In a nearly 2,500-word story, The Atlantic (9/6, Lucchesi) reports, “Medical researchers estimate that untreated postpartum psychosis leads to an estimated four percent risk of infanticide, and a five percent risk of suicide.” Currently, 12 “states have new legislation or special programs intended to build awareness of postpartum psychosis among new mothers and medical” professionals. Meanwhile, “lawmakers have also considered mandatory screening for new mothers during well-baby visits.” But, some experts in public health “have described these programs as well-intended but ineffective.” In fact, “a 2015 study in Psychiatric Services,” a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, “analyzed the various programs and concluded: ‘Despite the abundant good will, there is no evidence that state policies are addressing this great need.’” Postpartum psychosis “occurs in one to two mothers per 1,000 who give birth, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

Related Links:

— “When Giving Birth Leads to Psychosis, Then to Infanticide, “Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, The Atlantic, September 06, 2018.

The Boston Globe (9/6, Krantz) reports, “One in five college students reported thoughts of suicide in the past year,” researchers concluded after surveying some “67,000 college students at more than 100 colleges in the” US. The findings were published online Sept. 6 in the journal Depression and Anxiety.

Related Links:

— “Study finds 1 in 5 college students reported thoughts of suicide, “Laura Krantz, The Boston Globe, September 06, 2018.

According to Healio (9/5, Demko), “the percentage of active-duty female Air Force personnel experiencing PTSD symptoms increased as number of wartime experiences increased,” researchers found after using “participants’ responses to the U.S. Air Force Community Assessment Survey in 2008, 2011, or 2013 to determine the connections between wartime experiences and PTSD symptoms.” Included were sample sizes of “18,012 in 2008, 12,249 in 2011, and 8,061 in 2013.” The findings were published online Aug. 21 in the Journal of Women’s Health.

Related Links:

— “, “Savannah Demko, Healio, September 05, 2018.

STAT Plus (8/30, Robbins, Subscription Publication) reports the first digital tablet that can alert a patient’s physician or caregiver after it has been swallowed will soon enter the market and be first sold to people with mental illness who are covered by Medicaid. The product will cost $1,650 per month. The digital pill was approved last year by the FDA “for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” and “it’s a high-tech upgrade to the antipsychotic drug Abilify.”

Related Links:

— “At $1,650 per month, the first digital pill will soon roll out to certain Medicaid patients with mental illness, “Rebecca Robbins, STAT Plus , August 30, 2018.

HealthDay (8/30, Mundell) says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on opioid overdose deaths across 11 states “finds the problem is increasingly complex, but more can be done to stop it.” According to the research team led by Christine Mattson, of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, most states “were simultaneously struggling with a complex mix of prescription and illicit opioid deaths.” According to Dr. Harshal Kirane, who directs addiction services at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, the CDC report “reveals two key areas of pressing concern: limited access to addiction care and limited community engagement in overdose education and naloxone distribution.” The report was published August 31 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “States Struggle With Onslaught of Opioid OD Deaths, “E.J. Mundell, HealthDay, August 30, 2018.