According to HCPlive (1/6, Walter), “research indicates motor impairment as a child could be a risk factor for” schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. For the study, “investigators used data from 437 children born in Denmark between Sept. 1, 2004 and Aug. 31, 2009 with no, one, or two parents born in Denmark with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.” The study then “assessed motor development and its association with psychotic experiences in children with familial high risk…of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared to a control group.” The findings were published online Jan. 4 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Early Motor Impairment Could Forecast Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, January 6, 2023

MedPage Today (1/5, George) reports, “Some health conditions associated with dementia appeared early and consistently long before diagnosis, while others became significant much later,” investigators concluded in findings published online in the Annals of Neurology. After evaluating “data for 347 people with Alzheimer’s disease, 76 people with vascular dementia, and 811 control participants without dementia,” researchers found that “for people with a subsequent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, the earliest and most consistent associations at all time points over a 15-year span included depression, erectile dysfunction, gait abnormalities, hearing loss, and nervous and musculoskeletal symptoms.” For people “eventually diagnosed with vascular dementia, the earliest and most consistent associations across 13 years were an abnormal electrocardiogram…cardiac dysrhythmias, cerebrovascular disease, non-epithelial skin cancer, depression, and hearing loss.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (1/5) reports, “Aerobic physical activity may be associated with reduced depressive symptoms in children and adolescents, especially among teens over age 13,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 21-study systematic review and meta-analysis encompassing 2,441 participants. The findingswere published online Jan. 3 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Physical Activity Found Effective for Reducing Depression Symptoms in Youth, Psychiatric News, January 5, 2023

Medscape (1/5, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports researchers have proposed “a conceptual model of personal recovery after attempted suicide” called “the COURAGE model.” The model, which was “developed by a panel of mental health professionals and individuals who have attempted suicide…has seven themes: choosing life, optimizing identity, understanding oneself, rediscovering meaning, acceptance, growing connectedness, and empowerment.” It places its focus “on nonclinical factors such as helping people find meaning and purpose in their lives.” The model was described in findings published online Nov. 17 in BJPsych Open.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

According to Healio (1/5), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) “announced the results of its annual national survey on drug use and” mental “health for 2021” in a Jan. 4 press release. This report“includes selected estimates by race, ethnicity and age group, comprising the most comprehensive report on substance use and mental health indicators SAMHSA has released to date.”

MedPage Today (1/5, Monaco) reports, “Both adolescents and adults pinned some blame on the COVID-19 pandemic for negatively impacting their mental health,” with nearly “half of adolescents who experienced a major depressive episode and half of adults with a serious mental illness” saying that “the pandemic negatively affected their mental health ‘quite a bit or a lot.’”

Related Links:

— “SAMHSA releases 2021 survey on mental health, substance use “Shenaz Bagha, Healio, January 5, 2023