In an article titled “5 Myths About Aging,” Consumer Reports (9/16, Levine) pointed out, “Older people are no more likely than younger ones to be depressed, says Robert Roca, MD, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Geriatric Psychiatry.” When seniors “do become depressed, ‘usually it stems from a loss associated with growing older,’” Dr. Roca explained. He said, “They lose loved ones or friends, they lose their identity because they retire, their physical vigor declines and they can’t do as many activities as they used to.”

Related Links:

— “5 Myths About Aging,” Hallie Levine, Consumer Reports, September 16, 2016.

PBS NewsHour (9/18, Segal) reports a recent spike in suicides in the US has raised concerns about the small number of psychiatric beds in the US for suicidal patients and others in need of psychiatric care. The article points out that the number of psychiatric beds for patients per capita in the US decreased by 95% between 1955 and 2005, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Related Links:

— “Why do suicidal patients wait hours for a hospital bed?,” CORINNE SEGAL, PBS NewsHour, September 18, 2016.

HealthDay (9/18, Dallas) reported, “Internet addiction may signal other mental health issues among college students,” researchers found after evaluating “internet use of 254 freshmen at McMaster University in Ontario.” The findings were scheduled for presentation at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Internet Addiction May Be Red Flag for Other Mental Health Issues: Study,” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 19, 2016.

The New York Times (9/19, Louis, Subscription Publication) reports a new study suggests that attention deficit disorder (ADD) “is the most common mental health diagnosis among children under 12 who die by suicide.” In evaluating “deaths in 17 states from 2003 to 2012,” researchers “compared 87 children aged 5 to 11 who committed suicide with 606 adolescents aged 12 to 14 who did, to see how they differed.” The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “More Child Suicides Are Linked to A.D.D. Than Depression, Study Suggests,” CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS, New York Times, September 19, 2016.

Healio (9/15, Oldt) reports, “A literature review” published online Sept. 9 in the American Psychiatric Association’s American Journal of Psychiatry suggested that Food and Drug Administration-approved “hypnotic medications were associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation.” In particular, the study authors “expressed concern regarding benzodiazepine receptor agonist hypnotics, which can cause parasomnias and may lead to suicidal ideation or behavior in individuals not known to be suicidal.”

Related Links:

— “Hypnotics may increase risk for suicidal ideation, suicide,” McCall WV, et al., Healio, September 15, 2016.