Medwire (10/3, Piper) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 30 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, “comorbid anxiety may flag those patients with bipolar depression who are in particular need of intensive psychotherapy.” The study found that “among 269 patients with bipolar depression…177 had a comorbid lifetime anxiety disorder.” Notably, “the response rate for 99 patients assigned to intensive psychotherapy…was 66%, compared with just 49% for the 78 patients assigned to brief collaborative care.”

Related Links:

— “Comorbid anxiety warns of bipolar psychotherapy need, “Lucy Piper, Medwire News, October 3, 2013.

The CBS Evening News reported that, according to a study published Oct. 3 in the New England Journal of Medicine, “patients who are treated in intensive care units often leave with dementia, even when there is no evidence of it prior to their treatment.”

The Los Angeles Times (10/3, Healy) reports that the study revealed that almost two-thirds of ICU patients “come away from the experience with substantial mental deficits,” and that “three months after leaving the hospital, four in 10 patients continue to have cognitive problems on a par with those seen in cases of moderate traumatic brain injury. “ Approximately a quarter of ICU patients “experience a decline in mental function akin to that seen in patients with mild Alzheimer’s,” the study found.

Related Links:

— “After an ICU stay, cognitive loss is common, study says, “Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, October 2, 2013.

Bloomberg News (10/1, Kitamura) reports that, according to a study published Sept. 30 in the journal BMJ Open, “stress in middle age may contribute to development of Alzheimer’s disease later in life.” The study of “800 Swedish women born between 1914 and 1930 who underwent neuropsychiatric tests periodically between 1968 and 2005” revealed that psychological stress was tied to a “21 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Huffington Post (10/1, Brenoff) reports that “the number of stressors reported by the women in 1968” was also tied to “a 15 percent heightened risk of developing any type of dementia, the analysis showed.”

Related Links:

— “Stress in Midlife Linked to Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, “Makiko Kitamura, Bloomberg News, September 30, 2013.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times (9/30, A25, Gaudiano, Subscription Publication), clinical psychologist Brandon A. Gaudiano, PhD, of Brown University’s Alpert Medical School, contends that “psychotherapy has an image problem.” The way things are now, “the fact that medications have a clearer, better marketed evidence base leads to more reliable insurance coverage than psychotherapy has,” as well as “more prescriptions and fewer referrals to psychotherapy.” Gaudiano also points out that professional psychotherapy organizations need to do more to promote the practice, particularly in light of new, evidence-based psychotherapy practices that have proven to be most effective. Gaudiano points out that the American Psychiatric Association has been the publisher of psychotherapy practice guidelines for about 20 years, making recommendations for appropriate treatments for particular circumstances.

Related Links:

— “Psychotherapy’s Image Problem, “Brandon Gaudiano, The New York Times, September 29, 2013.

In an article devoted to the employment challenges of adults with autism, USA Today (9/28, Weintraub) reported, “Slightly more than half of young people with autism have ever worked for pay since leaving high school, according to a survey published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.” Approximately “85% of those who were least disabled had worked, compared with just 12% of those most severely disabled.” Paul Shattuck, of Autism Institute at Drexel University, theorizes that “social and communications challenges that define autism put” adults with autism at a real disadvantage, because it is difficult for them to interact with others effectively while on the job.

Related Links:

— “Parents create custom jobs for adult kids with autism, “Karen Weintraub, USA Today, September 28, 2013.