The AP (11/15, Tanner) reported, “Many older American adults may inaccurately estimate their chances for developing dementia and do useless things to prevent it,” research indicated.

HealthDay (11/15, Norton) reported that “almost half of Americans in their 50s and 60s believed they were at least ‘somewhat likely’ to develop dementia,” the study found. Only five percent, however, “said they had talked to their doctor about ways to lower their risk,” the study indicated. The survey found that one-third instead reported to take “fish oil, vitamin E or other supplements to help ward off memory decline,” despite the fact that “none have been proven to have such benefits.” The findings of the 1,019-adult study published online in a research letter in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Will you get dementia? Many may not understand their risk, “Lindsey Tanner, AP, November 15, 2019

Dr. Bruce Schwartz, the president of the American Psychiatric Association, writes in a letter to the editor of the Washington Post (11/17) in response to an article from November 12 with the headline “ERs could help curb suicides.” Dr. Schwartz says, “Screening can be an effective way to identify patients with mental-health problems, but it is unlikely to halt the suicide epidemic in this country.” Additionally, “emergency rooms have become the de facto and only mental-health resource for many Americans, even those who have insurance.” Schwartz argues “the article correctly pointed out that once in the emergency room, mental-health patients can wait 24 hours or longer to see a health-care professional and days or weeks for a psychiatric bed,” however, in order to “truly stem the suicide epidemic,” Schwartz says, “we need to devote resources to mental-health care” and “mandate that insurers provide true parity in their plans.”

Related Links:

— “Can ERs help fight the suicide epidemic?, The Washington Post, November 17, 2019

Reuters (11/14, Carroll) reports, “Slight declines in hearing, smaller than the usual cutoff for diagnosing hearing loss, are associated with measurable mental decline in seniors,” research indicated, and when investigators “used a stricter threshold to include mild hearing loss, they found evidence that the well-established link between age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline might begin sooner than is recognized.” The findings of the 6,451-participant study were published online Nov. 14 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. MedPage Today (11/14, George) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Hearing loss, even when mild, linked to mental decline in seniors, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, November 14, 2019

Healio (11/14, Gramigna) reports, “Patients who present to a hospital for self-harm are at a high risk for suicide in the first year after presentation, and particularly in the first month,” researchers concluded after examining “data for 90,614 presentations to the study hospitals between January 2000 and December 2013 by 49,783 individuals aged 15 years or older.” Mortality was followed up until “Dec. 31, 2015, which allowed for up to 16 years of follow-up.” The findings were published online Nov. 6 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicide risk significantly heightened first month, year after self-harm discharge, “Joe Gramigna, Healio , November 14, 2019

Psychiatric News (11/13) reports, “Having a concussion within the past year may raise the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior in high school students,” researchers concluded after examining “data from more than 13,000 respondents in grades 9 through 12 who participated in the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey.” The findings were published online Nov. 11 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Concussions May Raise Risk of Suicide in High School Students, Psychiatric News, November 13, 2019