Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Psychiatry for August 2012. 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.
'Temper Loss' Model Defines Spectrum of Child Tantrums
FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- The "Temper Loss" model indicates that temper tantrums occur occasionally in most preschoolers, and differentiates between normative misbehavior and less frequent clinically concerning behavior, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
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Drug Beneficial in a Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Stress-induced cognitive disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder are associated with dysfunction in a brain calcium channel, and stabilizing the channel with a small molecule can reverse the impairment in learning and memory in mice, according to a study published in the Aug. 31 issue of Cell.
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Little Evidence on Efficacy of Interventions in Autism
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders, few studies have assessed treatment approaches, and there is limited evidence available to support specific interventions, with most available studies of poor quality, according to a review published online Aug. 27 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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Cognitive Decline Worse for Women vs. Men in Alzheimer's
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women with Alzheimer's disease consistently experience greater cognitive deterioration than men, according to results from a meta-analysis published Aug. 23 in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.
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Dual Effects Noted for Alcohol and Energy Drink Co-Ingestion
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Although consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) increases alertness and may negate some intoxication-related sedation effects, it can lead to negative physiological and psychological side effects associated with overstimulation, according to a study published online Aug. 15 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
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Teenage Pot Use Linked to Neuropsychological Decline
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Persistent marijuana use is associated with neuropsychological decline, with those who start regularly using marijuana as teenagers experiencing greater declines in neuropsychological function than those who start later, and function is not fully restored even if they eventually quit, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Reasoning Training Alters Brain Microstructure
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- People taking an intensive course to prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which requires strong reasoning skills, have changes in the microstructure of brain white matter, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy.
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Mild Cognitive Decline in Nearly Half Lacunar Stroke Patients
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is present in nearly half of patients with lacunar stroke, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Stress Causes Lower INR in VTE Patients Not on Blood Thinners
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The effect of psychological distress on clotting times and clotting factors varies in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and depends on whether or not they are receiving oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, according to a Swiss study published in the August issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Anorexics Overestimate Own Body Size, but Not That of Others
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) tend to overestimate the size of their body but not the bodies of others, basing their weight and body dimensions on their pre-AN body dimensions, according to research published online Aug. 22 in PLoS One.
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Multidisciplinary Approach Cuts Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Multidisciplinary treatment adapted for women with low educational levels is superior to conventional pharmacotherapy in reducing key symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM), including sleep disturbances, catastrophizing, and psychological distress, according to research published online Aug. 16 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Claustrophobia Linked to Depression With Back Pain
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Claustrophobia is tied to higher rates of depression and psychological distress, but not disability, in back pain patients, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Deep Brain Stimulation Could Treat Obesity
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Deep brain stimulation that targets the reward centers of the brain rather than only feeding behaviors could be effective in treating obesity, according to a review published in the August issue of Neurosurgery.
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Depression Tied Negatively to Sexual Function in Pregnancy
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Depressive symptom scores negatively predict sexual function during pregnancy, according to a study published online Aug. 15 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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Study Casts Doubts on Brain Regions for Self-Awareness
THURSDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The case of a self-aware man with extensive damage to brain regions thought to be critical for self-awareness suggests that a more diffuse brain network and other brain networks are involved, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in PLoS One.
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Nearly Half of U.S. Physicians Have Symptoms of Burnout
THURSDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of all U.S. physicians report at least one symptom of burnout, with family, internal, and emergency medicine specialists reporting the highest rates of burnout, according to research published online Aug. 20 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Psychological Consequences Up for Spouses of MI Victims
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Spouses of individuals who have a sudden heart attack are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and suicide, even if the individual survives, than spouses of those who experience other illnesses, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in the European Heart Journal.
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Mindfulness Stress Reduction Reduces Loneliness in Elderly
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- An eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program reduces loneliness compared with a wait-list control, and also reduces pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults, according to a study published online July 20 in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
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Prior Substance Abuse Linked to Opioid Abuse in Young Men
TUESDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Any prior substance abuse is associated with current abuse of prescription opioids among 18- to 25-year-old men, but only previous marijuana use correlates with subsequent prescription opioid abuse in young women, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
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Brain Damage Linked to Believing Misleading Ads
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Damage to a particular region of the brain makes individuals more likely to believe a misleading advertisement, which could explain why some elderly fall for fraud schemes, according to a study published online July 9 in Frontiers in Decision Neuroscience.
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2012 Indicators of Well-Being for Older Americans Issued
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The estimates of selected indicators for well-being for older Americans for 2012 have been released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
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Obesity Plus Metabolic Factors Speeds Up Cognitive Decline
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals who are metabolically abnormal, increasing body mass index (BMI) correlates with faster cognitive decline, according to a study published in the Aug. 21 issue of Neurology.
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Study Shows 'SuperAgers' Have Thicker Cortex, No Atrophy
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- 'SuperAgers,' individuals over the age of 80 with episodic memory performance as good as normative values for 50- to 65-year-olds, do exist, and they have a thicker cerebral cortex, with no atrophy, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.
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Study Affirms Marijuana, 'Spice' Harmful in Pregnancy
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Exocannabinoids, such as the major psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), interfere with the function of the endocannabinoid system, present in the developing central nervous system from conception onward, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in Drug Testing and Analysis.
