The Washington Post (6/17, Dennett) reports “that eating disorders in midlife — and beyond — are all too common among women,” as indicated by “a 2012 study [that] estimated that 13 percent of American woman age 50 and older have eating disorder symptoms.” Moreover, “a 2017 study found that about 3.5 percent of women older than 40 have a diagnosable eating disorder, yet most are not receiving treatment.” Finally, “another study found that though rates of anorexia plateau around age 26, rates of bulimia don’t plateau until around age 47, and rates of binge-eating disorder don’t plateau until the 70s.”

Related Links:

— “The overlooked crisis of eating disorders among middle-aged women, “Carrie Dennett, The Washington Post, June 17, 2019

MedPage Today (6/17, D’Ambrosio) reports, “Sexting among adolescents was linked to increased sexual behaviors and mental health risks in youth,” researchers concluded in a 23-study “review and meta-analysis.” The findings were published online June 17 in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (6/17, Thompson) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Teen Sexting Can Be Warning Sign of Other Risky Behaviors, “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 17, 2019

HealthDay (6/14, Reinberg) reported researchers found that “being smart and highly educated may not prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but it appears to delay the disease’s impact on everyday life.” The findings of the 331-participant study were published online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Related Links:

— “Education, Intelligence Might Protect Your Brain, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, June 14, 2019

Healio (6/14, Demko) reported, “Most U.S. adults with mental health disorders have not received treatment for their conditions in the last year, and treatment rates were especially low for substance use disorders,” researchers concluded after examining the “2012 to 2013 data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.” After analyzing “past 12-month disorder-specific mental health treatment patterns of common DSM-5 disorders in 36,309 U.S. adults,” investigators also found that “lack of insurance coverage increased the odds of not receiving treatment for almost all mental disorders, excluding specific phobia (OR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.3-1.03), non-tobacco drug use disorders (OR = 0.8; 95% CI, 0.47-1.36) and alcohol use disorder (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.12-2.07).” The findings were published online May 28 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Many people with mental health disorders do not receive treatment, “Savannah Demko, Healio, June 14, 2019

HealthDay (6/13, Reinberg) reports researchers found that Lyrica (pregabalin), a gabapentinoid used to treat epilepsy and other diseases, “could make some young people more prone to suicide.” The findings of the 191,973-participant study were published online in the BMJ.

Related Links:

— “Epilepsy DrugTied to Higher Risk of Suicidal Behavior in Young Users, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, June 13, 2019

MedPage Today (6/13, Boyles) reports researchers found that “college students who didn’t get enough sleep had more depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after examining “data from 110,496 college students surveyed in the 2011-2014 waves of the” National College Health Assessment. The findings were presented at SLEEP 2019.

Related Links:

— “Sleep Deprivation Ups Mental Health Risk in College Kids, ” Salynn Boyles, MedPage, June 13, 2019

HealthDay (6/13, McKiski) reports research indicates that “just a half hour of vigorous exercise” may help reduce the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The findings of the 35-participant study were published in the May issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Related Links:

— “Workouts: A Prescription to Ease Severe Chronic Anxiety?, “Kayla McKiski, HealthDay, June 13, 2019

Reuters (6/12, Rapaport) reports, “Heart attack survivors with chronic mood disorders may be more likely to die prematurely than their counterparts who don’t suffer these problems,” researchers concluded after evaluating nearly “58,000 patients for emotional distress two months after a heart attack, and again at 12 months after the event,” then following “a majority of patients for at least four years.” The study revealed that “compared to those who didn’t report any emotional distress at all, people who felt depressed or anxious at both assessments were 46% more likely to die of cardiovascular causes during the follow-up period and 54% more likely to die from other causes.” The findings were published online June 3 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The author of an accompanying editorial observed, “We do not know for certain whether treating depression or anxiety improves survival, but there is some evidence that it probably does.”

Related Links:

— “Chronic depression after heart attack tied to increased risk of death, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, June 12, 2019

USA Today (6/13, O’Donnell) reports that “young adults were more likely than any other age group to die from drugs, alcohol and suicide over the past decade.” Drug-related fatalities “among people 18 to 34 soared 108% between 2007 and 2017, while alcohol deaths were up 69% and suicides increased 35%, according to an analysis out Thursday of the latest federal data by the non-profit Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust.” The analysis, which used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, “found the increases for these three ‘deaths of despair’ combined were higher than for Baby Boomers and senior citizens.”

Related Links:

— “‘Deaths of despair’ from drugs, alcohol and suicide hit young adults hardest, “Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today, June 13, 2019

Reuters (6/12, Rapaport) reports that “nearly half of trauma patients, even those without brain injuries, experience social deficits that make it harder for them to interact with friends and stay involved in the community, a recent study suggests.” For the study, “researchers followed 805 adults hospitalized for moderate to severe traumatic injuries. During the year after the injury, 364 of them, or 45%, reported experiencing social dysfunction.” The findings were published in the journal Surgery.

Related Links:

— “Traumatic injuries linked to later social dysfunction, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, June 21, 2019