HealthDay (7/2, Gotkine) reports a study found that “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications remain associated with a reduced risk for various real-world outcomes, but the magnitude of these associations decreases alongside increasing prescription rates.” The researchers observed that “across age groups and sexes and over time, ADHD medication was consistently associated with lower risks for self-harm, unintentional injury, traffic crashes, and crime.” They noted that “as prescription rates increased, the associations between ADHD medication use and lower risks for unintentional injury, traffic crashes, and crime appeared to weaken. The weakening trend for unintentional injury and traffic crashes was not fully explained by changes in age and sex distribution of individuals receiving ADHD medication.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “ADHD Medications Remain Linked to Lower Risk for Real-World Adverse Outcomes,”
Elana Gotkine , HealthDay , July 2, 2025

The Hill (7/1, Lonas ) reports 16 [Democratic-led] states “filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday challenging the Department of Education’s cuts to mental health funding for schools.” The Education Department in April “announced the $1 billion cut to mental health funding, citing concerns with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives embedded in the contracts.” The states argue that the “contracts were unlawfully terminated under the Administrative Procedure Act and that the cancellation goes against congressional mandates.” The lawsuit maintains the cuts would cause “immediate and devastating harm” to schools.

Related Links:

— “Democratic states sue Trump administration over school mental health funding cuts,” Lexi Lonas Cochran , The Hill, July 1, 2025

HealthDay (7/1, Thompson ) reports a study found that people with opioid use disorder “covered by Medicare and Medicaid are less likely to receive the mental health and substance use treatment that they need.” In contrast, people with opioid use disorder who have “public insurance receive more than twice as many sessions if their therapy is also covered by other sources, such as court-mandated treatment.” Overall, researchers observed that patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder “were more likely to get all the help they needed if they had additional coverage on top of Medicaid or Medicare.” Study authors commented, “It’s the exact opposite of how we should be helping people.” The study was published in
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice.

Related Links:

— “Medicaid, Medicare Don’t Adequately Cover Addiction Treatment, Study Says,”
Dennis Thompson , HealthDay , July 1, 2025

Reuters (6/30, S K, Singh) reports the FDA said Monday it is “revising the labeling of all extended-release stimulants used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to include warnings about the risk of weight loss and other side effects in patients under six years old.” The agency stated “that it is requiring a ‘limitation of use’ section in the prescribing information of all extended-release stimulants to include a statement on higher rates of adverse reactions in children younger than six years.”

Related Links:

— “US FDA to revise ADHD stimulants labels to warn of weight loss risk in children under 6,”Sneha S K , Reuters, June 30, 2025

MedPage Today (6/30, Robertson ) reports a study found that “Medicaid reimbursement for postpartum depression (PPD) screening at well-child visits may increase detection and treatment of PPD in the first year postpartum.” Researchers utilized adjusted difference-in-differences models and “found that Medicaid reimbursement for maternal depression screening during well-child visits was associated with a 9.6 percentage point increase in the probability of billed depression screens and 18 additional depression screenings per 100 births during those visits.” Furthermore, they observed that “PPD screening reimbursement was associated with a 2.5 percentage point increase in the probability of the mother being diagnosed with a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder, a 3.3 percentage point increase in any outpatient mental health treatment, as well as a 3.3 percentage point decrease in prescription fills for medications for mood or anxiety disorders compared with mothers with commercial insurance.” The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (6/30, Thompson ) reports a systemic review and meta-analysis found that “both anxiety and depression decrease when kids take part in structured exercise programs,” which offer “an alternative to medications like antidepressants.” The review “pooled data from 375 prior clinical trials involving more than 38,000 kids 5 to 18.” Researchers observed that “anxiety improved through low-intensity resistance exercise, such as lifting light weights or gentle training using circuit weight machines.” Meanwhile, depression “improved most through moderate-intensity exercise in training that combines aerobic and strength programs.” Furthermore, they found that “the biggest improvements in depression symptoms occurred in programs lasting fewer than three months, suggesting that benefits of exercise can emerge relatively quickly.” In addition, the study found no significant difference between frequency or duration of exercise in improving mental health. The review was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Exercise Helps Kids’ Mood Disorders, Can Serve As Alternative To Meds, Review Finds,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 30, 2025

HealthDay (6/26, Thompson ) reports a study found that “children who’ve experienced only a single traumatic event are more than twice as likely to be chronically absent from school due to health problems.” The researchers “analyzed data from parents of more than 10,000 children 6 to 17 collected by the 2021-2022 National Health Interview Survey.” They found that children exposed to traumas such as racial or ethnic discrimination, verbal or emotional abuse, or having a parent who is incarcerated, mentally ill, or has a substance use disorder “were 2.4 times more likely to be chronically absent from school, missing at least 10% of school days due to health reasons.” Furthermore, “for each additional traumatic event they endured, their risk of health-related chronic absenteeism rose by 25%, researchers found.” Notably, exposure to violence “was associated with 2.6 times higher odds of chronic absenteeism.” The study was published in Academic Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Education Suffers After Even A Single Brush With Childhood Trauma,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 26, 2025

STAT (6/26, Facher, Subscription Publication) reports a study found that “compared to white patients, Black and Hispanic patients were 17.1% and 16.2% less likely, respectively, to receive either buprenorphine or naltrexone within 180 days of a health care event related to their substance use, like a nonfatal overdose or addiction-related infection.” The study is the first to “analyze data from multiple payers at once,” as it includes “data from roughly 176,000 health events related to substance use, and tracks receipt of medication based on claims data from Medicaid programs, Medicare Advantage, and private commercial insurers.” In addition, researchers found that “patients using either of the government-backed insurance options – Medicaid or Medicare Advantage – were substantially more likely to receive buprenorphine or naltrexone than those with commercial insurance.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Black, Hispanic patients significantly less likely to receive key addiction medications, study finds,” Lev Facher, STAT, June 26, 2025

HealthDay (6/25, Gotkine ) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis found that “paternal mental distress is associated with poorer child development.” The researchers “conducted a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature on the association between paternal perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress and offspring development during the first 18 years of life. Of the studies identified, 48 cohorts (from 84 studies) with 674 effect sizes met criteria for quantitative synthesis.” They observed “associations for paternal perinatal mental distress with poorer global, social-emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development in offspring. There was no evidence for adaptive and motor outcomes.” Further, they noted that “generally stronger associations were seen for postnatal than antenatal mental distress, suggesting that a more direct influence on the developing child may be exerted by the father’s mental state after birth.” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Paternal Mental Distress Linked to Poorer Offspring Development,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, June 25, 2025

HealthDay (6/25, Thompson ) reports a study found that “people living with an autoimmune disease are nearly twice as likely to suffer from mood problems like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.” According to researchers, “the risk of mood disorders is 87% to 97% higher in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and Graves’ syndrome,” and the “risk remains higher even after accounting for other factors like age, income and family history of psychiatric disorders.” They observed that about 29% of more than 37,800 study participants “with an autoimmune illness said they’d been previously diagnosed with a mood disorder, compared with 18% of the general population.” This figure “included more than 25% versus 15% diagnosed with depression, and 21% versus nearly 13% diagnosed with anxiety. Women with autoimmune diseases were particularly vulnerable to mood disorders, affecting 32% compared with 21% among men, results show.” The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Autoimmune Diseases Increase Risk Of Mood Disorders,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 25, 2025