Psychiatric News (11/29) reported that intervention shortly after trauma may reduce or prevent symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study published in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Biological Psychiatry. “Emory University researchers randomized 137 patients to review and process their trauma experiences under the guidance of a trained therapist. The one-hour therapy began in the emergency room within 12 hours of the trauma and was repeated one and two weeks later.” Notably, “significantly fewer patients in the intervention group met criteria for PTSD at week 12, compared with controls,”

Related Links:

— “Intervention Soon After Trauma Cuts PTSD Symptoms, Psychiatric News Alert, November 29, 2012.

HealthDay (11/30, Preidt) reports, “Childhood abuse and previous exposure to violence may increase a soldier’s risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” according to a study published this month in the journal Psychological Science. After following “746 Danish soldiers before, during and after they were deployed to Afghanistan,” researchers found that the “soldiers who developed PTSD were much more likely to have suffered emotional problems and traumatic events at some point in their lives before they went to Afghanistan.”

Related Links:

— “Violence in a Soldier’s Past May Up PTSD Risk, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 29, 2012.

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. is airing a new public service announcement on local Maryland radio stations during the holiday season. It focuses on how best to address mental health with family members during the holidays.
You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website or listen to it and others in the series on the full listing provided here:

Radio Public Service Announcements

USA Today (11/28, Lloyd) reports, “Depression takes a bigger toll on Parkinson’s patients than the physical problems linked to the neurological disease and often goes undiagnosed.” according to findings released yesterday from the Parkinson’s Outcome Project by the National Parkinson Foundation. “The project involves 20 research centers and 5,557 patients.” Notably, “among the 61% who reported depression in the survey, 1,192 (21%) had minor symptoms, 1,248 (22%) had mild depression, and 1,021 (18%) reported severe, major depressive disorders.”

HealthDay (11/29, Preidt) reports, “The early findings…suggest that the impact of depression on the health status of Parkinson’s patients is almost twice that of the movement problems associated with the disease.” Investigators “also noted that depression can be difficult to diagnose in Parkinson’s patients because many common disease symptoms, such as fatigue and masked facial expressions, may hide mood changes. Studies show that it is common for depression to be undiagnosed or under-treated in Parkinson’s patients.”

WebMD (11/28, Doheny) reports, “Doctors should screen people with Parkinson’s for depression at least once a year, the foundation says. Patients are encouraged to report mood changes to their doctors. Family members are also encouraged to accompany them to doctor’s visits and to discuss any changes in patients’ mood.” Researchers point out that the decline in dopamine is most likely the reason for the depression in Parkinson’s patients.

Related Links:

— “Depression is biggest hurdle for Parkinson’s patients, “Janice Lloyd, USA Today, November 28, 2012.

A new report on HIV infection rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received extensive online coverage. Most sources quote CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, who, along with other officials and experts, expressed concern about the infection rates, as well as the fact that many of those with HIV are unaware of their infection. The AP (11/28, Stobbe) reports that new data from the CDC indicate that “1 in 5 new HIV infections occur in a tiny segment of the population – young men who are gay or bisexual.”

CBS News (11/28, Jaslow) reports on its website, “Of the estimated 12,200 new HIV infections that occurred in 2010 in the 13-to-24 age group, 72 percent were in young men who have sex with men (MSM) and 57 percent occurred in black Americans.” Meanwhile, approximately 60 percent “of all youths infected…don’t even realize they have the disease, the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.” In a written statement, Frieden, said, “That so many young people become infected with HIV each year is a preventable tragedy.”

USA Today (11/27, Szabo) reports that just “13% of high school students have been tested for HIV, the report says. Frieden says doctors need to get the message that screening is essential.” Although “new HIV infections have leveled off among most groups, they are rising among young people, says Kevin Fenton, who leads the CDC’s office on AIDS. Most of that increase is being driven by new HIV infections in young black men who have sex with men, he says.”

The Los Angeles Times (11/27, Bardin) “Booster Shots” blog reports, “The infection rates among young people are particularly troubling because CDC analyses show that they are less likely to get tested, enter treatment or stay in treatment once enrolled, in part, the CDC says, because of the stigma the virus that can cause AIDS carries.”

Related Links:

— “CDC: HIV rates high among young gay men, many unaware they’re infected, “Ryan Gaslow, CBS News, November 27, 2012.