TIME (8/9, Berenson) reported that according to a study published in PLoS One, weight loss may affect mental health, sometimes resulting in a depressed mood in people who lose weight. The study of “1,979 overweight or obese individuals in the UK” revealed that “participants were 52% more likely to report a depressed mood than those who stayed within 5% of their original weight.”

Related Links:

— “Losing Weight Could Make You Depressed, Study Says,” Tessa Berenson, Time, August 8, 2014.

The Los Angeles Times (8/9, Zarembo) “Nation Now” blog reported that according to research presented last week at a psychology conference, “11% of Vietnam veterans continue to suffer from” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers arrived at that conclusion after tracking down and interviewing some 1,450 veterans of the Vietnam conflict. The study received its funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Related Links:

— “PTSD continues to afflict Vietnam veterans 40 years after the war,” Alan Zerembo, Los Angeles Times, August 8, 2014.

Reuters (8/8, Doyle) reports normal stresses such as marriage issues for National Guard members returning home from deployment could cause them to abuse alcohol, citing a study unveiled in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. For the study, researchers recruited more than 1,000 Ohio Army National Guard soldiers who have faced deployments at least once by 2009.

Related Links:

— “Stress on the civilian front tied to alcohol abuse in returning soldiers,” Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, August 7, 2014.

The Dallas Morning News (8/7, Barker) “Health Blog” reported that according to research released Aug. 7 at a psychological conference, “physically fit sixth graders – especially girls – are less likely to report feeling depressed when they reach seventh grade.” The 437-student study revealed that “sixth-grade girls who performed better on a cardio-respiratory fitness test – a kind of shuttle run – were less likely to feel depressed when surveyed again in seventh grade.”

Related Links:

— “UNT study shows — surprise! — physically fit 6th graders = less depressed 7th graders,” Leslie Barker, Dallas Morning News, August 7, 2014.

The New York Times (8/8, A14, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports that a new study presented at “a series of talks at the American Psychological Association in Washington” finds that “most veterans who had persistent post-traumatic stress a decade or more after serving in the Vietnam War have shown surprisingly little improvement since then, and a large percentage have died.” The data also showed that “an estimated 13 percent of current active-duty soldiers and 10 percent of Marines have post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The VA funded research is “part of the first effort to track a large, nationally representative sample of service members through their adult lives,” with the “first installment…published in 1992.”

Related Links:

— “Combat Stress Among Veterans Is Found to Persist Since Vietnam,” Benedict Carey, New York Times, August 7, 2014.