Healio (7/18, Viguers) reports that investigators “who set out to clarify whether there is an association between Lyme disease and depression found that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was similar among infected and noninfected patients who sought care at a tertiary Lyme center.” Included in the study were “1,454 patients.” The study authors “said their findings suggest that depressive symptoms should not be used to help diagnose Lyme borreliosis (LB) in this setting.” The findings were published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Related Links:

— “Study shows no link between Lyme disease and depression,” Tizza P. Zomer, MSc, Healio, July 18, 2017.

Healio (7/17, Miller) reports, “Access to outpatient behavioral health care in at least one metropolitan area was limited after implementation of the Affordable Care Act,” researchers found. For the study, investigators “posed as potential patients with mild-to-moderate depression and used a secret shopper methodology to contact all the behavioral health” professionals “in the Denver Colorado metropolitan area networked through several large insurance companies about the next available appointment date.”

All in all, the study authors “made 1,932 calls from 2014 to 2015.” The study revealed that “a patient in the Denver area would need to call seven to 10 psychiatrists, depending on the insurance company, to find an available appointment.” The findings were published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Behavioral health access restricted under Affordable Care Act,” Williams MO, Healio, July 17, 2017.

Healio (7/17, Miller) reports, “Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders with onset in childhood,” researchers found in a report published in the June issue of Pediatric Annals. The report “is intended for primary care pediatricians to help them identify normal stresses vs. anxiety disorders, and help their patients move, through psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, toward wellness.”

In particular, author Sabrina Fernandez, MD, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California-San Francisco, focused on strategies to recognize, diagnose and treat “general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and panic disorder” among children.

Currently, “according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there is a ‘critical shortage’ of mental health professionals for those aged younger than 18 years.” That is why it is important for primary care professionals to “help identify normal stresses vs. anxiety disorders,” Dr. Fernandez said.

Related Links:

— “Strategies to diagnose, treat anxiety disorders for primary care pediatricians,” Fernandez S., Healio, July 17, 2017.

HealthDay (7/16, Preidt) reported, “Just a slight increase in social interaction benefits older adults with dementia and lowers health care costs,” researchers found after examining data on some “800 dementia patients living in 69 nursing homes in the UK.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “One Social Hour a Week Can Help Someone With Dementia,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 16, 2017.

Healio (7/13, Oldt) reports that in a 418-patient, “double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized” phase 3 study, “lisdexamfetamine dimesylate reduced risk for relapse in moderate to severe binge-eating disorder over six months.” The findings were published online July 12 in JAMA Psychiatry. Psychiatric News (7/12) also covered the study.

Related Links:

— “Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate lowers binge-eating disorder relapse risk,” Hudson JI, et al., Healio, July 13, 2017.