US News & World Report (10/31, Leonard) reports that, according to a viewpoint articlepublished online Oct. 30 in JAMA Psychiatry, “complications from smoking, such as heart disease, lung disease and cancer,” appear to be shortening the lives of people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In fact, people with mental illnesses appear to smoke at twice the rate of people without mental disorders. Researchers point “to the acceptance of smoking in treatment facilities, the physical needs of someone who has a mental illness, the lack of collaboration between behavioral health and public health agencies and insufficient Medicaid funding for tobacco control.”

Related Links:

— “An Ignored Group of Smokers: People With Mental Illness, “Kimberly Leonard, US News & World Report, October 30, 2013.

Reuters (10/31, Pittman) reports that, according to a review of 14 studies published online Oct. 30 in PLoS One, online groups and social media may be a source of support for troubled teens who may be at increased risk for suicide and self-harm. However, they may also heighten those risks by exposing those adolescents to endorsements of self-harm. In some cases, online groups and social media may also harbor cyber-bullies who pick on vulnerable teens.

The NPR (10/31, Shute) “Shots” blog reports that the review also found a strong association “between online forums and increased risk of suicide, a risk not found with other forms of social networking.”

Related Links:

— “Online forums a ‘mixed bag’ for depressed youth, “Genevra Pittman, Reuters, October 30, 2013.

Medscape (10/31, Osterweil) reports that research published online in the Annals of Oncology indicate that during “the year after a cancer diagnosis, adolescents and young adults are at more than twice the risk of attempting or committing suicide.”

HealthDay (10/31) reports that researchers looked at data on about 8 million Swedish people “aged 15 to 30.” The investigators “found that those with a cancer diagnosis had a 60 percent greater risk of suicide or attempted suicide compared to similar young people without cancer.” The researchers found that “the risk peaked the first year after diagnosis, when it was 150 percent higher.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide a Risk for Young Cancer Patients, Study Finds, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 30, 2013.

Medwire (10/30, Grasmo) reports that, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, “patients with bipolar disorder who reside in the United States have a higher parental incidence of bipolar disorder [BD] and depression than those who live in Europe.” The analysis of self-reported data from 525 patients with BD during the years 1995–2002 revealed that “21% of US patients had one parent with a history of bipolar disorder, compared with 10% of European patients, while in 15% versus 4% of patients both parents had bipolar or unipolar depression.”

Related Links:

— “Parental bipolar history common in US bipolar patients, “Ingrid Grasmo, Medwire News, October 30, 2013.

MedPage Today (10/30, Petrochko) reports that, according to an oral presentation given at the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “participation in extracurricular activities, sports or otherwise, may be protective against bullying behaviors in children.” After analyzing data on some 62,215 youngsters ranging in age from six to 17, researchers found that “students who engaged in a nonsport extracurricular activity and played sports were significantly less likely to engage in bullying (odds ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.57-0.79).”

Related Links:

— “After-School Activities May Curb Bullying, “Cole Petrochko, MedPage Today, October 29, 2013.