Reuters (10/3, Rapaport) reports, “People with a positive outlook on life may be less likely than pessimists to experience events like a heart attack or stroke, and they may live longer,” researchers concluded after examining “data from 15 studies with a total of 229,391 participants who were followed for an average of about 14 years.” The data revealed that the “most optimistic people were 35% less likely than the least optimistic to have cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes, and 14% less likely to die for any reason.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Optimism tied to lower rates of heart attacks, death, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, October 3, 2019

HealthDay (10/3, Reinberg) reports research suggests hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe morning sickness condition, in early pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk in autism in children. The studypublished the American Journal of Perinatology “found a 53% increased risk of a child being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder if their mother suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum.” Moreover, “the earlier that women experienced severe morning sickness, the stronger the tie to autism,” the study indicates.

Related Links:

— “Severe Morning Sickness Tied to Autism Risk in Kids, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 3, 2019

Medscape (10/2, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports research indicates “use of oral contraceptives is associated with an increased risk for depressive and other psychiatric symptoms in young women.” The study of 1,010 Dutch teens “showed that individuals who took oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) reported experiencing more crying, eating problems, and hypersomnia compared to their counterparts who did not take OCPs.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. Maureen Sayres Van Niel, MD, president of the Women’s Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association, “described the study as ‘important’ and ‘well done,’” saying, “This study collected data over a long period of time, which is exactly the kind of data we need.”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

According to HealthDay (10/2), girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may be “six times more likely to wind up as teenage moms,” research indicated. Included in the study were “more than 384,000 Swedish women and girls between the ages of 12 and 50 who gave birth between 2007 and 2014,” some 6,400 of whom had been given a diagnosis of AD/HD. The findings were published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Pregnancy Much More Likely for Teen Girls With ADHD, “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 2, 2019

The New York Times (10/1, Bakalar) reports a study found “women who have a hysterectomy may be at increased risk for depression and anxiety.” The study of over 2,000 women who underwent the procedure without removal of the ovaries showed “a hysterectomy was associated with a 26 percent increased relative risk for depression and a 22 percent increased risk for anxiety.” For women under 35, the study published in Menopause showed “a 47 percent increased risk for depression and a 45 percent increased risk for anxiety.”

Related Links:

— “Hysterectomy May Raise Depression and Anxiety Risk, “Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, October 1, 2019

Reuters (10/1, Carroll) reports, “Drive times to opioid treatment programs may be as much as six times longer in rural U.S. counties compared to urban ones, researchers” found. In their study that examined “drive times to opioid treatment programs in urban and rural counties in the five states with the highest rates of opioid-related deaths,” investigators “found that it could take nearly 50 minutes to get a clinic that could dispense methadone, according to a research letter published” online Oct. 1 in JAMA. HealthDay (10/1, Reinberg) also covers the study.

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— “Long drive times in rural areas may be a barrier to opioid addiction treatment, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, October 1, 2019

Psychiatric News (10/1) reports, “The use of proactive consultation-liaison psychiatry, along with clinically informed screening and integrated mental health care delivery, appears to help reduce patients’ average length of stay in the hospital,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 12-study review were published in the September/October issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.

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— “Use of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry May Reduce Hospital Patients’ Length of Stay, Psychiatric News, October 1, 2019

MedPage Today (9/30, George) reports researchers conducted “a survey of dementia caregivers,” and found that the quality of life for patients with dementia “improved over 12 months with team-based telephone and Internet support.” The results were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (9/30, Reinberg) reports, “If a mother is depressed, her young children might be at risk for hyperactivity, aggressiveness and anxiety,” research indicated. The study also found that “a father’s depression only affected kids if mom was also depressed.” The findings were published online Sept. 30 in CMAJ. The article does not mention the number of children in the study.

Related Links:

— “Depressed Moms, More Anxious, Troubled Kids?, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, September 30, 2019

The NPR (9/30, Smith) “Shots” blog reports, “The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines on” Sept. 30 “that uphold the central role of medication, accompanied by behavioral therapy, in” the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in children and teens. But, “some parents, doctors and researchers who study kids with” AD/HD “say they are disappointed that the new guidelines don’t recommend behavioral treatment first for more children, as some recent research has suggested might lead to better outcomes.” But, “a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ ADHD Clinical Practice Guidelines Subcommittee says the group reviewed the recent ‘behavior first’ research but didn’t find the evidence strong enough to warrant a change in the guidelines.” Still, both the AAP “and its critics agree that not enough children are currently getting adequate behavioral treatment.”

HealthDay (9/30, Gordon) reports that Mark Wolraich, MD, “lead author of the guidelines, noted that there weren’t any dramatic differences between these and previous guidelines,” However, “he said, these latest updates keep the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines in sync with the same diagnostic and treatment criteria used by child and adolescent psychiatrists.” The guidelines were published online in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Pediatricians Stand By Meds For ADHD, But Some Say Therapy Should Come First, “Alex Smith, NPR, September 30, 2019