Mental Health Research on Clinicians-Exchange

Thank you Dr. Pope:

............................................................................ Monash University issued the following news release: Mental Acuity Tasks Beat Socializing in Dodging Dementia Summary: A recent study indicates that engaging in mental acuity tasks can potentially decrease dementia risk more than social activities or creative hobbies.

By analyzing data from 10,318 Australian adults aged 70 and above, researchers found that those who regularly participated in literacy activities and mind-challenging tasks were 9-11 percent less likely to develop dementia. Creative hobbies and more passive activities, like reading, only reduced dementia risk by 7 percent.

The study underlines the importance of active mental stimulation in reducing dementia risk in older adults.

Key Facts:

The study utilized data from over 10,000 Australian adults aged 70 and older.
Those engaging regularly in mental acuity tasks were 9-11% less likely to develop dementia.
Social activities and creative hobbies had a lesser impact on reducing dementia risk.

Computer use, crosswords and games like chess are more strongly associated with older people avoiding dementia than knitting, painting or socializing, a Monash University study has found.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the findings—some of the most robust on this topic to date—may help older individuals and aged care professionals plan more targeted approaches to reducing dementia risk.

Researchers drew data from 10,318 Australians aged 70 and older participating in the ASPREE project and the ALSOP (ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons) sub-study.

They found that participants who routinely engaged in adult literacy and mental acuity tasks such as education classes, keeping journals, and doing crosswords were 9-11 percent less likely to develop dementia than their peers.

Creative hobbies like crafting, knitting and painting, and more passive activities like reading reduced the risk by 7 percent. In contrast, the size of someone’s social network and the frequency of external outings to the cinema or restaurant were not associated with dementia risk reduction.

The results remained statistically significant even when adjusted for earlier education level, and socioeconomic status. No significant variations were found between men and women.

In 2022, 55 million people globally lived with dementia, with 10 million new cases each year.

Senior author Associate Professor Joanne Ryan, from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said identifying strategies to prevent or delay dementia was a huge global priority.

“We had a unique opportunity to close a gap in knowledge by investigating a broad range of lifestyle enrichment activities that older adults often undertake, and assess which of those were most strongly aligned with avoiding dementia,” Associate Professor Ryan said.

“I think what our results tell us is that active manipulation of previously stored knowledge may play a greater role in dementia risk reduction than more passive recreational activities. Keeping the mind active and challenged may be particularly important.”

The leisure activities assessed encompassed:

adult literacy activities such as adult education classes, using computers, keeping a journal
mental acuity tasks like completing quizzes and crosswords, playing cards/chess
creative hobbies like woodworking, knitting or painting
more passive activities like keeping up with the news, reading or listening to music
social network activities like meeting and interacting with friends
planned excursions such as going to a restaurant, museum or the cinema.

Associate Professor Ryan said the results did not rule out that those naturally drawn to the types of leisure activities linked to cognitive health also had specific personality traits that were otherwise beneficial, or they may generally have had better health behaviors.

“While engaging in literacy and mental acuity activities may not be a magic pill to avoid dementia, if that was your goal and you had to choose, our research certainly suggests these are the activities most likely to support prolonged good cognitive health,” she said.

Associate Professor Ryan said social connection may also still be quite important to cognitive health and mental well-being, even though it did not show a clear link with dementia risk in the study.

“The participants were cognitively healthy, and were likely already leading socially active lives, such that the cognitive benefits of strong social networks may be less obvious in this group compared to the general public,” she said.

Ken Pope

Ken Pope, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, Hector Y. Adames, Janet L. Sonne, and Beverly A. Greene Speaking the Unspoken: Breaking the Silence, Myths, and Taboos That Hurt Therapists and Patients (APA, 2023)

“One of the few things I know...is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for [later]; give it all, give it now.... Something more will arise for later.... Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” —Annie Dillard

#psychology #dementia #Alzheimer's #psychiatry #aging #socialwork #counseling #mentalhealth #aging #diagnosis @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected]

Thank you Dr. Pope:

Reuters released an article: “Alzheimer's diagnosis revamp embraces rating scale similar to cancer” by Julie Steenhuysen.

Here are some excerpts:

Alzheimer's disease experts are revamping the way doctors diagnose patients with the progressive brain disorder - the most common type of dementia - by devising a seven-point rating scale based on cognitive and biological changes in the patient.

The proposed guidelines, unveiled by experts on Sunday in a report issued at an Alzheimer's Association conference in Amsterdam, embrace a numerical staging system assessing disease progression similar to the one used in cancer diagnoses. They also eliminate the use of terms like mild, moderate and severe.

