Healio (10/9, Weller) reported, “Adults with epilepsy identified treatment for anxiety and depression as a priority and ranked neurologists’ prescribing of pharmacotherapy and wellness activities as their most preferred options for management,” investigators concluded in a small, “prospective cross-sectional survey that collected data on adult patients with epilepsy as well as anxiety and/or depression (mean age, 42.2; women, 63.5%; white, 76.2%).” The findings of the “single-center study” were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (virtual).

Related Links:

— “Patients with epilepsy prefer neurologists manage treatment of anxiety, depression “Madison Weller, Healio, October 9, 2020

HCPlive (10/11, Bender) reported, “Cataracts, whether present or previously removed, were associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms in the elderly,” investigators concluded in a 23,000-participant, three-year “prospective study in which there was no similar association with age related macular degeneration (AMD) or glaucoma.” The findings were published online Sept. 24 in the journal Ophthalmic Epidemiology.

Related Links:

— “Cataracts Linked to Depressive Symptoms in Elderly “Kenneth Bender, HCPlive, October 11, 2020

HCPlive (10/11, Bender) reported, “Cataracts, whether present or previously removed, were associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms in the elderly,” investigators concluded in a 23,000-participant, three-year “prospective study in which there was no similar association with age related macular degeneration (AMD) or glaucoma.” The findings were published online Sept. 24 in the journal Ophthalmic Epidemiology.

Related Links:

— “Cataracts Linked to Depressive Symptoms in Elderly “Kenneth Bender, HCPlive, October 11, 2020

Psychiatric News (10/9) reported, “Most parents support school-based depression screening starting in middle school,” investigators concluded after analyzing survey “responses of 770 parents who participated in the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.” The findingswere published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Most Parents Support Depression Screening in Middle School, Psychiatric News, October 9, 2020

Medscape (10/9, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reported research suggests that “about a quarter of police officers in one large force report past or present mental health problems.” Included in the study were “434 members of the Dallas Police Department, the ninth largest in the United States.” In response “to a survey, 26% of police officers on the Dallas Police Department screened positive for depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or symptoms of suicide ideation or self-harm.” What’s more, “mental illness rates were particularly high among female officers, those who were divorced, widowed, or separated, and those with military experience.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in JAMA Network Open. In a comment “on the study for Medscape Medical News, Anthony T. Ng, MD, regional medical director, East Region Hartford Healthcare Behavioral Health Network, and member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Communications, found the study ‘helpful.’”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)