The NBC News (2/18, Fox) website reports that “more Americans than ever are overdosing on anxiety” medications. Researchers found that while the amount of filled prescriptions for anxiety medications has tripled from 1996 to 2013, the number of overdoses quadrupled over the same time period.

Related Links:

— “Anxiety Drug Overdoses Have Quadrupled Over Last Two Decades, Study Finds,” Maggie Fox, NBC News, February 18, 2016.

The Huffington Post (2/18, Pearson) reports that antenatal depression “affects roughly 15 to 25 percent of expectant mothers,” and is not given as much attention as postpartum depression. Meanwhile, “the DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association’s official manual of mental disorders, does not recognize antenatal and postpartum depression as separate things, instead including them both under the umbrella of ‘major depression’ with a specifier of ‘peripartum onset.’”

Both conditions “can be closely intertwined,” however. “Women who are depressed or anxious during pregnancy are 50 percent more likely than the general population to struggle postpartum,” said clinical social worker Kate Kripke, founder of the Postpartum Wellness Center of Boulder.

Related Links:

— “We Need To Talk More About Depression During Pregnancy,” Catherine Pearson, Huffington Post, February 17, 2016.

Medscape (2/17, Brooks) reports that “a sense of meaning in life may be a critical factor in curbing suicidal thoughts in older adults.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (2/17, Mozes) reports, “Nearly four in 10 people who seriously consider suicide end up recovering long-term, achieving a mental state that’s free of suicidal symptoms or thoughts,” a study published online Jan. 26 in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior suggests. After examining “nearly 2,900 formerly suicidal men and women,” researchers also found that “chances of recovery are more than seven times greater when a patient has a close confidant to trust and count on.”

Related Links:

— “Many Suicidal People Make Long-Term Recovery, Study Shows,” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, February 17, 2016.

USA Today (2/17, Puente) reports that HRH Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, wrote a guest editor piece in “The Blog” for the Huffington Post (UK) promoting children’s mental health. The Duchess is “trying to give more of her spotlight to improving children’s mental-health policies, to dispel the taboo of talking about it in public and to help parents and kids find resources they need.” The Duchess is launching a “new global initiative” under the hashtag of #YoungMindsMatter.

The AP (2/18) reports, “US first lady Michelle Obama also wrote an article for the site, praising” the Duchess “for shining ‘a bright light on mental health, particularly children’s mental health, and on the tens of millions of people who suffer in silence.’”

Related Links:

— “Duchess Kate takes over Huffington Post UK as guest editor for a day,” Maria Puente, USA Today, February 17, 2016.