The revamp - replacing guidelines issued in 2018 - was prompted by the increased availability of tests detecting key Alzheimer's-related proteins such as beta amyloid in the blood and new treatments that require confirmation of disease pathology prior to use.

The new system is designed to be more accurate and better reflect a person's underlying disease, according to Dr. Clifford Jack of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, lead author of the report sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute of Aging, a part of the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health.

The change comes at a time when doctors are preparing to identify and treat patients with Eisai (4523.T) and Biogen's (BIIB.O) drug Leqembi, which won Food and Drug Administration approval this month, and Eli Lilly's experimental drug donanemab, which is now under FDA review.

"We really are getting into an era of much more personalized medicine, where we're starting to understand that there are certain biomarkers that are elevated to certain degrees in people in different stages," said Dr. Maria Carrillo, chief scientific officer for the Alzheimer's Association.

Under the new diagnostic approach, patients would receive a score of 1 to 7 based on the presence of abnormal disease biomarkers and the extent of cognitive changes. The system also includes four biological stages ranked a, b, c and d. For example, Stage 1a is when a person is completely asymptomatic but has abnormal biomarkers.

"Stage 1a is really the beginning of evidence that someone has the disease," Jack said.

In Stage 2, an individual may have abnormal biomarkers and very subtle changes in cognition or behavior. Stage 3 is roughly equivalent to the current presymptomatic stage known as mild cognitive impairment, while stages 4, 5, and 6 are equivalent to mild, moderate and severe dementia.

The new scale also includes a Stage 0 for people who carry genes that guarantee they will develop Alzheimer's. This category includes people with Down Syndrome, 75% of whom develop Alzheimer's as adults.

Noting the new system's similarity to cancer stages, Jack said, "There's no such thing as mild breast cancer. They're numeric stages.”

Jack also noted that many other conditions can cause dementia but not all dementia is Alzheimer's disease.

The proposed guidelines are intended for doctors to use in clinical practice as many face the prospect for the first time of offering patients treatments that can slow the course of the disease, rather than just treat symptoms.

The draft guidelines are open for expert review and comment and will be revised later to reflect that input, according to a spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association.

Alzheimer's, which gradually destroys memory and thinking skills, is characterized by changes in the brain including amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles that result in loss of neurons and their connections.

The 2018 guidelines, which were intended for research use, incorporated existing technologies for detecting Alzheimer's proteins based on PET scans of the brain and tests of cerebrospinal fluid, which were only accessible via a lumbar puncture. Such tests were costly and not typically used in standard medical practice.

Ken Pope

Ken Pope, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, Hector Y. Adames, Janet L. Sonne, and Beverly A. Greene Speaking the Unspoken: Breaking the Silence, Myths, and Taboos That Hurt Therapists and Patients (APA, 2023)

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” —T. S. Eliot

#psychology #dementia #Alzheimer's #psychiatry #aging #socialwork #counseling #mentalhealth #aging #diagnosis @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected]

TITLE: Less Than 2 Hours of Exercise Weekly May Reduce Depression Risk in Adults 50 & Older

Thank you Dr. Pope.

-------- Forwarded Message --------

The American Psychiatric Association issued the following news release:

Less Than Two Hours of Exercise Weekly May Reduce Depression Risk in Adults 50 and Older

Just 100 minutes of moderate exercise weekly (for example, brisk walking) may help reduce the risk of depression in adults aged 50 years and older, suggests a report published today in JAMA Network Open.

“The findings of this cohort study suggest that physical activity doses lower … than doses recommended in [WHO] guidelines for overall health … may protect against depressive symptoms and major depression among older adults,” wrote Eamon Laird, Ph.D., of the University of Limerick, Ireland, and colleagues. “We do not advocate for reduced activity levels in any population, but these findings suggest that even doses lower than recommended may protect mental health over time.”

Laird and colleagues used data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, which collects demographic, health, and lifestyle information from community-dwelling adults who are at least 50 years old and live in Ireland. They examined data from 4,016 participants who had completed interviews and questionnaires between October 2009 and December 2018. Depression symptoms were assessed using the 8-item version of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D). Laird and colleagues converted participants’ responses on the Physical Activity Questionnaire into metabolic equivalent of task (MET) minutes per week. (One MET equals the amount of oxygen an average person uses while sitting for one minute. One minute of moderate activity equals about 4 METs.)

During the 10-year follow-up period, depression rates increased from a mean of 8.2% to 12.2%, Laird and colleagues reported.

