Medscape (8/21, Melville) reports, “Patients with multiple chronic conditions are significantly less likely to receive treatment for depression at primary care practices that use electronic medical records (EMRs) compared with practices that do not use EMRs,” according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. “Researchers at the University of Florida hypothesized that practices using EMRs would be particularly beneficial for complex patients with chronic conditions who are in need of depression treatment, offering greater efficiency in information sharing and delivery of care than those not using EMRs.” However, “the study of 3,467 primary care practice visits by patients aged 18 years and older who were identified as having depression, which used data from the 2006 to 2008 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, showed an opposite effect.”

On its “Talk of the Nation” segment, NPR (8/21) reported, “Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder has focused attention on the shame that sometimes accompanies mental health diagnoses in the African-American community.” NPR’s John Donvan interviewed psychiatrist William Lawson, MD, PhD, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine, who discussed the reasons why such stigma may exist, including the fact that many African-Americans “may believe that to be mentally ill is a sign of weakness or a sign of a character fault.” Dr. Lawson also pointed out that fewer than two percent of US psychiatrists are African-American.

Related Links:

— “Behind Mental Health Stigmas In Black Communities,NPR, August 20, 2012.

The Wall Street Journal (8/21, D2, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reports that middle-aged people who suffer from obesity and hypertension, along with other metabolic issues, may have an increased risk for faster decline in their cognitive faculties as they age, compared with their counterparts of normal weight, according to a study published in the Aug. 21 issue of the journal Neurology.

HealthDay (8/21, Reinberg) reports that after following some 6,400 adults ranging in age from 39 to 63 for an entire decade, researchers also found that “even obese people without these physical conditions experienced a faster decline in functions, such as memory.” Richard Lipton, MD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who was not involved in the study, said that “this study suggests that taking the steps recommended to prevent heart attack and stroke in midlife, including controlling body weight, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profiles, may also have a beneficial effect on cognitive function late in life.” BBC News (8/21) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Obesity in Middle Age Tied to More Rapid Mental Decline: Study, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 20, 2012.

The Army Times (8/20, Gould) reports, “To treat troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, doctors must first treat the sleep disorders that often accompany PTSD, researchers say.” The Times points out that the US Army is “providing $300 million to fund” PTSD “research projects, $20 million of it focused specifically on sleep.” James Spira, of the National Center for PTSD at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said, “If someone continues to have substantial sleep disruption several months after they return” from a combat deployment, “it would be very prudent for them to seek medical support.”

Related Links:

— “Insomnia exacerbates PTSD, research shows, “Joe Gould, Army Times, August 20, 2012.

The Washington Post(8/18, Moyer) reported a study, titled “Reasons for Suicide Attempts in a Clinical Sample of Active Duty Soldiers,” that confirms suicide “isn’t just a symptom of mental illness, but a response to stress may change the way psychologists treat veterans suffering from battle-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. … To reduce suicide, the study says, vets might not need to medicate, but meditate.” According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, breathing exercises and transcendental meditation “may more effectively help soldiers reduce the stress that triggers the bad decisions that could end in a suicide attempt.”

Related Links:

— “A new study explores why soldiers commit suicide, “Justin Moyer, The Washington Post, August 17, 2012.