Medical Daily (8/10, Olson) reports that “a study published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry reveals consuming a moderate amount of coffee on a regular basis may also serve as an antidepressant strong enough to relieve symptoms of suicide.” The four-year, 200,000-participant study revealed that “regular coffee drinkers, who consumed between two to four cups a day, were 50 percent less likely to attempt suicide.”

Related Links:

— “Drinking Coffee May Prevent Suicide: How The Beverage Improves Mental Health,” Samantha Olson, Medical Daily, August 10, 2016.

HealthDay (8/10) reports, “People whose parents and grandparents suffered from depression are at much higher risk of developing the illness,” researchers found. Included in the study were “251 young people averaging 18 years of age, plus their parents and grandparents.” The findings were published online Aug. 10 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Depression Can Stalk Families Through Generations,” , HealthDay, August 10, 2016.

HealthDay (8/10, Norton) reports, “In a study of over seven million people,” investigators “found that those who’d been hospitalized for infections were 42 percent more likely to die of suicide compared to people with no history of serious infection.” Notably, individuals “hospitalized for HIV/AIDS or the liver infection hepatitis showed the highest risk – more than twice that of people without those diseases, the study found.”

Related Links:

— “Serious Infections Tied to Suicide Risk,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, August 10, 2016.

In a piece focused on how people cope when suffering from anxiety and high-functioning, low-grade depression, Medical Daily (8/9, Olson) points out that “because of the high risk of major depressive episodes, those who have low-grade depression should seek immediate treatment at the first sign of an issue, though it can be difficult to unmask the disorder; it often presents itself as a string of bad days or feeling low throughout a season or semester.”

Sadly, even though “anxiety disorders are highly treatable…roughly one-third receive treatment,” statistics from the Anxiety Depression Association of America indicate.

Related Links:

— “What Is High-Functioning Depression, Anxiety? Low-Grade Mood Disorder Can Be Dangerous,” Samantha Olson, Medical Daily, August , 2016.

Reuters reports, “Volunteer work may be good for…mental wellbeing, but only after age 40,” researchers found after analyzing “survey responses from adults in 5,000 British households, including more than 66,000 responses for 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.” The findings were published online Aug. 8 in BMJ Open.

TIME (8/9, Sifferlin) points out, “Other research has suggested that people over age 50 who volunteer regularly are less likely to develop high blood pressure than non-volunteers.”

Related Links:

— “After age 40, volunteering linked to enhanced mental health,” Reuters, August 9, 2016.