Idea #298 for December 13th, 2009: Shaping Young Minds or Many Children Forgo Treatment For Mental Health Conditions

A report from the National Institute of Mental Health claims that only 55% of children with mental health problems actually seek treatment. That number represents an increase over the previous year, but it is still surprisingly low. The researchers determined that 13% of the children aged 8-15 they surveyed suffered from depression, ADHD, anxiety, or a conduct disorder, but only about half sought treatment.

The incidence of these adolescent mental health conditions varied across different socio-economic groups, the study found. Most of the disorders were more prevalent in poorer populations. Anxiety conditions, though, occurred more frequently in populations of higher socio-economic status. African American and Mexican American children were the least likely to seek treatment for their mental health issues. If we want to continue to make progress in treating adolescent mental health, we’re going to have to remove any stigma attached to these disorders as well as make treatment more widely available.

Read more about this issue here.

Idea #259 for November 4th, 2009: Long-Term Solution or Treating Depression Effectively in Adolescents

There’s been much debate about how depression in teens is treated and whether it is effective in the long-term. New evidence shows that treating teens for depression with current methods can provide benefits in the long-term, even after the treatment ceases. This news comes from the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS), which followed nearly 400 depressed teens over three years of treatment and an additional year after treatment.

Participants were treated with Prozac, cognitive behavior therapy, or a combination of Prozac and the therapy. At the end of the three years of treatment, participants had lower levels of depression and suicidal thoughts than a control group. Those results continued to be true a year after the treatments were discontinued. This finding is particularly interesting because in past studies of short-term treatment of depression, teens have been found to regress after the end of treatment. However, this study provides evidence that longer-term treatment can have more lasting positive effects on depressed teens. More research is still needed, but this could be a promising development in the treatment of adolescent depression.

Read more about this here.

Idea #258 for November 3rd, 2009: Facing Reality or Holding Onto Hope Is Not Always In Patients’ Best Interests

When facing major illness, we are always told to hold onto hope, as the optimistic attitude might carry us to recovery. However, there is a fine line between hope and false hope, and clinging to false hope can actually lessen quality of life during major illness. In some cases, giving up hope makes people happier in the long run, a new study claims.

The study specifically looked at the attitudes of patients after they had their colons surgically removed. Half the patients were told they’re condition would be temporary and that another procedure would reconnect their bowels in the future, while the other half were told that they would be using a colostomy bag permanently. Initially, the patients who believed their condition to be temporary (and thus held onto hope) were happier than the other group, but after the first week that was no longer the case. At the end of the six month study, the group with no hope (i.e. the patients who knew their condition was permanent) had higher levels of self-reported happiness than the group with false hope.

Knowing the permanency of their condition, that group was able to accept it and move on, while the other group was inevitably disappointed with their condition. An important lesson to take away from this study is that healthcare providers should not instill false hope in patients, but instead help them cope with the truth — no matter how painful. In the end, patients will be happier if they have realistic expectations.

Read more about the study from this Reuters article.

Idea #244 for October 20th, 2009: Online Brain Fitness or Getting Seniors Online to Increase Brain Function

A key to keeping minds sharp through the later years might entail getting the elderly population online. In a study of 24 people with an average age of 66, researchers found that engaging in Internet searches, along with other online activity, was associated with increased brain function. Before and after the experiment, the subjects’ brains were scanned with fMRI, which shows blood flow and can be used to assess the activity of areas of the brain.

Half of the study group had little or no experience using the Internet, but with just two weeks practice, their brains were already showing increased activity in the frontal gyrus regions. Those areas are important in decision-making and memory. After the two-week period, the brain scans of the previously inexperienced users were similar to those of the control group, whose subjects were Internet savvy. The findings hold promise that one way to preserve brain function in elderly populations is through something as simple as casual web browsing. Pending more research, it would be a low-cost way of keeping aging minds healthy.

Read more about the study here.

 

Idea #238 for October 14th, 2009: Working Past 65 or Post-Retirement Work Makes For Healthier Lives

Seniors who keep at least a part-time job during their retirement age will not only have better financial standing, but also tend to have fewer health problems. In a study of over 12,000 people nearing retirement age, researchers found that people who maintained a part-time role during their transition into retirement had fewer diseases and better mental health than those who were totally retired.

