Healio (12/20, Oldt) reports that “a recent literature review identified several mental health screening tools validated for Spanish and use in individuals with limited English proficiency.” In order to evaluate “Spanish-language validity and implementation of Bright Futures pre-visit mental health screening tools and models of care for Latino children, researchers reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2015 that reported screening results for Latino or Spanish-speaking population.” After their assessment, the study authors recommended use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, including pictorial versions (PSC-35), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) “as they are validated in Spanish and freely accessible.” The review’s findings were published online Nov. 23 in Clinical Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Review indicates reliable mental health screening tools for Latino children,”Amanda Oldt, Healio, December 20, 2016.

Healio (12/19) reports in a piece exploring the bidirectional relationship of infectious disease and mental health, Marshall Forstein, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and vice chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s council on medical education and lifelong learning, said, “We don’t pay enough attention to mental function in any part of medicine, frankly.” And, “according to [Dr.] Forstein, patients with a serious mental illness often have difficulties with impulse control and judgment and rarely have stable living conditions because of homelessness or inconsistent relationships with their families, leading to situations that may put them at risk for acquiring an infectious disease.”

Related Links:

— “ID, mental health share complicated relationship, Healio, December 19, 2016.

HealthDay (12/19, Reinberg) reports, “The traumatic effects of child abuse and neglect can persist for decades, often with substantial economic consequences,” investigators found after examining “data on more than 8,000 British children born in 1958,” then following those youngsters “up to age 16.” The study revealed that “physical, social or emotional abuse in childhood was linked at midlife to a greater risk of time off from work due to long-term sickness,” the study published online Dec. 19 in Pediatrics reveals.

MedPage Today (12/19, Bachert) reports the authors of an accompanying editorialobserved, “We should all work toward effective, evidence-based policies to address child health, and that begins by not collapsing the full spectrum of social determinants of health under one umbrella term: child maltreatment.”

Related Links:

— “The Impact of Child Abuse Can Last a Lifetime,”Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, December 19, 2016.

Medical Daily (12/19, Dovey) reports that “long-term, heavy chronic marijuana use tends to worsen the symptoms of depression and anxiety, not reverse them,” researchers found. The findings of the study were published online Dec. 8 in PeerJ.

Related Links:

— “Does Marijuana Treat Anxiety And Depression? Short-Term Relief Vs. Long-Term Effects, New Research,”Dana Dovey, Medical Daily, December 19, 2016.

Healio (12/19, Oldt) reports, “Fear circuitry and dysphoric PTSD symptoms became more strongly connected as time passed after traumatic injury,” researchers concluded after conducting “a prospective cohort study of 1,138 individuals recently admitted with traumatic injury to major trauma hospitals across Australia.” The findings were published online Dec. 14 in JAMA Psychiatry. The author of an accompanying editorial observed, “Intrusions and physiological reactivity to reminders of the trauma scored high on centrality metrics, indicating that activation of these two symptoms are especially likely to activate other symptoms in the network,” whereas “successful early intervention targeting these symptoms would likely prevent the full syndrome of PTSD from emerging.”

Related Links:

— “Links between fear circuitry, PTSD symptoms strengthen over time,”Amanda Oldt, Healio, December 19, 2016.