USA Today (1/24) columnist Steven Petrow writes that mental health mobile apps are a great idea that could potentially help many people with mental health problems get the treatment they need, but that many of the apps still have problems. Petrow shares his experience with one such app, Talkspace, and explains why he is concerned about the therapists on the app, and also whether the app does enough to protect patients’ privacy. Petrow mentions that the American Psychiatric Association has developed a model for evaluating such apps.

Related Links:

— “Text-based therapy is not ready for prime time,”Steven Petrow, USA Today, January 24, 2017.

In a greater than 1,200-word piece, Scientific American (1/24) reports, “As many as 46 states have now enacted measures for” assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), “and these policies have garnered support from organizations including the American Psychiatric Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.” Nevertheless, “these laws are often underutilized,” partly due to a lack of “trained personnel and underfunding, but fierce opposition to AOT plays a part.” Some critics of AOT contend that the treatment “infringes on patients’ rights and harkens [sic] back to the days of asylums.”

Related Links:

— “How Community Mental Health Care Can Make a Major Difference,”Nathaniel P. Morris, Scientific American, January 24, 2017.

HealthDay (1/23, Preidt) reports, “Gestational diabetes and a previous bout of depression can increase a first-time mother’s risk of postpartum depression,” researchers found after analyzing “data from more than 700,000 women in Sweden.” The findings were published online Jan. 18 in the journal Depression and Anxiety.

Related Links:

— “Gestational Diabetes a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression: Study,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay , January 23, 2017.

HealthDay (1/23, Thompson) reports that research suggests “the stress of managing breast cancer care provokes symptoms of anxiety in more than 42 percent of partners and caregivers.” Investigators found that “this stress-induced anxiety can last years after their loved one’s illness.” Investigators came to these conclusions after surveying “289 partners of patients diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger.” The findings are scheduled to be presented at a meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

Related Links:

— “When Loved One Has Breast Cancer, Partner Suffers, Too,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 23, 2017.

In a 2,000-word piece, the Washington Post (1/21, Itkowitz) reported on how certain community-based programs are helping give people with severe mental illness “a chance to lead a meaningful life.” For example, the Way Station program, “which serves more than 5,000 people across Maryland,” is making a big difference in the lives of individuals with mental illnesses by using “social support systems to integrate people with mental illnesses into their communities.”

Related Links:

— “His mental illness left him homeless. Then a unique program gave him his life back,”Colby Itkowitz, The Washington Post, January 21, 2017.