Compared with adults who reported low physical activity (<600 MET minutes per week), those who performed moderate activity (600 to 1,200 MET minutes per week) had a 7% lower rate of depressive symptoms and 42% lower odds of having major depression (defined as a CES-D score of ≥9 or a report of a major depressive episode).

Adults who performed vigorous activity (1,200 to 2,400 MET minutes per week) had a 20% lower rate of depressive symptoms and 44% lower odds of major depression compared with the low physical activity group.

When taking a closer look at the low-activity group, Laird and colleagues found that performing at least 400 MET minutes per week could reduce the rate of depressive symptoms or major depression compared with adults who reported no physical activity.

Laird and colleagues also found that the depression benefits of low to moderate physical activity were more pronounced in adults with chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, or arthritis. “This was not surprising given that individuals without chronic conditions could already be engaged in salutary lifestyle practices, resulting in less likelihood of experiencing increased depressive symptoms and major depression compared with those with a chronic disease, and thus may require greater physical activity doses to elicit further protection,” they wrote.

Ken Pope

Merely forwarded by
Michael Reeder LCPC

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #exercise #APA #research 

TITLE: Vitamin D and COVID-19 -- Another Video Reminder and New Research Paper

Another video from Dr. John Campbell on the advantages of Vitamin D (taken with Vitamin K-2) in helping with COVID-19 (and likely other viruses). Based upon the linked research paper from prestigious authors at major institutions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbUm5FyrHRk

PAPER: Association between vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19 infection and mortality https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24053-4 (12th November 2022) Johns Hopkins University of Michigan National Bureau of Economic Research Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Department of Veterans Health Affairs Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago

TOPICS: Vitamin D deficiency, associated with reduced immune function, can lead to viral infection Vitamin D deficiency, associated, increases the risk of COVID-19 But is it a treatment / prognosis improver? Population of US veterans, we show that Vitamin D2 and D3 fills Associated with reductions in COVID-19 infection After applying all restrictions 220,265 supplemented with vitamin D3 34,710 supplemented with vitamin D2 407,860 untreated patients. Study design Retrospective cohort Supplemented (before and during the pandemic), versus untreated controls One to one matches D2, D3, or calcifediol Veterans Administration Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) electronic health records. Vitamin D levels typically respond to treatment following two months of exposure D3 cohort COVID-19 rates for the treated = 2.66% COVID-19 rates for the untreated = 3.30% D3 20%, reduction D2 28% reduction Mortality within 30-days of COVID-19 infection Infection ending in mortality within 30 days D3 group Treated group death rate after infection = 0.23% Untreated group death rate after infection = 0.35% Vitamin D3 33% mortality lower (HR, 67%) P  less than  0.001 Vitamin D2 25% lower (HR, 75%) (but not significant) Veterans receiving higher dosages of Vitamin D obtained greater benefits from supplementation than veterans receiving lower dosages. Vitamin D blood levels between 0 and 19 ng/ml, exhibited the largest decrease in COVID-19 infection and mortality following supplementation (0–19 ng/ml, 20–39 ng/ml, and 40 + ng/ml) Dosage options, 20 IU, 40 IU, 100 IU, 125 IU, 200 IU, 250 IU, 400 IU, 500 IU, 800 IU, 1000 IU, 2000 IU, 5000 IU, 8000 IU, and 50,000 IU Black veterans received greater associated COVID-19 risk reductions, with supplementation than White veterans As a safe, widely available, and affordable treatment, Vitamin D may help to reduce the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. More background Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency affect approximately half of the US population, with increased rates in people with darker skin, reduced sun exposure, people living in higher latitudes in the winter, nursing home residents, and healthcare workers Populations with low levels of Vitamin D have also experienced higher rates of COVID-19 New mechanism Vitamin D is needed to allow T helper cells to control and reduce Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production Conclusions These associated reductions in risk are substantial and justify more significant exploration and confirmation using RCTs. This is particularly important given the high rates of vitamin D deficiency in the US population and COVID-19. Extrapolate, D3 supplementation to the entire US population in 2020 4 million fewer COVID-19 cases (19,860,000 actual cases) 116,000 deaths avoided (351,999 actual deaths) Given our findings, the absence of severe side effects, the widespread availability of vitamin D3 at low cost, vitamin D3 presents a unique opportunity to reduce the spread and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. K2, MK-7: Supplement, probably 100 micrograms per day Nato, 1,000 micrograms per 100 g Cheese, typically 50 micrograms per 100 g Safe and effective UK, GP incentives to vaccinate Home, £30 Standard reimbursement to Primary Care Networks (which then gets passed to GPs) £15 New contract, £12.58 each Lawrence I have heard that Dr. John Campbell is in the pocket of Big Overhead Projector Lobby. Rumour is that he has accepted tens of dollars of under the table expenses. Anyone else notice that he always seems to have an endless supply of A4 paper and fountain pens?

