Depression Increases Mortality in Atrial Fibrillation

 Depression has been associated with worse outcomes in many cardiac conditions, including congestive heart failure (CHF). Read more

Suicide Linked to Alcohol Intoxication

During 2001-2005, an estimated annual 79,646 alcohol-attributable deaths (AAD) were attributed to the harmful effects of excessive alcohol use and an estimated 5,800 AAD were associated each year with suicide. Read more

FDA Investigating Behavior Changes with Asthma Medication

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement about their ongoing investigation of a possible association between use of the asthma and allergy drug, montelukast (marketed as Singulair®), and the development of behavior or mood changes, including suicidal thoughts and suicide . Read more

News for Caregivers

The number of caregivers, people who take care of other adults or children with special medical needs, is growing. Read more

Suicide Risk Increases Among Baby Boomers

Antipsychotics Get a New Label

Physicians sometimes use antipsychotic medications to manage behavioral problems in patients with dementia. Read more

The Genetics of Post-Traumatic Stress

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after being exposure to a terrifying event, such as military combat, a terrorist attack, or a natural disaster, in which serious physical harm was sustained or threatened. At least 7-8% of the US population is affected by PTSD. Read more

Have You Ever Wanted to Kill Your Doctor?

A psychiatrist from the University of Miami reported at the AAPM meeting that patients with chronic pain conditions are more likely to sue their physician for malpractice than patients without pain or acute pain only. This finding came from a study of over 2,200 patients and healthy individuals. Read more

Happiness? - Another J-Shaped Curve

Two economics professors - one from Dartmouth USA , and one from Coventry , UK - have reported on the state of happiness/gloom among middle-aged adults in 72 countries. They began with the USA and Western Europeans, looking at surveys randomly sampling about 20,000 men and 25,000 women in the US , and 300,000 people in Europe. They found unhappiness peaked (or rather reached a nadir on the happiness scale) at 39 years of age for women and 53 for men in the USA , and around 47 for Europeans. Read more

What Have Gambling and Overeating in Common?

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