MD Magazine (10/10, Campbell) reports research indicated that “nearly one in five cardiac rehabilitation patients suffered from depression.” The 5,908-patient study highlights “the need for monitoring depression and anxiety symptoms on entry and during cardiac rehabilitation to assist with improving adherence.” The findings were published online Oct. 9 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Related Links:

— “Depression, Anxiety Can Derail Cardiac Rehabilitation, “Patrick Campbell, MD Magazine, October 10, 2019

Psychiatric News (10/10) reports, “Whether patients with major depressive disorder [MDD] show improvement (or lack thereof) at the end of their second week on an antidepressant medication may predict whether they will ultimately achieve remission at the end of 12 weeks,” researchers concluded after conducting “a secondary analysis of data from the Veterans Affairs Augmentation and Switching Treatments for Improving Depression Outcomes…study, which involved 1,552 veterans aged 18 and older whose” MDD “was unresponsive to at least one course of antidepressant treatment.” The findings were published online Oct. 3 in the journal Psychiatric Research & Clinical Practice, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Changes in Depressive Symptoms at Two-Week Treatment Mark May Predict 12-Week Remission Outcomes, Psychiatric News, October 10, 2019

Reuters (10/9, Carroll) reports a new study finds that few federal dollars “are available for research into ways to prevent firearm injuries even though they are the second-leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens and the leading cause of death among high schoolers.” Researchers looked at government databases, including “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to identify and quantify the leading causes of mortality in young people, and the Federal Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORTER), a searchable database of scientific research awards from federal agencies.” The study was published in Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Second leading cause of death in children, firearms attract few U.S. research dollars, “Linda Carroll, Reuters , October 9, 2019

CNN (10/9, Lamotte) reports, “Not only did eating a healthy diet for three weeks improve depressive symptoms in college-aged young adults, but those who continued the diet for three months kept their improved outlook on life,” research indicated.

Medscape (10/9, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “The analysis included 76 normal weight university students with a mean age of about 20 years.” Study “participants had a score of 7 or more on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Depression subscale (DASS-21-D), which corresponds with moderate depression symptoms, and a score of more than 57 on the Dietary Fat and Sugar Screener (DFS), which suggests a poor diet.” The findings were published online Oct. 9 in PLOS One. HealthDay (10/9, Heubeck) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Healthy diet improves depression in young adults, study says, “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, October 9, 2019

The ABC News (10/9) website reports, “Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death across the U.S. population, but is second-most among” college students. Completely “independent of college, statistics reveal a spike in suicidality between the ages of 15 and 25.” Students in higher education “today also face challenges that are particular to their generation, such as greater financial stress and an increasingly digital world that replaces face-to-face connection and may contribute to sensations of loneliness and isolation.” At the same time, “college counseling services face a particular challenge in developing protocols that can effectively triage and recognize students at higher risk.”

Related Links:

— “Rising suicide rates at college campuses prompt concerns over mental health care, “Eden David, ABC News , October 9, 2019