#vitamind #covid #longcovid #psychology #socialwork #psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychotherapy @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #vitamink-2

TITLE: Mediterranean Diet Associated w/ 23% Lower Dementia Risk, INDEPENDENT OF GENETIC PREDISPOSITION: UK Biobank Prospective Cohort Study—N=60,000

Thank you Dr. Pope.

BMC Medicine includes a study: “Mediterranean Diet Adherence Is Associated With Lower Dementia Risk, Independent of Genetic Predisposition: Findings from the UK Biobank Prospective Cohort Study.”

Here’s how the article opens:

Preventing dementia is a global public health priority... Diet is an important modifiable risk factor for dementia that could be targeted for disease prevention and risk reduction [5, 6]. Healthier dietary patterns, especially the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), have been proposed as a strategy to reduce dementia risk [7, 8]. Recent systematic [9] and umbrella [10] reviews have suggested higher adherence to the MedDiet may reduce cognitive decline, although evidence for a protective role of the MedDiet against dementia risk is inconsistent [11,12,13,14,15,16]. As most prior studies have been conducted in relatively small cohorts (n = 1000–6000) with limited numbers of dementia cases (n = 20–400), additional investigations which leverage large population-based cohorts are warranted. There is also currently no gold standard assessment of MedDiet adherence, and some variability in study findings may therefore be due to different dietary assessment methods and scoring systems [17]. Therefore, studies comparing different MedDiet scores directly and their associations with dementia risk are needed.

A healthy diet might also mitigate individual genetic risk for dementia. Previous studies exploring gene-diet interactions are limited, have reported inconsistent results, and, typically, focus on APOE genotype as the sole measure of genetic risk [13, 18,19,20]. Polygenic risk scores combining information from multiple weighted (i.e., according to the strength of their association with dementia) risk alleles predict incident all-cause dementia [21, 22] and are an important advance in facilitating in-depth exploration of potential gene-diet interactions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between MedDiet adherence and dementia incidence in a large prospective cohort study, and to explore the interaction between diet and genetic risk for dementia.

Here’s how the Discussion opens:

Using data from over 60,000 participants, we demonstrated that higher adherence to the MedDiet is associated with lower risk of incident all-cause dementia. Specifically, participants with the highest MedDiet adherence had 23% lower risk of developing dementia in comparison with those with the lowest level of adherence (highest vs. lowest MEDAS continuous tertiles), which was equivalent to an absolute risk difference (reduction) of 0.55%. We found no significant interaction between MedDiet adherence, defined by both the MEDAS continuous and PYRAMID scores, and polygenic risk for dementia. In addition, we found that a continuous MEDAS score was a more sensitive predictor of dementia risk when compared with a binary MEDAS or PYRAMID scores.

REPRINTS & OTHER CORRESPONDENCE: John C. Mathers, Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Centre for Healthier Lives, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

[email protected]

Ken Pope

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy #research @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #diet #mediterraneandiet #dementia #nutrition #aging #Alzheimer’s #gene-diet #genetics #MedDiet

Meta-Analysis: Exercise As Good or Better than Meds or Psychotherapy for Depression—41 Studies, 2,265 People w/ Depression

From Dr. Pope

The Washington Post article: “The best treatment for depression? It could be exercise” by Gretchen Reynolds.

Excerpts:

Exercise as a treatment for severe depression is at least as effective as standard drugs or psychotherapy and by some measures better, according to the largest study to date of exercise as “medicine” for depression.

The study pooled data from 41 studies involving 2,265 people with depression and showed that almost any type of exercise substantially reduces depression symptoms, although some forms of exercise seemed more beneficial than others.

The effects were robust enough that the study’s authors hope the finding will spur a move to make exercise a standard, prescribed therapy for depression.

The research behind exercise and depression

In large-scale epidemiological studies, active men and women become depressed at much lower rates than sedentary people, even if they exercise for only a few minutes a day or a few days a week.

But it’s trickier to test exercise as a treatment for existing depression. You have to study it like any medicine, by recruiting people with the condition and randomly assigning them to the intervention — in this case, exercise — or a control group and scrupulously tracking what happens.

In the study published in February in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, a global group of researchers pulled together every recent experiment using physical activity as depression therapy.

They wound up with data from 41 studies about 2,265 volunteers, representing the largest sample yet on this topic.

