Medscape (10/3) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Psychiatry, “researchers confirmed the strong link between preterm birth and the risk for autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).” The study, which “identified all individuals born in Sweden from 1973 to 2008 (3,300,708 offspring of 1,736,735 mothers) and linked them with various outcomes through 2009,” also revealed that “other problems that have previously been closely linked to preterm birth, including severe mental illness, learning problems, suicide, and economic woes, may instead be more closely related to other conditions that family members share.”

Medwire (10/3, Piper) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 30 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, “comorbid anxiety may flag those patients with bipolar depression who are in particular need of intensive psychotherapy.” The study found that “among 269 patients with bipolar depression…177 had a comorbid lifetime anxiety disorder.” Notably, “the response rate for 99 patients assigned to intensive psychotherapy…was 66%, compared with just 49% for the 78 patients assigned to brief collaborative care.”

Related Links:

— “Comorbid anxiety warns of bipolar psychotherapy need, “Lucy Piper, Medwire News, October 3, 2013.

The CBS Evening News reported that, according to a study published Oct. 3 in the New England Journal of Medicine, “patients who are treated in intensive care units often leave with dementia, even when there is no evidence of it prior to their treatment.”

The Los Angeles Times (10/3, Healy) reports that the study revealed that almost two-thirds of ICU patients “come away from the experience with substantial mental deficits,” and that “three months after leaving the hospital, four in 10 patients continue to have cognitive problems on a par with those seen in cases of moderate traumatic brain injury. “ Approximately a quarter of ICU patients “experience a decline in mental function akin to that seen in patients with mild Alzheimer’s,” the study found.

Related Links:

— “After an ICU stay, cognitive loss is common, study says, “Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, October 2, 2013.

Bloomberg News (10/1, Kitamura) reports that, according to a study published Sept. 30 in the journal BMJ Open, “stress in middle age may contribute to development of Alzheimer’s disease later in life.” The study of “800 Swedish women born between 1914 and 1930 who underwent neuropsychiatric tests periodically between 1968 and 2005” revealed that psychological stress was tied to a “21 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Huffington Post (10/1, Brenoff) reports that “the number of stressors reported by the women in 1968” was also tied to “a 15 percent heightened risk of developing any type of dementia, the analysis showed.”

Related Links:

— “Stress in Midlife Linked to Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, “Makiko Kitamura, Bloomberg News, September 30, 2013.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times (9/30, A25, Gaudiano, Subscription Publication), clinical psychologist Brandon A. Gaudiano, PhD, of Brown University’s Alpert Medical School, contends that “psychotherapy has an image problem.” The way things are now, “the fact that medications have a clearer, better marketed evidence base leads to more reliable insurance coverage than psychotherapy has,” as well as “more prescriptions and fewer referrals to psychotherapy.” Gaudiano also points out that professional psychotherapy organizations need to do more to promote the practice, particularly in light of new, evidence-based psychotherapy practices that have proven to be most effective. Gaudiano points out that the American Psychiatric Association has been the publisher of psychotherapy practice guidelines for about 20 years, making recommendations for appropriate treatments for particular circumstances.

Related Links:

— “Psychotherapy’s Image Problem, “Brandon Gaudiano, The New York Times, September 29, 2013.

In an article devoted to the employment challenges of adults with autism, USA Today (9/28, Weintraub) reported, “Slightly more than half of young people with autism have ever worked for pay since leaving high school, according to a survey published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.” Approximately “85% of those who were least disabled had worked, compared with just 12% of those most severely disabled.” Paul Shattuck, of Autism Institute at Drexel University, theorizes that “social and communications challenges that define autism put” adults with autism at a real disadvantage, because it is difficult for them to interact with others effectively while on the job.

Related Links:

— “Parents create custom jobs for adult kids with autism, “Karen Weintraub, USA Today, September 28, 2013.

The New York Times (9/29, Luo, McIntire, Subscription Publication), a 5,300-word feature highlighted the incidence of accidental shootings in US homes when children find weapons in the house and play with them. The paper reviewed “hundreds of child firearm deaths” and discovered that such accidental shootings are happening at about twice the rate officially recorded. This higher rate of accidental gun deaths is said to be caused by “idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities.” Earlier this year, the National Rifle Association cited the official numbers in its fact sheet stating the group’s opposition to “safe storage” laws. Using the number the Times found, the NRA’s assertion that falls, poisoning, or environmental factors were more likely to kill children than guns would be “incorrect.” Currently, less than 20 states have implemented laws holding adults criminally responsible if their guns aren’t stored safely.

Related Links:

— “Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll, “Michael Luo, The New York Times, September 28, 2013.

The New York Times (9/28, BU1, Abelson, Subscription Publication) reported on continuing battles patients fight to have mental healthcare covered by insurers, a situation the Times says is unlikely to get better until Federal regulators write the rules for parity under the Affordable Care Act. Until then, the effect of the law is “still unclear.” Despite the earlier Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which is generally agreed to have “fallen short of its goal,” patients often owe thousands for treatment of serious mental illness. The Times says that’s partly because there’s little agreement or generally accepted standards of care for “how mental illness should be treated – and at what cost.”

Related Links:

— “Lacking Rules, Insurers Balk at Paying for Intensive Psychiatric Care, “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, September 27, 2013.

MedPage Today (9/27, Neale) reports that research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting suggests that people “who have both diabetes and depression have an increased likelihood of having a myocardial infarction (MI).” The likelihood “of having an MI compared with individuals without either condition were greatest among those ages 45 to 64, with the strongest association seen in women (OR 7.1, 95% CI 6.1-8.2), according to Karin Rådholm, of Linköping University in Sweden.” Meanwhile, “the corresponding odds ratio for men in that age group was 2.8 (95% CI 2.5-3.2), Rådholm reported.”

Related Links:

— “Diabetes and Depression Combo Hikes MI Risk, “Todd Neale, MedPage Today, September 26, 2013.

Medscape (9/27, Mulcahy) reports that research presented here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 55th Annual Meeting suggests that a brief “2-question survey can effectively screen cancer patients for depression.” The test, called “PHQ-2 [Patient Health Questionaire-2], asks how often, in the past 2 weeks, the patient has felt ‘little interest or pleasure in doing things,’ and how often the patient has felt ‘down, depressed, or hopeless.’” Researchers found that “the quick quiz identified patients at risk for depression as well as or better than longer surveys did.” The study included 455 patients.