In a nearly 1,600-word article, the Scientific American (1/25, Landhuis) reports, “Recent studies in North America, the UK and Europe suggest that dementia risk among seniors in some high-income countries has dropped steadily over the past 25 years.” Should that trend be “driven by midlife factors such as building ‘brain reserve’ and maintaining heart health, as some experts suspect, this could lend credence to staying mentally engaged and taking cholesterol-lowering drugs as preventive measures.”

Related Links:

— “Is Dementia Risk Falling?,” Esther Landhuis, Scientific American, January 25, 2016.

Karen Ranus and Greg Hansch, both of NAMI Texas, and Dennis Borel, of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, write in the Austin (TX) American-Statesman (1/26, Subscription Publication) that “because guns are now allowed in Texas’ 10 state-run psychiatric hospitals, individuals accessing treatment for serious and persistent mental health conditions are now at higher risk for trauma and more vulnerable to suicide.” The trio says that “as advocates for individuals with mental illness and their families,” they “have grave concerns about this major policy shift, which allows the open carry of guns in areas used in the treatment and care of a highly vulnerable population in our state hospitals.”

Related Links:

— “Commentary: Open carry in state hospitals fails to protect vulnerable,” Karen Ranus, Greg Hansch, and Dennis Borel, Austin American-Statesman, January 26, 2016.

In his column in the Boston Globe (1/25), Kevin Cullen writes that last month, Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) “filed a bill that would require insurers to disclose how often they deny mental health and substance abuse claims and to explain why.” Kennedy’s measure “is just one piece aimed at reforming a dysfunctional system in which we have tried to lock up rather than treat those with mental illnesses and addictions.” In the “next seven months,” Kennedy is planning “to roll out a series of reforms,” Cullen says.

Related Links:

— “Forcing the conversation on mental health,” Kevin Cullen, Boston Glone, January 25, 2016.

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.