The studies’ exercise programs included walking, running and weight training.

Some consisted of group classes, others solo workouts, some supervised, some not.

But all featured people with depression getting up and moving more.

Exercise of any kind treats depression

Pooled, the effects were potent. Overall, people with depression who exercised in any way improved their symptoms by almost five points, using one widely recognized diagnostic scale, and by about 6.5 points using another. For both scales, an improvement of three points or more is considered clinically meaningful, the study’s authors write.

In practical terms, these numbers suggest that, for every two people with depression who start to exercise, one of them should experience “a large-magnitude reduction in depressive symptoms,” Heissel said.

Those statistics represent “somewhat better” outcomes than those seen in recent studies of psychotherapy and drug treatment for depression, said Felipe Schuch, a professor researching exercise and mental health at the University of Santa Maria in Brazil and senior author of the study.

In general, the effects were best if people exercised moderately, such as by walking, although more vigorous workouts, including running, cycling and weight training, were almost as effective, and even light activities such as gardening eased symptoms.

Overall, the study “shows that exercise is a further, effective, stand-alone treatment option” for depression, Heissel said.

The precise mechanisms by which bodily movements alter brain functions to improve moods remain unclear, as do the differences in people’s responses. In every study the researchers included, some people’s depression lifted, while others’ symptoms remained stubbornly unchanged.

What is the right dose of exercise?

“To formulate exercise as a prescription for medicine, we still need more research to understand the optimal type, frequency and amount of exercise for different people,” said Karmel Choi, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Center for Precision Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She has studied exercise and depression but was not involved in the new review.

“Depression is not one size fits all,” she said, “so treatment should always be tailored to the individual.”

Certainly, more research is needed. “We do not know enough about dose, intensity and type of exercise,” Heissel said, or whether early improvements related to activity last. Future studies should dive into these questions and compare exercise head-to-head against psychotherapy and antidepressants, he said.

Perhaps most important, researchers and clinicians need to recognize how daunting exercise can be for someone who is depressed.

Ken Pope

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy #research @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #depression #exercise

TITLE: Greater Handgrip Strength Linked to Lower Risk for Depression in Dose-Reponse Relationship—Longitudinal Study of 115,601 Older Adults From 24 Countries

Thank you Dr. Pope.

-------- Forwarded Message --------

The new issue of British Journal of Psychiatry (2023, vol. 222, #3, pp. 135-142) includes a study: “Dose–response association of handgrip strength and risk of depression: a longitudinal study of 115 601 older adults from 24 countries.”

The authors are Rubén López-Bueno, Joaquín Calatayud, Lars Louis Andersen, José Casaña, Ai Koyanagi, Borja del Pozo Cruz, and Lee Smith.

Here’s how it opens:

Depression is considered a contemporary chronic condition that can impair normal mental and physical functioning; the manifestation of depression varies among individuals, but often involves lack of energy, low mood, sadness, insomnia and an inability to enjoy life.Reference Cui1 The incidence of depression disorders increased by 50% over the period from 1990 to 2017 worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of depression compared with pre-pandemic levels.Reference Santomauro, Mantilla Herrera, Shadid, Zheng, Ashbaugh and Pigott2,Reference Liu, He, Yang, Feng, Zhao and Lyu3

Importantly, depression has been observed to increase the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in middle-aged and older adults.Reference Meng, Yu, Liu, He, Lv and Guo4,Reference Wei, Hou, Zhang, Xu, Xie and Chandrasekar5 It has also been associated with significantly increased risks for hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, physical impairment and suicidal attempts, and is one of the leading causes of global disease burden in terms of disability-adjusted life-years, years lived with disability and years of life lost.Reference McLaughlin6,7 Thus, because depression represents a major public health concern, studies aiming at examining preventive factors to tackle the increase in depression are required. In fact, early prevention is estimated to reduce 20% to 25% incident depression in high-income countries, which warrants the implementation of preventive measures.Reference Reynolds, Cuijpers, Patel, Cohen, Dias and Chowdhary8

