Trump Administration Drops Appeal, Agrees To Provide Mental Healthcare To Separated Immigrant Families

The San Francisco Chronicle (2/21, Egelko) reported “the Trump administration dropped its appeal of” US District Judge John Kronstadt’s “order Friday and agreed to provide mental health care to thousands of immigrant parents and children who were separated at the Mexican border by the administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy.” Kronstadt “of Los Angeles issued the injunction in November requiring the government to promptly provide mental health screenings for the parents and their families, and treatment for those who needed it,” and “said there was evidence that the family separations caused ‘severe mental trauma to parents and their children’ and that administration officials had been ‘deliberately indifferent to the mental health risks’ of their policy.”

Related Links:

— “Trump lawyers drop appeal — separated immigrant families to get mental health care, “Bob Egelko, The San Francisco Chronicle, February 21, 2020

Alcohol-Related Deaths Increased Sharply From About 2012 Through 2016, Study Shows

Reuters (2/21, Emery) reported, “Alcohol-related deaths in the United States rose sharply from roughly 2012 through 2016, with the biggest increases among white and Latino women, according to a new study by researchers who called the trend ‘an urgent public health crisis.’” The findings were published on Friday in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Study shows sharp increases in U.S. alcohol deaths, especially among women, “Gene Emery, Reuters , February 21, 2020

Varenicline Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Cardiovascular Or Neuropsychiatric Hospitalizations Compared With Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Study Indicates

MD Magazine (2/21, Rosenfeld) reported, “Varenicline, an effective medication for smoking cessation, was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular or neuropsychiatric hospitalizations compared with nicotine replacement therapy,” research indicated. In comparison, “bupropion, a smoking cessation aid and antidepressant, was linked with lower risks of cardiovascular hospitalizations and higher risks of neuropsychiatric hospitalizations compared with nicotine replacement therapy.” Included in the 618,500-patient study were 454,698 who “used varenicline,” 131,562 who “used bupropion, and 32,237” who “used nicotine replacement therapy.” The findings were published online Feb. 19 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Varenicline Safe for Smoking Cessation, Reduces Hospitalization Risk, “Samara Rosenfeld, MD Magazine, February 21, 2020

Trump Administration’s War On Addiction Reportedly Leaves Children Affected By Alcohol Behind

Politico (2/20, Ehley) reports, “The Trump administration’s war on addiction has left behind an oft forgotten piece of the problem: alcoholism and the lifelong damage it can do to children.” The Administration “has boosted treatment, research and prevention, including directing millions to help babies exposed to narcotics in the womb.” But, there has “been no similar help or attention from Washington to pregnant women who abuse alcohol, or to the children impacted by fetal alcohol syndrome.”

Related Links:

— “Harmed before birth, America’s ‘lost children’ overshadowed by opioid crisis, “Brianna Ehley, Politico, February 20, 2020

Patients With Schizophrenia Who Participate In Exercise Program May Continue To Experience Cognitive Benefits Months After Program Ends, Small Study Indicates

Psychiatric News (2/20) reports research indicates that patients with schizophrenia “who participate in a 12-week aerobic exercise program may continue to experience cognitive benefits months after the program ends.” For the study, investigators randomized 40 “participants with schizophrenia and other schizoaffective disorders aged 20 to 65” to “treatment as usual, which consisted of meetings with a psychiatrist, medication, case management, and rehabilitation programs over a 12-week period” or to “a 12-week aerobic exercise program in addition to receiving treatment as usual.” A year after the study ended, researchers found that “compared with the group that received treatment as usual only, those who also participated in aerobic exercise classes ‘showed significant, sustained improvements in several cognitive domains [including working memory, verbal fluency, attention, and executive function].’” The findings were published online ahead of print in the April issue of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Cognitive Benefits of Exercise in Patients With Schizophrenia Sustained Over One Year, Study Shows, Psychiatric News, February 20, 2020

