HealthDay (11/2, Reinberg) reports, “Some of the numbers are staggering: more than 75 Americans dead, thousands evacuated from their homes, millions left without power for days and billions of dollars in damage from ‘superstorm’ Sandy.” According to mental-health professionals, “the effect of all this sudden, violent loss on people’s psyches will be powerful. Not only those who suffered the loss of a loved one or a beloved home, but also people who just watched the constant storm coverage may be scared and unsettled, experts say.”

Psychiatrists Left Struggling To Connect With Patients. Psychiatric News (11/2) reports that according to Charles Ciolino, MD, chair of the New Jersey Psychiatric Association’s Disaster Preparedness Committee, “there will be a long period of rebuilding physically and psychologically”.

Related Links:

— “For Many, ‘Superstorm’ Sandy Could Take Toll on Mental Health, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, November 1, 2012.

The Washington Post (11/6, Butler) reports that “more than a dozen double-blind research trials on children’s diets — both from candy and chocolate and from natural sources — has failed to find any behavioral differences between those young people who consume sugar and those who don’t. That’s even true for kids with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Pediatrician Ivor Horn, MD, MPH, of Children’s National Medical Center, explained that “environmental and social factors surrounding sugar-centric events or holidays may also contribute to the madness and a general uptick in a child’s activity level.” Other “experts have speculated that other ingredients in candy and sugary snacks, such as food dyes, artificial preservatives and other additives, may also play a role in hyperactivity, especially for certain children.”

Related Links:

— “Sugar may not be the only reason your kid is hyper after Halloween, “Carolyn Butler, The Washington Post, November 5, 2012.

Modern Healthcare (11/3, McKinney, Subscription Publication) reported, “Use of an Internet-based mental health management program may improve symptoms among patients with depression, according to a study in the journal Psychiatric Services.” For the study, “researchers used eCare for Moods, a 12-month-long management program that allows patients to submit data about their medication adherence, side effects, mood, daily functioning and other aspects of their care and access informational content using a Web-based interface.” Notably, “after two years, 43% of the participants in the eCare program were depression-free, compared with 30% of the patients who received the usual regimen of mental healthcare.” In an emailed new release, the American Psychiatric Association announced, “Completion of more education modules was positively associated with less severe depression.”

Related Links:

— “Online mental health management program shows benefits, “Maureen McKinney, Modern Healthcare, November 2, 2012.

Reuters (11/2, Grens) reported that only about 4.5 percent of patients with chronic pain, who are prescribed opioid-based prescription medications, become addicted to the medication, according to a study published in the Oct. 18 issue of the journal Addiction. Researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration came to this conclusion after conducting a meta-analysis of 17 studies comprising more than 88,000 patients who were treated for non-cancer related chronic pain. Ten of the 17 studies provided the length of the treatment protocols, one of which was only a matter of days whereas the remaining nine ranged from three months to several years. Reuters pointed out that some experts questioned the whether the results are useful, considering the wide range of sources and treatment regimens.

Related Links:

— “Painkillers not as addictive as feared: study, “Kerry Grens,Reuters, November 2, 2012.

In the New York Times (11/3) “Well” blog, Pauline W. Chen, MD, “For almost three decades now, health care experts have been studying the psychological effects of natural disasters and have found that disasters…left significant, disabling and lasting psychological scars in their wake.” Chen added, “Most commonly and most immediately, the survivors suffered post-traumatic stress symptoms like recurrent nightmares, flashbacks, a hair-trigger temper and an emotional ‘numbing,’ much of which could be considered normal in the first couple of months after a disaster.” If symptoms did not abate, “or when other mood disorders like anxiety and depression appeared, mental health issues quickly became a leading cause of disability for survivors, further hampering other efforts at recovery.”

Related Links:

— “Easing the Trauma After the Storm, “Pauline W. Chen, The New York Times, November 2, 2012.