HealthDay (10/6, Salamon) reports, “Women in midlife with a history of depression appear at markedly greater risk of suffering from heart disease,” investigators found. After tracking some “1,100 women over 10 years, researchers found that depression was the only significant risk factor for coronary artery disease in women younger than 65 who had no history of heart ailments at the beginning of the study.” The findings were scheduled for presentation at the North American Menopause Society’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Depression Can Fuel Heart Disease in Midlife Women: Study,” Maureen Salamon, HealthDay, October 6, 2016.

The New York Times (10/5, Reynolds, Subscription Publication) “Well” blog reports that a “single concussion experienced by a child or teenager may have lasting repercussions on mental health and intellectual and physical functioning throughout adulthood, and multiple head injuries increase the risks of later problems,” according to a large study conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield and published in PLOS Medicine.

Related Links:

— “A Single Concussion May Have Lasting Impact,” GRETCHEN REYNOLDS, New York Times, October 5, 2016.

HCP Live (10/5, Lutz) reports heredity appears to play “a major part in the development of” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), a researcher found after “using the Swedish Twin Registry…to compare identical twins to fraternal twins to identify the genetic versus environmental factors that determine” the development of AD/HD. The findings were published in a successfully defended doctoral thesis from Sweden’s Linköping University.

Related Links:

— “Heredity an Important Factor in ADHD, Alcoholism, and Binge Eating,” Rachel Lutz, HCP Live, October 5, 2016.

Medical Daily (10/5) reports, “Young girls suffering from” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may also be “more likely to be diagnosed with” a comorbid anxiety disorder, “depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder than” girls without the disorder. The findings of the 18-study meta-analysis were published in the October issue of Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Girls With ADHD At Risk For Behavioral Problems, Anxiety,” Ed Cara, Medical Daily, October 5, 2016.

In a nearly 1,300 word article, Kaiser Health News (10/4, Gorman) reports some long-term care facilities are using “doll therapy” to help relax residents with dementia. Some research suggests the controversial method “can reduce the need for medications, diminish anxiety and improve communication.”

Related Links:

— “When Pretend Play Is Real For Alzheimer’s Patients,” Anna Gorman , Kaiser Health News, October 4, 2016.