Psychiatric News (6/9) reported, “Black children are more likely to receive inadequate pharmacotherapy for their mental health conditions than children in other racial groups,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 601 children aged six to 12 years who had visited one of nine outpatient mental health clinics and participated in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms study.” The study revealed that when “compared with white children, Black children had 1.84 times the odds of receiving inadequate pharmacotherapy,” as well as “1.91 times the odds of receiving inadequate pharmacotherapy compared with the combined race group.” The findings were published online June 8 in the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Black Children Less Likely to Receive Adequate Medication for Psychiatric Disorders,” Psychiatric News, June 9, 2023

Medscape (6/9, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reported, “Patients with ‘treatment-resistant depression’ may be taking other medications with side effects that interfere with antidepressant efficacy,” researchers concluded after having “studied over 800 patients who were taking antidepressants for major depressive disorder.” The study revealed that “close to two thirds were taking at least one nonpsychiatric medication with potential depressive symptom side effects (PDSS) more than 30% were taking two or more such medications, and 20% at least three such medications.”

In fact, such “medications, which included antihypertensive medications and corticosteroids, among others, were associated with higher odds of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, compared with medications without PDSS.” The findings were published online May 24 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (6/8, VanDewater) reports, “Among prisoners, women were more likely to have opioid use disorder” (OUD) “and more likely to receive treatment at intake compared with men,” researchers concluded in a study that “randomly selected 507 charts among 1,841 patients seen for psychiatric treatment at a county correctional facility in December 2020.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting.

Related Links:

— “Female prisoners more likely to report opioid use, receive treatment,” Kalie VanDewater, Healio, June 8, 2023

Psychiatric News (6/8) reports, “More Americans consider cigarettes to be addictive and dangerous than those who express such concerns about cannabis, alcohol, and technology,” according to the “latest findings from a national APA poll released” on June 8 that was “conducted by Morning Consult between April 20 and 22 among a sample of 2,201 adults.” APA President Petros Levounis, MD, MA, said in a June 8 news release, “‘It is clear that we have gotten the message through that cigarettes are dangerous and addictive,’ but more can be done to educate Americans about other potentially addictive behaviors.” The news release also disclosed that the APA “will soon launch a public awareness initiative on addiction and substance use disorders,” with its initial focus “on vaping, then turn to opioids, alcohol, and technology over the next year.”

Related Links:

— “Americans Agree Cigarettes Are Unsafe, Yet 21% Report Smoking Every Day,” Psychiatric News, June 8, 2023

The Washington Post (6/7, Malhi) reports, “Early implementation of a type of skin-to-skin contact called kangaroo mother care appears to significantly improve the odds of survival for preterm or low-birth-weight babies, according to a sweeping scientific analysis published Monday.” Investigators “analyzed data from multiple studies that collectively included more than 15,000 infants worldwide” and “found that, compared to conventional care, kangaroo mother care seemed to reduce mortality by 32% within the first 28 days of life.” In addition, the research “suggests that the benefits of kangaroo mother care are higher when it’s implemented within 24 hours of birth.” The research was published in BMJ Global Health.

Related Links:

— “https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/06/07/premature-baby-kangaroo-care-reduce-death-rates/,” Sabrina Malhi, The Washington Post, June 7, 2023

CNN (6/7, Howard) reports, “When asked serious public health questions related to abuse, suicide or other medical crises, the online chatbot tool ChatGPT provided critical resources – such as what 1-800 lifeline number to call for help – only about 22% of the time,” researchers concluded in findings published online June 7 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open. For the study, investigators “examined…how ChatGPT responded to 23 questions related to addiction, interpersonal violence, mental health and physical health crises.” The study’s conclusion “suggests that public health agencies could help AI companies ensure that such resources are incorporated into how an artificial intelligence system like ChatGPT responds to health inquiries“.

Related Links:

— “ChatGPT’s responses to suicide, addiction, sexual assault crises raise questions in new study,” Jacqueline Howard, CNN, June 7, 2023

Psychiatric News (6/7) reports, “Veterans who received outpatient care from a clinic that provided psychiatric services after being discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) for severe COVID-19-related illness showed significant mental health improvements in the months following their discharge,” according to the findings of a 77-patient study published in the May/June issue of the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “MH Symptoms of Survivors of Severe COVID-19 Improve With Follow-Up Care,” Psychiatric News, June 7, 2023

NBC News (6/7, Edwards) reports, “If children and teenagers receive any help for an anxiety disorder, it’s usually medication, not counseling,” according to findings published online June 7 in the journal Pediatrics. After examining “data representing 46.4 million pediatric office visits from 2006 through 2018” broken down “in chunks of time: 2006-2009, 2010-2013 and 2014-2018,” the study team found “an inverse relationship between the need for therapy and what has been given over more than a decade.” In other words, “as the number of youth with anxiety disorders has risen continually since 2006, the number of children receiving psychotherapy has decreased.” CNN (6/7, Holcombe) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Children with anxiety are prescribed medications but little therapy,” Erika Edwards, NBC News, June 7, 2023

The New York Times (6/6, Rojas, Ghorayshi) reports U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida Judge Robert Hinkle “issued a scathing assessment on Tuesday of the state’s ban on gender transition care for minors” and “issued a preliminary injunction in response to an emergency request by the families of” three children. Hinkle “ruled specifically that three transgender children can be prescribed puberty blockers despite the new state law, which also adds new hurdles for adults who seek similar care.” The injunction “does not apply to other aspects of the far-reaching legislation, which also bars gender-transition surgery for minors, alters child custody statutes to treat transition care as equivalent to child abuse, and forbids the use of state funds to pay for transition care.”

Related Links:

— “Judge Sides With Families Fighting Florida’s Ban on Gender Care for Minors,” , The New York Times Rick Rojas and Azeen Ghorayshi, June 6, 2023

NPR (6/6, Neuman) reports, “Gun deaths in the United States reached an all-time high in 2021 for the second year in a row, with firearms violence the single leading cause of death for children and young adults, according to” findings (PDF) from research “released by Johns Hopkins University.” The study, which “relies on data from the” CDC, “reported a total of 48,830 Americans lost their lives to gun violence in 2021. The latest data works out to one gun death every 11 minutes.” Additionally, “the report found 26,328 suicides involving a firearm took place in 2021 and 20,958 homicides.” The Hill(6/6, Fortinsky) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Gun deaths hit their highest level ever in 2021, with 1 person dead every 11 minutes,” Scott Neuman, NPR, June 6, 2023