The Washington Post (10/6, McGinley) reports that “more than 2.5 million adolescents were current e-cigarette users in 2022, with the majority choosing flavored, disposable products, according to a” federal study. These “findings, from the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the” FDA and CDC, and published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “show more than 14 percent of high-schoolers and 3.3 percent of middle-schoolers were current users, defined as those who used e-cigarettes at last one day in the past month.”

The New York Times (10/6, Jewett) reports the study “showed that 85 percent of adolescent e-cigarette users favored vapes in fruit, dessert and candy flavors.” The findings also revealed that “one in four of the high school students who were e-cigarette users reported vaping every day.”

The AP (10/6, Perrone, Stobbe), Reuters (10/6, Mishra), and HealthDay (10/6, Roberts Murez) also report on the findings.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The AP (10/6, Stobbe) reports, “The U.S. rate for gun deaths has increased for the second straight year, following 15 years of no real change,” according to a “government report.”

NBC News (10/6, Griffith) reports, “Gun homicide and suicide rates in the U.S. each increased by more than 8% from 2020 to 2021,” with “highs not recorded since the early 1990s,” investigators concluded.

MedPage Today (10/6, Firth) reports the study revealed that “from 2020 to 2021, homicides involving firearms increased from 6.12 to 6.63 per 100,000, while gun-related suicides increased from 8.07 to 8.75 per 100,000.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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— “US rate for gun deaths is up for the second straight year “Mike Stobbe, AP, October 6, 2022

MedPage Today (10/4, Firth) reports, “The National Academy of Medicine launched its National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being to address the growing challenges of burnout among health care workers, at an event hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) on Monday.” The “report, a response to long-standing concerns about burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic (60% of physicians reported burnout in a 2022 survey), emphasized the need for broad cultural change, investments in research, and efforts to destigmatize mental health.” One “key priority area, according to the report, is focusing on reducing mental health stigma.” AAMC President Emeritus Darrell Kirch, MD, “pointed out that credentialing and licensing applications contribute to this stigma by asking clinicians whether they’ve ever experienced a mental health problem.” Over “half of state medical boards continue to ask such questions in applications, said” American Medical Association Professional Satisfaction Vice President Christine Sinsky, M.D., “citing a map found on the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s website.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (10/4, Collins, Subscription Publication) reports, “Starting treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) with extended-release naltrexone injections in the emergency department (ED) produced a dramatic reduction in alcohol consumption,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 32-patient study presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians 2022 Scientific Assembly.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (10/5, George) reports, “Omega-3 fatty acid concentrations in red blood cells were linked with brain structure and cognitive function in midlife,” investigators concluded. In the study involving “about 2,200 people with an average age of 46, a higher omega-3 index was associated with a larger hippocampal volume and better abstract reasoning,” investigators found. What’s more, “APOE4 carriers with a higher omega-3 index had a lower white matter hyperintensity burden,” the study revealed. The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (10/5, Rhoades) reports, “High psychological distress, including anxiety, worry and depression, before SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a risk factor for developing post-COVID-19 symptoms,” researchers concluded in a study that “examined data on 54,960 participants from three ongoing longitudinal studies beginning in April 2020.” The findings were published online Sept. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Preexisting psychological distress may be risk factor for long COVID “Andrew Rhoades, , October 5, 2022

CNN (10/5, McPhillips) reports, “An overwhelming majority of people in the United States think the country is experiencing a mental health crisis,” findings from “a new survey [PDF] from CNN in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation” indicate. Survey data revealed that “nine out of 10 adults said they believed that there’s a mental health crisis in the US today.” Captured by the survey were “the perceptions of a nationally representative sample of about 2,000 adults over the summer – 2½ years into the Covid-19 pandemic and amid ongoing public health threats including racism and gun violence.”

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— “90% of US adults say the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis, CNN/KFF poll finds “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, October 5, 2022

Healthcare Finance News (10/4, Lagasse) reports, “According to the newly released J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, a growing majority of consumers now say they prefer telehealth over in-person visits for a wide range of routine care, including prescription refills, reviews of medication options and to discuss medical results.” Furthermore, “almost all – 94% – of telehealth users say they would use the technology to receive medical services in the future.” And “another 57% of patients say they prefer telehealth for regular mental health visits.”

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— “Telehealth patients flocking to virtual appointments for some routine care “Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare Finance News, October 4, 2022

Psychiatric News (10/3) reports, “Children who were exposed to antidepressants in the womb do not appear to have an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders,” investigators concluded in a study that “included over 145,000 women who took an antidepressant during the second half of pregnancy and over three million who did not,” and then tracked “the children of these women…from birth until they were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, died, disenrolled, or reached age 14.” The findings were published online Oct. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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— “Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Not Associated With Neurodevelopmental Risk in Children, Psychiatric News, October 3, 2022

Kaiser Health News (10/3, Leys, Zionts) reports, “For years, many cities have sent social workers, medics, trained outreach workers, or mental health professionals to” respond to some calls previously handled by police officers. In rural areas, however, “crisis response teams have been slower to catch on…even though mental illness is just as prevalent” in those areas as in cities. Meanwhile, Iowa now funds a program that dispatches crisis teams “via the statewide crisis line or the new national 988 mental health crisis line.”

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— “Mental Health Crisis Teams Aren’t Just for Cities Anymore “Tony Leys and Arielle Zionts, Kaiser Health News, October 3, 2022