Healio (2/5) reports that approximately “30% of adults in the United States experienced loneliness at least once a week, and 10% reported feeling lonely every day, according to January’s Healthy Minds Monthly Poll from the American Psychiatric Association.” In a press release, APA President Petros Levounis, MD, MA, said, “The Healthy Minds Monthly poll confirms loneliness is widespread, especially in young people.” Dr. Levounis added, “The U.S. Surgeon General is correct to label it as a public health problem with troubling outcomes and to suggest steps communities can take. Doctors and other clinicians can make a major difference in their patients’ wellbeing and physical health when they ask about loneliness and how to mitigate its effects.”

Related Links:

— “One-third of Americans report feeling lonely every week,”Shenaz Bagha, Healio , February 5, 2024

Healio (2/23, Welsh) reported, “Pregnant women who were prescribed opioid drugs had increased likelihood of spontaneous preterm delivery, and odds increased as total dose increased, according to case-control study results.” Researchers found “that each doubling of nonzero opioid MME [morphine milligram equivalents] was associated with a 4% increase in spontaneous preterm birth odds compared with no opioid exposure.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Odds for spontaneous preterm birth rise as opioid exposure increases,”Erin T. Welsh, Healio, February 23, 2024

Healio (2/23, Young) reported, “Individuals with vision impairment have greater odds of experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety and social isolation, according to new research.” The study found “severe social isolation symptoms were more prevalent among those with objectively measured vision impairment, but not among those with self-reported vision impairment.” The findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Related Links:

— “Vision impairment associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, social isolation,”Kate Young, Healio, February 23, 2024

HCPlive (2/23, Derman) reported, “A new study found women who work in healthcare face significantly more stress and burnout than men who work in healthcare – and job satisfaction and better work-life balance can prevent women from experiencing harmful stress.” Researchers “analyzed 71 studies published in 26 countries and 4 languages between 1979 – 2022.” In 16% of those studies, “investigators found gender inequality contributes to female healthcare” professionals’ “stress and burnout.” The findings were published in Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health.

Related Links:

— “Women Working in Healthcare Have Significantly More Burnout Than Men Colleagues,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, February 23, 2024

Healio (2/23, Welsh) reported, “U.S. policy changes are needed to reduce perinatal mental health deserts, standardize social determinants of health data, improve psychiatric curriculums and establish paid parental leave, researchers” argue. The investigators came to these conclusions after evaluating “publications from the past 3 years regarding the impact of mental illness on maternal mortality.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Policy changes needed to improve maternal mental health in US,”Erin T. Welsh, Healio, February 23, 2024

KFF Health News (2/22, Houghton ) reports, “States are redefining when medical professionals can get mental health treatment without risking notifying the boards that regulate their licenses.” Some states are “looking to boost confidential care for health professionals as long as they’re not deemed a danger to themselves or patients.” In recent years, no less than “a dozen states have considered or created confidential wellness programs to offer clinicians help early on for career burnout or mental health issues.” Furthermore, states have “reworked medical licensing questions to avoid scrutiny for” physicians “who need mental health treatment.” KFF Health News adds that the AMA “has encouraged states to” ensure that licensing, credentialing, and other applications focus on “current physical or mental health conditions, not past diagnoses.”

Related Links:

— “Health Care Workers Push for Their Own Confidential Mental Health Treatment,”Katheryn Houghton, KFF Health News , February 22, 2024

Psychiatric News (2/22) reports, “Children who show greater food responsiveness in early childhood have a higher risk of experiencing eating disorder symptoms in early adolescence, while those who eat more slowly have a lower risk of such symptoms, according to a study.” The research found “a 1-unit increase in the food responsiveness scale in early childhood corresponded with a 47% increased risk of binge eating symptoms in early adolescence.” The findings were published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Appetitive Traits in Children May Be Associated With Disordered Eating in Adolescence, Psychiatric News, February 22, 2024

Pharmacy Times (2/22, Hunter) reports “findings from a new study suggest that parental” adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) “– although they are associated with poor mental health outcomes – may be directly associated with parenting behaviors.” The study found “parental ACEs were directly associated with use of corporal punishment.” Furthermore, “stress was directly and positively associated with an inconsistent discipline style of parenting, although it may be difficult to conclude that parental stress is associated with inconsistent discipline.” The findings were published in Acta Psychologica.

Related Links:

— “Adverse Childhood Experiences Can Lead to Poor Behaviors As Parents,”Erin Hunter, Pharmacy Times , February 22, 2024

Drug Topics (2/22, Massaro) reports, “A new study found that long-term users of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) medication face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).” Researchers “found a 4% increase in CVD for each year of medication use, underscoring the importance of considering both the benefits and risks of long-term AD/HD treatment decisions.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Could ADHD Medication Increase Cardiovascular Disease Risk?,”Lauren Massaro, Drug Topics, February 22, 2024

CNN (2/22, Goldman ) reports, “Pharmacies across the United States are reporting that they are having difficulty getting prescriptions to patients because of a cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth.” On Thursday, “the company said in a regulatory filing…its Change Healthcare business, which processes prescriptions to insurance for tens of thousands of pharmacies nationwide, was compromised by hackers who gained access to some of its systems.” The company found out about “the cyberattack Wednesday, and, in a separate statement, said it expected the attack to last at least throughout the day Thursday.” The cyberattack blocked “some pharmacies from processing prescriptions to insurance companies to receive payment.”

The Wall Street Journal reports the American Hospital Association called on medical facilities to disconnect from Optum following the cyberattack. Change Healthcare offers prescription processing services through Optum.

Related Links:

— “Pharmacies across America are having trouble processing some prescriptions because of a cyberattack,” David Goldman , CNN, February 22, 2024