Many Kids, Teens Who Stay In The ED For At Least 24 Hours With Mental Health Complaint May Often Be Discharged Without Psychiatric Evaluation, Study Indicates

Psychiatric News (2/19) reports, “Two-thirds of children and adolescents who had to stay in an emergency department (ED) for at least 24 hours with a mental health complaint had suicidal thoughts or behaviors, yet many did not receive a formal psychiatric evaluation by a psychiatrist with treatment recommendations,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data on 573 children and adolescents (average age of 14) who stayed at least 24 hours with a mental health complaint at one urban pediatric ED.” The findings were published online Feb. 17 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Youth Who Stay in ED Overnight for Mental Health Problems Often Discharged Without Psychiatric Evaluation, Psychiatric News, February 19, 2020

Women With Anxiety, Depression, And Trauma May Be More Likely To Use Cannabis During Pregnancy, Study Suggests

Healio (2/19, Michael) reports, “Women with anxiety, depression and trauma were more likely to use cannabis during pregnancy,” researchers concluded after comparing “demographic and mental health characteristics in women with and without cannabis use during pregnancy who gave birth at centers in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California system between 2012 and 2017.” To do so, the investigative team used electronic health records. The study revealed that of six percent “of 196,022 pregnancies evaluated in the study…screened positive for prenatal cannabis.” Investigators then “determined that the odds of cannabis use during pregnancy were greater among women with anxiety disorders…depressive disorders” or both when “compared with women without those disorders.” The findings were published online Feb. 19 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Depression, anxiety, trauma linked to cannabis use in pregnancy, “Erin Michael, Healio, February 19, 2020

Long Guns, Not Handguns, More Often The Method Of Choice In Firearm Suicides Among Youths And People In Rural Areas, Researchers Say

According to HealthDay (2/18, Preidt), investigators “analyzed nearly 4,000 firearm suicides and found that long guns, not handguns, are more often the method of choice for youths and people in rural areas.” Specifically, the “analysis of Maryland data for 2003 to 2018 revealed that about 45% of children and teens used long guns such as rifles and shotguns to kill themselves, compared to 20% of seniors.” The study’s lead author said, “Many of the safety protections that we have in place around the country typically don’t apply to long guns, and the data suggest that our strategy needs to be modified.” The findings were published online Feb. 3 in the journal Injury Epidemiology.

Related Links:

— “Shotguns Often Play Tragic Role in Rural Teens’ Suicides: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 18, 2020

Early Improvements Of Individual Symptoms May Impact Later Treatment Response In Patients With Alzheimer’s Receiving Antipsychotics For Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Study Indicates

Healio (2/18, Gramigna) reports, “Early improvements of individual symptoms might contribute to later treatment response among patients with Alzheimer’s disease receiving antipsychotics for neuropsychiatric symptoms,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness-Alzheimer’s Disease,” which “included data from 421 patients with DSM-IV Alzheimer’s Disease receiving antipsychotics for neuropsychiatric symptoms.” The findings of the “re-analysis study” were published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Early individual symptom response to antipsychotics impacts later response in patients with Alzheimer’s
, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, February 18, 2020

Memory Suppression May Be Vital To Positive Adaptation Following Traumatic Experiences, Small Study Indicates

Healio (2/17, Gramigna) reported, “Memory suppression is vital to positive adaptation following traumatic experiences,” investigators concluded in a “brain imaging study conducted in survivors of a terrorist attack.” For the study, researchers “implemented neutral and inoffensive intrusive memories in a lab setting among a group of 102 individuals exposed to the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, as well as 73 nonexposed individuals who were not in Paris during the attacks.” Of these people, “a total of 55 exposed individuals had been diagnosed with PTSD.” The study revealed that “upon reexperiencing intrusive memories, nonexposed individuals and exposed individuals without PTSD could adaptively suppress memory activity; however, exposed individuals with PTSD could not.” The findings were published online Feb. 14 in the journal Science.

Related Links:

— “PTSD brain mechanisms revealed using data from survivors of 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, February 17, 2020