Mothers and drinking

The consumption of alcohol by mothers during and after pregnancy can have important effects on the developing child and it is estimated that around 1 in a 100 children has a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Although women generally reduce their alcohol consumption once they become pregnant they usually return to their normal drinking patterns once they have had their baby. However, frequent heavy maternal drinking is associated with poorer family functioning, poorer intellectual stimulation and increased domestic violence. A study of 381 women in Wisconsin, U.S. who were frequent/heavy drinkers before they became pregnant found that 37.8% of them drank heavily after they had had their babies. 18% reported heavy, episodic drinking, 5% reported frequent drinking only and 15% reported both frequent and heavy drinking. Women who drank heavily after having their babies were more likely than other women to have a heavy drinking partner, to have been unemployed, to have smoked following pregnancy and to have consumed alcohol after becoming pregnant. Women who breast-fed their children were less likely to report heavy drinking.

Jagodzinski, T. and Fleming, M.F. - Postpartum and alcohol-related factors associated with the relapse of heavy drinking Journal of Studies on Alchohol and Drugs November 2007, 68(6), 879-885

ADHD and drug abuse

Studies of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have consistently found that they are more likely to have drug problems. 17-45% of ADHD adults have histories of alcohol abuse or dependence, while 9-30% have histories of drug abuse or dependence. At the same time the levels of ADHD are much higher among drug abusers than the rest of the population. Some researchers have suggested that the amphetamine-based treatments for ADHD can cause drug problems while others suggest that treating the problem reduces the risks of later drug abuse. A U.S. study of 206 people with ADHD compared those who had had no treatment for the condition, those who had had treatment in the past and those who were being currently treated for it. No differences were found in the prevalence of cigarette smoking, alcohol or drug abuse or dependence between the groups and no differences were found in complications of drug or alcohol use.

Faraone, Stephen V. ... [et al] - A naturalistic study of the effects of pharmacotherapy on substance use disorders among ADHD adults Psychological Medicine 37(12), 1743-1752

'Conduct disorder' and ADHD in girls

Conduct disorder (bad behaviour) in girls is a serious concern and a study using officialy-defined criteria found that 7.1% of women can be diagnosed as having it over the course of their lifetime. Girls with conduct disorder have been found to be at higher risk of arrest, teenage pregnancy and academic failure. There has been a lot of research into the links between conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in boys but much less research into the links between the two conditions in girls. A 5-year study of 262 girls in the U.S. found that ADHD was a significant risk factor for conduct disorder in childhood and adolescence. Among the girls with ADHD childhood conduct disorder was predicted by paternal antisocial personality disorder while adolescent behaviour problems were predicted by family conflict. Conduct disorder significantly predicted academic, psychiatric and sexual behaviour problems in girls with ADHD.

Monuteaux, Michael C. ... [et al] - Predictors, clinical characteristics, and outcome of conduct disorder in girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder : a longitudinal study Psychological Medicine 37(12), 1731-1741

Delayed distress for US soldiers

A study of U.S. soldiers returning from the conflict in Iraq has found that it sometimes takes months for mental-health problems to develop meaning that there is the potential for many soldiers to go untreated if they are only assessed immediately on their return from battle. After initial findings that mental-health problems took a while to manifest themselves the U.S. Department of Defense started a second screening, to take place three to six months after the first one. A study of the first group of soldiers (88,235 people) to go through this system found that they reported more mental-health concerns such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression or alcohol misuse during the second screening than at the first one with 4.4% being referred for mental-health treatment at the initial screening compared to 11.7% at the later one. Althogether 20.3% of active and 42.4% of reserve soldiers were identified as needing referral for mental-health problems. Concerns about interpersonal conflict increased fourfold between the two screenings and soldiers were much more likely to report PTSD symptoms at the second screening.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/14/military-ptsd-may-take-time-to-develop/1534.html

Asthma and PTSD

Several studies have linked asthma to anxiety disorders and depression. Now a U.S. study of 3,065 pairs of twins who both served in the Vietnam war has suggested that asthma could be linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well. The study found that among all twins those who suffered from the most PTSD symptoms were 2.3 times as likely to have asthma compared to those who suffered from the least PTSD symptoms. The scientists found the association between asthma and PTSD existed even after they took into account factors such as cigarette smoking, obesity and socioeconomic status, all of which are associated with both anxiety disorders and asthma.

