports, “Three veterans killed themselves last week on Department of Veterans Affairs health care properties, barely a month after President Trump announced an aggressive task force to address the unremitting problem of veteran suicide.” The Times says the “executive order was a tacit acknowledgment of what the deaths rendered obvious: The department has not made a dent in stemming the approximately 20 suicide deaths every day among veterans.” The article adds that “veterans are in many ways an amplification of the same factors that drive suicide in the broader American population: a fragmented health care system, a shortage of mental health resources, especially in rural areas, a lack of funding for suicide research and easy access to guns.”

Related Links:

— “V.A. Officials, and the Nation, Battle an Unrelenting Tide of Veteran Suicides, ” Jennifer Steinhauer, The New York Times, April 14, 2019

Medscape (4/11, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports, “Suicidal ideation (SI) occurs more frequently in adolescents with superior cognitive performance than in youngsters with lower cognition,” researchers concluded after studying “more than 6000 typically developing community-based adolescents aged 11 to 21 years and” then comparing “the cognitive and social functioning of those with and those without SI.” The findings were published online March 28 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)