Medscape (3/1, Brauser) reported that “depression should join the ranks of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking as an official heart disease risk factor, according to an expert panel convened by the American Heart Association (AHA).” This “recommendation is based on an extensive literature review examining the risks for depression conducted by the panel.” According to Medscape, “The AHA Scientific Statement notes that the combined findings support the call to formally “elevate depression to the status of a risk factor” for adverse outcomes, such as all-cause and cardiac mortality, in patients who have acute coronary syndrome (ACS).”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Boston Globe (3/3, Salahi) reports in “Be Well” that research published in Sleep suggests that “children who often have nightmares or night terrors may be more likely to experience psychotic episodes such as hallucinations by early adolescence.”

HealthDay (3/1, Dallas) reported that investigators “analyzed a group of children six times between the ages of 2 and 9.” The investigators “found that children who had frequent nightmares before age 12 were three and a half times more likely to have psychotic experiences early in their teen years,” with the risk being even higher among those who had night terrors.

BBC News (3/1, Gallagher) pointed out that in the study, “nearly 6,800 people were followed up to the age of 12.”

Related Links:

— “Nightmare frequency linked to later psychotic episodes, ” Lara Salahi, Boston Globe, March 3, 2014.

Reuters (2/21, Jegtvig) reported that in a paper published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, experts say that night eating syndrome needs further study, as it may be associated with other mental health problems. In a study of approximately 1,600 university students, researchers found that approximately 4 percent met the criteria for night eating disorder. The investigators found that the disorder was more common in those who had a history of anorexia nervosa and in those who used medications for AD/HD. The authors pointed out that night eating disorder is included as a distinct diagnosis in the most recent DSM-5.

Related Links:

— “Night eating disorder needs more study, ” Shereen Jegtvig, Reuters, February 21, 2014.

The Wall Street Journal (2/24, Lagnado, Subscription Publication) reports on the growing debate over how Medicaid and foster care children are medicated, as there has been an increase in the past 15 years in strong antipsychotic medication prescriptions for these children. The Journal notes that the HHS IG has launched an investigation, while the APA has warned against their overuse. Meanwhile, the piece explains that the FDA sanctions the use of atypicals, although physicians can prescribe them off label to deal with children’s behavioral issues.

Related Links:

— “Drugged as Children, Foster-Care Alumni Speak Out, ” Lucette Lagnado, Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2014.

The Time (2/21, Park) “Healthland” blog reports that a study conducted by researchers at the UK’s Warwick Medical School suggests that changing schools, “and the social isolation that comes with it, might be an independent factor in contributing to…psychosis-like symptoms” in some youngsters. After “working with a database of nearly 14,000 children born between 1991 and 1992 and followed until they were 13 years old,” investigators found that “switching schools three or more times in early childhood seemed to be linked to an up to two-fold greater risk of developing psychosis-like symptoms such as hallucinations and interrupting thoughts.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Switching Schools May Give Your Kids Psychotic Symptoms, ” Alice Park, Time, February 20, 2014.