Reuters (8/30, Joelving) reports on a study, published in the journal Addiction, which found that substance abusers recently discharged from hospitals face elevated death rates. Researchers discovered that the rates of deaths from overdose and suicide were more than ten times higher for addicts who had been discharged from a hospital for less than a month than those who had been discharged for a year or more. The study authors concluded, “Like prison-release, hospital discharge marks the start of a well-defined period of heightened vulnerability for drug-treatment clients.” Additionally, the researchers suggest that “hospital contact may simply represent a desperate, sometimes final, call for help.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide, OD risks high when addicts leave hospital, “Frederik Joelving, Reuters, August 29, 2012.

Reuters (8/29) reports that a study published online Aug. 27 in the journal Pediatrics (8/29) found that routine screening of abuse in children treated in the ER appears to have improved child abuse detection rates in the Netherlands. Researchers involved with the study tested a checklist that nurses in the ER used to screen for possible abuse. If a child was found to exhibit any of the checklist’s warning signs, the nurse would inform a physician who was responsible for investigating further. While acknowledging that the use of a standard checklist may have improved abuse detection rates in Netherlands, Dr. Michael J. Gerardi, who serves on the board of the American College of Emergency Physicians, doubted that the findings could be applicable in the US. Gerardi suggests that electronic medical records hold more promise than standard checklists in detecting abuse.

Related Links:

— “Routine screening catches child abuse in ER, “Amy Norton, Reuters, August 28, 2012.

Medscape (8/28, Brauser) reports, “Smartphone users are inundated with all types of downloadable applications (apps) for their smartphones, including a myriad of so-called ‘mental health self-help apps.'” As to whether such apps are helpful for patients with psychiatric disorders, psychiatrist Lori Simon, MD, who is a volunteer member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Electronic Health Records, said, “I don’t see them as something to be used instead of being treated by a practitioner, but I see them as adjuncts or if the patients are fairly stable. And if a person is in between treatment sessions, these can be good for them.”

On its “Morning Edition” program and in its “Shots” blog, NPR (8/28, Neighmond) reported that “researchers have found a link between disrupted sleep and cognitive decline.” After conducting “a series of studies evaluating more than 1,300 adults older than 75, initially assessing their sleep patterns and, five years later, their cognitive abilities,” researchers “found that those with sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnea had more than twice the odds of developing dementia years later.” Theresearch was recently presented at the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual conference.

Related Links:

— “Sleepless Nights May Put The Aging Brain At Risk Of Dementia, “Patti Neighmond, NPR, August 27, 2012.

The Wall Street Journal (8/28, D2, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that elderly people, in general, suffer less from stress and anxiety than their younger counterparts, according to research. Unlike those who are young, many seniors appear to learn to distance themselves from negative feelings, focusing instead on pleasurable situations in the present. In comparison, happiness, enjoyment, and other positive emotions may hardly vary at all throughout the course of a person’s lifetime.

Related Links:

— “Tricks From the Elderly to Stop Worrying, “Shirley S. Wang, The Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2012.