Medscape (6/11, Harrison) reports, “In a new analysis of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, investigators from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that work productivity improved in several domains when depressive symptoms remitted early in depression treatment.” However, “workers who did not achieve symptom remission until later stages of treatment continued to have impaired productivity,” according to the 1,928-patient study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

The Los Angeles Times (6/10, Gorman) reports, “Officials expect many newly insured patients arriving at doctor’s offices and urban and rural clinics to have mental health complications.” Starting “next year, some 2.3 million additional people may require mental health services through Medicaid…according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry,” a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. “Failing to diagnose and treat mental problems early can lead to far costlier visits to emergency [departments] and hospitals later.”

Related Links:

— “Treatments of physical and mental health are coming together, “Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2013.

In a front-page story, the Wall Street Journal (6/8, A1, Fields, Subscription Publication) reported, in a 2,000-word article, that some states are rethinking laws intended to protect the privacy of persons with mental illnesses. Some family members of individuals with mental illnesses are pushing for changes. People who advocate for persons with mental illness are divided over how to maintain patient rights and simultaneously ensure the safety of the public.

Related Links:

— “Families of Violent Patients: ‘We’re Locked Out’ of Care, “Gary Fields, The Wall Street Journal, June 07, 2013.

Medscape (6/7, Meville) reports, “There is a ‘striking discrepancy’ between the perceived knowledge of college-level trainers and their competence in managing athletes with mental health disorders,” according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine 60th Annual Meeting. After surveying 211 trainers at NCAA member schools, researchers found that “overall, 70% of the athletic trainers reported feeling competent to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders and make appropriate referrals.” But, “when competence in the use diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders was assessed, only 44.0% clearly understood the issues, and only 23.5% of respondents reported knowing Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Fourth Edition, Text Revision norms.”

HealthDay (6/7, Preidt) reports, “More than half of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also suffer from depression,” according to a review published online this month in the Journal of Traumatic Stress. Investigators “reviewed the findings of 57 studies that included more than 6,600 civilians and military personnel who suffered from PTSD and found that 52 percent of them also had symptoms of depression.”

Related Links:

— “Depression Common in Those With PTSD, Study Finds, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 06, 2013.