Psychiatric News (3/27) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis shows that “nearly a quarter of referrals to psychiatric emergency departments (PEDs) in the United States are made by police, a rate dramatically higher than the global average.” According to the review, “patients referred to PEDs by police tended to be homeless males with a diagnosis of substance use and/or psychotic disorders and were more likely to display aggressive behavior.” On average, “13.7% of PED admissions globally were referred by police, compared with 22.8% in the United States. Compared with patients not referred by police, police-referred patients globally were more than four times as likely to show aggressive behavior, 1.84 times as likely to be homeless, and 1.33 times and 1.45 times as likely to have a diagnosis of a substance use or a psychotic disorder, respectively.” The review was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Individuals in U.S. More Likely to Be Referred to Psychiatric EDs by Police Than in Other Countries,” Psychiatric News, March 27, 2025

Medscape (3/27, Cotelo, Subscription Publication) reports a study found “the use of antidepressants has been linked to a 2% weight gain in patients who used this treatment at any point during a 6-year follow-up.” According to researchers, “the average weight gain after 6 years was 0.53 kg (1.01% of body weight), and 24.5% of participants gained more than 5% of their body weight.” They said the “data indicate that women, individuals under 55, and those with normal weight at the start of the study were more likely to experience” weight gain with antidepressant use. They concluded, “All individuals taking antidepressants had a higher likelihood of weight gain and developing obesity, with the risk increasing for those with continued use of these medications.” The study was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/26, Hornick ) reports, “Patients with COPD plus a depression/anxiety disorder had poorer scores related to disease burden and health-related quality of life, according to” research. Investigators came to this conclusion after assessing “220 patients with COPD who underwent the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview,” and then comparing “several measures of disease burden captured via questionnaires in patients with vs. without depression/anxiety disorders.” The findings were published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

Related Links:

— “Patients with COPD plus depression or anxiety experience greater disease burden,” Isabella Hornick, Healio, March 26, 2025

Medical Economics (3/26, Littrell) reports, “A recent study suggests that patients often prefer to wait for an appointment with their own primary care physician (PCP) – particularly for chronic condition management, mental health care and other sensitive issues. It’s when symptoms are acute or urgent that speed becomes the priority.” Researchers found 94.1% of surveyed patients reported seeing a PCP, and 71.4% said it was “extremely important” to have a personal physician. More than “half of patients expressed a strong preference to only see their own physician for follow-ups involving mental health (56.8%), chronic conditions (54.6%) or annual checkups (52.6%).” Researchers stated that “most patients are willing to wait three to four weeks to see their own PCP for certain types of visits.” But only “17.1% of respondents preferred to wait to see their own physician for a new symptom, and only 7.2% said they would wait for their PCP when experiencing an urgent concern.” The study was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Patients are willing to wait to see their own doctor,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, March 26, 2025

MedPage Today (3/26, Henderson ) reports a new survey suggests that “physicians remain concerned about the state of U.S. healthcare,” but “fewer are considering leaving the profession.” The survey of 750 primary care physicians and 251 specialists “found that the proportion of participants indicating optimism for the future of U.S. healthcare was down to 29% from a high of 48% in 2022.” However, just 28% of respondents “reported weighing – once a week or more – whether to leave the profession, down from 36% a year ago. Another 68% reported looking forward to coming to work, and 53% reported feeling they have a good work/life balance.” In addition, “optimism was rated higher among physicians who viewed artificial intelligence (AI) as helping to reduce administrative burden, according to the survey.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/25, Schaffer ) reports data show that “women with polycystic ovary syndrome and a diagnosis of depression are 56% more likely to develop metabolic syndrome compared with women without depression, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” Researchers said that the “findings suggest that all women with PCOS should be screened during a baseline visit for depression and anxiety, as recommended in the two most recent international PCOS guidelines.” They concluded, “We need to make all physicians aware that we need to screen women over time, because mental health is not static. If a woman has depression, then we might want to be more aggressive in managing their cardiometabolic risk.” The data were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Related Links:

— “PCOS with diagnosed depression may signal greater cardiometabolic risk,” Regina Schaffer, Healio, March 25, 2025

Healio (3/25, Buzby ) reports, “Psychosocial stress, especially financial stress, was associated with increased odds of experiencing intracerebral hemorrhage, with a particularly strong effect among Black and Hispanic patients, researchers” found. The data indicated that “hypertension mediated some of the relationship between stress and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but not all.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Related Links:

— “Psychosocial stress possibly tied to stroke subtype,” Scott Buzby, Healio, March 25, 2025

HealthDay (3/24, Solomon ) reports a study found that “children exposed to maternal cannabis use disorder (CUD) during pregnancy and postpartum have an increased risk for later behavioral disorders.” Researchers discovered “significantly higher risks for disruptive behavioral disorders in children of mothers with CUD during the antenatal…perinatal…and postnatal…periods versus nonexposed dyads.” They concluded, “Cannabinoid ingredients can cross the placenta and enter breast milk, potentially affecting brain development.” The study was published in Psychiatry Research.

Related Links:

— “Exposure to Maternal Cannabis Use Disorder Ups Risk for Youth Behavioral Disorders,” Lori Solomon, HealthDay, March 24, 2025

HealthDay (3/21, Thompson ) reported a new study suggests people who stay up late have “an increased risk of depression” because they have “worse sleep quality than average sleepers or morning birds, and they tended to consume more alcohol.” The study also “explored the potential role of mindfulness in depression risk among the late-night crowd, and found that it was a contributing factor.” Researchers wrote, “Morning types present with higher ‘acting with awareness’ because of their tendency to sleep better and therefore have a lower risk of fatigue, inattention and mind wandering during the day. On the other hand, evening chronotypes usually have poorer sleep quality, causing them to be more prone to daytime sleepiness and thus less awareness of the present moment.” The study was published in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Why Are Night Owls Prone To Depression?,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 21, 2025

The Washington Post (3/22, Blakemore) reported, “Newly installed safety nets along San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge reduced suicides there by 73 percent, a new analysis suggests.” Researchers found that prior to “erecting a continuous stainless-steel barrier on both sides of the bridge” in 2024, “there were 2.48 suicide deaths per month at the bridge. The number dropped to 1.83 suicides per month during the installation period and 0.67 suicides per month after installation, the researchers found – a 73 percent reduction from preinstallation.” The results provide “early but clear evidence that the safety nets are associated with an immediate and substantial reduction in suicides” at the Golden Gate Bridge, researchers conclude. The analysis was published in Injury Prevention.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)