Bloomberg News (11/22, Kitamura) reports John Denninger, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, “is leading a five-year study on how the ancient practices affect genes and brain activity in the chronically stressed.” The article notes the significance of the study, saying that while “hundreds of studies have been” done about the mental health benefits of yoga and meditation, “they have tended to rely on blunt tools like participant questionnaires, as well as heart rate and blood pressure monitoring.” The piece says that “only recently have neuro-imaging and genomics technology used in Denninger’s latest studies” given scientists the ability to “measure physiological changes in greater detail.” The government-funded study may push more doctors to look for alternative solutions to stress-induced conditions, including hypertension and depression.

Related Links:

— “Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit, “Makiko Kitamura, Bloomberg News, November 21, 2013.

On its website, Fox News (11/21, Grush) chronicled one woman’s “long struggle with factitious disorder – more commonly referred to as Munchausen syndrome.” Starting at age 13 and continuing for over 20 years, the woman went on “to feign more than 12 physical and mental illnesses – including extreme disorders like schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis and even epilepsy.” Eventually, the woman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The piece noted that the woman, who is now getting her life back together, “presented her tale to members of the American Psychiatric Association during their annual conference.”

Related Links:

— “Addicted to illness: How one woman recovered from a 20 year struggle with Munchausen syndrome, “Loren Grush, Fox News, November 21, 2013.

HealthDay (11/22, Preidt) reports that, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in the journal Psychiatric Services, “less than half of American teens with mental health disorders receive treatment, and those who do get help rarely see a mental health specialist.” In addition, the “analysis of data from more than 10,000 teens aged 13 to 17 across the” US revealed that “teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder received mental health care more than 70 percent of the time, while those with phobias or anxiety disorders were least likely to be treated.”

Related Links:

— “Teens’ Mental Disorders Often Untreated in U.S., Study Finds, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 21, 2013.

The Los Angeles Times (11/20, Kaplan) reports that according to a recent study from Harvard, Columbia, and Boston University, published in JAMA Psychiatry, there is a link between women who experience PTSD symptoms and weight gain. The study took the “Nurses Health Study II” and looked at women in the study who had reported at the time of enrollment that they had not experienced any PTSD symptoms. These women were then followed. Some of these subsequently experienced traumatic events. According to results, of these women, the ones who developed “one, two or three PTSD symptoms (as assessed by the survey) were 18% more likely to become overweight or obese, while those with four or more PTSD symptoms were 36% more likely to become overweight or obese.”

Related Links:

— “Obesity may be a side effect of PTSD in women, study finds, “Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2013.

Medwire (11/19, Lyford) reports that, according to a study published Oct. 28 in the Journal of Affective Disorders, “more than half of patients with bipolar disorder [BD] fail to take their medication as prescribed.” The 191-patient study revealed that “the most common reasons for nonadherence given by patients were side effects, lack of motivation, and a negative attitude toward” specific treatments. For example, “nonadherence to antipsychotics was predicted by substance dependence, negative attitudes to antipsychotics, and borderline personality disorder, whereas nonadherence to mood stabilizers was predicted by negative attitudes toward mood stabilizers and anxiety disorder.”

Related Links:

— “Bipolar disorder treatment nonadherence ‘needs more attention’, “Joanna Lyford, Medwire News, November 19, 2013.