HealthDay (9/2, Preidt) reports on a new study that challenges the perception that marijuana is not addictive, highlighting that many teen marijuana users showed withdrawal symptoms when they made efforts to stop using the drug. “As more people are able to obtain and consume cannabis legally for medical and, in some states, recreational use, people are less likely to perceive it as addictive or harmful,” study co-author John Kelly, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Addiction Medicine, said in a statement.

In the new study, researchers followed outcomes for 127 teens between the ages of 14 to 19. “Of those 90 teens, 76 (84 percent) met criteria for marijuana dependence, including increased tolerance for, and use of, marijuana, as well as unsuccessful attempts to reduce or stop using the drug,” the article notes.

Related Links:

— “‘Pot Addiction’ May Be Real, Study Suggests,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 2, 2014.

The NPR (9/2, Hobson) “Shots” blog reported that, according to the results of a 340-patient study published online Sept. 1 in the journal Pediatrics, taking stimulant medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in childhood appears not to lead to “height deficits in adulthood.”

HealthDay (9/3, Reinberg) reports that the study’s lead author “said this study is unique because it followed a group of people with AD/HD who were taking stimulant medications and compared them with a group with AD/HD who were not taking medication and also a group that didn’t have AD/HD.” All participants “were followed from childhood to adulthood, she said.” HealthDay also notes, “AD/HD is one of the most common disorders of childhood, according to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).”

Related Links:

— “More Evidence That ADHD Drugs Don’t Curb Ultimate Height,” Katherine Hobson, National Public Radio, September 1, 2014.

Reuters (9/2, Doyle) reports a study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that regular dinners with their families may help children cope with online bullying. The study also suggests that other means of talking with family members, such as during car rides, also helps.

TIME (9/2, Sifferlin) reports on the study indicating “about 1 in 5 young people experience some form of online bullying, which can have serious effects on mental health and behavior.” Investigators found “a positive association between cyberbullying and problems like anxiety, depression and self-harm as well as substance abuse like frequent drinking and prescription drug abuse.”

Related Links:

— “Family dinners may help kids cope with cyberbullying,” Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, September 1, 2014.

The New York Times (9/2) reports in its “Well” blog of potential risks to newborn babies stemming from pregnant women’s use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants such as Prozac (fluoxetine). The piece notes that up to “14 percent of pregnant women take antidepressants,” and the FDA has warned that Paxil (paroxetine) could be responsible for birth defects. The blog posting notes that the “prevailing attitude among doctors has been that depression during pregnancy is more dangerous to mother and child than any drug could be. Now a growing number of critics are challenging that assumption.”

The paper points out that three new studies have highlighted concerns about long-term developmental effects for SSRIs, including one by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, who noted in April “that boys with autism were nearly three times more likely to have been exposed to S.S.R.I.s before birth than typically developing boys.”

Related Links:

— “Are Antidepressants Safe During Pregnancy?,” Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, August , 2014.

Medscape (8/29) reports that “a new integrated program for treating depression in cancer patients is reported to be ‘strikingly more effective’ at both reducing depressive symptoms and improving quality of life than the current standard of care.” This “approach, known as Depression Care for People with Cancer (DCPC), was tested in 2 clinical trials: the SMaRT-2 study, reported in the Lancet , and the SMaRT-3 study, reported in the Lancet Oncology.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)