You can find out more about the research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/15/link-between-asthma-and-ptsd/1539.html

Schizophrenia and appendicitis

People with schizophrenia often suffer more from ill health than other people and a new Taiwanese study has added another health problem to the list of conditions schizophrenics are more vulnerable to. Researchers looked at the records of 100,000 people, aged 15 and over, hospitalised for appendicitis between 1997 and 2001. They found that 46.7% of schizophrenic, 43.4% of people with other mental-health problems but only 25.1% of other people went on to develop a ruptured appendix. After adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background and hospital characteristics the increased risk associated with other mental-health problems disappeared. However, once all the other factors were taken into account patients with schizoprenia were almost three times as likely to suffer from a ruptured appendix as the rest of the population.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/15/mental-disorders-and-appendicitis/1540.html

Alzheimer's, ethnicity and survival

A study of 31,000 people with Alzheimer's disease in the U.S. found that people diagnosed with the condition lived, on average, 4.8 years after their diagnosis. However, there were considerable differences in the length of time people from different ethnic backgrounds survived. People from a Latin American background lived 40% longer than White people while African-Americans lived 15% longer. Asian, American Indian and White people all lived with the disease for about the same length of time.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/15/alzheimers-life-span-varies-by-ethnicity/1541.html

Early puberty and children's backgrounds

Early puberty in girls has been found to have a negative effect on children's health, increasing the risk of mood disorders, substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy and cancers of the reproductive system. Researchers at the University of Arizona and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, followed 227 pre-school children over a number of years to see which factors led to girls going through puberty earlier. They found that children living in families with greater parental supportiveness (from both mothers and fathers), less marital conflict and less paternal depression went through puberty later than other children. Those whose mothers also started puberty later, who were from better-off families, whose mothers were more supportive of them in pre-school and who were lighter in early childhood also developed later than other children.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/16/stable-family-slows-onset-of-puberty/1547.html

Men, women and responses to stress

Women have twice the rate of depression and anxiety of men and scientists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that different parts of the brain are activated under stress in the two sexes. Researchers studied 16 men and 16 women who received brain scans before, during and after they underwent a challenging arithmetic test under pressure. Participants were frequently prompted for a faster performance and asked to restart the test if they responded incorrectly. In men it was found that stress was associated with increased activity in the right pre-frontal cortex and decreased activity in the left orbitofrontal cortex. In women the limbic system - a part of the brain primarily involved in emotions - showed more activity. Women showed more lasting effects from the task although men produced more of the stress-related hormone cortisol. The research backs up evolutionary theories that men are primed for a 'fight-or-flight' response to stress whereas women tend to a 'tend and befriend' approach nurturing children and strengthening social ties to deal with adversity

Stress and cancer

Stress has been implicated in a number of different illnesses, including cancer. In the past researchers have concentrated on the way stress weakens the immune system, allowing certain tumours to evade the body's defences. Now scientists at Ohio State University believe that stress may also speed the growth of tumours as well. A chemical called noradrenaline is produced at times of stress and the researchers looked at how this chemical affected cancer cells, in the laboratory. The scientists studied multiple myeloma cells, a blood cancer which kills 10,000 Americans a year. They found that in cells in the early stages of cancer noradrenaline stimulated the cells to produce a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor which in turn stimulated the production of blood vessels allowing the cancer to grow and flourish. The research shows yet another way in which stress can damage your health and may lead to new cancer treatments as scientists try to find ways to block the action of noradrenaline.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/20/stress-hormone-can-speed-cancer/1561.html

Stress in older workers

A U.S. study into stress at work has found that older workers generally cope better than younger ones, who struggle with the demands of raising a family and job security. The study of 1,544 people between the ages of 53 and 85 - all of whom were working at least 20 hours a week - by researchers at the University of Michigan examined the different kinds of work stress experienced by the participants and their levels of happiness and physical health. Just over half said that they suffered from competing demands made on them at work and 47% agreed that time pressures were a source of job stress. However, only 19% said that they had poor job security, only 15% said that work interfered with their personal lives and only 2% said that their personal lives interfered with their work. Those workers who experienced less job stress were more satisfied with their life and in better physical health than those who had higher levels of stress at work.

You can find out more about the study at

http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6188

Auditory hallucinations in children

Hallucinations are considered to be a significant symptom of psychopathology in adulthood but children also experience auditory hallucinations. Children with conduct and emotional disorders, affective syndromes, migraines, anxiety, and adjustment disorders can all have auditory hallucinations. An Australian study of children being seen by community mental health services found strong associations between auditory hallucinations in non-psychotic children and family dysfunction and break-up. The children who heard things also had significant levels of anxiety and depression. Half of the children in the study had imaginary friends.

Best, Nicole T. and Mertin, Peter - Correlates of auditory hallucinations in nonpsychotic children Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 2007, 12(4), 611-623

Net suicide

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with 32,325 people killing themselves there in 2004. Recently a new phenomenon called net suicide has developed in which suicide pacts are pre-arranged between strangers who meet over the Internet. It is thought that as many as 60 people a year die in this way. In February 2005 the death of two strangers in London was thought to be Britain's first Internet suicide leading to concerns that it could take root here. An article in the journal Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry examines net suicide and, in particular, considers its implications for child and adolescent mental health.