Researchers speculate that the reason continued employment makes for healthier lives is related to the ongoing physical and mental tasks that the jobs demand. The constant social contact and activities associated with work help keep minds sharp, they believe. The one caveat is that people who worked part-time after retirement, but in a different job than they had previously worked, did not enjoy the same health benefits as those who maintained the same or similar job. The stress of switching jobs and learning the ropes may be responsible. Regardless, it makes sense financially and health-wise for people nearing retirement to consider a transition phase in which they reduce their workload before diving into full-fledged retirement.

Read about this study here.

Idea #208 for September 14th, 2009: Depressing Numbers or Cancer Patients And Mental Health

Following a cancer diagnosis, it is not unusual for the patient to develop depression.  And the patients who are depressed are also more likely to die of cancer than other cancer patients, new research shows. A study published in the journal of the American Cancer Society has shown that patients who show signs of depression, but aren’t formally diagnosed as such, are 25% more likely to die from cancer. For those who are diagnosed with depression, that number jumps to 39%.

The results of this study suggest that attitude has a lot to do with prognosis in cancer patients. However, a separate study two years ago showed that a positive attitude alone has no effect on survival rates in cancer patients. So it appears that a negative state of mind can be detrimental, but positive thoughts don’t necessarily improve a cancer patient’s outcome. The study underscores the importance that mental health plays in the outcomes for cancer patients.

Read more about the study in the LA Times.

Idea #191 for August 28th, 2009: Psychology 101 or More Mental Health Services for College Students

College students often have bigger worries than their next physics exam. A survey by the American College Health Association found that 30% of students reported that they had been depressed to the point of being unable to function at some point in the previous year. More troubling, 6% said they had seriously considered suicide, and over 1,000 college students kill themselves each year. Yet only 10% of respondents to that survey had been diagnosed or treated for depression

About half of the students surveyed reported feeling severe anxiety in the last year. A previous study found that 18% of college students suffer from personality disorders. The confluence of workload, burgeoning independence and responsibility, and other stresses wreak havoc on many students’ minds. Clearly, mental health services must play a prominent role in college life. We have to make sure resources are sufficiently devoted to such services, considering the especially high incidence of psychological problems within college populations.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/08/college-students-pack-a-heavy-bag-of-mental-illness.html

Idea #184 for August 21st, 2009: Virtual Doctor’s Office or Using Instant Messaging in Psychology

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) does not have to occur exclusively on the couch of a psychologist’s office. New evidence suggests it can be accomplished successfully online as well. Specifically, patients in the UK who received online CBT, by way of hour-long weekly instant message exchanges, showed greater improvement in outcomes  than patients receiving conventional therapy.

Online therapy has several benefits. For one, there is a convenience factor. Therapy can be accomplished without travelling to a doctor’s office. In rural areas, this is an especially important aspect. Additionally, patients who are writing their thoughts rather than speaking them may have greater metacognitive awareness, which facilitates the therapy. The authors speculate that online therapy could really help traumatized veterans, as CBT is an effective therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s also a reminder that embracing technology can positively change the way medical services are administered to patients. Hopefully, this will be used widely in the future to ensure more patients are receiving the care they may not currently be able to seek.

See the story about this in US News.

Idea #147 for July 15th, 2009: Casualties at Home or Mental Health Among Veterans

Over the first two months of this year, an unfathomable 41 active duty Army soldiers committed suicide. Since then, the rate has diminished slightly with 51 suicides in the last 4.5 months, but it is still an eye-popping number. Overall, about 37% of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental health problems, according to data from the VA. The demographic group most plagued by the problem is 18-27 year old men in combat-arms specialties.

There’s obviously a need for more mental health screening and intervention for veteran returning from tours of duty. Fortunately, action is being taken to combat the trend. A team of four research institutions, as part of a $50 million study, will begin trying to uncover the reasons behind the mental health issues. Additionally, the Army has taken a number of steps to prevent suicides including employing tactics like training and educating soldiers and their families about mental health and suicide prevention. The fact that the suicide rate has decreased since the first two months of this year may be related to the Army’s efforts to stop the crisis, and is a positive sign. Hopefully this trend has turned around for good.

Read more from the AP and CNN.