MedPage Today (4/4, Harrison) reports that research indicated “patients with a cancer diagnosis had a significantly greater risk of fatal suicide attempts compared with individuals who did not have diagnosed cancer.” Investigators found, in “the analysis of seven studies and almost 250,000 patients…that patients with a cancer diagnosis had a 55% greater risk of death by suicide (OR 1.55) compared with controls who didn’t have cancer.” Meanwhile, “two additional studies focusing on suicide death versus death from other causes showed that cancer patients had a 53% greater risk of suicide death than those without cancer.” The findings were presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Cancer Diagnosis Tied to Suicide Risk,” Pam Harrison, MedPage Today, April 4, 2017.

Medscape (4/4, Davenport) reports youngsters “who suffer severe physical, sexual, or psychological violence when taking part in youth sport are more likely to experience mental health problems as adults,” research suggests. The study “of more than 4000 adults showed that experiencing severe interpersonal violence during youth sport increased the risk for depression, anxiety, and somatic problems,” and “also affected overall mental health.” The findings were presented at the European Psychiatric Association 2017 Congress.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The AP (4/4, Yen) reports Steve Young, a Department of Veterans Affairs deputy undersecretary, testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee that the department has improved the operation of its suicide hotline. Young said that calls are now answered within eight seconds on average and that it was now “rare” for calls to be bumped to a backup center.

Related Links:

— “VA DEFENDS WORK TO FIX TROUBLED VETERAN SUICIDE HOTLINE,” HOPE YEN, Associate Press, April 4, 2017.

In an opinion piece, psychology professors Christopher J. Ferguson, of Stetson University, PhD, and Patrick Markey, PhD, of Villanova, wrote in the New York Times (4/2, SR6, Subscription Publication), “A large-scale study (4/3, Subscription Publication) of internet-based games recently published in the American Journal of Psychiatry bears out our skepticism about” video game “addiction.” The pair wrote, “Using the American Psychiatric Association’s own metrics for ascertaining psychiatric disorder, the study’s researchers found that at most one percent of video game players might exhibit characteristics of an addiction and that the games were significantly less addictive than, say, gambling.” The study also revealed that nearly “none of those classified as being possibly addicted to video games experienced negative outcomes from this addiction.”

Related Links:

— “Video Games Aren’t Addictive,” CHRISTOPHER J. FERGUSON and PATRICK MARKEY, New York Times, April 1, 2017.

HealthDay (3/31, Pallarito) reported couples raising children with autism may spend less time together than couples who are raising children without autism, according to a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Researchers found that couples raising a child with autism on average spent “21 fewer minutes a day with their partner than a comparison group of parents.” The study, which included 174 couples with a child with autism and 179 couples without a child with autism, was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Parents of Kids With Autism May Sacrifice ‘Couples Time’,” Karen Pallarito, HealthDay, March 31, 2017.