HealthDay (8/8, Preidt) reports, “The agony of severe diarrhea can make some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) wish they were dead,” survey findings reveal.

Healio Gastroenterology (8/8, Young) reports that a survey indicates that “more than 10% of patients with diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome admitted to feeling suicidal thoughts.” The findings of the 513-patient survey were published online in the UEG Journal.

Related Links:

— “Severe Diarrhea Can Send IBS Patients Over the Edge, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 08, 2018.

Reuters (8/8, Kelland) reports research reveals that “people who exercise several times a week report having better mental health than those who take no exercise, with team sports and those involving social groups having the most positive effect.” What’s more, “exercising for around 45 minutes three to five times a week was associated with the biggest benefits,” researchers concluded after using “data from 1.2 million adults across all 50 U.S. states who had been asked to estimate how often in the past 30 days they would rate their mental health as ‘not good’ based on stress, depression and emotional problems.”

MedPage Today (8/8, Monaco) reports, “This positive association between exercise and improved mental health was even more pronounced in those who had a previous diagnosis of depression, marked by an average of 3.75 fewer days of poor mental health per month,” the study revealed. The findings were published online Aug. 8 in The Lancet Psychiatry. The author of an accompanying editorial “highlighted that one major drawback to this analysis was the placement of ‘mental health’ into one category.” TIME (8/8, Ducharme) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Exercise linked to better mental health – but too much may do harm, “Kate Kelland, Reuters, August 08, 2018.

MedPage Today (8/7) reports, “Methylphenidate (Ritalin) may be a first-choice attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (AD/HD) “medication for kids, while amphetamines may be preferred for adults,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 133-trial meta-analysis were published online Aug. 7 in The Lancet Psychiatry. The authors of an accompanying comment observed, “The results support a moderating effect of age on first-line medication choice, consistent with current use patterns in the USA, with greatest support for methylphenidate in children and adolescents and amphetamine formulations in adults.”

Related Links:

— “The Best ADHD Medication? Meta-Analysis Offers Some Answers, “Kristen Monaco, MedPage Today, August 07, 2018.

Healio (8/6, Demko) reported, “Combined results of a meta-analysis and Swedish population-based study supported a significant link between” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “and asthma, which remained after controlling for possible confounders,” research indicated. The findings were published online July 24 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “The Best ADHD Medication? Meta-Analysis Offers Some Answers, “Savannah Demko, Healio, August 06, 2018.

Medscape (8/2, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “antihypertensive therapy to lower elevated blood pressure (BP) decreases the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in older adults, and the benefits may be gained by several different drug classes.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)