Medwire (5/22, McDermid) reports that according to a study published online May 16 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, “the unexpected loss of a loved one can trigger a range of psychiatric disorders, including mania, in patients with no history of mental illness.”

After analyzing data on 27,534 people, researchers found that “the unexpected death of a loved one roughly doubled the risk for new-onset mania in people aged 30 years or older, after accounting for factors including previous psychiatric diagnoses.”

The study also revealed that “for some age groups (50–54 years and ≥70 years) the risk increase was more than fivefold.”

Related Links:

— “Unexpected death may trigger mania in loved ones,” Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, May 22, 2014.

Under the headline “Patients Lose When Doctors Can’t Do Good Physical Exams,” Kaiser Health News (5/21, Boodman) offers an 1,800-word examination of an “increasingly commonplace” phenomenon “as medicine becomes more technology-driven: the waning ability of doctors to use a physical exam to make an accurate diagnosis.” The piece explains that crucial information that can be gleaned from simple observation has been largely “supplanted by a dizzying array of sophisticated, expensive tests.”

Related Links:

— “Patients Lose When Doctors Can’t Do Good Physical Exams,” Sandra G. Boodman, Kaiser Health News, May 20, 2014.

The New York Times (5/21, Hulse, Subscription Publication) reports that three ex-Senators, Republican Trent Lott and Democrats Tom Daschle and John B. Breaux, are working together “to push an expansion of tele-medicine as a way to improve health care access and cut costs.” On behalf of the Alliance for Connected Care, “a nonprofit collection of health care” professionals, “insurers, pharmacies, technology firms and telecommunications companies,” the three men are pursuing “legislative and regulatory changes to let more Americans essentially get much of their health care remotely.”

Related Links:

— “Ex-Senators on Both Sides of Aisle Join Forces on Health Care,” Carl Hulse, New York Times, May 20, 2014.

The Huffington Post (5/20, Hillin) reports on research by Dr. Dana Alonzo, associate professor at Columbia University, published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry finding that “the mental health effects of divorce may linger on well into adulthood, putting children of divorce at greater risk of suicide.” The study was based on US Bureau of the Census interviews with 49,093 people who were “asked questions regarding the marital status and the alcohol patterns of their parents; they were then analyzed for depression.”

The study found that “parental divorce increased the likelihood of suicide attempt by 14 percent.” The study was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Related Links:

— “Adult Children Of Divorce Show Greater Risk For Suicide: Study,” Taryn Hillin, Huffington Post, May 20, 2014.

The Wall Street Journal (5/20, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that according to some preliminary research, job-training programs for individuals with an autism-spectrum disorder may improve interview skills and boost self-confidence. The piece cites a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Adults With Autism Find New Source for Job Interview Advice,” Shirley S. Wang, Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2014.