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ADHD-Related Impairment in Girls Persists Into Adulthood
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- For girls who are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood, impairment is maintained through early adulthood in various domains, including an increased risk for self-harm, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
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Delayed Gratification at Age 4 Predictive of BMI in Adulthood
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Delayed gratification among preschoolers can predict body mass index (BMI) about 30 years later, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in The Journal of Pediatrics.
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Catastrophizing Doesn't Predict Low Back Pain Evolution
THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- For adult patients with acute or chronic low back pain (LBP), assessing the baseline score for catastrophizing does not help clinicians in routine clinical practice predict the evolution of LBP or the patient's disability at three months, according to a study published online July 23 in The Spine Journal.
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Addiction Tx Implementation Up With Pay for Performance
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Among therapists treating adolescents for substance abuse, pay for performance (P4P) can significantly improve treatment implementation but does not improve patients' end-of-treatment remission status, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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2008 to 2010 U.K. Recession Linked to Excess Suicides
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The rise in suicides in the United Kingdom during the 2008 to 2010 recession is likely partially associated with the increase in unemployment, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in BMJ.
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Post-Meltdown, Psychological Distress Up Among Workers
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, triggering the subsequent meltdown of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, correlated with an increase in the levels of psychological distress of power plant workers; but, six months to one year later, radiation exposure among individuals in a neighboring community was low, according to two letters to the editor published in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy Reduces PTSD Severity
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- For posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy reduces symptom severity and increases intimate relationship satisfaction; and Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (COPE) combined with usual treatment for substance dependence reduces PTSD symptom severity, according to two studies published the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Universal Domestic Violence Screening Not Beneficial
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Screening for partner violence at the primary care level does not improve women's health or quality of life, or reduce further partner violence, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Genetic Features Identified in Tourette's Syndrome, OCD
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Specific genetic variants and features may be factors for Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to two genome-wide association studies (GWASs) published online Aug. 14 in Molecular Psychiatry.
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Benefits Unclear for 1st Versus 2nd Generation Antipsychotics
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- There is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions regarding the benefits of first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) versus second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) for adults with schizophrenia, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Poor Follow-Up of Hospital Tests Often Due to Late Orders
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Poor follow-up of test results at or after discharge from the hospital is often due to tests requested on the day of discharge, according to a letter to the editor published online Aug. 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Genetic Factors Identified in Female Sexual Dysfunction
MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- At least two genetic factors are involved in female sexual disorder (FSD) symptomatology in addition to non-shared environmental effects, according to the results of a twin study published online Aug. 2 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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Self-Perceived Overweight in Teens Impacts Weight Gain
FRIDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Self-perceived overweight in normal-weight adolescents correlates with increased weight gain in early adulthood, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Obesity.
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Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Ups Cognition in Elderly
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) improves cognition in healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Archives of Neurology.
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Behavior Therapy for Tics Improves Tourette's Symptoms
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) is effective for treating adults with Tourette syndrome, according to a study published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Abnormal Brain Activity Seen in Hoarding Disorder
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with hoarding disorder (HD) display stimulus-dependent abnormal neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula that is not present in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or in healthy control individuals, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Social Connectedness in Teens Better Predicts Adult Well-Being
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent social connectedness is a better predictor of adult well-being than academic achievement, according to a study published online July 25 in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
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Learned Helplessness Linked to Arthritis Disease Outcomes
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), learned helplessness (LH) correlates with disease outcomes and seems to mediate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and disease outcomes, according to a study published in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Healthy Media Leads to Fewer Sleep Problems for Children
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Healthy media with educational and prosocial content leads to fewer sleep problems for children aged 3 to 5 years, compared with violent or age-inappropriate media, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in Pediatrics.
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Cortical Surface Area Maturation Delayed in ADHD
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Compared with typically developing children, cortical surface area development is delayed in those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry.
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Alzheimer's Cognitive Decline Slows in Advanced Age
FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The rates of cognitive decline and atrophy characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) decrease with advancing age, while cognitively healthy individuals show increased rates, according to a study published online Aug. 2 in PLoS One.
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Depression May Affect Survival in Metastatic Renal Cancer
FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), depressive symptoms may be a predictor of survival, with potential links to cortisol dysregulation and expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-metastatic genes, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in PLoS One.
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Clinicians Can Unintentionally Prompt Nocebo Effect
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The nocebo effect, or induction of a symptom perceived as negative by sham treatment and/or the suggestion of negative expectation, may arise from suggestions by doctors and nurses, according to a study published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
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Pets May Be Beneficial for Individuals With Autism
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with autism display some improvement in prosocial behaviors after the arrival of a pet in their homes, according to research published online Aug. 1 in PLoS One.
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Exercise, Drugs Compared for Depression Tx in CHD Patients
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with coronary heart disease, aerobic exercise and the antidepressant sertraline are both associated with reduced depressive symptoms when compared to placebo, and they both tend to improve heart rate variability, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Exercise Linked to Less Depression in Heart Failure
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with heart failure, exercise training is associated with a modest reduction in depression symptoms, according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Psychological Distress Linked to Increased Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- There is a dose-response association for psychological distress and the risk of several causes of mortality, with increased mortality seen even at lower levels of distress, according to a meta-analysis published July 31 in BMJ.
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