Reuters (7/31, Rosen) reports that, according to a study by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Alaska Native men in their twenties may face a very high risk of suicide. Researchers found that individuals from this group commit suicide at a rate that is roughly 13 times higher than the US average.

Related Links:

— “Study: Young Alaska Native men at high risk for suicide, “Yereth Rosen, Chicago Tribune, July 30, 2012.

MedWire (7/31, Cowen) reports, “Symptoms of elation and irritability are significantly associated with an increased likelihood for developing bipolar disorder (BD),” according to a study published online July 27 in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The study findings “come from a study of 40,512 individuals who participated in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) who did not meet criteria for mania/hypomania at baseline in 2001-2002.”

Related Links:

— “Elation and irritability increase BD risk, “Mark Cowen, MedWire News, July 31, 2012.

The Augusta (GA) Chronicle (7/25, Martin) noted, “An online chat service of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ national crisis hot line has experienced a 62 percent increase over last year, according to information provided” by the department. The Chronicle added, “The data are further evidence that veterans are responding to…VA’s increasing use of technology, said Lisa Gerardot, the suicide prevention case manager at the uptown VA hospital in Augusta. It’s especially critical that resources are accessible from different points because with younger veterans, ‘it’s a reflex for them to reach for an electronic device,’ she said.”

Related Links:

— “Online technology shows veterans reaching out crisis help, “Kyle Martin, The AUgusta Chronicle, July 24, 2012.

MedPage Today (7/26, Kaiser) reports, “Stroke survivors are at an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which in turn increases the likelihood of poor medication adherence,” according to a 535-patient study published in the August issue of the journal Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. “Two-thirds (67%) of those who were diagnosed with PTSD following stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were not compliant with their medication,” the study found. “After adjusting for demographic and clinical predictors of non-adherence, PTSD was associated with a nearly threefold increase in the risk of medication noncompliance,” researchers reported.

Related Links:

— “PTSD May Be Barrier to Stroke Recovery, “Chris Kaiser, MedPage Today, July 25, 2012.

The New York Times (7/25, Span) “New Old Age” blog reported that a study published June in the journal Psychiatric Clinics of North America “found that only 19 percent of elders with diagnosed depression who received ‘usual care’ in primary care practices showed substantial improvement.” This can possibly be explained by the fact that “a great majority of older people seek treatment through their primary care doctors, few of whom are able to offer much more than a prescription.” Another study, published last June in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that “as diagnosis rates climbed, more than two-thirds of older patients with depression received antidepressants, but the proportion receiving psychotherapy declined, to less than 15 percent.”

Related Links:

— “More Older People Treated for Depression, “Paula Span, The New York Times, July 25, 2012.