Bloomberg (3/9, Meghjani, Peng) reports, “Signs of early-stage dementia are more common among some US minority groups, highlighting the need for monitoring and screening among Americans with less access to health care.” Nearly “17% of American Indians or Alaska Natives 45 years and older reported worsening memory loss, compared to nearly 10% among all Americans in the same age group, according to results of a telephone survey from the” CDC published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Also, “Hispanic and Latino adults had the second-highest rate at just over 11%.” Moreover, these “populations were less likely to speak with health-care professionals about concerns regarding memory loss or confusion than the US adult population overall, according to the” results.

Related Links:

— “Dementia Signs Among Some US Minority Groups Highlight Screening Need “Tanaz Meghjani and Ilena Peng, Bloomberg, March 9, 2023

HealthDay (3/9, Norton) reports a study, “of medical records from more than 415,000 new mothers, found that those living in urban areas with more tree coverage had a lower risk of being diagnosed with postpartum depression, versus women from less-green neighborhoods.” The study found that “for every 10% increase in ‘street-level’ green space, the risk of postpartum depression declined by about 4%.” Furthermore, increased physical activity accounted “for a small portion of the link between green space and lower depression risk,” according to the findings published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.

Related Links:

— “Could Walks in the Park Ward Off Postpartum Depression? “Amy Norton, HealthDay, March 9, 2023

HealthDay (3/9, Murez) reports a 137-study systematic review and meta-analysis “has found that…the psychological fallout from the pandemic has been less intense than thought.” Nearly “75% of study participants in the studies reviewed were adults and 25% were children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19.” According to the researchers, “the mental health changes were minimal…whether the studies covered the mental health of the population as a whole or that of specific groups.” However, the results, published online March 8 in the BMJ, did find that the pandemic has “had a disproportionate effect on women.”

Related Links:

— “COVID’s Toll on Mental Health May Have Been Exaggerated: Study “Cara Murez, HealthDay, March 9, 2023

The New York Times (3/8, Chung) reports that “opioids were the leading cause of fatal poisonings among children age 5 years old and younger in recent years, a study has found.” The study “analyzed 731 poisoning-related deaths that occurred from 2005 to 2018 across 40 states” and “found that opioids…contributed to nearly half, or 47%, of those deaths.” According to the findings published in Pediatrics, “about 41% of these poisoning deaths resulted from accidental overdoses,” while 18% were described as “‘deliberate’ poisonings.”

CNN (3/8, Christensen) reports the trend worsened over time. The findings also showed that “more than 65% of the deaths happened at home.”

Related Links:

— “Opioids Are Leading Cause of Child Poisoning Deaths, Study Finds “Christine Chung, The New York Times, March 8, 2023

CNN (3/8, LaMotte) reports, “People who consumed foods from the plant-based Mediterranean and brain-focused MIND diets had fewer of the hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s…when autopsied, a…study found.” Those “who most closely followed either of the diets had ‘almost 40% lower odds’ of having enough plaques and tangles in brain tissue to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, according to the study.” The findings, published in the journal Neurology, also showed that “adding just one food category from either diet…reduced amyloid buildup in the brain to a level similar to being about four years younger.”

MedPage Today (3/8, George) reports the diets “were linked with less postmortem Alzheimer’s disease pathology, primarily beta-amyloid load, in older adults.”
“ The MIND diet is a brain-healthy diet that stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It’s a hybrid of the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and the Mediterranean diet, and it focuses on food groups in each diet that can boost your brainpower and protect it from age-related problems like Alzheimer’s disease.”

Related Links:

— “Mediterranean and MIND diets reduced signs of Alzheimer’s in brain tissue, study finds “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, March 8, 2023

Psychiatric News (3/8) says, “Young people who began treatment within 14 days of being diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP) were less likely to deliberately harm themselves than those who did not initiate treatment, according to a report” that was “based on data collected from Ohio Medicaid claims for more than 6,300 youth with FEP.” According to the results, “of the 4,419 youth who initiated treatment, 134 (3.0%) deliberately harmed themselves at least once; among the 1,930 youth who did not initiate treatment, 95 (4.9%) deliberately harmed themselves.” These results were published online Feb. 28 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Entering Treatment After First Episode of Psychosis May Reduce Risk of Self-Harm, Psychiatric News, March 8, 2023

Medscape (3/7, Lehmann, Subscription Publication) reports “a physician’s specialty can make a difference when it comes to having suicidal thoughts.” Physicians “who specialize in family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry reported double the rates of suicidal thoughts than” physicians “in oncology, rheumatology, and pulmonary medicine, according to Doctors’ Burden: Medscape Physician Suicide Report2023.” There is “also a generational divide among physicians who reported suicidal thoughts.” Gen-X physicians (age 42-56) and millennials (age 27-41) “were more likely to report these thoughts than were baby boomers (age 57-75) and the Silent Generation (age 76-95).”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Los Angeles Times (3/7, Brumer) reports, “The pandemic has exacerbated the stress of college applications because distance learning-induced isolation – as well as concerns over fitting back in at school or bringing home COVID-19 – have taken a toll on teen mental health.” High school seniors “say the college application process harms their mental health in multiple ways,” including academics. Furthermore, in a “survey by the California Assn. of School Counselors, more than 35% of students…said their schools should provide more support through individual academic advising.”

Related Links:

— “Amid youth mental health crisis, teens ask for a kinder college admissions process “Delilah Brumer, Los Angeles Times, March 7, 2023

CNN (3/7, McPhillips) reports that “people with elevated stress levels are more likely to experience a decline in cognitive function, a…study found.” The study “did find that participants with elevated stress levels were more likely to have uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors and poor lifestyle factors.” These findings were published online March 7 in JAMA Network Open.

MedPage Today (3/7, George) reports “perceived stress was linked with both prevalent and incident cognitive impairment in older adults,” according to “data from a national longitudinal cohort study” that included 24,448 people.

Related Links:

— “Stress may lead to lower cognitive function, study finds “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, March 7, 2023

Bloomberg Law (3/6, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “The 988 suicide prevention services hotline is rolling out 24/7text message and chat services for LGBTQI+ youth, building on a pilot program launched amid a mental health crisis.” As of Monday, these “text and chat services will be available around the clock, according to a spokesperson for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, which oversees 988.”

Related Links:

— “988 Suicide Prevention Line Ramps Up LGBTQI+ Chat, Text Services “Ian Lopez, Bloomberg Law, March 6, 2023