The authors of a new paper noted the reasons why women decide to undergo an abortion include many mental health risk factors, such as poverty, lack of social supports, domestic violence, rape, incest, pre-existing mental illness, and lack of education. But post-abortion, women’s mental health status does not deteriorate, although stress levels might increase if they experience barriers in obtaining the abortion.

Twenty-five women with perinatal attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder were followed prospectively during pregnancy for changes in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and functional impairment. Statistically significant differences in mood and functional impairment in the family domain were found in those who discontinued their psychostimulant.

It may help case managers identify obstacles and problems for patients who are serving or have served in the military if they view this service as a social determinant of health, a researcher suggests. Veterans struggle with many of the same social determinants of health as non-veterans, including housing instability, gambling, substance use, depression, food insecurity, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Participation in mindfulness-based group therapy shows promise for reducing stress and improving functioning in this pilot study involving 27 socioeconomically disadvantaged African-American women.

More than half of the 8 million depression-related provider visits in the United States occur in a primary care setting. The primary care provider is the most likely practitioner responsible for the detection and management of the disorder.

This prospective United Kingdom study involving 13,488 children shows an association between specific early childhood sleep problems and symptoms of psychosis in adolescence. Another specified early childhood sleep problem is associated with symptoms of borderline personality disorder in adolescence.