Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Psychiatry for August 2010. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Biobehavioral Approach Linked to Benefits in Dementia
TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- A biobehavioral environmental intervention -- Care of Persons with Dementia in their Environments (COPE) -- is associated with better functioning in patients with dementia after four months, as well as benefits for caregivers, according to research published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Somatic Depression Symptoms Show Heart Risk Link
TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Somatic symptoms of depression appear to more strongly predict cardiovascular events than cognitive depressive symptoms in individuals with stable coronary heart disease (CHD), according to research published in the Sept. 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Pediatricians, Parents Urged to Address Sexuality in the Media
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Pediatricians and parents have the opportunity to help address unhealthy messages related to sexuality that young people receive from the media, according to a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics published online Aug. 30 in Pediatrics.
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Opioid Addiction Often Begins With Legal Prescriptions
FRIDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Many individuals who seek treatment for opioid dependence begin using the drugs legally but later obtain them from illicit sources, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine.
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Parents of Children With Autism More Likely to Divorce
THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to divorce than parents of children who do not have the disorder, and the risk of divorce stays high as the child advances through childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.
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PTSD Among Service Members Linked to Diabetes Risk
THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In members of the U.S. military, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a higher risk of later self-reported diabetes, according to research published in the August issue of Diabetes Care.
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Stress Biomarker Linked to Lower Probability of Conception
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Elevation of a stress biomarker, salivary alpha-amylase, is associated with a reduction in a woman's chances of conceiving during the fertile part of her monthly cycle, according to research published online Aug. 5 in Fertility and Sterility.
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Cognitive Therapy Improves Adult ADHD Symptoms
TUESDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Cognitive behavioral therapy may be an effective complementary treatment for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for whom medication falls short of relieving their symptoms, according to research published in the Aug. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Spouse's Deployment Status Tied to Depression Risk
TUESDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Deployment of a spouse during pregnancy or the postpartum period is associated with an increased risk of a positive depression screening, according to research published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Adult Victims of Violence More Likely to Spank Children
MONDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Corporal punishment (CP) is still a prevalent form of child discipline in the United States, and it appears to be meted out more often by adult victims of intimate partner aggression or violence (IPAV), according to research published online Aug. 23 in Pediatrics.
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Health Costs Likely High in LBP Patients With High Disability
MONDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Low back pain (LBP) patients with high levels of disability have an increased likelihood of incurring high health care costs, and depression appears to play an important role in back pain patients' direct health care utilization, according to research published in the Aug. 15 issue of Spine.
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Elderly Likely to Under- or Overestimate Risk of Falling
FRIDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly individuals often underestimate or overestimate their risk of falling, and the disparities between their perceived and physiological risk are associated with psychological measures and have a strong influence on the likelihood of actually falling, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in BMJ.
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Stress, Shorter Sobriety Predict Drinking Post-Transplant
THURSDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The length that a patient receiving a liver transplant due to alcoholic liver disease stays sober prior to surgery is the strongest predictor of a return to alcohol use, and those who have more life stressors immediately after transplant are more likely start drinking alcohol again, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Surgery Not Likely Effective for Body Dysmorphic Disorder
THURSDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) seek surgical and minimally invasive (MI) cosmetic procedures and often end up undergoing these procedures, but only a fraction of the procedures reduce the severity of the condition, according to research published in the July issue of the Annals of Plastic Surgery.
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Sertraline May Not Be Effective for Depression in Heart Failure
TUESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Sertraline does not appear any better than placebo at improving depressive symptoms or cardiovascular status among patients with both heart failure and depression, according to research published in the Aug. 24 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Psoriasis Linked to Non-Light Beer and Mental Health Risks
TUESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of psoriasis is increased for female non-light beer drinkers, and the skin condition in turn increases mental health risks, according to studies in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology. Another study in the same issue found that narrowband ultraviolet-B (NB-UV-B) can increase serum vitamin D levels while clearing psoriasis.
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Abstract - Ryan
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Fish, Fatty Acid Intake Tied to Lower Depression Risk in Boys
MONDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of fish and fatty acid consumption may protect against adolescent depression in boys but not in girls, according to research published online Aug. 16 in Pediatrics.
