The New York Times (10/1, Bakalar) reports a study found “women who have a hysterectomy may be at increased risk for depression and anxiety.” The study of over 2,000 women who underwent the procedure without removal of the ovaries showed “a hysterectomy was associated with a 26 percent increased relative risk for depression and a 22 percent increased risk for anxiety.” For women under 35, the study published in Menopause showed “a 47 percent increased risk for depression and a 45 percent increased risk for anxiety.”

Related Links:

— “Hysterectomy May Raise Depression and Anxiety Risk, “Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, October 1, 2019

Reuters (10/1, Carroll) reports, “Drive times to opioid treatment programs may be as much as six times longer in rural U.S. counties compared to urban ones, researchers” found. In their study that examined “drive times to opioid treatment programs in urban and rural counties in the five states with the highest rates of opioid-related deaths,” investigators “found that it could take nearly 50 minutes to get a clinic that could dispense methadone, according to a research letter published” online Oct. 1 in JAMA. HealthDay (10/1, Reinberg) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Long drive times in rural areas may be a barrier to opioid addiction treatment, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, October 1, 2019

Psychiatric News (10/1) reports, “The use of proactive consultation-liaison psychiatry, along with clinically informed screening and integrated mental health care delivery, appears to help reduce patients’ average length of stay in the hospital,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 12-study review were published in the September/October issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Use of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry May Reduce Hospital Patients’ Length of Stay, Psychiatric News, October 1, 2019

MedPage Today (9/30, George) reports researchers conducted “a survey of dementia caregivers,” and found that the quality of life for patients with dementia “improved over 12 months with team-based telephone and Internet support.” The results were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (9/30, Reinberg) reports, “If a mother is depressed, her young children might be at risk for hyperactivity, aggressiveness and anxiety,” research indicated. The study also found that “a father’s depression only affected kids if mom was also depressed.” The findings were published online Sept. 30 in CMAJ. The article does not mention the number of children in the study.

Related Links:

— “Depressed Moms, More Anxious, Troubled Kids?, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, September 30, 2019