Medical Daily (9/21, Dovey) reports that binge eating disorder (BED) may be “linked to a broad range of other illnesses,” research suggests. People with “BED had a 2.5 times greater risk of also having an endocrine disorder and a 1.9 times increased risk of a circulatory system disorder,” while “obese people with BED had a 1.5 times increased risk of having a respiratory disease and a 2.6 times increased risk of having a gastrointestinal disease than those who were not obese,” the study found.

The findings of the 9,350-patient study were published online Sept. 19 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Binge Eating Disorder Linked To 44 Health Conditions In Recent Study,” Dana Dovey, Medical Daily, September 21, 2016.

HealthDay (9/21, Dallas) reports, “People who have a brother or sister with schizophrenia are 10 times more likely to develop the mental illness,” researchers found after examining data on some “6,000 Israeli patients who were diagnosed and hospitalized with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression” who “were compared to about 75,000 healthy peers from an Israeli population database.”

According to Healio (9/21, Oldt), the findings were presented at the annual meeting of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Related Links:

— “Siblings of Schizophrenia Patients at Greater Risk for Same Diagnosis,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 21, 2016.

Reuters (9/21, Rapaport) reports that in girls, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may be “more likely to amplify issues with defiance and acting out than problems with depression or anxiety,” researchers found after analyzing “data from 18 previously published studies with a total of about 2,000 participants.” The review’s findings were published online Sept. 21 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Girls with ADHD often struggle with defiance, conduct issues,” Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, September 21, 2016.

Healio (9/21, Oldt) reports that patients “with mental health disorders had increased risk for suicide three months after discharge from a psychiatric hospital, particularly those who did not receive outpatient health care six months before hospital admission,” researchers found after evaluating “national retrospective longitudinal cohort of inpatients in the Medicaid program who were discharged with a first-listed diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder and other mental disorder (n = 770,643).”

Also included in the analysis was “a 10% random sample of inpatient adults diagnosed with nonmental disorders (n = 1,090,551).” The findings were published online Sept. 21 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (9/21) reports the authors of an accompanying editorial emphasized how “very important” it is “to carefully plan and initiate referrals for aftercare.” Under ideal circumstances, “outpatient treatment should be introduced before discharge, so that the patient is familiar with the persons who will care for them after discharge,” the editorialists wrote.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric inpatients have high risk for suicide after hospital discharge,” Amanda Oldt, Healio, September 21, 2016.

The Los Angeles Times (9/20, Healy) reports in “Science Now” that stress in women may “erase the benefits of a healthful diet,” researchers found. Specifically, the 58-woman study revealed that “suffering a day of stresses…erased the difference between women who got healthy fats and those who got fats more commonly linked to heart disease.” The findings were published Sept. 20 in Molecular Psychiatry. HealthDay (9/20, Thompson) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Chill out, ladies. Stress can erase the benefits of your healthful diet,” Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, September 20, 2016.

Kaiser Health News (9/19, Gold) reports that approximately one out of five US women “will experience depression in her lifetime, twice the number of men.” Currently, “about 15 percent of women take an antidepressant,” but “among women age 40 to 59, that number is nearly 23 percent, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Related Links:

— “The Women’s Health Issue No One Talks About,” Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News, September 19, 2016.

HealthDay (9/19, Dallas) reports about two-thirds of parents want middle schools and high schools to teach their students about “how to cope with issues such as stress, depression, bullying and suicide,” in their health classes, according to a survey done by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Many parents responded that their children’s schools do not currently teach about these topics in health classes.

Related Links:

— “2 of 3 Parents Want Schools to Expand Health Education,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 19, 2016.

In an article titled “5 Myths About Aging,” Consumer Reports (9/16, Levine) pointed out, “Older people are no more likely than younger ones to be depressed, says Robert Roca, MD, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Geriatric Psychiatry.” When seniors “do become depressed, ‘usually it stems from a loss associated with growing older,’” Dr. Roca explained. He said, “They lose loved ones or friends, they lose their identity because they retire, their physical vigor declines and they can’t do as many activities as they used to.”

Related Links:

— “5 Myths About Aging,” Hallie Levine, Consumer Reports, September 16, 2016.

PBS NewsHour (9/18, Segal) reports a recent spike in suicides in the US has raised concerns about the small number of psychiatric beds in the US for suicidal patients and others in need of psychiatric care. The article points out that the number of psychiatric beds for patients per capita in the US decreased by 95% between 1955 and 2005, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Related Links:

— “Why do suicidal patients wait hours for a hospital bed?,” CORINNE SEGAL, PBS NewsHour, September 18, 2016.

HealthDay (9/18, Dallas) reported, “Internet addiction may signal other mental health issues among college students,” researchers found after evaluating “internet use of 254 freshmen at McMaster University in Ontario.” The findings were scheduled for presentation at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Internet Addiction May Be Red Flag for Other Mental Health Issues: Study,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 19, 2016.