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A research study conducted in partnership by the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Health System has shown that veterans who suffer from both PTSD and substance use disorder have an increased risk of death. This is the very first study which examines associations and links between substance use disorder and death for vets who have PTSD, and the study included data on the youngest veterans who have come back from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. According to VA Ann Arbor post-doctoral fellow, University of Michigan research fellow, and lead author of the study Kipling Bohnert, Ph.D., the study provides some important clues about the best methods of treating veterans for positive outcomes.
Bohnert the study underlines the importance of treating veterans for both PTSD and substance use disorder, explaining “Attention needs to be paid to veteran patients with PTSD, with an emphasis on identifying those who might also have a problem with drug or alcohol use. This study highlights the potential importance of effective treatment for both conditions in helping veterans after they’ve returned from conflict.” More research is necessary to determine why younger vets seem to exhibit stronger associations between the risk of death and substance use disorders. Director of the National Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research & Evaluation Center at the VA Federic C. Blow, Ph.D., who is also the senior author of the study paper which was published, stated “In theory, a treatment program that addresses both issues — substance use and PTSD — should reduce the risk of death from all causes, and this may be especially true for the nation’s youngest veterans.”
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A recent study by researchers at the Umeå University in Sweden has found a connection between the stress hormone cortisol and obesity in patients with mental illness including bipolar disorder and depression. Low cortisol levels have been linked with obesity, a condition that leads to high blood levels of fat and metabolic syndrome as well as excess weight. Researchers determined that patients who had recurrent episodes of depression or bipolar disorder tended to have lower levels of cortisol, although extremely high levels of this stress hormone can also cause problems. The study results were published and can be found in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Both recurrent depression and bipolar disorder are life long conditions, and while there are treatments which can help with these disorders there are no cures.
According to Umeå University Department of Clinical Sciences Division of Psychiatry researcher Martin Maripuu the study examined the connection between patients with low levels of the stress hormone cortisol who also have a mental illness such as depression or bipolar disorder. These patients also struggle with obesity in many cases. Maripuu explained “These results provide clues to better understand the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in people with recurrent depressions or bipolar disorder. The results may in the future contribute to better preventative treatments of cardiovascular diseases in these disorders. The results show that cortisol regulation is linked to worsened physical health in people with bipolar disorder or recurrent depressions. However, further studies are needed in order to better understand these associations.”
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A new study conducted at Florida Atlantic University has found that there is a link between binge drinking and poor self control in young adults. The study was designed to evaluate whether certain specific behavioral traits which were related to self control and inhibition behavior may increase the risk of binge drinking for some young adults. According to Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Science psychology student and lead study author Andres L. Paz “There are many aspects of inhibition behavior, which is essentially the ability to stop yourself from a particular behavior. Looking specifically at risk factors, I wanted to see if there was one particular aspect of inhibition that could better predict propensity in young adults to binge drink.”
The FAU study on binge drinking and self control was published in the Alcohol and Alcoholism journal. Author Paz explained that “Perhaps our biggest takeaway from this study is that we suspect that the inability to withhold a response from stimuli plays a key role in putting a person at greater risk of binge drinking behaviors. We still don’t know if binge drinking puts you at risk of becoming an alcoholic or whether it is simply a phase you outgrow when you graduate. And what about weekend warrior binge drinkers?” Paz also cautioned that “There are so many elements involved with any kind of addiction including alcoholism. That is why it’s so important to continue research in this area to help us develop more personalized approaches to treat addiction. One size doesn’t fit all.”
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A new medical study links family teasing over weight and having unavailable parents to binge eating in kids. Kids who have parents who are not available physically or emotionally, and those who endure family teasing about their weight, have a higher risk of developing a binge eating disorder. The University of Illinois study also determined that race, income, and the weight of the parents did not have any impact on the eating patterns of the child. Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program scholar and human development and family studies doctoral researcher Jaclyn Saltzman explained “This study found that childhood binge eating is really associated with parents’ weight-related beliefs, but not their actual weight, and their emotional availability but not necessarily the income availability.”
Early recognition and treatment for childhood binge eating could prevent many problems in adulthood. Unavailable parents and/or family teasing over weight can leave psychological scars that can compound the eating disorder. According to Saltzman “Intervening early to address binge eating may not only help prevent an eating disorder from emerging but also prevent lifetime habits of unhealthy weight-related behaviors. Loss of control is something that researchers have used to describe binge eating in young children. The idea is that the size of the binge — the amount of food they eat — is less important than the feelings of being out of control or the stress about that eating behavior, especially in young kids, because they don’t have all that much control over the food that they have access to. Binge eating is feeling like you are not in control when you are eating. You are eating past the point of fullness and to the point of discomfort. You are experiencing a lot of emotional distress because of it.”
Saltzman continued by explaining “We want to emphasize to parents that weight isn’t the ‘be all end all,’ and that focusing on weight too much can be damaging. Instead, focusing on giving kids the tools they need to manage their emotions, particularly emotions around eating and weight, can help strengthen children’s coping skills so they are less likely to need binge eating.”
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Children who live in rural areas where psychiatric care is difficult or impossible to access can now take advantage of better rural mental health services through tele-psychiatry. This therapy is video based and it can play a vital role for children who fall into a treatment gap. University of Missouri-Columbia researchers determined that most individuals who choose to utilize tele-psychiatry typically come from under served, rural, or remote areas where traditional services are not available on a wide scale. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that only 20% of kids who have behavioral issues ever receive any type of mental health treatment. That is only 1 in 5. The other 80% fall through the cracks in the current mental health care system. Some obstacles to care can include financial hardship and a lack of suitable transportation.
According to University of Missouri School of Medicine assistant research professor of telemedicine and lead study author Mirna Becevic, Ph.D. the study underscores the need for tele-psychiatry services in order to reach children and adolescents who may need mental health treatment but who live in rural areas. Becevic explained “One of the biggest health care issues we as a nation face is a physician shortage in pediatric and adolescent behavioral health. Not surprisingly, the majority of Missouri physicians are located in urban areas along Interstate 70. Although there are child and adolescent psychiatrists in other areas of the state, many rural counties have none.”
Becevic went on to state “Our findings indicate that there is limited access to child and adolescent psychiatric services in our state. More important, our study illustrates how remote populations have severe barriers to access. The mental health shortage, especially in rural areas, is not a new discovery. However, this study highlights the severity of the need for mental health services in our state, especially for children and adolescents.”
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A new study shows that nature is good for mental health, and that visiting parks and other nature areas could reduce anxiety and depression. A research study performed by University of Queensland and ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions researchers found that people who spent at least 30 minutes a week in nature are also far less likely to suffer from poor mental health when compared to people who do not get back to nature for at least this small amount of time each week. This has led researchers to suggest that a minimum level of exposure to nature may be needed to improve mental health. The recent study was published and can be found in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
Dr. Danielle Shanahan discussed the findings from the study on nature, mental health, and anxiety and depression. According to Dr. Shanahan there are many health benefits to visiting parks, and these include a lower risk of stress, heart disease, depression, and anxiety. “If everyone visited their local parks for half an hour each week there would be seven percent fewer cases of depression and nine percent fewer cases of high blood pressure. Given that the societal costs of depression alone in Australia are estimated at $A12.6 billion a year, savings to public health budgets across all health outcomes could be immense. Kids who grow up experiencing natural environments may benefit developmentally and have a heightened environmental awareness as adults than those who don’t.” This is just one more reason to get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature.
