The New York Times (9/17, A20, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports that in 2001, GlaxoSmithKline “published a study showing that the antidepressant Paxil [paroxetine] was safe and effective for teenagers.” Yesterday, however, the BMJ “posted a new analysis of the same data concluding that the opposite is true.”

Reuters (9/17, Kelland) reports that the British Medical Journal criticized GlaxoSmithKline for providing delayed access to critical data from a clinical trial of paroxetine showing that the medication can cause an increased risk of suicide in adolescents. BMJ associate editor Peter Moshi, of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, argues in a recent re-analysis that GSK should have provided the data in 2001, while GSK claims that its disclosure of the data now displays its commitment to transparency.

The Washington Post (9/17, Bernstein, Cha) reports in “Health & Science” that “using 77,000 pages of previously unavailable documents, a team of researchers concluded that paroxetine…was no more effective than a placebo and considerably more dangerous than the original study indicated.” While “similar criticism of what is known as ‘Study 329’ began within a year of its publication,” yesterday’s “reappraisal…may be the most thorough yet.”

Related Links:

— “Antidepressant Paxil Is Unsafe for Teenagers, New Analysis Says,” Benedict Carey, New York Times, September 16, 2015.

HealthDay (9/16, Mozes) reports, “The cost of caring for a woman with Alzheimer’s disease is ultimately about six times more than it is for a man with this form of dementia,” according to a study published in the September/October issue of the journal Women’s Health Issues. After examining “data collected by the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey between 2000 and 2010,” researchers found that “when the patient is a man, the true value of the time and energy a female family member typically puts into her caregiving job is 20 times greater than that performed by a male family member when the patient-caregiver roles are reversed.”

Related Links:

— “Women the Bigger Losers in Terms of Alzheimer’s Costs,” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, September 15, 2015.

In the US News & World Report (9/15) “Policy Dose” blog, Lloyd Sederer, MD, medical director of the New York State Office of Mental Health, writes that “as more people seek” mental healthcare, “thanks to affordability, expanded coverage and greater help-seeking, we won’t have the psychiatric workforce to meet their growing demand.”

In fact, “we now have a serious supply problem when it comes to psychiatrists, as well as other mental health professionals,” he asserts. In two posts to come, Dr. Sederer “will detail a set of potential supply and demand solutions,” which, when “taken together…can help to substantially close the cavernous gap between the real national need for psychiatrists (and other mental health professionals) and the clinical workforce required.”

Related Links:

— “Where Have All the Psychiatrists Gone?,” Lloyd Sederer, U.S. News & World Report, September 15, 2015.

HealthDay (9/15, Dallas) reports that a study published online Sept. 14 in Pediatrics suggests that “natural and man-made disasters can put children’s health and development at risk for years to come.” Researchers found that some “14 percent” of US youngsters “between the ages of two and 17 have been exposed to some” sort of natural or man-made disaster. Many of these children may display “no visible signs of trouble,” and “even those who develop post-traumatic stress disorder may not be diagnosed unless their” physician “specifically asks about their symptoms.”

Related Links:

— “Disaster Aftereffects May Linger for Children,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 14, 2015.

In an editorial, the Baltimore Sun (9/15) points out that “in 2013, more than 41,000 people took their own lives in the United States, or an average of 113 per day.” After listing a number of factors that “put individuals at greater risk for suicide,” the Sun points out that “there is a critical role for all of us to communicate to our friends, our family members and our co-workers, particularly those who might be suffering suicidal thoughts, that there’s nothing wrong with seeking help and support.”

Related Links:

— “The unseen epidemic,” Baltimore Sun, September 14, 2015.