Dynamic Associations Among Motor Activity, Sleep, Energy, And Mood Could Suggest New Focus For Depression Treatment

Current theories of depression suggest that sleep problems, low energy, and low activity levels result from depressed mood, but a new study looking at interactions among these factors in people with bipolar disorder or depression suggests that the opposite may be true—that instability in activity and sleep systems could lead to mood changes. The study, conducted by researchers in the NIMH Intramural Research Program, suggests new targets for depression treatment. The study findings were published online December 12 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. A podcast with lead investigator Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., Chief of the NIMH Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, also is available.   View Study Findings Here . . .

Infection tied to higher risk of pediatric mental illness

Children and teens hospitalized for infections were 84% more likely to be diagnosed later with mental health disorders and 42% more likely to receive prescriptions to treat mental conditions, according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry. The findings, based on data for 1.1 million youths in Denmark born from 1995 to 2012, found a history of outpatient treatment for infection was associated with 40% increased risk of mental illness diagnosis and 22% higher rates of prescription for mental illness.

National Public Radio (12/5),  HealthDay News

New Tool Offers Hope To People Experiencing Early Serious Mental Illness And Their Families

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) blog post discusses the new tool, the Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator. This online tool allows users to search for specialty programs that treat early serious mental illness, including first episode psychosis. Each program listing includes eligibility criteria, including age range and diagnoses treated, services provided, location, and contact information.
View Tool Here . . .

Suicide Prevention and Warning Signs for Youth

Prevention starts with conversation and awareness in our homes, schools, and communities. In the 2013, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed 17 percent of high school students reported seriously considering suicide during the 12 months before taking the survey. About 8 percent of high school students attempted suicide during the same period. The Department of Education has a fact sheet, Youth Suicide in the United States, that c an help parents understand what measures schools are taking to identify the youth at risk, warnings signs to watch for, and about suicide prevention. To learn more about this fact sheet and other national resources, view the sheet in full.

Embracing Evidence as a Central Strategy to Tackling Childhood Mental Illness

This blog post from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) highlights the agency’s ongoing efforts to support evidence-based treatment approaches for children with mental illnesses. Four evidence reviews authored by AHRQ-funded scientific teams assess the evidence on topics such as the use of antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of children and treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  View Blog Post . . .

Study Links Child Abuse, Neglect to Earlier Onset of Bipolar Disorder

A study in The Lancet Psychiatry showed that people with bipolar disorder who were neglected or abused physically, sexually or emotionally as children were more likely to experience severe manic, depressive and psychotic symptoms than those who weren't abused. The findings, based on a review of 30 studies, also revealed those who experienced childhood abuse developed symptoms of the disorder more than four years earlier, were almost four times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder and almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide, compared with people who weren't abused during childhood.  HealthDay News http://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/bipolar-affective-disorder-news-60/child-abuse-or-neglect-leads-to-earlier-development-of-bipolar-disorder-707935.html

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Releases Three New Fact Sheets on Supported Employment

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health has published three new fact sheets with information from their recent repart, Getting to Work: Promoting Employment of People with Mental Illness. Getting to Work discusses the reasons why states should expand supported employment services to increase employment opportunities for people with mental illness. These fact sheets highlight three key reasons to increase the availability of supported employment that are discussed in more detail in the report.

The first fact sheet, Supported Employment Works!, highlights the effectiveness of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment.

The second fact sheet, Supported Employment Saves Money, summarizes the cost and funding mechanisms for supported employment services.

The third fact sheet, Supported Employment and Olmstead, explains how expanding access to supported employment services helps states comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead decision.

View additional employment resources from Bazelon Center here.