NPR (1/23, Wen) reported that “many young people falsely believe that…synthetic drugs provide a safe and legal alternative with the same high as illicit drugs,” even though “some synthetic cannabinoids can be up to 100 times more potent than marijuana.” In addition, “users don’t know which of thousands of chemical combinations they may be taking.” As a result, “cities across the U.S. have seen surges in” ED “visits and hospitalizations tied” to synthetic drugs.

Related Links:

— “Young People Surprised By Risky Synthetic Drugs They Considered Safe,” Leana Wen, National Public Radio, January 23, 2016.

Medscape (1/22, Davenport) reported that “the risk of depression following a diagnosis of diabetes falls during the second decade of having the disease and then rapidly rises,” investigators “have discovered, in a study that suggests there is a J-shaped relationship between the two conditions.” The researchers “found that living with diabetes initially doubles the risk of depression.” Medscape added, “Treatment and disease acceptance may then contribute to a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms, before the risk is” nearly “tripled after the third decade.” The researchers came to these conclusions after studying more than 5,400 men who were between the ages of 70 and 89.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (1/22, Melville) reports that research suggests that “suicide during pregnancy and in the postnatal period, though uncommon, is associated with important risk factors, including a greater likelihood of having received a diagnosis of depression and a lower chance of having received treatment, compared with suicides occurring outside of the perinatal period.” The study also found that “perinatal women who died as a result of suicide were younger than the women who died by suicide but who were not in the perinatal period (crude OR, -6.39; P < .0001).” Additionally, “they were more likely to be married (OR, 4.46; P < .0001), to have had illness of shorter duration (OR 2.93; P < .001), and to have no history of alcohol misuse (OR, 0.47; P = .027).” Investigators came to these conclusions after looking at data from the UK National Confidential Inquiry into Suicides and Homicides by People with Mental Illness. Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (1/24, Boyles) reports that research suggests “both new-onset and persistent depression are common among” individuals “with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” particularly “women with the disease and patients with a history of stroke.” Investigators found that nearly “one in four patients had depressive symptoms lasting at least 3 years in an analysis of data on close to 1,600 participants in the longitudinal ECLIPSE study, designed to examine COPD progression.” Additionally, “depression was” linked to “worse COPD outcomes.” The findings were published in the journal CHEST.

Related Links:

— “Persistent Depression Common With COPD,” Salynn Boyles, MedPage Today, January 24, 2016.

New York Magazine (1/21) reports that “according to a study in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” increased “55 percent for girls between 2003 and 2011.” Similar to “autism, early research on AD/HD focused heavily on young white boys; just one percent of research focuses on girls.” According to New York Magazine, this “means the American Psychiatric Association’s guidelines for AD/HD were male-centric – only recently did the diagnosis criteria change from symptoms being noticeable by age 7 to age 12, to account for the later onset in girls.

Related Links:

— “Why More Girls — and Women — Than Ever Are Now Being Diagnosed With ADHD,” Tanya Basu, New York Magazine, January 20, 2016.

HealthDay (1/26, Preidt) reports, “Family and friends of people who commit suicide are at high risk for attempted suicide themselves,” a study published online Jan. 26 in the journal BMJ Open suggests. Included in the study were some “3,400 university staff and students, aged 18 to 40, who experienced the sudden death of a relative or friend from natural causes or suicide.” People “whose relative or friend died of suicide were 65 percent more likely to attempt suicide than if the person died from natural causes.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide Risk Rises Among Family, Friends of Suicide Victims: Study,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, January 26, 2016.

LiveScience (1/27) reports on a new Gallup Poll that found moderate drinkers may be less likely to be depressed than those who abstain from alcohol. The poll showed that 13 percent “of moderate drinkers reported having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives, compared with 19 percent of nondrinkers and 17 percent of heavy drinkers.” Additionally, only 7 percent “of moderate drinkers said they are currently depressed or are being treated for the condition, compared with 11 percent of nondrinkers and 8 percent of heavy drinkers.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Director George Koob, “who was not involved in the poll, told Live Science that he was not surprised by the results.”

Related Links:

— “Moderate Drinkers Less Depressed Than Teetotalers, Poll Finds,” Sara G. Miller, LiveScience, January 26, 2016.

The CBS Evening News (1/26, story 6, 0:25, Pelley) reported, “Today a medical advisory panel recommended that all pregnant women and new mothers be screened for depression.” NBC Nightly News (1/26, story 9, 2:05, Holt) reported that the panel also “recommended screening every adult for depression.”

On its front page, the New York Times (1/26, A1, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports that yesterday, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), “an independent group of experts appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services,” made its first-ever recommendation for “screening for maternal mental illness” in wake “of new evidence that maternal mental illness is more common than previously thought; that many cases of what has been called postpartum depression actually start during pregnancy; and that left untreated, these mood disorders can be detrimental to the well-being of children.” The guidelines were published online Jan. 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Los Angeles Times (1/26, Healy) reports in “Science Now” that the USPSTF also “recommended that general physicians screen all adults for depression and treat those affected by the mood disorder with antidepressant medication, refer them to psychotherapy or do both.” According to the Times, these new recommendations “ensure that virtually all adults consulting with a physician will at some point be asked a battery of questions aimed at discerning the signs of depression.”

Related Links:

— “Panel Calls for Depression Screenings During and After Pregnancy,” Pam Belluck, New York Times, January 26, 2016.

NPR (1/21, Chen) reports in its “Shots” blog that a study published last August in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors “that found no connection between male teens’ marijuana use and the risk of psychotic disorders is in error, the researchers said Wednesday.” Upon reanalyzing their data, the researchers “found that the men in the study who smoked weed as youngsters were more likely to have psychotic disorders, but still were not more likely to report any health problems than nonsmokers.”

Related Links:

— “Study Erred In Finding No Link Between Teen Pot Use And Psychosis,” January 21, National Public Radio, January 21, 2016.

The Wall Street Journal (1/21, Marcus, Subscription Publication) reports that with people who have Down syndrome living longer lives, they are now more often battling Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are now seeking ways to address this issue. For instance, the National Institutes of Health recently launched a new initiative with the goal of finding biomarkers that may help detect and track the condition in individuals with Down syndrome. Meanwhile, homes are being built to provide specialized care to this population.

Related Links:

— “Down Syndrome Is Thought to Hold Clues to Alzheimer’s,” Amy Docker Marcus, Wall Street Journal, January 21, 2016.