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Many With Depression Have Periods of Hypomania
MONDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- A substantial number, nearly 40 percent, of individuals in the United States who experience major depression also have a history of subthreshold hypomania, according to research published online Aug. 16 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Rimonabant Trial Stopped Early Due to Suicide Risk
FRIDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A study evaluating the cardiovascular outcomes related to rimonabant, a weight loss drug, was discontinued due to concerns regarding the risk of suicide associated with the drug, according to a report in the Aug. 14 issue of The Lancet.
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FDA: Aseptic Meningitis Risk Related to Lamictal Use
FRIDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a drug safety communication to warn that the seizure and bipolar disorder medication Lamictal (lamotrigine) can cause aseptic meningitis. The FDA is revising the Warnings and Precautions section of the drug label as well as the patient Medication Guide to include this information.
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Some Adversity Exposure May Improve Back Pain Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Among individuals with chronic back pain (CBP), those with some lifetime exposure to adverse events report less impairment and health care use than those with a high level of exposure to adverse events or no exposure to adversity, according to a study in the September issue of PAIN.
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Coping Style, Depression Linked to Foot Ulcer Outcomes
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Depression and a confrontational coping style may be associated with lack of healing of diabetic foot ulcers, according to research published in the August issue of Diabetologia.
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Mortality Risk Much Higher for Elderly People With Dementia
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly people with dementia have a much higher mortality risk than peers without the condition, but the risk of dementia may be reducible by addressing risk factors such as diet, preventable disease, and mental health, according to a pair of studies published Aug. 5 in BMJ.
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Prayer Approach Positively Affects Hearing, Vision Impaired
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Proximal intercessory prayer (PIP), a complementary and alternative medicine approach, may improve auditory and visual function in patients with impaired hearing and vision, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in the Southern Medical Journal.
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Substance Use Among Hispanics Below U.S. Average
THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol and illicit drug use is lower among Hispanic-Americans than the national average; nonetheless, their treatment needs for alcohol are slightly higher than the national average, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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Aerobic Training for Asthma Shows Psychosocial Benefits
THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- In adults with asthma, an aerobic training program may reduce anxiety, depression, and asthma symptoms and improve health-related quality of life, according to research published in the August issue of Chest.
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Antiepileptics Don't Raise Risk of Suicide in Epilepsy Patients
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Use of antiepileptic drugs isn't linked to a higher risk of suicide-related events in patients with epilepsy, but it is linked to higher risk in patients with depression and those without epilepsy, depression, or bipolar disorder, according to research published in the Aug. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Rural Collaborative Depression Care May Not be Cost-Effective
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Rural clinic-based collaborative interventions for depression delivered via telemedicine are more costly in terms of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) ratios than similar programs delivering collaborative depression care in urban areas, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Neurogenetic Risk Mechanism ID'ed for Bipolar Disorder
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A genetic variant linked to bipolar disorder manifests itself as altered hippocampal brain function even in those without overt disease, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. In a related study in the same issue, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist was found to result in rapid antidepressant effects in individuals with treatment-resistant bipolar depression.
Abstract - Erk
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Abstract - Diazgranados
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Pain in Fibromyalgia Patients Tied to Altered Brain Functions
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In people with fibromyalgia, there appears to be an association between resting brain activity in multiple brain networks and spontaneous clinical pain, according to research published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Supportive Intervention May Help Maltreated Foster Children
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Participation in a mentoring and skills group program may have a positive impact on the mental health and quality of life of maltreated children placed in foster care, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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ER Intervention Addresses Aggression, Alcohol in Teens
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Among adolescents seen in the emergency department and reporting recent alcohol use and aggression, a brief intervention may reduce both aggression and alcohol consequences, according to research published in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Parental Psychiatric Illness Ups Risk in Offspring
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Having one parent with a history of a mental health disorder is associated with an increased risk of a range of mental health disorders, and offspring have an even stronger risk if both parents have a mental health disorder, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Industry-Funded Clinical Trials Yield More Positive Outcomes
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Drug clinical trials supported by industry are more likely to produce favorable results than trials supported by government or nonprofit/nonfederal organizations, and they are less likely to be published within two years of the study being completed, according to research published in the Aug. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Pathological Internet Use Linked to Teen Depression
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Pathological Internet use among adolescents who are initially free of mental health problems may be linked to later depression, according to research published online Aug. 2 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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