Psychiatric News (10/29) reports, “Patients with co-occurring depression and substance use disorders may be less likely to receive optimal depression treatment than those with depression alone,” investigators concluded after analyzing data on 53,034 patients who were diagnosed with a depressive disorder in fiscal year 2017 in the US Veterans Health Administration. The findings were published online Oct. 29 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Depression Care Suboptimal for Patients With Comorbid Substance Use Disorders, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, October 29, 2020

Healio (10/28, Gramigna) reports, “Transgender or gender-nonconforming adolescents may have increased risk for various mental health challenges,” investigators concluded after seeking “to compare the mental health status of” transgender or nonconforming “adolescents in China with that of their cisgender peers.” They did so by analyzing “questionnaire data of 12,108 adolescents from 18 secondary schools in one city in China.” The findings of the “cross-sectional survey study” were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Transgender adolescents at increased risk for numerous mental health challenges “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 28, 2020

MedPage Today (10/28, Hlavinka) reports researchers surveyed 543 Chinese-American parents and found that “Chinese Americans are experiencing more racial discrimination and it appears to be affecting their mental health.” In the survey, “the proportion who reported experiencing racial discrimination in-person and online due to COVID-19 was 50.9% and 31.7%, respectively.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (10/28, Bakalar) reports, “Long-term exposure to noise may be linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” investigators concluded after conducting “periodic interviews with 5,227 people 65 and older participating in a study on aging.” After controlling for confounding factors, researchers “found that each 10 decibel increase in community noise level was associated with a 36 percent higher likelihood of mild cognitive impairment, and a 29 percent increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published online Oct. 20 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Related Links:

— “Long-Term Noise Exposure May Be Tied To Increased Risk For Dementia, Study Indicates “Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, October 28, 2020

Fox News (10/28, Rivas) reports, “Intense sadness, hopelessness and anxiety among new mothers may last up to three years after childbirth,” researchers concluded. For the study, investigators “examined data on 5,000 women from the Upstate KIDS study in New York and found that about one in four moms experienced high levels of depression up to three years after birth.” The findings were published online Oct. 28 in Pediatrics.

According to Psychiatric News (10/28), the study also revealed an apparently higher risk “for women who have a history of depression and/or gestational diabetes.”

Related Links:

— “Women May Continue to Experience Symptoms of Postpartum Depression 3 Years After Giving Birth, Psychiatric News, October 28, 2020