In a 4,400-word article, The Atlantic (9/20, Opar) reports that many parents of children with autism are resorting to alternative treatments, such as consultations with psychics, “vitamin supplements, topical ointments, restrictive diets, chelation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, brain scans, a so-called detoxification system, and stem-cell therapy.”

In fact, “up to 88 percent of boys and girls with autism in the United States receive some alternative treatment,” studies have found. But, “few of these therapies have been adequately tested for safety or efficacy, many come with a hefty price tag, and some are downright dangerous.”

Related Links:

— “The Dangers of Snake-Oil Treatments for Autism,” ALISA OPAR, The Atlantic, September 22, 2016.

Medical Daily (9/21, Dovey) reports that binge eating disorder (BED) may be “linked to a broad range of other illnesses,” research suggests. People with “BED had a 2.5 times greater risk of also having an endocrine disorder and a 1.9 times increased risk of a circulatory system disorder,” while “obese people with BED had a 1.5 times increased risk of having a respiratory disease and a 2.6 times increased risk of having a gastrointestinal disease than those who were not obese,” the study found.

The findings of the 9,350-patient study were published online Sept. 19 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Binge Eating Disorder Linked To 44 Health Conditions In Recent Study,” Dana Dovey, Medical Daily, September 21, 2016.

HealthDay (9/21, Dallas) reports, “People who have a brother or sister with schizophrenia are 10 times more likely to develop the mental illness,” researchers found after examining data on some “6,000 Israeli patients who were diagnosed and hospitalized with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression” who “were compared to about 75,000 healthy peers from an Israeli population database.”

According to Healio (9/21, Oldt), the findings were presented at the annual meeting of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Related Links:

— “Siblings of Schizophrenia Patients at Greater Risk for Same Diagnosis,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 21, 2016.

Reuters (9/21, Rapaport) reports that in girls, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may be “more likely to amplify issues with defiance and acting out than problems with depression or anxiety,” researchers found after analyzing “data from 18 previously published studies with a total of about 2,000 participants.” The review’s findings were published online Sept. 21 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Girls with ADHD often struggle with defiance, conduct issues,” Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, September 21, 2016.

Healio (9/21, Oldt) reports that patients “with mental health disorders had increased risk for suicide three months after discharge from a psychiatric hospital, particularly those who did not receive outpatient health care six months before hospital admission,” researchers found after evaluating “national retrospective longitudinal cohort of inpatients in the Medicaid program who were discharged with a first-listed diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder and other mental disorder (n = 770,643).”

Also included in the analysis was “a 10% random sample of inpatient adults diagnosed with nonmental disorders (n = 1,090,551).” The findings were published online Sept. 21 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (9/21) reports the authors of an accompanying editorial emphasized how “very important” it is “to carefully plan and initiate referrals for aftercare.” Under ideal circumstances, “outpatient treatment should be introduced before discharge, so that the patient is familiar with the persons who will care for them after discharge,” the editorialists wrote.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric inpatients have high risk for suicide after hospital discharge,” Amanda Oldt, Healio, September 21, 2016.