HCPlive (12/10, Derman) reports, “Patients with suicidal ideation, Black or Asian ethnicity, or older age face a greater risk of undertreatment for depression, a new study discovered.” The researchers said, “We found that 38% of patients received [United States Preventive Services Task Force]-recommended initial treatment (antidepressant, referral) at the screening visit.” The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Study Identifies Depression Treatment Gaps by Ethnicity, Age, Suicidal Risk,” Chelsie Derman, HCPLive, December 10, 2024

Cardiovascular Business (12/9, Walter ) reports, “Long-term survival after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is much less likely when patients report feeling depressed prior to treatment, according to a new analysis.” Investigators “tracked registry data from 499 patients who underwent transfemoral TAVR at a single facility from 2016 to 2020.” The researchers found that “at that three-year mark, the mortality rates were much higher for patients with depression (34%) than those without depression (22.2%).” The findings were published in JACC: Advances.

Related Links:

— “TAVR survival less likely when patients are depressed,” Michael Walter, Cardiovascular Business, December 9, 2024

HealthDay (12/9, Thompson ) reports “a new survey suggests…more than one-third of middle-aged and senior Americans feel” lonely and isolated, which “means that loneliness and isolation has mostly returned to pre-pandemic rates among older Americans, the researchers noted.” The investigators found that “some older adults still have much higher rates of social isolation than others, particularly those dealing with major physical or mental health problems.” The findings were published in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “1 in 3 Older Americans Say They Feel Lonely, Poll Finds,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 9, 2024

MedPage Today (12/9, Henderson ) reports, “Use of treatment for depression among adolescents was significantly lower in states that mandate caregiver consent for such treatment, according to a cross-sectional study.” Researchers found that “after adjusting for state-level prevalence estimates of adolescent major depressive episodes, those who experienced an episode in the past year in states with laws prohibiting independent adolescent consent for mental health treatment were significantly less likely to receive treatment.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (12/6, Thompson ) reported, “Stroke survivors have an 80% increased risk of dementia compared to people who’ve never suffered a stroke, a new study finds.” Researchers found that “about 19% of people who’d had a stroke developed dementia during an average six-year follow-up, compared with just 13% of those with no stroke.” The findings were published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Stroke Survivors Face Much Higher Odds for Dementia,” , HealthDay, December 6, 2024