The New York Times (2/12, Belluck) reports the United States Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation for cognitive behavioral and interpersonal therapy as preventive measures against perinatal depression. More serious than postpartum depression, perinatal depression impacts between 180,000 and 800,000 US women annually during pregnancy or after, and has health implications for both mother and child. The USPSTF “recommended counseling for women with one or more of a broad range of risk factors, including a personal or family history of depression; recent stresses like divorce or economic strain; traumatic experiences like domestic violence; or depressive symptoms that don’t constitute a full-blown diagnosis.” The recommendation was published in JAMA.

The Wall Street Journal (2/12, Abbott, Subscription Publication) reports most insurance plans must follow guidelines issued by the USPSTF, and therefore per the recommendation, preventive therapy for at-risk pregnant women or new mothers should be covered without a copay. Moreover, previous recommendations have focused attention on women already experiencing signs of depression, while the new recommendation targets at-risk women for preventive interventions.

The AP (2/12) reports perinatal depression impacts as many as one in seven women. Meanwhile, “an accompanying editorial cautions that most women won’t have easy access to specialists and may need options such as counseling via smartphone.”

The New York Times (2/12, Belluck) separately posts a guide to using the recommendations and how and where to get help for potential perinatal depression.

Related Links:

— “Depression During and After Pregnancy Can Be Prevented, National Panel Says. Here’s How, “Pam Belluck, The New York Times, February 12, 2019

The Washington Post (2/11, McGinley) reports the Food and Drug Administration announced that it plans to increase oversight of the dietary supplements industry due to increased risks to customers, including “unlisted drug ingredients, and false and misleading claims about health benefits.” The FDA “underscored the need for greater oversight by announcing it had sent 12 warning letters and five advisory letters earlier this month to companies the FDA said are selling dozens of products that contain unapproved drugs or make illegal claims for treating Alzheimer’s and other serious diseases.”

The New York Times (2/11, B6, Kaplan) reports FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb “suggested that Congress strengthen the F.D.A.’s authority over” the supplements “industry, which sells as many as 80,000 kinds of powders and pills with little federal scrutiny.” During an interview, Gottlieb said, “People haven’t wanted to touch this framework or address this space in, really, decades and I think it’s time we do it.” Gottlieb said he was especially concerned about supplements that claim to cure diseases, which may prevent or delay people from seeking medical treatment, saying, “We know there are effective therapies that can help patients with Alzheimer’s. But unproven supplements that claim to treat the disease but offer no benefits can prevent patients from seeking otherwise effective care.”

Related Links:

— “FDA launches tougher oversight of supplements, ” Laurie McGinley, The Washington Post, February 11, 2019

Reuters (2/11, Rapaport) reports, “Roughly in six U.S. kids have at least one mental [illness], and only about half of them receive treatment from a mental health professional,” researchers found.

HealthDay (2/11, Gordon) reports investigators arrived at this conclusion after examining survey data “from a nationally representative group of more than 50,000 children under 18 years of age.” The findingswere published online Feb. 11 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “One in six U.S. kids have mental health disorders, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, February 11, 2019

Reuters (2/8, Banerjee) reports a new study suggests that “youth suicides happen more often in U.S. states with high rates of household gun ownership.” Specifically, data show that “in the 10 states with the highest youth suicide rates, 53 percent of households owned guns.” In contrast, results show that “in the 10 states with the lowest youth suicide rates, only 20 percent of households owned guns.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “More youth suicides seen in states with high gun ownership rates, “Ankur Banerjee, Reuters, February 8, 2019

Medscape (2/8, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reported that a study suggests that people “with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are at high risk for premature death from suicide as well as other causes.” Researchers followed nearly “300 patients with BPD and 72 comparison patients who had other personality disorders (PDs).” Over the 24-year “follow-up period, almost 6% of BPD patients died by suicide, vs only 1.4% of comparison patients; 14% of BPD patients died by causes other than suicide, compared to only 5.5% of comparison participants.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (2/7, Jacobs) reports that on Thursday, Instagram announced “it would no longer allow graphic images of self-harm, such as cutting, on its platform,” a change which seems to come “in response to public attention to how the social network might have influenced a 14-year-old’s suicide.” Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, issued a statement explaining the change, noting “a distinction between graphic images about self-harm and nongraphic images, such as photos of healed scars,” which will still be allowed but will be “more difficult to find.”

Related Links:

— “Instagram Bans Graphic Images of Self-Harm After Teenager’s Suicide, “Julia Jacobs, The New York Times, February 7, 2019

Medscape (2/7, Hackethal, Subscription Publication) reports, “Having chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) may increase the risk for depression and/or anxiety compared with not having the condition,” researchers concluded in a study involving 16,224 adults with CRS and 32,448 without CRS. The findings were published online Feb. 7 in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The NPR (2/6, Lambert) “Shots” blog reports certain “antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management,” research suggests.

Healio (2/6, Demko) reports, “Using a machine learning approach,” investigators “found that patients on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] who were prescribed prodrug opioids had more pain after leaving the hospital than those prescribed active form opioids.” The findings of the 4,306-patient study were published online Feb. 6 in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids, “Jonathan Lambert, NPR, February 6, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (2/6, Holland, Subscription Publication) reports that for older adults with mental illnesses, particularly seniors living in rural areas who cannot easily visit a psychiatrist or other mental healthcare clinician due to disability or cognitive issues, telepsychiatry may be beneficial, providing patients with needed therapy online.

Related Links:

— “Online Psychotherapy for the Elderly, “Emily Holland, The Wall Street Journal, February 06, 2019

MedPage Today (2/6, Hlavinka) reports, “Lower birth weight was associated with increased risk for several subsequent psychiatric disorders,” researchers concluded in a study of “over 500,000 sibling pairs.” The study revealed that people “with lower birth weights were significantly more likely to develop depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…and autism.” The findings were published online Feb. 6 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)