Naito, Ayumi - Internet suicide in Japan : implications for child and adolescent mental health Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 2007, 12(4), 583-597

Dieting and depression - the perils of the plateau

People on diets often experience a plateau after their initial weight loss when their weight stubbornly refuses to go down any further. A study of 11 fat men on a diet found that losing around 10% of their body weight slowed down their metabolism (meaning they burnt up less calories) and made them more hungry. The men showed increased 'cognitive dietary restraint' and their mental and physical health remained unchanged. Their risk of depression had significantly increased compared to before their weight loss. The researchers called for 'caution and reasonable objectives when prescribing a weight reduction programme for obese individuals'

Chaput, Jean-Philippe ... [et al] - Psychobiological effects observed in obese men experiencing body weight loss plateau Depression and Anxiety 24(7), 518-521

Antipsychotics for depression and anxiety

Major depression often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety. 85% of adults with major depression exhibit significant symptoms of anxiety and 58% of them have a diagnosable anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Anxiety on top of depression leads to more severe symptoms, decreased psychosocial functioning, a higher risk of suicide and longer-lasting depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and venlafaxine are the first-line treatments for depression and anxiety but in some cases only a partial cure is achieved meaning that symptoms can flare up again later. In these cases other medication is used - not always successfully. Antipsychotic drugs have been used for people with hard-to-treat depression and for people with bipolar disorder and anxiety and a recent Canadian trial on 58 patients has shown that these drugs can also be effective in patients with major depression and anxiety. Quetiapine worked quickly, produced a significant reduction in depression compared to a placebo and reduced feelings of guilt, suicide and tension. The most common side effect was an increase in sleepiness and lethargy. The researchers called for further, larger-scale studies of the drug in people with depression and anxiety.

McIntyre, Alexander, Gendron, Alain and McIntyre, Amanda - Quetiapine adjunct to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or venlafaxine in patients with major depression, comorbid anxiety, and residual depressive symptoms : a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study Depression and Anxiety 24(7), 484-494

Prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood drinking problems

Prenatal alcohol exposure has been associated with childhood problems such as bad behaviour, criminality, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and alcohol problems. A U.S. study of 8,621 children of 4,912 mothers found that there was an association between prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood behaviour problems even when taking all the other environmental factors into account. However, the children of mothers who drank more heavily in one pregnancy than another were found to be at equal risk of ADHD suggesting that for this condition at least environmental and genetic factors were more important than prenatal alcohol exposure.

D'Onofrio, Brian M. ... [et al] - Causal inferences regarding prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood externalizing problems Archives of General Psychiatry November 2007, 64(11), 1296-1304

Psychosis and sex offending

Studies on sex offenders have focused mainly on paraphilias, personality disorders, psychopathy and substance abuse but there has been little research into the links between psychosis and sex offending. A Danish study of 358,180 people (everyone born between 1944 and 1947) found that 2.2% of them had been hospitalized with psychosis. These men committed 8.4% of the physically aggressive sexual offences and 9% of the non-physically aggressive sexual offences committed by the men in the study. People with psychosis but not a personality disorder or a drug problem were no more likely to commit a violent sexual offence than other people but were three times more likely to commit a non-violent sexual offence. People who had psychosis and a personality disorder or a drug problem were six times more likely to commit a violent sex offence and three or five times more likely to commit a non-violent sex offence.

Alden, Amanda ... [et al] - Psychotic disorders and sex offending in a Danish birth cohort Archives of General Psychiatry November 2007, 64(11), 1251-1258

Eating disorders and motivation to change

Motivation to change - the level of people's motivation to recover from their mental-health problems - has received considerable research attention in recent years. It has been examined in smoking, cocaine addiction, anxiety disorders, obesity and alcohol problems but much less work has been done on motivation to change and eating disorders. A Spanish study of 218 patients with eating disorders found that those with bulimia were more motivated to change than those with anorexia or EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified). For all groups younger patients had less motivation to change than older ones.

Casasnovas, C. ... [et al] - Motivation to change in eating disorders : clinical and therapeutic implications European Eating Disorders Review November-December 2007 15(6), 449-456

Bulimia and borderline personality disorder

People with bulimia can range from only slightly disturbed individuals who recover with little help to people with severe personality disorders. In people with bulimia and a severe personality disorder other symptoms can include self-destructive behaviour, emotional instability, suicidal ideation and profound interpersonal and social problems. Those people with bulimia and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are regarded as the most difficult bulimia subgroup to treat and the one with the worst prognosis. A German study of 240 bulimia patients found that 13.8% of them had a diagnosis of BPD. There were no differences in binging and purging behaviour between those with and without BPD but BPD patients had significantly more feelings of ineffectiveness and less emotional self-awareness. Although the BPD group began treatment with more mental-health problems they improved as much as the other patients over the course of their treatment.

Zeeck, A. ... [et al] - Symptom severity and treatment course of bulimic patients with and without a borderline personality disorder European Eating Disorders Review November-December 2007, 15(6), 430-438

Asthma and depression in teenagers

A study of 1,300 children between the ages of 11 and 17 in the U.S. has found that those who had asthma were nearly twice as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. Previous studies have suggested a link between asthma and other mental-health problems such as panic disorder. After controlling for other variables children with asthma were found to be 1.9 times as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. Children with asthma and a mental-health problem are more likely to smoke making it harder to treat their asthma. Girls and children living in a single-parent household were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression as were those who had recently been diagnosed with asthma and those who had higher levels of physical impairment because of the condition.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/07/link-between-asthma-and-depression/1501.html