In this regard, there is a growing body of research examining the association between muscle strength, using handgrip as an estimator, and depression in healthy middle-aged and older adults.Reference Zasadzka, Pieczyńska, Trzmiel, Kleka and Pawlaczyk9,Reference Luo, Yao, Zhang, Ge and Zhang10 Handgrip strength is an easy-to-use, fast and reliable indicator of both sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass) and dynapenia (age-related loss of muscle strength). As both have been associated with depression, the plausibility of a regulatory role of skeletal muscle on brain function affecting this condition exists.Reference Chen, Liu, Woo, Assantachai, Auyeung and Bahyah11–Reference Carvalho, Maes, Solmi, Brunoni, Lange and Husain14 Interestingly, exercise also seems to play a key role in the aforementioned relationships, as it can improve muscle strength and muscle mass, downregulates systemic inflammation and improves neuroplasticity, neuroendocrine and oxidative stress responses.Reference Aagaard, Suetta, Caserotti, Magnusson and Kjaer15–Reference Kandola, Ashdown-Franks, Hendrikse, Sabiston and Stubbs17 Furthermore, handgrip strength has also been observed as a more useful single marker of frailty (a clinical syndrome in older adults characterised by an increased risk for poor health outcomes such as falls, disability, hospital admissions and mortality) for older people of similar age than using chronological age alone.Reference Syddall, Cooper, Martin, Briggs and Sayer18

Another excerpt:

A total of 115 601 participants (mean age 64.3 years (s.d. = 9.9), 54.3% women) were followed-up for a median of 7.3 years (interquartile range: 3.9–11.8) and 792 459 person-years. During this period, 30 208 (26.1%) participants experienced a risk of depression.

When modelled as a continuous variable, we observed an inverse significant association for each kg increase of handgrip strength and depression up to 40 kg in men and up to 27 kg in women.

REPRINTS & OTHER CORRESPONDENCE:

Joaquin Calatayud [email protected]

Ken Pope

Merely Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #healthcare #APA #ACA #NCSW #health #depression

TITLE: Fwd: Annual APA Poll on Anxiety & Mental Health: 70% Feel Anxious or Extremely Anxious About Keeping Themselves or Their Families Safe

The American Psychiatric Association issued the following news release: Americans Express Worry Over Personal Safety in Annual Anxiety and Mental Health Poll

May 10, 2023

The results of an annual poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association show that 70% of U.S. adults say they feel anxious or extremely anxious about keeping themselves or their families safe. While the number is lower than what was reported during the early onset of the pandemic in 2020, it is 6% higher than in the past two years.

This survey is complemented by the Healthy Minds Monthly* series APA conducts with Morning Consult. Each month, among other questions, the poll asks about levels of anxiety around current events.

In the past month, the percent of adults who say they feel very anxious about gun violence has increased 5 percentage points to 42%.

Overall, nearly two-in-five adults (37%) say they feel more anxious than they were this time last year, which is higher than in 2022 (32%) but lower than in 2021 (41%) and 2020 (62%). About half (45%) of adults say they were feeling about the same as the previous year. About one-third (30%) of adults said they have talked with a mental health care professional about mental health issues before, a slight uptick from 2022 (+4).

On several key issues:

70% were anxious about keeping themselves or their families safe.
68% were anxious about keeping their identity safe.
66% were anxious about their health.
65% were anxious about paying bills or expenses.
59% were anxious about the impact of climate change on the planet.
50% were anxious about the opioid epidemic.
45% were anxious about the impact of emerging technology on day-to-day life.

“Even as we end the public health emergency, people remain anxious about their safety,” said APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, M.D., J.D. “Ongoing stress about our basic needs can lead to other negative mental health effects. The impact of this stress means that psychiatrists will need to continue work with the communities they serve, the larger mental health field, and policymakers to ensure those who need care can access it.” Care and Treatment The poll asked several questions about mental health treatments involving previously banned substances, such as cannabis, psychedelics, and ketamine. Half of U.S. adults expressed familiarity with the treatments, and 43% said they were unfamiliar, with younger people more likely to say they knew about these treatments.

Half of adults say they would be likely to consider a mental health treatment involving cannabis or marijuana, while a majority say they are unlikely to consider a treatment involving psychedelics (59%) or ketamine (56%).

Two-thirds (68%) of American adults say that children and teens have more mental health problems than they did a decade ago. Over half of parents say they are concerned about their children’s use of technology (59%) and mental state (55%), and 31% said they’d had difficulty scheduling appointments for their children with mental health professionals. Views on Mental health The majority of American adults believe a person’s mental health has an impact on their physical health (78%), that untreated mental illness has a significant negative impact on families (78%), and that untreated mental illness has a significant negative impact on the economy (64%).

One in three (34%) adults say they would not vote for a candidate for elected office who had been diagnosed with a mental illness, which is up 7% from 2022.

“The majority of the public understands something we’ve been saying for a long time: your mental health is about your health,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A.

“It’s contingent upon us as a field to continue to spread that message, and that those who are experiencing mental health concerns aren’t alone and that there are ways to receive help.”

