MedPage Today (12/8, George) reported, “Teens with epilepsy were more than twice as likely as adults to talk about suicide on the Internet, an analysis of 222,000 online posts” demonstrated. In fact, “a total of 3,200 of 41,000 posts (8%) by teens with epilepsy discussed suicide, compared with 5,800 of 181,000 posts (3%) by adults with epilepsy,” the study found. The findings were presented at the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Teens With Epilepsy More Likely to Discuss Suicide Online, “Judy George, MedPage Today, December 8, 2019

Psychiatric News (12/6) reported, “Almost half (48%) of children and adolescents with a psychotic disorder said they recently had suicidal thoughts or had in the past considered death by suicide when interviewed in the emergency department (ED) using a brief screening questionnaire,” research indicated. What’s more, “most of these youth did not report a chief complaint related to suicidal ideation or behavior when arriving at the ED.” The study suggested there may be utility to screening for suicide risk among pediatric patients with psychosis. The findings of the 87-child and adolescent study were published online Dec. 4 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Integrating Brief Screen in ER May Better Identify Youth With Psychosis at Risk of Suicide, Psychiatric News, December 6, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (12/5, Kesling, Subscription Publication) reports that mental health disorders prior to enlistment, not just the experiences in combat, may contribute to ongoing psychiatric problems in many veterans and active-duty military personnel, studies indicate.

Related Links:

— “For Many Soldiers, Mental-Health Issues Start Before Enlistment, “Ben Kesling, The Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2019

HealthDay (12/5, Holmes) reports, “The more often young teens turn to social media, the more prone they are to eating disorders,” researchers concluded after looking “at close to 1,000 middle school students and their use of four social media networks: Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr.” The findings were published online Dec. 4 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. Healio (12/5, Gramigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “More Teen Time on Social Media, More Eating Disorders?, “Rich Holmes, HealthDay, December 5, 2019

HealthDay (12/4, Reinberg) reports that researchers have “found a strong association between vaping and depression in a study of nearly 900,000 U.S. adults,” with the “apparent culprit” being nicotine. The findingswere published online Dec. 4 in JAMA Network Open. Healio (12/4, Gramigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Another Downside to Vaping: Higher Odds for Depression, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, December 4, 2019