(HealthDay News) — Over the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44 percent to 48 percent, says a federal government study released Thursday.

Use of two or more drugs increased from 25 percent to 31 percent, and the use of five or more drugs increased from 6 percent to 11 percent, according to the analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

via HealthDay Articles.

(HealthDay News) — Even after escaping a violent or controlling relationship, a mother’s mental health may continue to decline, a new study finds.

Ohio State University researchers analyzed data from 2,400 women who were married to, or living with, the father of their child at the end of the first year of a three-year period. The women were divided into three groups: those who experienced no abuse, those in physically violent relationships, and those in controlling relationships where their partners were extremely critical and insulting and tried to control the woman’s actions.

The study found that all the women, even those who were not in an abusive relationship, reported more depression and anxiety at the end of the three years — a finding the researchers attributed to the nature of the sample. The women participating were nearly all low-income, minority first-time moms, so it was likely they were under considerable stress, they noted.

via Even After Leaving Abuser, Moms’ Mental Health Declines – Yahoo! News.

Nurses trained to assess and psychologically support new mothers can prevent the onset of postnatal depression, according to a new study in England.

Postnatal depression, also called postpartum depression, is a serious condition that affects between 8 percent and 20 percent of women after pregnancy, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The study is the first large-scale randomized trial to clearly show a significant reduction in future cases of depression, according to the researchers. The analysis was based on women who were not depressed when they joined the study, and who were randomly selected from a larger sample.

“Up until now, it was thought that depression could only be treated when it is picked up by a general practitioner or health visitor,” study researcher Terry Brugha, of the department of health sciences at the University of Leicester in England, said in a statement. In the National Health System in the United Kingdom, so-called health visitors are registered nurses who may visit homes and who have specialized training in child health, health promotion and health education.

via Postnatal Depression Can Be Prevented, Study Shows – Yahoo! News.