STAT (11/7) reports that in findings published last month in Pediatrics, researchers “analyzed mental health among 2,000 teens, more than half of whom were transgender.” The researchers “asked teens to identify their current gender identity and what gender they were assigned at birth.” The findings reveal that “transgender boys were at the highest risk of a suicide attempt requiring medical attention, followed by non-binary teens assigned male at birth.” Also, “transgender girls were six times more likely than cis boys to have suicidal thoughts.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health studies lump transgender teens under one umbrella — and miss clues to help them in the process, “Megan Thielking, STAT, November 7, 2019

Healio (11/5, Gramigna) reports, “Among people with a genetic predisposition for depression, four additional hours of physical activity” per week “may reduce the odds of incident depression by 17%,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the longitudinal Partners Healthcare Biobank, which integrated genomic data for nearly 8,000 individuals of European ancestry with lifestyle survey responses – including some on physical activity – and high-dimensional electronic health records.” The findings were published online Nov. 5 in the journal Depression & Anxiety. MD Magazine (11/5, Walter) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Increased physical activity may reduce depressive episodes by 17%, “Joe Gramigna, , November 5, 2019

Psychiatric News (11/5) reports, “Regional and national newspapers in the United States are falling short of meeting guidelines for reporting on suicide deaths,” researchers concluded after analyzing “coverage following the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain in June 2018 in print newspapers with a minimum circulation of 200,000.” The study revealed that “the publications adhered to only about half of the national recommendations for reporting on suicide, such as avoiding details of lethal means or use of a sensational headline.” The findings were published online Nov. 1 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Newspapers Can Do More to Change Public Perception of Suicide, Report Suggests, Psychiatric News, November 5, 2019

The AP (11/5, Stobbe) reports, “U.S. health officials estimate that millions of cases of heart disease and other illnesses are linked to abuse and other physical and psychological harm suffered early in life.”

MedPage Today (11/5, Hlavinka) reports, “Of 144,017 individuals who completed a phone survey, those who reported at least four ACEs (15.6%) had a higher risk for all measured conditions, including coronary heart disease (CHD, adjusted odds ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.1), obesity (aOR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR 2.8, 95% CI 2.5-3.1),” the study found. People “with four or more ACEs were also more likely to report depression (aOR 5.3, 95% CI 4.9–5.7) and socioeconomic hardships, such as unemployment (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5–2.0), compared with people who did not report ACEs,” the research revealed. The findings were published online in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Healio (11/5, Bortz) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “US health officials link childhood trauma to adult illness, “Mike Stobbe, AP, November 5, 2019

HealthDay (11/4, Preidt) reports, “Most people with Down syndrome have dementia by age 55, a new study shows.” Researchers “analyzed Medicaid claims data on 3,000 people with Down syndrome, aged 21 and older, in Wisconsin” and found that “3 in 5 people with Down syndrome will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia by age 55.” In comparison, those “without Down syndrome are rarely diagnosed with dementia before age 65.” The results were published in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Down Syndrome Carries Raised Risk of Dementia by 55, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 4, 2019