This poll was conducted April 20-22, 2023, among a sample of 2,201 adults. The analysis also tracks data from a poll conducted between April 23-24, 2022, among a sample of 2,210 adults. Results from the full surveys have a margin of error of plus or minus 2-3 percentage points.

The analysis also tracks data from an APA-sponsored online survey conducted between March 26 - April 5, 2021, among a sample of 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older. The equivalent margin of error is +/ -3.1 percentage points.

Ken Pope

Merely forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #APA #surveys

TITLE: Fwd: U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs—Black & Hispanic Adults Rising at 2x Rate of White Adults—Women & Young Adults Greatest Increases

Thank you Dr. Pope

-------- Forwarded Message --------

Gallup issued the following news release:

U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs HIGHLIGHTS

Clinical depression in lifetime and current depression both hit new highs

Women and young adults have experienced the greatest increases

Black and Hispanic adults rising at about twice the rate of White adults

The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29.0%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015. The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased, to 17.8%, up about seven points over the same period. Both rates are the highest recorded by Gallup since it began measuring depression using the current form of data collection in 2015.

Line chart: Rising trends in lifetime and current depression rates. In 2023, 29.0% of Americans report having been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime, while 17.8% reporting currently having depression.

The most recent results, obtained Feb. 21-28, 2023, are based on 5,167 U.S. adults surveyed by web as part of the Gallup Panel, a probability-based panel of about 100,000 adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Respondents were asked, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?” and “Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?” Both metrics are part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. Rates Among Women, Young Adults, Black and Hispanic Adults Rising Fastest Over one-third of women (36.7%) now report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, compared with 20.4% of men, and their rate has risen at nearly twice the rate of men since 2017. Those aged 18 to 29 (34.3%) and 30 to 44 (34.9%) have significantly greater depression diagnosis rates in their lifetime than those older than 44.

Women (23.8%) and adults aged 18 to 29 (24.6%) also have the highest rates of current depression or treatment for depression. These two groups (up 6.2 and 11.6 percentage points, respectively), as well as adults aged 30 to 44, have the fastest-rising rates compared with 2017 estimates.

Lifetime depression rates are also climbing fast among Black and Hispanic adults and have now surpassed those of White respondents. (Historically, White adults have reported marginally higher rates of both lifetime and current depression.) Implications Alarming rates of depression are not unique to the U.S. Globally, nearly four in 10 adults aged 15 and older either endure significant depression or anxiety themselves or have a close friend or family member who suffers from it.

Other Gallup research has estimated that 22% of Northern American adults have experienced depression or anxiety so extreme that they could not continue regular daily activities for two weeks or longer, similar to a global rate of 19% and matching estimates found in Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.

Clinical depression had been slowly rising in the U.S. prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but has jumped notably in its wake. Social isolation, loneliness, fear of infection, psychological exhaustion (particularly among front-line responders such as healthcare workers), elevated substance abuse and disruptions in mental health services have all likely played a role. While experiences of significant daily loneliness have subsided in the past two years amid widespread vaccinations and a slow return to normalcy, elevated loneliness experiences during the pandemic likely played a substantive role in increasing the rates of the longer-term, chronic nature of depression. Currently, 17% of U.S. adults report experiencing significant loneliness “yesterday,” projecting to an estimated 44 million people.

Among subgroups, women have historically reported substantially higher levels of depression than men. That this gap has notably widened further since 2017 is likely explained by several COVID-related factors, including the fact that women were disproportionately likely to lose their jobs or to exit the workforce altogether due in part to the pandemic driving children home from school or day care. Women also made up 78% of workers in all healthcare occupations in 2019, exposing them to enhanced emotional and psychological risk associated with the pandemic.

Young adults, in turn, are more likely to be single and to report loneliness, particularly so during the pandemic. They also need more social time to boost their mood than older adults, something directly impacted by COVID-19. Daily experiences of sadness, worry and anger -- all of which are closely related to depression -- are highest for those under 30 and those with lower income levels. And, like women, young adults and people of color were disproportionately likely to lose their jobs altogether due to the pandemic.

