The NBC News (9/25, Miller) website reports that researchpublished Sept. 25 in PLOS One “looked at the physical and emotional toll of paying attention to and participating in the political discourse.” The study revealed that “‘large numbers of American adults see politics as exacting a significant set of costs on their social, emotional, psychological and even physical health,’ said lead study author Kevin Smith, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska.” For the study, investigators examined “survey data collected by YouGov in March 2017 on 800 Americans – a time at which the costs of politics were ‘unusually acute,’ the researchers wrote.”

Newsweek (9/25, McCall) reports that “4.1 percent of respondents admitted to having suicidal thoughts triggered by events in politics⁠ – a number that would roughly translates to 13 million people if scaled up to current population figures,” the study found. The study also revealed that politics is “causing problems in…relationships – one in five said opposing political views have damaged a friendship, while 14.6 percent said that differences in political views have created problems for them in their immediate family.”

Also covering the story are the NPR (9/25, Chatterjee) “Shots” blog and HealthDay (9/25, Thompson).

Related Links:

— “Feeling sick or losing sleep over politics? You aren’t alone, “Sara G. Miller, NBC News, September 25, 2019

MedPage Today (9/25, Susman) reports, “A review of 15 years of suicides that were autopsied indicated that, most frequently, the person involved was a man, using a gun, in his home – and most of the time the individual left no explanation,” research indicated. The review of 657 suicide death records was presented at the annual meeting of the College of American Pathologists.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Newsweek (9/25, Gander) reports that in a large study, investigators “looked at admissions to the Cincinnati Children’s emergency psychiatric department between 2011 and 2015 to see if there was an association with levels of air pollution.” The study revealed that “in the three days following a” pollution “spike of 10 micrograms per meter squared, the hospital saw more children attend the psychiatric emergency department,” with “PM 2.5” appearing “to exacerbate adjustment disorder and suicidality in particular.” The findings were published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Related Links:

— “Air Pollution Has Been Linked With Psychiatric Disorders In Children, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, September 25, 2019

Reuters (9/25, Carroll) reports, “After weight-loss surgery, patients may be more likely to need mental health services, including psychiatric hospitalizations,” research indicated.

Healio (9/25, Demko) reports, “Over an average follow-up of five years, one in 10 patients who underwent bariatric surgery used mental health service afterwards,” researchers concluded in a 24,766-patient study, the findings of which were published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Patients more likely to seek psychiatric help after weight-loss surgery, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, September 25, 2019

HealthDay (9/24, Reinberg) reports, “Veterans who suffer from depression, anxiety, psychosis or bipolar disorder are more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or die from heart disease,” with “those who have most severe mental health problems, such as schizophrenia…at greatest risk,” researchers concluded after examining “data on more than 1.6 million” veterans. The findings were published online Sept. 24 in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Related Links:

— “Mental Ills May Put Veterans at Higher Odds for Heart Trouble, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, September 24, 2019