Psychiatric News (4/8) reports that “navigating the critical need for social distancing and the enduring human need for social contact” may be “especially trying” for seniors, who are “at heightened risk of serious complications from COVID-19, yet also susceptible to the adverse effects of loneliness and social isolation.” Mental health professionals and psychiatrists “can assist seniors during this time by drawing on their strengths of experience and resilience as well as resources available in the community.” Yeates Conwell, M.D., director of the University of Rochester Medical Center Office for Aging Research and Health Services, provides a list of “recommendations for health professionals working with older patients,” including advising seniors to be creative in their use of technology to maintain regular contact with others.

Related Links:

— “Expert Offers Guidance on Helping Seniors Handle COVID-19 Stresses, Psychiatric News, April 8, 2020

CNN (4/8, Howard) reports the suicide rate in the US increased 35% from 1999 to 2018, according to a report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The report “showed that the suicide rate climbed from 10.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in 1999 to a rate of 14.2 in 2018 – increasing on average by about 0.8% each year from 1999 to 2006 and then by 2.1% per year thereafter.”

HealthDay (4/8, Reinberg) reports that “while the suicide rate rose for both men and women, it soared 55% among females compared with a 28% climb among males,” but “men are nearly four times more likely to take their own lives.” The report also showed that “the highest suicide rate among women was among those 45 to 64 years old,” while “the rate was highest for those 75 and over” among men. In addition, the report also found that “in 2018, men and women in rural areas were more likely to die by suicide than city dwellers.”

Related Links:

— “US suicide rate climbs 35% since 1999, new report finds, “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, April 8, 2020

The Washington Post (4/7, Wan, Johnson) reports “a leading forecasting model used by the White House to chart the coronavirus pandemic predicted Monday that the United States may need fewer hospital beds, ventilators and other equipment than previously projected and that some states may reach their peak of covid-19 deaths sooner than expected.” Still, state leaders and experts “continued to steel themselves for grim weeks ahead, noting that the revised model created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington conflicts with many other models showing higher equipment shortages, deaths and projected peaks.”

CNN (4/7, Azad) reports the influential model “now predicts that fewer people will die and fewer hospital beds will be needed compared to its estimates from last week.” According to CNN, “as of Monday, the model predicted the virus will kill 81,766 people in the United States over the next four months, with just under 141,000 hospital beds being needed. That’s about 12,000 fewer deaths – and 121,000 fewer hospital beds – than the model estimated on Thursday.”

The Hill (4/7, Coleman) reports CDC Director Robert Redfield said that if people continue to follow social distancing guidance then there will be far fewer deaths than previously predicted. During a radio interview, Dr. Redfield said, “What we’re seeing is a large majority of the American public are taking the social distancing recommendations to heart. And I think that’s the direct consequence of why you’re seeing the numbers are going to be much, much, much, much lower than would have been predicted by the models.”

Related Links:

— “America’s most influential coronavirus model just revised its estimates downward. But not every model agrees., “William Wan and Carolyn Y. Johnson, The Washington Post , April 7, 2020

Medscape (4/7, Melville, Subscription Publication) reports, “Worry and anxiety are strongly linked to fluctuations in levels of inflammatory markers, which can compromise the immune system, potentially leaving individuals at increased risk for physical illness, new research suggests.” The researchers “found that increases in levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) corresponded to increased levels of worrying.” The results “were scheduled to be presented at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) 2020 in March, but the meeting was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/6, Gramigna) reports, “Recurrent aggressive behavior with clinically significant consequences to those who demonstrate it and those around them is common among both adolescents and adults, according to results of a survey study published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.” The study’s authors “noted that most aggressive individuals do not receive treatment for their behavior.”

Related Links:

— “Significant proportion of adolescents, adults report pattern of recurrent aggressive behavior, ” Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 6, 2020