Category Archives: In The News

From 2002 To 2021, Rate Of Illicit Drug Or Prescription Medication Overdose Deaths Among People 65 Years Or Older Quadrupled, Data Reveal

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.

Related Links:

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

Percentage Of Adults Receiving Prescriptions For Stimulants Increased From 2016 To 2021 And Jumped From 2020 To 2021, Particularly Among Women, Data Indicate

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.

Related Links:

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

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol does not protect against death from heart disease, review finds

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.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Adults Who Experienced Trauma In Childhood May Be More Likely To Have Anger Issues, Study Indicates

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.

Related Links:

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

Last Week’s FDA Approval Of First OTC Naloxone Product Broadly Praised

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.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Veterans With Feelings Of Loneliness, Lower Life Purpose That Preceded The Covid-19 Pandemic Appear To Have Had Greater Odds Of Developing New Suicidal Thoughts Or Behaviors During The Pandemic, Data Indicate

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

ED visits for firearm injuries dropped slightly in 2022, but rate was still above pre-pandemic levels

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

Prescriptions For ADHD Drugs Surged During Pandemic, CDC Report Says

CNN (3/30, McPhillips) reports, “Prescriptions for stimulants often used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder surged during the pandemic, especially among adults, a new study found.” The findings were published online in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Prescriptions for ADHD treatments surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, CDC report shows “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, March 30, 2023

Suicides Via Firearms Appear More Likely In Individuals With Higher Alcohol Consumption As Well As In Male Decedents, Study Suggests

According to HCPlive (3/30, Walter), research indicates that “suicides via firearms are more likely in individuals with higher alcohol consumption, as well as in male decedents.” The study included “45,959 male suicide decedents with a mean age of 42.6 years and 12,136 female suicide decedents with a mean age of 44.2 years.” The study also revealed that “the probability of using a firearm when alcohol is consumed was higher in the male group compared to females.” The findings were published online March 29 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “The Risk of Firearm-Related Suicide Increases as Alcohol Consumption Increases “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, March 30, 2023