Psychiatric News (10/23) reports, “Older adults with depression may be least likely to discontinue or switch treatment when prescribed sertraline for the first time compared with other antidepressants, suggests a” study. Researchers came to this conclusion after comparing “one-year outcomes in 93,000 Danish residents with depression who for the first time filled a prescription for one of 10 antidepressants.” The findings were published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Study Compares Clinical Outcomes of Older Adults Prescribed 10 Common Antidepressants, Psychiatric News , October 23, 2023

HealthDay (10/23, Reinberg) reports, “Many college kids are depressed and anxious, especially when they are a minority on campus or the first in their family to go to a university, a…study finds.” Investigators also found that “women suffered greater depression and anxiety levels than men.” The findings were published online in the Journal of American College Health.

Related Links:

— “Depression Rates Rising Among College Students, and Race Matters,”Steven Reinberg, HealthDay , October 23, 2023

CNN (10/20, Musa) reported, “After years of increases, the rate of firearm-related homicides in the United States decreased in 2022, according to data published…by the” CDC. CNN added, “This is the first time the national firearm homicide rate has fallen since a sharp increase was recorded from 2019 to 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC.” The “provisional CDC data from 2022 saw 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people, about a 6% decrease from 2021.”

Related Links:

— “US firearm homicide rate ticks down from pandemic peak, but remains elevated,”Amanda Musa, CNN , October 20, 2023

NBC News (10/22, Bendix) reports, “A Mediterranean diet that’s rich in vegetables, fruits and fish may help reduce or stave off symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to research.” These “findings are based on patient data from two studies — one in 2008 and another in 2013 — which collectively involved tens of thousands of female participants.” The findings were published in Nature Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Mediterranean diet may reduce or prevent PTSD symptoms, new research shows,”Aria Bendix, NBC News, October 22, 2023

HealthDay (10/19, Gotkine) reports, “Female offspring of parents with mood disorders have increased z body mass index (BMI) compared with controls of unaffected parents starting at about 12 years of age, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in JAMA Network Open.” In the study, “researchers found that youth at familial risk for mood disorders showed no overall difference in body weight from controls,” but “there was a sex-specific difference observed, with a rapid peripubertal increase in body weight in females at familial risk versus controls, leading to significantly increased zBMI at 12 years and older (β = 0.57), independent of socioeconomic status, prematurity, or birth weight.”

Related Links:

— “Female Teens With Family History of Mood Disorder Prone to Weight Gain,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, October 19, 2023