Healio (6/14, Demko) reported, “Most U.S. adults with mental health disorders have not received treatment for their conditions in the last year, and treatment rates were especially low for substance use disorders,” researchers concluded after examining the “2012 to 2013 data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.” After analyzing “past 12-month disorder-specific mental health treatment patterns of common DSM-5 disorders in 36,309 U.S. adults,” investigators also found that “lack of insurance coverage increased the odds of not receiving treatment for almost all mental disorders, excluding specific phobia (OR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.3-1.03), non-tobacco drug use disorders (OR = 0.8; 95% CI, 0.47-1.36) and alcohol use disorder (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.12-2.07).” The findings were published online May 28 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Many people with mental health disorders do not receive treatment, “Savannah Demko, Healio, June 14, 2019

HealthDay (6/13, Reinberg) reports researchers found that Lyrica (pregabalin), a gabapentinoid used to treat epilepsy and other diseases, “could make some young people more prone to suicide.” The findings of the 191,973-participant study were published online in the BMJ.

Related Links:

— “Epilepsy DrugTied to Higher Risk of Suicidal Behavior in Young Users, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, June 13, 2019

MedPage Today (6/13, Boyles) reports researchers found that “college students who didn’t get enough sleep had more depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after examining “data from 110,496 college students surveyed in the 2011-2014 waves of the” National College Health Assessment. The findings were presented at SLEEP 2019.

Related Links:

— “Sleep Deprivation Ups Mental Health Risk in College Kids, ” Salynn Boyles, MedPage, June 13, 2019

HealthDay (6/13, McKiski) reports research indicates that “just a half hour of vigorous exercise” may help reduce the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The findings of the 35-participant study were published in the May issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Related Links:

— “Workouts: A Prescription to Ease Severe Chronic Anxiety?, “Kayla McKiski, HealthDay, June 13, 2019

Reuters (6/12, Rapaport) reports, “Heart attack survivors with chronic mood disorders may be more likely to die prematurely than their counterparts who don’t suffer these problems,” researchers concluded after evaluating nearly “58,000 patients for emotional distress two months after a heart attack, and again at 12 months after the event,” then following “a majority of patients for at least four years.” The study revealed that “compared to those who didn’t report any emotional distress at all, people who felt depressed or anxious at both assessments were 46% more likely to die of cardiovascular causes during the follow-up period and 54% more likely to die from other causes.” The findings were published online June 3 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The author of an accompanying editorial observed, “We do not know for certain whether treating depression or anxiety improves survival, but there is some evidence that it probably does.”

Related Links:

— “Chronic depression after heart attack tied to increased risk of death, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, June 12, 2019