HealthDay (3/12, Miller) reports, “Significantly more people died by firearms and suicides in states that have relaxed open carry laws, a nine-year study of death data from all 50 states shows.” During “the study period, firearm deaths jumped 45% nationwide, from 33,636 in 2013 to 48,830 in 2021.” The data indicated that “total suicide rates rose by about 57%, while suicides by firearm rose 18% in states that switched to permitless open carry.” The research was published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Related Links:

— “Permissive Gun Laws Linked to Higher Suicide Rates,”Carole Tanzer Miller, HealthDay, March 12, 2024

The AP (3/11, Ortutay ) says, “Nearly three-quarters of U.S. teens say they feel happy or peaceful when they don’t have their phones with them, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.” In the survey, “Pew also found that despite the positive associations with going phone-free, most teens have not limited their phone or social media use.” Additionally, “majorities of teens say smartphones make it a little or a lot easier for people their age to pursue hobbies and interests (69%) and be creative (65%). Close to half (45%) say these devices have made it easier for youth to do well in school.”

CNN (3/11, Duffy ) says, “Around 40% of teenagers say they have cut back on their time on social media, according to” the report. Around “the same proportion of teens acknowledge that they spend ‘too much’ time on their smartphones (38%) and social media (27%).”

The Washington Post (3/11, Kelly ) reports, “Almost half of teenagers say their parents at least sometimes get distracted by their phones during conversations, according to” the survey, but just “31% of parents said this is something they do.”

Related Links:

— “Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey finds,”Barbara Ortutay , AP, March 11, 2024

Psychiatric News (3/11) reports that approximately “one in six intentional firearm-related deaths in women of childbearing age occur during or shortly after pregnancy, a study…has found.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing data from the CDC’s “National Violent Death Reporting System from 2008 to 2019.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “One in Six Firearm-Related Homicides and Suicides in Women Found To Be Related to Pregnancy, Psychiatric News, March 11, 2024

According to HealthDay (3/11, Mundell ), a report has found that “the cost to American families of caring for a child with a mental health condition rose by almost a third between 2017 and 2021…to an average $4,361 per year.” Altogether, “American families spent an estimated $31 billion in 2021 on child mental health services, which now make up nearly half (about 47%) of all child medical spending, the report found.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Medical Costs for Kids’ Mental Health Jumped 31% in 5 Years,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, March 11, 2024

PatientEngagementHIT says, “The number of behavioral health visits to community health centers soared by nearly 40 percent between 2018 and 2022, but if these care sites are to continue to meet patient demand, they’ll need more federal funding, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund.” The report also “showed an overall increase in behavioral health visits – meaning mental health and substance use disorder visits – of 38 percent between 2018 and 2022. This increase is largely driven by an influx of mental healthcare encounters in community health centers, the data showed.”

Related Links:

— “Behavioral healthcare access in community health centers up 40%,”Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT , March 11, 2024

Healio (3/8, Weldon) said, “Four children born with HIV who initiated ART within 48 hours of delivery later remained in treatment-free remission for over a year after ART was paused, researchers reported.” The data were presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
HealthDay (3/8, Mundell ) reported that in the study, “four out of six newborns infected at birth with HIV went into long-term remission after prompt treatment with antiviral drugs.” All of the children “began receiving ART within 48 hours of delivery, in an effort to drive HIV into remission. When they reached the age of 5, doctors interrupted each child’s ART to see if their remission held without medication.”

Related Links:

— “Four children achieve treatment-free HIV remission for 1 year,”Rose Weldon, Healio, March 8, 2024

Healthcare Finance News (3/8, Lagasse ) reported, “At a rate of 72.3%, patients receiving opioid treatment through in-network insurance overwhelmingly stayed in treatment for at least 180 days, in comparison with those who were either out-of-network or uninsured and paying for treatment with cash, a new study finds.” Published in Health Affairs Scholar, the study found that “compared to cash-pay patients, those who could use in-network benefits had almost twice the retention rate for six months of treatment, a quality benchmark established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.” Additionally, “uninsured cash-pay patients had a 48.1% retention rate, which was higher than the 37% six-month retention rate of insured out-of-network cash-pay patients.”

Related Links:

— “Insurance coverage improves opioid use disorder treatment retention,”Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare Finance News, March 8, 2024

Psychiatric News (3/8) reported, “A meta-analysis…suggests that biperiden, mirtazapine, and vitamin B6 are the three most effective treatment options for” patients with “antipsychotic-induced akathisia.” Investigators analyzed “data from 15 randomized clinical trials testing potential pharmacotherapies for akathisia in people taking antipsychotics.” Altogether, “the combined data included 492 patients, 324 of whom received an active drug and 168 received placebo.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Mirtazapine and Vitamin B6 May Be Best Options for Antipsychotic-Induced Akathisia, Psychiatric News, March 8, 2024

Healthcare Finance News (3/8, Lagasse ) reported, “Through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Biden administration has earmarked nearly $50 million for HRSA’s Rural Opioid Treatment and Recovery Initiative.” The investment “will support establishing and expanding comprehensive substance use disorder treatment and recovery services in rural areas, including by increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder such as buprenorphine.”

Related Links:

— “Feds launch $50M rural opioid treatment initiative,”Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare Finance News, March 8, 2024

Healio (3/7, Welsh) reports, “Opioid and teratogenic medication prescriptions decreased and prescriptions for medications for diabetes and mental health conditions increased among pregnant women after 2010 in the U.S., researchers reported” in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. According to the study, “the most prescribed medications in MarketScan data were ondansetron (16.8%), amoxicillin (13.5%) and azithromycin (12.4%), and the most prescribed medications in MAX/TAF data were nitrofurantoin (22.2%), acetaminophen (21.3%) and ondansetron (19.5%).” Additionally, “the most prescribed medications in NHANES were levothyroxine (5%), sertraline (2.9%) and insulin (2.9%).”

Related Links:

— “Changes in prescription medication use by pregnant women after 2010 in US,”Erin T. Welsh, Healio, March 7, 2024