Medscape (3/21, Davenport) reports, “Psychiatry is facing an ongoing crisis because pharmaceutical companies are not investing in” research into new psychiatric medications, “warned an investigator who has turned to nonpsychiatric” medicines “in a bid to find optimally effective treatments for his patients with mental illness.” At the European Psychiatric Association’s 24th Congress, Dominik Wincewicz, MD, of Poland’s Medical University of Bialystok suggested that “researchers…look beyond psychiatry into other specialties, such as cardiology, where already approved drugs have shown benefits in managing stress and cognitive impairment.”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The AP (3/22, Finley) reports that some veterans are “increasingly using cannabis” to manage their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “even though it remains illegal in most states and is unapproved by the Department of Veterans Affairs because major studies have yet to show it is effective against PTSD.” Even though studies have “been contradictory and limited, some former members of the military say pot helps them manage their anxiety, insomnia and nightmares.”

Related Links:

— “VETERANS ARE USING POT TO EASE PTSD, DESPITE SCANT RESEARCH,” Ben Finlay, Associated Press, March 22, 2016.

Reuters (3/21, Seaman) reports that young transgender women appear to have an increased likelihood of mental health issues, including addiction or depression, the findings of a 300-patient study published online March 21 in JAMA Pediatrics suggest.

HealthDay (3/21, Mozes) points out that “mental health and substance abuse issues are roughly two to four times greater among these transgender women than among the US population at large,” the study found.

According to MedPage Today (3/21, Walker), an accompanying editorial observed, “Timely and appropriate care for transgender adolescents and young adults is imperative to help them achieve health and wellness.” The study received financial support from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Depression, addiction common among young transgender women,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, March 21, 2016.

The Huffington Post (3/18, Holmes) reported that investigators “from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed answers from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health and found that one in seven children experiences a psychological disorder.” The study data, “based on more than 35,000 children ages two to eight,” examined “parents’ responses about their child’s language problems, learning disabilities, reported” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, “anxiety, depression and more.”

Related Links:

— “An Astonishing Number Of Kids Have Psychological Disorders,” Lindsay Holmes, Huffington Post, March 18, 2016.

MedPage Today (3/17, Jackson) reports, “Older adults who are severely depressed and getting worse over time may be at higher risk of developing dementia,” the findings of a 2,488-participant study published online March 16 in JAMA Psychiatry suggest. The study, which received support from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute for Nursing Research, and the National Institute of Mental Health, among others, revealed that “a high and increasing depressive symptom trajectory was associated with significantly increased risk of dementia.” While “moderate and increasing symptom trajectory was not associated with increased risk of dementia,” it “may be related to underlying neurodegenerative disease, researchers reported.”

Related Links:

— “Worsening Depression Tied to Dementia Risk,” Kay Jackson, MedPage Today, March 17, 2016.