Psychiatric News (8/18) reports, “Compared with other common antipsychotics, clozapine appears most likely to decrease the risk of suicidal outcomes in patients with schizophrenia,” investigators concluded after examining data from “two nationwide register-based cohort studies of 61,889 patients with schizophrenia who lived in Finland and 29,823 patients with schizophrenia who lived in Sweden.” The findings were published online Aug. 15 in the Schizophrenia Bulletin.

Related Links:

— “Clozapine Found Most Likely of Common Antipsychotics to Reduce Risk of Suicide in Patients With Schizophrenia, Psychiatric News, August 18, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (8/17, Reddy, Subscription Publication) reports a federal committee recommends that men should not consume more than one alcoholic drink per day. The committee is recommending changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Related Links:

— “Men Urged to Limit Alcohol to One Drink a Day Amid New Concerns, “Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal, August 17, 2020

HCPlive (8/17, Walter) reports researchers “used phenotypic and genomic data from over 100,000 UK Biobank participants to systematically screen and validate a wide range of potential modifiable factors for depression,” extracting “baseline data for 106 modifiable risk factors [for] depression including lifestyle measures such as exercise, sleep, media, and diet, social factors including support and engagement, and environmental variable[s] such as green space and pollution.” After using “Mendelian randomization evidence,” investigators concluded that certain factors were “actionable targets for preventing depression.” The findings were published online Aug. 14 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “More Risk Factors Predict Future Depression, “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, August 17, 2020

Psychiatric News (8/14) reported, “Yoga may help relieve symptoms for patients with generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], but group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) should remain a first-line treatment,” investigators concluded after comparing “the six-month response rates of 155 patients who were randomized to 12 weeks of Kundalini yoga, CBT, or education about stress.” The findings were published online Aug. 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Yoga May Help Relieve Anxiety Symptoms, But CBT Is More Effective, Psychiatric News, August 14, 2020

The AP (8/16) reports that Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) are working on proposed legislation(PDF) that “would create mental health telemedicine services for veterans in rural parts of the country.” The bipartisan “bill would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to create programs at three VA facilities that use computerized cognitive behavioral therapy to treat veterans who suffer from conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Related Links:

— “US reps eye mental health telemedicine for rural veterans, AP, August 16, 2020