USA Today (3/29, Linke) reports that many women who experience miscarriages fall into depression and feel a mixture of grief and guilt. USA Today notes that to help cope with their loss, “some women find that Facebook and other online forums provide an outlet for support.” The article explains that online forums allow women to express their feelings and receive consolation, and it adds that “for some, online forums about pregnancy loss are a better venue for discussing their grief than general sites, such as Facebook.”

Related Links:

— “Women turn to social media for support after pregnancy loss,”Maureen Linke, USA TODAY, March 28, 2012.

McClatchy (3/29, Hotakainen) reports that US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, “has begun an investigation into whether military hospitals across the country are denying treatment to service members with post-traumatic stress disorder because of cost considerations.” Meanwhile, “the Army already is conducting at least three separate probes amid disclosures that the Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Murray’s home state of Washington has reversed hundreds of PTSD diagnoses for patients who were up for medical retirement. Murray’s office said last week that a review of PTSD cases dating to 2007 found that 290 of 690 diagnoses — more than 40 percent — had been reversed by a medical screening team.”

Houston VA Hospital Looking For Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans For Study Of PTSD. The Houston Chronicle (3/29, Wise) “Armed Sources” blog reports, “Researchers at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine are looking to recruit 40 to 50 Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans to participate” in a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “funded by a grant from the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Program.” The study “will evaluate how psychotherapy treatment changes neural functioning in veterans with PTSD.” Veterans, who “will be compensated $10 per hour for interviews and $20 per hour” for taking part in the study, “will play computer games while inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging” (fMRI) machine.

Related Links:

— “Senate begins probe of Army’s handling of PTSD cases,”Rob Hotakainen , McClatchy Newspapers, March 28, 2012.

The AP (3/26) reports, “The aging of the massive post-World War II baby boom generation in the US is casting light on early onset dementia, a sorrowful subset of younger people experiencing a slow, cruel overtaking of their minds.” Approximately “200,000 Americans under 65 are among the 5.4 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.” The AP adds, “Experts’ estimates suggest there’s a similar number of younger people with other types of dementia, meaning about a half-million Americans, some as young as their 30s, suffer from early-onset or younger-onset dementia.”

Related Links:

— “Dementia’s youngest victims often defy stereotypes,”AP, USA Today, March 24, 2012.

Medscape (3/20, Lowry) reported, “A recent episode of the news program 60 Minutes featuring psychologist Irving Kirsch, PhD, and his book The Emperor’s New Drugs, which claims there is no effective difference between antidepressant medications and placebo, is not just wrong ‘but irresponsible and dangerous reporting,’ according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA).” APA president John Oldham, MD, asserts, “Antidepressants do work, particularly for patients with major depression.”

The Boston Globe (3/19, Conaboy) reports, “Dr. Danny McCormick of Cambridge Health Alliance and his colleagues faced criticism this month when they published a study saying that electronic health records may not be a panacea for skyrocketing costs that many had hoped for.” According to the Boston Globe, “a chorus of critics said the study was outdated, because systems have come a long way since 2008 and now include tools to help providers decide when a particular test is necessary.” But, “McCormick and colleagues disputed their critics’ main points,” and wrote, “While the proportion of outpatient physicians utilizing health IT has grown since 2008…we are unaware of any ‘game changing’ health IT developments in the past four years that…would produce substantially different results if the study were repeated today.”

Related Links:

— “Scientists stand firm on health IT study,”Chelsea Conaboy, The Boston Globe, March 19, 2012.