Healio (4/12, Bascom) reports, “Though popular dietary interventions that include polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, and elemental metals do not seem to alleviate perinatal depression, vitamin D may be promising in this regard,” investigators concluded in a 36-study, 7,010-participant systematic review and meta-analysis, the findings of which were published online April 3 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In particular, “vitamin D taken in daily doses of 1,800 to 3,500 international units offered small to medium effect size improvements for postpartum depression,” but “further research is needed to assess causal interactions of dietary interactions on perinatal anxiety or depression.”

Related Links:

— “Vitamin D may be effective treatment for perinatal depression “Emma Bascom, Healio, April 12, 2023

Medscape (4/12, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) appears to have a small advantage over ketamine for improving depressive symptoms in adults with a major depressive episode,” researchers concluded in the findings of a five-study, 278-patient systematic review and meta-analysis published online April 12 in a brief report in JAMA Psychiatry. HCPlive (4/12, Walter) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

CNN (4/11, McPhillips) reports on a Kaiser Family Foundation survey that found nearly one in five US “adults has had a family member killed by a gun, including in homicide and suicide.”

In separate coverage of the same survey, NPR (4/11, Simmons-Duffin) reports the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can help people who are contemplating suicide.

Kaiser Health News (4/11, Szabo) reports, “The national survey of 1,271 adults conducted by KFF revealed the severe physical and psychological harm exacted by firearm violence, especially in minority communities.”

Related Links:

— “Gun violence has affected most families in the US, new survey finds “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, April 11, 2023

Psychiatric News (4/11) reports, “The anniversary of a parent’s death appears to be associated with an increased risk of suicide among women,” investigators concluded in a “case-crossover study” that relied on “linked data from 1990 to 2016 from multiple Swedish registers.” The study team “focused their analysis on” 7,694 “adults aged 18 to 65 who had experienced the death of a parent and later died of suicide.” The findings were published online April 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Anniversary of Parent’s Death Linked to Increased Suicide Risk in Some Adult Children, Psychiatric News, April 11, 2023

According to HealthDay (4/11, Mozes), “research suggests that opioid prescription rates and suicide risk appear to go hand-in-hand” because suicide risk appears to decrease “as prescription rates fall.” Researchers came to this conclusion after examining “U.S. federal government data collected between 2009 and 2017 on opioid-related deaths” and cross-referencing the data “with information that tracked opioid prescription patterns over the period.” The findings were published online April 11 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Curbing Opioid Prescriptions Won’t Raise Suicide Rates: Study “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, April 11, 2023