Healio Cardiology Today (8/9, Buzby) reported, “Among adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease, mental illness is a significantly more prevalent comorbidity in those who experienced at least two cardiac procedures during a three-year period or had greater lesion complexity than in others,” researchers found after analyzing “the data of 2,192 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years (42% girls), and 6,924 adults aged 18 to 64 years (53% women), with congenital heart disease between 2011 and 2013.” The findings were published in the Aug. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

Related Links:

— “Mental illness odds elevated in congenital heart disease, “Scott Buzby, Healio Cardiology Today, August 09, 2019

Healio (8/9, Demko) reported, “Diagnosing young children soon after symptom emergence expedites the start of interventions for autism spectrum disorder [ASD], and can help prepare children and their parents,” researchers concluded in a JAMA Network Insight published online Aug. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry. The piece added, “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening young children at ages 18 months and 24 months for ASD, according to the paper.”

Related Links:

— “How clinicians can talk to worried parents about autism, “Savannah Demko, Healio, August 09, 2019

Medscape (8/9, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reported, “Eating dark chocolate may positively affect mood and relieve depressive symptoms, new research suggests.” Investigators “at University College London in the United Kngdom found that individuals who reported eating any dark chocolate in two 24-hour periods had 70% lower odds of reporting clinically relevant depressive symptoms compared to their counterparts who reported no chocolate consumption.” Still, “at least one expert said that at this point, the findings, although intriguing, are no more than food for thought and should not change dietary habits.” The study was published in Depression and Anxiety.

Related Links:

— “Sweet News: Dark Chocolate Tied to Lower Depression Risk, “Megan Brooks, Medscape (Subscription Publication), August 09, 2019

U.S. News & World Report (8/8, Hansen) reports a new survey reveals “one in seven Americans use products containing cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis.” The Gallup survey found that “14 percent of U.S. adults use CBD products, with younger people and West Coast residents more likely to use the cannabis-based goods.”

Related Links:

— “1 in 7 Adults Use CBD Products, Gallup Survey Finds, ” Claire Hansen, U.S. News & World Report, August 08, 2019

NPR (8/8, Greenfieldboyce) reports that while more American’s die from suicide with firearms than from homicide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “shies away from discussing the important link in this country between suicide and access to guns.” Documents “obtained by NPR” suggest the CDC “instead relies on vague language and messages about suicide that effectively downplay and obscure the risk posed by firearms.”

Related Links:

— “How The CDC’s Reluctance To Use The ‘F-Word’ — Firearms — Hinders Suicide Prevention, “Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, August 08, 2019