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)

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

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

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

Healio (3/30, Rhoades) reports, “Initiating buprenorphine in the” emergency department (ED) “to patients with opioid use disorder” (OUD) “was safe, with fewer than 1% of patients experiencing precipitated withdrawal despite a high prevalence of fentanyl use,” researchers concluded in the findings of a 1,200-participant study published online March 30 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Buprenorphine initiation in ED safe, effective among patients with OUD who use fentanyl “Andrew Rhoades, Healio, March 30, 2023

CNN (3/29, Choi) reports, “Guns are the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020.” According to the CDC, “firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (age[d] 1-18) in 2021,” accounting for nearly 3,600 deaths. What’s more, “in no other comparable country are firearms within the top four causes of mortality among children, according to” an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Related Links:

— “Children and teens are more likely to die by guns than anything else ” Annette Choi, CNN, March 29, 2023

Healio (3/29, Swain) reports, “Among cardiac arrest survivors, women were more likely to report anxiety, depressive symptoms and PTSD than men, researchers reported” in the findings of a 245-survivor study presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s Acute Cardiovascular Care congress. The study authors posited that “more support may need to be given to women who have survived cardiac arrest.”

Related Links:

— “Children and teens are more likely to die by guns than anything else ” Annette Choi, CNN, March 29, 2023

Psychiatric News (3/29) reports, “Pennsylvania patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) were more likely to receive a prescription for buprenorphine within 30 days of a visit to the emergency department (ED) if they were seen at a hospital participating in the state’s Opioid Hospital Quality Improvement Program than those seen at a hospital that did not participate in this program,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data on 17,428 adults (about 57% male) who were enrolled in Medicaid and were seen in an ED for an opioid-related cause (for example, opioid withdrawal or opioid overdose) between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020.” The findings were published online March 24 in JAMA Health Forum.

Related Links:

— “Hospital Incentive Program Found to Increase Buprenorphine Prescriptions for Patients With OUD, Psychiatric News, March 29, 2023

According to HCPlive (3/28, Grossi), research published online March 28 in JAMA Network Open “provides important insights into the prevalence and characteristics of tobacco use among adults with a history of psychosis.” After analyzing “data from 29,045 adults who participated in the PATH Study’s Wave 5 survey between December 2018-November 2019 and were 18 years or older,” researchers found “a higher prevalence of tobacco use, polytobacco use, and severity of nicotine dependence among adults with psychosis compared with those without psychosis.”

Related Links:

— “Addressing Tobacco Use in Adults with Psychotic Disorders “Giuliana Grossi, HCPlive, March 28, 2023