HealthDay (3/12, Thompson) reports that “teenagers with any mental health problem are more prone to painkiller dependence after receiving a prescription opioid,” according to a new study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

MedPage Today (3/12, Walker) also reports.

Related Links:

— “Certain Teens More Likely to Get Hooked on Opioids,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 12, 2018.

The NPR (3/9, Raphelson) “Here & Now Compass” blog reported that the “lack of federal funding for mental health services may be to blame” for the “growing shortage of psychiatrists across the US.” President Trump’s “2019 budget proposal doesn’t devote much funding” to mental healthcare. What’s more, “the federal government, which funds medical residency programs, put a cap on them under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997,” making it much harder to train psychiatrists to deal with a “growing and aging” population. Now, some “mental health advocates are urging Congress to act on legislation to expand medical residency training programs as a method of dealing with this crisis.”

Related Links:

— “Severe Shortage Of Psychiatrists Exacerbated By Lack Of Federal Funding,” SAMANTHA RAPHELSON, NPR, March 9, 2018.

HealthDay (3/9, Preidt) reported, “Mental health problems can last into adulthood for girls who start having their periods at an early age,” researchers concluded after following some “8,000 US girls for about 14 years, generally from adolescence until their late 20s.” The study revealed that “the younger the girls were when their periods started, the more likely they were to have depression and antisocial behaviors,” problems that “persisted at least until the girls were in their late 20s.” The findings were published online Dec. 26 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Early Periods Tied to Mental Health Issues Into Adulthood,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 9, 2018.

Healio (3/8, Demko) reports, “A high school peer-to-peer depression awareness program in Michigan that encouraged students to both learn about and educate other students about mental illness reduced stigma and increased knowledge about depression, perception in identifying those who may have depression and willingness to get help for themselves,” researchers concluded after examining data from “the 2015 to 2016 outcome data from 10 high schools involved in the Peer-to-Peer Depression Awareness Program.” The findings of the 878-participant study were published online March 1 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Student-led awareness program boosts teens’ knowledge of depression,” Parikh SV, et al., , March 8, 2018.

Medscape (3/7, Davenport) reported, “Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe depression does not appear to raise long-term dementia risk,” researchers found in a “large, retrospective registry analysis of more than 1600 patients who underwent ECT.” The study found that “the procedure conferred no additional risk for cognitive impairment relative to matched control persons who did not undergo ECT, even after up to 40 years of follow-up.” The findings were presented at the European Psychiatric Association 2018 Congress.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)