HealthDay (9/14, Preidt) reports, “Even after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma disappears, survivors could still suffer from mental stress caused by the massive storms, experts” contend. In a news release, crisis psychiatrist Carol North, MD, of the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, “outlined some coping techniques for people with short-term symptoms of mental stress after a disaster.”

Meanwhile, pediatric psychiatrist James Norcross, MD, also of the UT Southwestern Medical Center, “said that parents can help children recover after a natural disaster by remaining calm and reassuring” and by limiting “children’s exposure to news reports on television or social media.”

Meanwhile, Healio (9/14, Oldt) reports that James M. Shultz, MS, PhD, of the University of Miami School of Medicine, and Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, of Boston University, who together authored a viewpoint published online Sept. 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “explored how mental health consequences of Hurricane Harvey can be mitigated.”

Related Links:

— “Hurricanes’ Toll on Mental Health Will Linger,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 14, 2017.

MD Magazine (9/14, Warren) reports, “The risk for health anxiety…a disorder characterized by a preoccupation with physical health and/or somatic/body symptoms, is increased in older adults,” researchers found after assessing “538 primary care patients” ranging in age from 18 to 90. The findings were published online June 24 in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Older Adults Have Increased Risk for Health Anxiety,” Amanda Warren, MD Magazine, September 14, 2017.

Medscape (9/13, Brooks) reports, “One in 10 children in the United States suffer from serious emotional disturbance (SED) and are likely to require treatment or referral to appropriate mental health services,” researchers concluded after reviewing data from “12 population-based US studies that estimated the prevalence of youths with SED.” The findings of the meta-analysis were published online Sept. 1 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (9/13, Preidt) reports, “Three common mental health disorders – depression, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder – pose no serious threat to pregnant women or the health of their” infants, researchers found after following some “2,600 pregnant women at 137 clinical practices in Connecticut and Massachusetts.” The findings were published online Sept. 13 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Does Mother’s Mental Health Affect Pregnancy?,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 13, 2017.

Reuters (9/13, Seaman) reports, “Young adults with low levels of education and people with mental health disorders bore the greatest burden of a recent increase in suicide attempts in the US,” researchers concluded.

HealthDay (9/13, Dotinga) reports that after examining “surveys of over 69,000 US adults taken from 2004-2005 and 2012-2013,” then adjusting the data for confounding factors, investigators found that “the risk of suicide attempts was ‘significantly higher’ among certain groups, including: those aged 21 to 34 (compared to those 65 and up); those with only a high school education (compared to college grads); and those with antisocial, anxiety and depressive disorders (compared to others).” The findings were published online Sept. 13 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Healio (9/13, Oldt) reports the author of an accompanying editorial “reflected on the public health impact” of the study’s findings, writing, “Given the cumulative frequency of family, legal and financial problems, it behooves us to look beyond the walls of our clinics and offices to engage vulnerable individuals and families in diverse settings such as courts and jails, social service agencies, and perhaps the streets long before they have become ‘suicidal.’” Also covering the story are Medscape (9/13, Brooks) and Psychiatric News (9/13).

Related Links:

— “U.S. suicide attempts up most among younger adults, less educated,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, September 13, 2017.