Cushing’s Disease News (11/15, Wexler ) reported, “People with Cushing’s disease frequently experience cognitive and psychiatric complications, often persisting after surgery to remove the disease-driving tumor, a review study” found. This “could be because high cortisol levels during active phases of Cushing’s disease can cause physical changes in brain structure that persist after cortisol levels are back under control following surgery, the researchers said.” The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology.

Related Links:

— “Brain structure changes may explain Cushing’s cognitive issues,” Marisa Wexler, MS, , November 15, 2024

Psychiatric News (11/15) reported, “Alcohol consumption among adults increased during the early part of the COVID pandemic, and this increase was sustained two years later, according to an analysis.” Investigators came to this conclusion after examining “data from the 2018, 2020, and 2022 editions of the nationally representative National Health Interview Survey…which included responses on drinking behaviors from 24,965 adults 18 or over in 2018, 30,829 in 2020, and 26,806 in 2022.” The findings were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Pandemic-Fueled Rise in Drinking Persisted Into 2022,” Psychiatric News, November 15, 2024

USA Today (11/14, Brook , Mayes-Osterman ) reports, “The Army saw fewer suicides in recent months, a change in a trend that has long plagued the military.” A report that was “released by the Pentagon Thursday showed suicides rose throughout the military last year, before they began decreasing this year in the Army, which is the military’s largest branch.” The Army reported “the most suicides last year at 279, an increase of 25 from the prior year.” Meanwhile, “the Marine Corps recorded 71 suicides, the Navy recorded 78, the Air Force recorded 93, and the Space Force recorded two suicides.” Military officials “say numbers improved in 2024 because of an emphasis on safe storage of guns and drugs, and a renewed effort to limit stress in soldiers’ lives.”

Related Links:

— “Military suicides still on the rise, but Army gets good news after recent surge,” Tom Vanden Brook and Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, November 14, 2024

The Washington Post (11/14, Kim ) reports “a meta-analysis, using longitudinal data from over 600,000 people, has found that loneliness increases the risk for dementia because of any cause, including Alzheimer’s disease.” The research also found “that loneliness is associated with cognitive impairment, an early stage of cognitive decline that may precede the onset of dementia.” The findings were published in Nature Mental Health.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (11/13, Rhoades) reports “exercise interventions reduced the risk for postpartum depression and the severity of depression and anxiety in women who recently gave birth, results from a review and meta-analysis” showed. Researchers found that “certain thresholds of exercise over the first 3 months of postpartum may need to be met to ultimately achieve the benefits.” The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Exercise may reduce the risk for major postpartum depression,” Andrew Rhoades, Healio, November 13, 2024