RheumatologyAdvisor (12/20, Khaja) reports, “Depression may impact psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment response and lead to higher rates of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) discontinuation, which may affect disease management and progression, according to study results published in Clinical Rheumatology.” In the study, “patients diagnosed with depression exhibited a notably elevated rate of treatment transitions attributed to lack of drug efficacy during the initial 12-month period.

Related Links:

— “Depression May Impact bDMARD Treatment Response and Discontinuation in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis,” Hibah Khaja, Rheumatology Advisor , December 20, 2023

HealthDay (12/20, Thompson) reports, “Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are common among people caring for the victim of a recent stroke, a new study has found.” Almost “30% of caregivers of severe stroke patients experience stress and emotional problems during the first year after the patient leaves the hospital, according to a report in the journal Neurology.”

Related Links:

— “Depression, Anxiety Common in Caregivers of Stroke Survivors,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 20, 2023

Healio (12/19, Southall) reports, “First-generation medical students reported experiencing increased adversity with inadequate institutional support during undergraduate medical training, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open.” Specifically, the “results showed four common themes experienced by first-generation students, including: isolation and exclusion associated with being new to the field of medicine; difficulty with access to basic resources, such as food, rent and transportation; an overall lack of faculty or institutional support to address these challenges; and an overall sense of needing to rely on grit and resilience to survive.”

Related Links:

— “Structural change needed to retain next generation of diverse, first-generation physicians,” Jennifer R. Southall, Healio, December 19, 2023

HealthDay (12/19, Thompson) reports, “Flipping through Instagram or TikTok might seem like a good way to relax during a work break, but social media actually could be making you less happy on the job. Workers who cut down on their social media use 30 minutes a day on the job had better mental health, job satisfaction and commitment to their occupation, a new study reports.”

The results were published in the journal Behavior and Information Technology.

Related Links:

— “Bummed Out at Work? Cutting Down on Social Media May Help,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 19, 2023

Parkinson’s News Today (12/19, Wexler) reports, “Nuplazid (pimavanserin) outperformed a placebo at managing psychosis in people with Parkinson’s disease dementia in a Phase 3 clinical trial.” This result “‘supports the maintenance of antipsychotic efficacy and safety of [Nuplazid] in patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and psychosis,’ the researchers wrote” in Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Nuplazid effectively treats psychosis in Parkinson’s dementia patients,” Marisa Wexler, Parkinson’s News Today, December 19, 2023