In print and in its “Well” blog, the New York Times (10/14, D5, Brody) reports that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) “is often socially, emotionally and vocationally crippling.” But, when the condition is “properly treated, 60 percent to 85 percent of patients improve significantly and remain better for years, although booster sessions often are needed to maintain improvement.”

The most effective treatment technique is a form of cognitive behavior therapy called “exposure and response prevention…done once or twice a week for up to 30 hours total.” Patients with OCD may also suffer from anxiety and depression. Treatment is more effective if started sooner than later, and the condition will not go away on its own.

Related Links:

— “O.C.D., a Disorder That Cannot Be Ignored,” Jane E. Brody, New York Times, October 13, 2014.

HealthDay (10/14, Preidt) reports that according to a study presented Oct. 7 at the Eating Disorders Association of Canada’s annual meeting, “eating disorders can begin before puberty and may be linked with other mental health issues.”

After evaluating some 215 eight- to 12-year-old children, researchers found that “more than 15 percent of the kids made themselves vomit occasionally, and about 13 percent had bulimic-like behaviors.” Notably, “psychiatric problems were present in 36 percent of the children’s families, and many of the children had mental health issues such as anxiety and mood and attention disorders, the study found.”

Related Links:

— “Eating Disorders May Start in Elementary School,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 13, 2014.

The New York Times (10/13, A10, Kolata, Subscription Publication) reports that according to research published online Oct. 12 in the journal Nature, “researchers created what they call Alzheimer’s in a Dish – a petri dish with human brain cells that develop the telltale structures of Alzheimer’s disease.”

By so doing, “they resolved a longstanding problem of how to study Alzheimer’s and search for drugs to treat it; the best they had until now were mice that developed an imperfect form of the disease.” Essentially, investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital grew human neurons in a gel. The neurons had been given “genes for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Related Links:

— “Breakthrough Replicates Human Brain Cells for Use in Alzheimer’s Research,” Gina Kolata, New York Times, October 12, 2014.

The Baltimore Sun (10/10, Doran) reports on Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections, or PANDAS, a disorder in which “children experience an atypical immune system reaction which can cause obsessions, compulsions, motor and vocal tics, anxiety, mood swings and cognitive and learning challenges.”

Although little is known about the syndrome, “recent neurological research, led by National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers and other scientists and physicians around the nation, has expanded the boundaries of what is known about these conditions.”

In Maryland “and many other states, Oct. 9th has been designated PANDAS Awareness Day,” which the paper says creates educational opportunities.

Related Links:

— “Little known disorder underscores education needs [Commentary],” Patricia Rice Doran, Baltimore Sun, October 9, 2014.

On its front page and as part of its “The Cost of Not Caring” series, USA Today (10/10, A1, Zoroya) reports in a 2,900-word article called “40,000 Suicides Annually, Yet America Simply Shrugs,” that the “nearly 40,000 American lives lost each year make suicide the nation’s 10th-leading cause of death, and the second-leading killer for those ages 15-34.”

In recent years, “biological research [has] led scientists…to assert that suicidal behavior is a disorder that deserves to be included in the bible on mental health illnesses – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder – so doctors could better diagnose, identify and move into treatment those who are suicidal,” and “American Psychiatric Association officials who periodically revise the manual want more study.”

Maria Oquendo, MD, a psychiatry professor at Columbia University, said, “They (the authors) said it’s an idea that obviously needs to be considered but is not quite ready for inclusion.”

Related Links:

— “40,000 suicides annually, yet America simply shrugs,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, October 9, 2014.