Medscape (10/9, Brauser) reports that according to a meta-analysis published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, “psychotherapy may be effective in treating subclinical depression and may prevent progression to major depressive disorder (MDD).” The “meta-analysis of 18 studies of adult participants with subclinical depression showed that among those who received some form of psychotherapy, there was a significant reduction in the incidence of major depressive episode six months later, compared with those who received a controlled condition.” What’s more, “psychotherapy had a moderate effect on lowering depressive symptoms.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

TIME (10/8, Sifferlin) reports that, according to two reports published in The Lancet Psychiatry, “schools should be a first line of defense for catching young people at risk for mental health issues from depression to” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).

UK-specific data in the reports indicate that “about 75% of adults who access mental health treatment had a diagnosable disorder when they were under age 18, but in high-income countries, only 25% of kids with mental health problems get treatment.” But, “by prioritizing mental health in a child’s early years, more people will get the treatment they need early on.”

Related Links:

— “Why Schools Should Screen Their Students’ Mental Health,” Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, October 7, 2014.

Medscape (10/8, Cassels) reports that, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in conjunction with the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly “a quarter of American adults experienced at least one mental health disorder in the past year.”

The report found that “22.5% of American adults (51.2 million people) had at least one mental disorder in the past year.” Some 17 million Americans “(7.4% of the adult population) suffered mood disorders, including major depression and bipolar disorders.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

In “The Appraisal,” the New York Times (10/7, A27, Chaban, Subscription Publication) reports that the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice seeks “to cut the United States incarceration rate of 2.3 million in half over the next decade.”

While this will involve “advocacy campaigns and lobbying, including for sentencing reforms and the decriminalization of drugs,” it will focus primarily on “the establishment of better mental health treatment for inmates in the United States,” starting with a 25-bed center to help people with convictions who also have mental illnesses.

Founder Francis J. Greenburger, a New York developer, has a son with mental illness who is now serving a five-year prison sentence for arson.

Related Links:

— “From a Father’s Anguish Comes a Plan to Help Mentally Ill Inmates,” Matt A. V. Chaban, New York Times, October 6, 2014.

HealthDay (10/7, Preidt) reports that, according to a study published online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, when it comes to treating a substance abuser suffering from a severe mental disorder, “treating substance abuse at the outset is more likely to reduce violent acts.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after following “nearly 300 patients for six months after their enrollment in an outpatient treatment program for both substance abuse and mental illness.”

The study’s lead author wrote, “Our findings suggest that treatment attendance is very important for these individuals and treatment programs should include interventions that are likely to decrease substance abuse, as this may provide the additional benefit of reducing the risk of later aggression among dual-diagnosis patients.”

Related Links:

— “Addiction Treatment Key to Curbing Violence in Mentally Ill: Study,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 6, 2014.

HealthDay (10/7, Thompson) reports on a new study that finds mental health problems in one-third of German cancer patients. The study, published yesterday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, notes 32% of cancer patients’ responses to researchers were consistent with “a full-blown psychological disorder.”

Investigators from the University of Leipzig interviewed 2,100 patients aged 18-75 and compared their responses to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Mental illness rates varied based on cancer type, ranging from a low of 20% for patients with pancreatic, prostate, stomach, or esophageal cancers and a high of 40% for patients with breast or head and neck cancer or melanoma.

Related Links:

— “Cancer Diagnosis Can Take Toll on Mental Health, Study Finds,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 6, 2014.

HealthDay (10/6, Preidt) reports a study published in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine suggests that overweight and obese people are the frequent target of cyberbullying and negative messages on social media. Reviewing more than 1.3 million messages with keywords relating to obesity, researchers found a “large number of negative stereotypes, ‘fat’ jokes, self-deprecating humor and alienation of overweight and obese people.”

Related Links:

— “The Obese Are Frequent Targets for Cyberbullies,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 3, 2014.

The New York Times (10/4, Ellin, Subscription Publication) reported that a study published in the journal “Addiction” found that 2.8 million older adults in the US “meet the criteria for alcohol abuse, and this number is expected to reach 5.7 million by 2020.” According to the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2008. “231,200 people over 50 sought treatment for substance abuse, up from 102,700 in 1992.”

Related Links:

— “More Older Adults Are Struggling With Substance Abuse,” Abby Ellin, New York Times, October 3, 2014.

Bloomberg News (10/3, Cortez) reports that the number of Americans “dying from heroin overdoses doubled across 28 states in 2012 from 2010,” citing the CDC. The shift has mainly been due to ready access “and rising rates of opioid addiction,” the piece adds.

Bloomberg notes that the “unusual analysis” unveiled today by the CDC’s weekly bulletin came in the wake of the agency’s effort to find out “if reports from some states about spikes in heroin use and related deaths since 2010 were part of a larger nationwide trend.” In sheer numbers, there were 3,635 heroin deaths in 2012, compared with 1,779 two years earlier, the piece adds.

The Washington Times (10/3, Pace) highlights that death rates from heroin rose “in every age cohort, ethnic group (except American Indians/Alaskan Natives) and region of the country.” According to the paper, “men were nearly four times as likely to overdose from heroin as women, and 25- to 34-year-olds had the highest heroin-overdose death rate.” The piece notes that from 2010 to 2012, “the death rate from heroin overdose increased from 1.0 to 2.1 people per 100,000 in the population.”

Related Links:

— “Heroin Deaths Double in the U.S., Fueled by Access,” Michelle Fay Cortez, Bloomberg News, October 2, 2014.

HealthDay (10/3, Reinberg) reports that according to the results of a 108-patient study published online Oct. 2 in the journal Stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) may increase the “risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” The study found that nearly a third of patients who had a TIA “developed symptoms of PTSD, including depression, anxiety and reduced quality of life.” The NPR (10/3, Shute) “Shots” blog also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Mini-Strokes May Lead to PTSD, Study Finds,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 2, 2014.