NPR (1/15, Chatterjee) reports that “an estimated 1 in 7 pregnant women and new mothers become clinically depressed during pregnancy or postpartum” across the US, but their obstetricians “often lack the skills to address this common problem,” which results in few women getting “a diagnosis or treatment.” However, “a statewide program in Massachusetts offers support to obstetricians and gynecologists in screening for and treating depression in pregnant women and new moms.” Nancy Byatt, founding medical director of the program known as the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms (MCPAP for Moms), “says she developed the program after doctors told her they didn’t know how to help pregnant and new moms recover from depression, and that they needed a ‘lifeline’ to support them.”

Related Links:

— “‘A Lifeline’ For Doctors Helps Them Treat Postpartum Depression , “Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, January 15, 2020

Healio (1/13, Gramigna) reports, “Children and adolescents who self-harm have a significantly increased risk for future suicide compared with those in the general population,” investigators concluded in a 9,173-individual “prospective observational cohort study conducted in England.” The study also revealed that “this risk is especially prevalent among those who repeated self-harm, older adolescents and males.” The findings were published online Jan. 8 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rate among youth who self-harm 30 times higher than general population, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 13, 2020

HealthDay (1/13, Thompson) reports, “As legalization of recreational marijuana spreads across the United States, more people are showing up in” emergency departments “with psychotic symptoms after consuming too much pot, said” Itai Danovitch, MD, “chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.” Some people “with a family history of mental illness might wind up with a full-fledged psychotic disorder that will require extended treatment, Danovitch noted.” Dr. Danovitch “said he counsels young people to consider their genetic risk for mental illness before they use marijuana.”

Related Links:

— “Can Pot Bring on Psychosis in Young Users? It May Be Happening, Experts Say, ” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 13, 2020

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (1/11, Olson) reported a study “found greater risks of social and emotional problems in infants whose mothers consumed marijuana during pregnancy.” Specifically, the research “found that 9.1% of babies from marijuana users were at risk, compared to 3.6% of babies whose mothers didn’t consume the drug while pregnant.” The study, “based on toxicology urine tests of 3,435 pregnant women during prenatal checkups, and the performance of their children around 12 months of age” also found “that 8% of mothers tested positive during pregnancy for the presence of THC.” The findings were published in the Journal of Perinatology.

Related Links:

— “Minnesota study links pot use in pregnancy to infant health risks, ” Jeremy Olson, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 11, 2020

Healio (1/10, Gramigna) reported, “Patients with Alzheimer’s disease who use antipsychotic medications may be at an increased risk for head injuries and traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs,” investigators concluded in “a nationwide register-based cohort study conducted in Finland” that went on to identify “incident antipsychotic users from the Prescription Register,” then matching “them with nonusers by age, sex and time since diagnosis, for a total of 21,795 matched pairs.” The findings were published online Jan. 7 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Links:

— “Patients with Alzheimer’s who use antipsychotics at increased risk for head injury, TBI, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 10, 2020