On its “Morning Edition” program and on its “Shots” blog, NPR (5/20) reported that a virtual therapist named Ellie was created at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies “to talk to people who are struggling emotionally, and to take their measure in a way no human can. Her makers believe that her ability to do this will ultimately revolutionize the way mental health care is practiced in this country.” Ellie tracks up to 60 different kinds of movements of the physical behavior of people she interviews. After sessions with patients, she produces a detailed report which can flag certain behaviors indicative of emotional distress or depression, for example.

Related Links:

— “If Your Shrink Is A Bot, How Do You Respond?, “Alix Spiegel, NPR, May 20, 2013.

The Wall Street Journal (5/21, Hay, Subscription Publication) reports on new technologies that companies are developing that will encourage people to take their prescription medication as directed. Health insurers and companies such as CVS has used robo-calls, mailers and even face-to-face meetings with pharmacists to keep patients on track. Now, CVS is testing analytics technology from RxAnte that detects what patients have poor record of adherence, according to CEO Josh Benner. Other ideas include an app that rewards users with Target gift cards or donations to charity for following the schedule. Other ideas include a digital pills containing digestible sensors and an automated pill bottle that glows different colors when a dosage is needed or missed.

Related Links:

— “Forget to Take Medicine? These Pills Will Tell Your Doctor, “Timothy Hay, The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2013.

The Los Angeles Times (5/21, MacVean) reports in its “Science Now” blog that “in a study published Monday the Canadian Medical Assn. Journal, researchers surveyed thousands of teenagers about the effects of suicide by someone they knew or attended school with.” According to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Canadian universities of Ottawa and Alberta, “Adolescents may be particularly susceptible to” the idea that suicide is “contagious.” The researchers found that “broadly, suicide death of a schoolmate was a stronger predictor of suicide outcomes than a suicide by someone who is personally known, perhaps because the death of a peer resonates with youth more than the death of a close adult.”

Related Links:

— “After a suicide, classmates often think about it too, study says, “Mary MacVean, Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2013.

On the front of its Personal Journal section, the Wall Street Journal (5/21, D1, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that social behavior changes or deterioration in social or emotional functioning may be the first clues of a mental-health or neurological disorder. For example, inappropriate behavior may portend frontotemporal dementia or Alzheimer’s, while a lack of empathy can be seen in people with schizophrenia or autism. According to the article, family members are more likely than patients themselves to observe social changes. Neurology professor Katherine Rankin, of the University of California-San Francisco, suggested that middle-aged adults who notice such changes are advised to see a neurologist.

Related Links:

— “When Social Skills Are a Warning, “Shirley S. Wang, The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2013.

HealthDay (5/20, Gordon) reports that a 992-participant study published online May 17 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research “shows that college women are more likely to drink unhealthy amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis than are college men.” During “the study, 15 percent of women exceeded weekly drinking limits, compared to 12 percent of men.”

Related Links:

— “College Women More Prone to Problem Drinking Than Men: Study, “Serena Gordon, HealthDay, May 17, 2013.