Mental Health

In July 1988, the first issue of Infectious Disease News was published (Figure 1, that’s right, I kept it all these years), with Dr. Ted Eickhoff as the Chief Medical Editor. Virtually all adult and pediatric infectious disease specialists received it at no cost. And although unsolicited publications (freebies) are often mostly a glorified collection of advertisements, IDN seemed different, with meaningful, well-written pieces, by very reputable experts, supplemented by high-quality pictures on glossy paper. It took the reputation of Dr. Eickhoff to recruit leading experts to contribute and his academic leadership to ensure overall quality.

Children aged 7 years at familial high risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders had widespread neurocognitive deficits; however, these impairments were not observed in children at familial high risk for bipolar disorder, research findings revealed.

United States poison control centers received reports of 11,275 exposures between 2007 and 2016, according to researchers. Most of these exposures occurred in children aged younger than 6 years and were accidental; however, over three-quarters of adolescent exposures were intentional.

Interactive therapy that involves parents and children helped youth as young as 3 years of age reduce rates of depression and lower their severity of depressive symptoms, findings published in American Journal of Psychiatry showed.

Dialectical behavior therapy showed advantage over individual and group supportive therapy in the reduction of suicide attempts and self-harm among adolescents at high-risk for suicide, according to findings published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Children who sustain unintentional injuries that require hospitalization are more likely to be given a mental health diagnosis or prescription for psychotropic medication after treatment, according to research published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

To coordinate pediatric research programs, the NIH announced the formation of the Trans-NIH Pediatric Research Consortium.

The percentage of U.S. high school students who reported having sexual intercourse or using illicit drugs has dropped over the past decade, according to survey results released today by the CDC.

Many children with autism exposed to certain sensory information, such as the brightness or certain colors of a pediatrician’s office or the sound of a classroom, have difficulties processing these environmental stimuli. These stimuli may overwhelm the child and can either positively or negatively impact their treatment and learning outcomes.

Researchers found that children who received 12 weeks of treatment with antipsychotic medications experienced adverse changes in adiposity and insulin sensitivity, both of which often contribute to the development of early-onset type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses tied to early death.