Healio (5/15, Oldt) reports researchers found “a high rate of relapse after low-intensity” cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) “for anxiety and depression, suggesting a need for relapse prevention, particularly among individuals with residual depressive symptoms.” Specifically, “53% of participants relapsed within 12 months.” The findings of the 439-patient study will be published in the July issue of Behaviour Research and Therapy.

Related Links:

— “More than 50% of low-intensity CBT patients relapse,”Amanda Oldt, Healio, May 15, 2017.

Healio (5/15, Oldt) reports the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be “associated with increased risk for dementia among veterans, which varied with use of psychotropic medications,” researchers found after evaluating “a nationwide sample of US veterans (n = 417,172) aged 56 years or older.” The findings were published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Links:

— “PTSD, psychotropic medication increase dementia risk,”Amanda Oldt, Healio , May 15, 2017.

Healio (5/10, Oldt) reports a review has “found little evidence of negative long-term effects of antipsychotics for schizophrenia and indicated significant efficacy for acute psychosis treatment and prevention of relapse.” The findings of the review were published online May 5 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Review supports long-term effects of antipsychotics for schizophrenia,” Goff DC, et al., Healio, May 10, 2017.

HealthDay (5/10, Preidt) reports that research suggests hypertension, “elevated cholesterol or a smoking habit early in life increases your odds for mental decline during middle age.” Investigators looked at “data from thousands of people…who were followed from childhood to adulthood.” The study indicated that hypertension “and high cholesterol in childhood, the teen years and young adulthood – as well as smoking in the teens and young adulthood – were associated with worse midlife mental performance, especially memory and learning.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Related Links:

— “What Harms the Young Heart Also Hurts the Brain Later
,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, May 10, 2017.

Reuters (5/10, Seaman) reports that the risk for having a motor vehicle accident is “significantly reduced” for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “when they are taking” AD/HD “medication, a 10-year study” revealed. Included in the study were some “2,319,450 people over age 18 with” a diagnosis of AD/HD. Of that group, “about 1.9 million of them received at least one prescription to treat” the disorder during the course of the study. The findings were published online May 10 in JAMA Psychiatry.

According to MedPage Today (5/10, Bachert), the authors of an invited commentary “noted the findings confirm and extend existing experimental studies, and have impressive implications for the use of” medication for AD/HD. Also covering the study are Psychiatric News (5/10), the Washington Times (5/10, Kelly) and Healio (5/10, Oldt).

Related Links:

— “ADHD treatment tied to lower car crash risk,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, May 10, 2017.