HealthDay (4/10, Murez) reports a recent study blames the “Medicaid cliff” for worsening “racial and ethnic disparities, noting that Black and Hispanic adults whose annual income is just above the federal poverty level are more likely to experience cost-related barriers to care.” The study associated “being just above the poverty line, and therefore ineligible for Medicaid, to a 21% drop in annual outpatient visits.” Additionally, “Black people and Hispanic folks on Medicare also filled 15% fewer prescriptions, while the study found barely any change for white people.” The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “For ‘Near Poor’ Seniors, Medicaid ‘Cliff’ Could Keep Health Care Out of Reach “Cara Murez, HealthDay, April 10, 2023

Psychiatric News (4/10) reports, “Individuals with schizophrenia who began treatment with clozapine significantly increased their use of community-based services and decreased their use of psychiatric inpatient services over the next six months,” researchers concluded in the findings of a 163-patient study published online April 5 in the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Patients on Clozapine Found to Significantly Increase Use of Community-Based MH Programs, Psychiatric News, April 10, 2023

NBC News (4/9, Avery) reported, “Gay, lesbian and bisexual youths are at far greater risk of sleep problems than their straight counterparts,” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed data on more than 8,500 young people ages 10 to 14.” The study revealed that “35.1% of those who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual reported trouble falling or staying asleep in the previous two weeks, compared to 13.5% of straight-identifying adolescents.” Additionally, “30.8% of questioning youths – those who answered ‘maybe’ to being gay, lesbian or bisexual – reported problems with getting a full night’s rest.” The findings were published online in the journal LGBT Health.

Related Links:

— “Gay youths are more than twice as likely to have sleep trouble, study finds “Dan Avery, NBC News , April 9, 2023

Healio (4/7, VanDewater) reported, “Among people with opioid use disorder” (OUD) “and chronic pain, those with fibromyalgia had a greater risk of addiction exacerbation,” researchers concluded in a small study that “recruited 125 patients with pain and OUD.” The study revealed that people with OUD “who also had fibromyalgia were more likely to have pain-related exacerbation of their addiction compared with people who had chronic pain without fibromyalgia,” according to findings published online in the journal Pain.

Related Links:

— “Fibromyalgia-related pain may exacerbate opioid addiction “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, April 7, 2023

Healio (4/7, Liptak) reported, “Nearly half of people living with mood disorders such as anxiety and depression after stroke did not receive mental health treatment, and those being treated tend to only receive medication,” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed 7,214 patients with stroke from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry.” The findings were published online March 23 ahead of print in the journal Stroke.

Related Links:

— “Nearly half of patients with stroke live with mood disorders, often untreated “Holly Liptak, Healio, April 7, 2023

According to Medscape (4/6, Yasgur, Subscription Publication), three review “studies provide new insight into the growing problem of gaming disorder…including the condition’s genesis, effective treatments, and” also “the need for a greater focus on recovery.” The studies include a review article published in the April issue of the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, a seven-study systematic review published online Feb. 6 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, and a 47-study systematic review published online March 14 in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/6) reports, “Medicare beneficiaries using telehealth services for opioid use disorder” (OUD) “during the COVID-19 pandemic had a 33% lower risk for fatal drug overdose compared with beneficiaries receiving no treatment,” investigators concluded in a study that “identified 105,162 beneficiaries who began OUD-related care from March 2019 to August 2019 – deemed the pre-pandemic cohort – and 70,479 beneficiaries who initiated care from March 2020 to August 2020 – deemed the pandemic cohort.” Next, “each cohort was followed until the February following treatment initiation.” The findings were published online March 29 in a brief report in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth services for opioid addiction reduced overdose deaths during COVID-19 pandemic “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, April 6, 2023

CNN (4/5, McPhillips) reports, “A record number of people are dying from firearm injuries in the U.S., and new research suggests that shootings are becoming more lethal, too.” Data show that “about 57% of firearm fatalities in 2021 occurred at the scene of the shooting, up 9% since 1999.” In “this analysis, researchers used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and excluded suicides and other self-inflicted firearm injuries.” A change “in the type of firearms that are being bought and used is a key factor making shootings more lethal, experts say.” The findings were published in JAMA Surgery.

Related Links:

— “Gun violence in the US has become more lethal, research suggests ” Deidre McPhillips, CNN, April 5, 2023

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.

Related Links:

— “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.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)