Ken Pope

Merely Forwarded by:

Michael Reeder LCPC

Baltimore, MD


#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression

TITLE: U.S. COVID-19 Policy in 2023 and its Consequences. Medical Research Archives. 11(xx) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371069676_MRA_-_4022_US_COVID-19_Policy_in_2023_and_its_Consequences

Abstract:

    Economic pressures combined with anti-science politics have led to the termination of COVID-19 safety protocols in the United States (US). Although the epidemiology and virology of COVD-19 have not changed since its emergence in late 2019, intentional, consistent strategies with demonstrated efficacy for containment of the pandemic have been abandoned. Diminished media coverage of COVID-19 contributes to the popular notion that the pandemic is "over." COVID-19 thus remains uncontained in the US. The number of US COVID-19 fatalities remains the highest in the world, and continues to grow. Beyond the negative consequences for public health and pandemic management, the confabulation of politics and science has also produced growing political tensions, with the emergence of socially regressive legislation in states historically invested in the anti-science agenda as applied to COVID-19. Recommendations are made for consistent messaging and policy from government agencies to improve management of the COVID-19 pandemic, and unify the public in acceptance of science-based interventions and attitudes.

On May 26, 2023 at 11:36:57 AM, Chuck Lepkowsky via Clinicians-Exchange [email protected] wrote:

Listmates,

I'm happy to announce a new publication:

Lepkowsky, C.M. (2023). U.S. COVID-19 Policy in 2023 and its Consequences. Medical Research Archives. 11(xx). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v11i6.4022

The DOI is not yet active, but the article can be accessed here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371069676_MRA_-_4022_US_COVID-19_Policy_in_2023_and_its_Consequences

Charles M. Lepkowsky, Ph.D.

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy #research @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #mRNA #Vaccines #COVID #longcovid #oncology #science #medicine #policy #political #pandemic #containment #epidemiology #virology

TITLE: Fwd: New Study: Hearing Aids a 'Powerful' Tool for Reducing Dementia Risk—N=437,704 (Lancet)

Medscape includes an article: “Hearing Aids a 'Powerful' Tool for Reducing Dementia Risk.” 

Here are some excerpts:

Untreated hearing loss increases dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults, new research confirms.

A large observational study from the United Kingdom showed a 42% increased risk for dementia in people with hearing loss compared with their peers with no hearing trouble. 

In addition, there was no increased risk in those with hearing loss who used hearing aids.

"The evidence is building that hearing loss may be the most impactful modifiable risk factor for dementia in mid-life, but the effectiveness of hearing aid use on reducing the risk of dementia in the real world has remained unclear," Dongshan Zhu, PhD, with Shandong University, Jinan, China, said in a news release.

"Our study provides the best evidence to date to suggest that hearing aids could be a minimally invasive, cost-effective treatment to mitigate the potential impact of hearing loss on dementia," Zhu said.

The study which was published online April 13 in Lancet Public Health, comes on the heels of the 2020 Lancet Commission report on dementia, which suggested hearing loss may be linked to approximately 8% of worldwide dementia cases, as reported by Medscape Medical News.

<snip>
'Compelling' Evidence
For the study, investigators analyzed longitudinal data on 437,704 individuals...from the UK Biobank (54% female; mean age at baseline, 56 years).

Roughly three quarters of the cohort had no hearing loss and one quarter had some level of hearing loss, with 12% of these individuals using hearing aids.

After the researchers controlled for relevant co-factors, compared with people without hearing loss, those with hearing loss who were not using hearing aids had an increased risk for all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.42; 95% CI, 1.29-1.56).

No increased risk was seen in people with hearing loss who were using hearing aids (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.98-1.10).

The positive association of hearing aid use was observed in all-cause dementia and cause-specific dementia subtypes, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and non–Alzheimer's disease nonvascular dementia.

The data also suggest that the protection against dementia conferred by hearing aid use most likely stems from direct effects from hearing aids rather than indirect mediators, such as social isolation, loneliness, and low mood.

Zhu said the findings highlight the "urgent need" for the early use of hearing aids when an individual starts having trouble hearing.

"A group effort from across society is necessary, including raising awareness of hearing loss and the potential links with dementia; increasing accessibility to hearing aids by reducing cost; and more support for primary care workers to screen for hearing impairment, raise awareness, and deliver treatment such as fitting hearing aids," Zhu said.

Writing in a linked comment, Gill Livingston, MD, and Sergi Costafreda, MD, PhD, with University College London, note that with addition of this study, "the evidence that hearing aids are a powerful tool to reduce the risk of dementia in people with hearing loss, is as good as possible without randomized controlled trials, which might not be practically possible or ethical because people with hearing loss should not be stopped from using effective treatments."

Ken Pope

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merely Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #dementia #hearing #hearingaids #Alzheimer's

I have a client asking if manic episodes can cause brain damage. Hmmm... I know they are supposed to get worse if left untreated...

Anyone have links to research on either:

1. Manic episodes and brain damage, or
2. Manic episodes and disease progression and prognosis.

Thanks, Michael