According to the New York Times (4/5, Caron),”tighter restrictions are probably in store for controlled substances” such as medications for anxiety and for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. If the Drug Enforcement Agency approves these proposals “as currently written, patients who are receiving telehealth prescriptions for controlled medications from a” clinician “they have never seen in person will need to have at least one in-person appointment after the public health emergency ends in order to continue receiving their prescriptions.” The Times interviews psychiatrist Shabana Khan, MD, “the chairwoman of the American Psychiatric Association’s committee on telepsychiatry, to help people who take mental health medications understand the anticipated changes and how to adjust for them.” Dr. Khan advises patients to develop a plan now with a physician and schedule an appointment as soon as possible, instead of waiting until May 11 when the public health emergency is set to expire.

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— “How to Prepare for the Proposed Changes to Telehealth Prescriptions ” Christina Caron, The New York Times , April 5, 2023

MedPage Today (4/5, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “Sleep problems throughout the transition from childhood to early adolescence were associated with psychopathology symptoms, highlighting the importance of good sleep for adolescents’ mental well-being,” investigators concluded in a study revealing that “among over 10,000 kids, those with more severe sleep problem profiles had a higher risk of concurrent internalizing symptoms.” The findings were published online April 5 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/3, Bascom) reports, “Exercise significantly decreased suicide attempts,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 17-study, 1,021-participant systematic review and meta-analysis published online ahead of print in the June issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

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— “Meta-analysis: Exercise significantly decreases suicide attempts “Emma Bascom, Healio, April 3, 2023

Healio (4/3, VanDewater) reports, “From 2002 to 2021, the rate of drug overdose death among people aged 65 years or older quadrupled, “investigators concluded in a study that “evaluated the annual overdose mortality rate among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older using data from the CDC WONDER database.” Additionally, “for 2021 data, the researchers…evaluated characteristics of intentional and unintentional overdose death, drug type and decedent demographics.” The study also revealed that “most unintentional overdoses involved illegal drugs and most intentional overdoses involved prescription” medications. The findings were published online March 29 in a research letter JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Geriatric drug overdose deaths in US quadrupled over 20 years “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, April 3, 2023

Psychiatric News (4/3) reports, “The percentage of adults receiving prescriptions for stimulants increased from 2016 to 2021 and jumped from 2020 to 2021, particularly among women,” researchers concluded after examining “2016-2021 claims data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, a national sample of de-identified health care claims from enrollees in employer-sponsored insurance plans.” Included in the study were “all stimulant prescriptions…regardless of whether an enrollee’s records had any” AD/HD “diagnosis codes present.” The findings were published online March 31 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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— “Stimulant Prescriptions Spiked During Pandemic, CDC Report Finds, Psychiatric News, April 3, 2023

The Washington Post (3/31, Cimons) reported, “Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol every day does not – as once thought – protect against death from heart disease, nor does it contribute to a longer life, according to a sweeping new analysis of alcohol research.” The new “review, which examined existing research on the health and drinking habits of nearly 5 million people…also found that drinking relatively low levels of alcohol – 25 grams a day for women (less than 1 ounce) and 45 grams (about 1.5 ounces) or more per day for men – actually increased the risk of death.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/31, VanDewater) reported, “Adults who experienced trauma in childhood were more likely to have anger issues, with more severe trauma increasing the likelihood of anger problems,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 2,276-participant study presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry.

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— “Childhood trauma linked to anger in adulthood “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, March 31, 2023

According to MedPage Today (3/31, DePeau-Wilson), last “week’s FDA approval of the first-ever over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone product (Narcan) for the treatment of opioid overdoses was broadly praised.” Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, of Stanford University School of Medicine and chair of the Council on Addiction Psychiatry for the American Psychiatric Association (APA), stated, “We have nearly 200 Americans dying every day as a result of opioid-involved overdose.” Dr. Das added, “Anything that we can do to make overdose reversal possible is a step in the right direction.” Nevertheless, “we need to work collaboratively as psychiatrists, physicians, governments, [and] communities to address the substance use disorders that our nation is facing,” Dr. Das said. The majority of “statements from medical societies…noted that the approval is a critical step in addressing the deaths from opioid overdose.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/20, VanDewater) reports, “Veterans with feelings of loneliness and lower life purpose that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic had greater odds of developing new suicidal thoughts or behaviors during the pandemic,” researchers concluded in a study that “used data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study to assess suicidality in veterans.” The findings of the 2,441-veteran study were published online April 5 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “New suicidality in veterans during pandemic linked to preexisting mental health “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, April 20, 2023

CNN (3/30, Russell) reports, “Emergency department visits for firearm injuries in the United States dropped slightly since 2020, but the rate in 2022 was still above pre-pandemic levels.”

MedPage Today (3/30, Henderson) reports, “Compared with 2019, the average number of weekly ED visits for firearm injury was 37% higher in 2020, 36% higher in 2021, and 20% higher in 2022.” The data indicated that “among both males and females, average weekly ED visits for firearm injuries were consistently highest among people ages 15 to 24 from 2019 to 2022.” But, “the biggest increases in the proportion of firearm injury ED visits were among kids younger than 14 during the three pandemic years compared with 2019.” The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Emergency room visits from firearms dropped in 2022, but remained higher than pre-pandemic rate “Kyla Russell, CNN, March 30, 2023