MedPage Today (3/9, Phend) reports that research indicated “caregivers feeling strained by their duties for a spouse were more likely to suffer strokes.” Investigators found that “spousal caregivers who reported being under moderate or severe strain had a 5.1% rate of incident stroke, compared with 2.6% among propensity-matched people who were not caregivers.” Meanwhile, “high strain overall among caregivers, regardless of relationships to the family member cared for, showed a nearly identical hazard ratio, but it fell just short of statistical significance.” The findings were presented at the Epidemiology and Prevention and Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions meeting.

Related Links:

— “Stressed Spouse Caregivers at Higher Stroke Risk,” Crystal Phend, MedPage Today, March 9, 2016.

The Bend Bulletin (3/10, McLaughlin) reports that in Oregon and across the US, “psychiatrists are in short supply.” What’s more, “the Health Resources Services Administration predicts a decline in psychiatrists per capita by 2025.” To address that situation, “the American Psychiatric Association is promoting more public funding for specialist training, as well as bipartisan mental health legislation that includes fixes for the workforce shortage.” In addition, the APA is “counting on the integration of mental health, substance abuse and primary-care services to lessen the load on specialists.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatrists in short supply for Central Oregon,” Kathleen McLaughlin, Bend Bulletin, March 10, 2016.

HealthDay (3/8, Preidt) reports that “abuse of AD/HD stimulant drugs…is on the rise, and” research published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence “finds that most teens who abuse the drugs get them from someone else.” About 11,000 US children and teens were surveyed. Approximately “7 percent of the participants said they had used a prescription stimulant drug in the past 30 days, and more than half said their use was non-medical.” The researchers found that nearly “90 percent of the kids who were abusing an AD/HD” medication “said they had used someone else’s medication.”

Related Links:

— “Most Teens Who Abuse ADHD Meds Get Them From Others,” Robert Preidt, Healthy, March 8, 2016.

MedPage Today (3/3) reports, “Staying engaged in activities like reading, crafting, and socializing may stave off the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI),” research suggests. “In an analysis of data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging” to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in April, “five ‘mentally stimulating’ activities – playing games, reading magazines, doing crafts, using the computer, and social activities – were each associated with a reduced risk of MCI in patients 70 and up.”

Related Links:

— “Engaged Brain Tied to Lower Cognitive Risk,” Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today, March 3, 2016.

HealthDay (3/3, Thompson) reports, “People diagnosed with psychosis will probably have a longer, harder struggle to maintain their mental health if they’re regular marijuana users,” the findings of a study published online March 3 in the journal BMJ Open suggest. After reviewing “the electronic health records of slightly more than 2,000 people treated for a first episode of psychosis between 2006 and 2013,” researchers also found that patients “who just experienced their first episode of psychotic illness are 50 percent more likely to need subsequent hospitalization for their condition if they use marijuana.”

Related Links:

— “Psychosis Plus Pot a Bad Mix: Study,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 3, 2016.