MedPage Today (5/20, Smith) reports, “A general predisposition to mental illness, rather than any specific condition, is the major risk factor for suicide attempts,” according to research presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting and published May 18 in Molecular Psychiatry. During a follow-up period lasting three years, “mental disorders were linked to the risk of suicide attempts” in an “analysis of the first two waves (in 2001-2002 and 2004-2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative face-to-face survey of the US adult population.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide Attempts Linked to General Mental Illness,” Michael Smith, MedPage Today, May 19, 2015.

Reuters (5/20, Kelland) reports that a study published online May 20 in the journal Psychological Medicine suggests that people who are bullied in childhood have an increased likelihood of becoming obese or overweight as adults and may also have a greater risk of developing diabetes or heart disease. Included in the study were 7,102 people who had been bullied in childhood and who were tracked until they became 45 and were examined for obesity and blood markers for inflammation.

Related Links:

— “Bullied kids have higher risk of adult obesity and heart disease,” Kate Kelland, Reuters, May 19, 2015.

HealthDay (5/20, Preidt) reports that a review published May 19 in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that “antidepressants seem to help women deal with postpartum depression.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after examining the results of “six studies that included nearly 600 women with postpartum depression,” then focusing “their analysis on 72 women with postpartum depression from three of the studies.”

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Ease Postpartum Depression, Study Finds,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, May 19, 2015.

The Columbus (OH) Dispatch (5/19, Ockerman) reports that “a bill proposed by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, would require mental-health assessments for incoming recruits to establish a baseline and then also mandate assessments when service members leave the military.” The senator “joined Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, in introducing the Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act in March to help detect mental illness among veterans earlier and more effectively.”

Related Links:

— “Portman finds support for military mental-health screening,” Emma Ockerman, Columbus Dispatch, May 18, 2015.

HealthDay (5/19, Doheny) reports that according to a study due for presentation at a medical meeting, “men with undiagnosed, severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had more than double the risk of depression compared to those without sleep apnea.” The 860-man study also revealed that “men who had both undiagnosed, severe apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness had” up to a “five times greater” risk of depression.

Related Links:

— “Sleep Apnea May Boost Depression Risk in Men, Study Finds,” Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, May 18, 2015.