The AP (12/21, Morga) reports, “The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time, but they can also be financially stressful.” And “with inflation easing but still high, 57% of Americans say it has been harder to afford the gifts they want to give, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.” Compared with “the height of the pandemic, ‘we’re having less stress navigating the things that bring us together during the holidays. What is different from last year is how much financial stress there is,’ said” APA President Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD. Experts offer recommendations “to reduce financial stress during the holidays.”

Related Links:

— “Holidays can bring financial stress, here’s how to reduce it ” Adriana Morga, AP, December 21, 2022

NBC News (12/21, Lovelace) reports, “More adults in the U.S. expect to be more stressed in 2023 than at this time last year, but they also say they’re more willing to take steps to tackle that stress,” according to survey findings released Dec. 21 from “the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds poll.” In the poll, which “surveyed more than 2,200 U.S. adults Dec. 7 and 8,” about “26% of the respondents reported that they expected to experience more stress in the New Year, up from 20% the previous year.” APA President Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD, stated, “The take-home message is really a very positive one, which is that more Americans are willing to talk about their mental health.”

Related Links:

— “Adults say they’re expecting more stress in 2023, survey finds “Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, December 21, 2022

The New York Times (12/20, Diaz) reports, “The Drug Enforcement Administration confiscated more than 379 million doses of fentanyl this year, the agency said, and it seized more than double the number of pills laced with the potent synthetic opioid than it seized last year.” In a Tuesday statement, the DEA “announced…that it had confiscated more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills in 2022, as well as more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.”

The Washington Post (12/20, Miroff) reports “more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses” in 2021, and “two-thirds of those deaths were caused by fentanyl, according to U.S. public health data.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Drug Agency Doubles Its Catch of Fentanyl-Laced Pills in 2022 “Johnny Diaz, The New York Times, December 20, 2022

According to Reuters (12/20, Farge), on Dec. 20 at a press briefing, Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, “said…that 10 million people, or about a quarter of Ukraine’s population, may suffer from a mental health disorder in relation to the conflict there.” As the war continues, cases of PTSD “caused by distressing events” are rising, “prompting a separate U.N. agency to launch online support services.”

Related Links:

— “One in four Ukrainians at risk of mental disorder due to conflict – WHO, Reuters, December 20, 2022

Bloomberg Law (12/20, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “Suicide prevention, addiction treatment, mental health, and the Covid-19 pandemic are the subjects of significant focus in a proposed government spending package released Tuesday, teeing up the Biden administration’s health department to tackle major initiatives in the year ahead.” Overall, “$209.9 billion in base discretionary funding is included in the FY 2023 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill,” which is “a 7.1% increase over the 2022 level.”

Related Links:

— “Addiction, Mental Health, Covid Top HHS List in Spending Push “Ian Lopez , Bloomberg Law, December 20, 2022

The Washington Post (12/19, Rowan) reports “taking on a new hobby as one ages might provide an important defense against dementia, some experts say.” According to Pacific Brain Health Center Director and Geriatric Psychiatrist David Merrill, “activities that demand focus and industry are the whetstone to keeping cognition sharp.” He adds, “‘Use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biologic fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or our bones.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The Wall Street Journal (12/19, Mosbergen, Subscription Publication) reports an analysis of data from children’s hospitals found that the incidence of firearm injuries in the US among children rose sharply between April 2020 and December 2021. A separate study found that homicides for children trended upward between 2013 to 2020. Both studies were published in JAMA Pediatrics.
       
The New York Times (12/19, Rabin) reports the rate of homicide for children in the US “rose by about 28 percent in 2020,” researchers found in the second study. The findings also revealed “a majority of the homicides were among Black children, and almost half were among children in the southern United States,” and “older children and boys of all ages were more likely to be victims of gun violence than younger children and girls.”

Related Links:

— “Gun Injuries Among Children Surged During Pandemic, Study Says “Dominique Mosbergen, The Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2022

Healio (12/16, Foster) reported, “Exposure to antipsychotics during pregnancy may not increase risk for birth defects,” researchers concluded in a study that “included a total of 6,455,324 unexposed pregnancies (mean maternal age, 24-31 years), 21,751 pregnancies with exposure to atypical antipsychotics (mean maternal age, 26-31 years) and 6,371 with exposure to typical antipsychotics (mean maternal age, 27-32 years).” The findings were published online Dec. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Antipsychotic agents not linked to birth defects “Melissa Foster, Healio, December 16, 2022

Psychiatric News (12/16) reported, “Excessive screen time watching videos and playing video games is associated with an increased risk of children developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 9,208 children who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.” The findings were published online Dec. 12 ahead of print in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Too Much Screen Time Associated With Increased Risk of OCD in Children, Psychiatric News, December 16, 2022

The AP (12/16, Perrone) reported, “Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, on Friday visited a 988 call center that’s part of the recently launched national hotline intended to help anyone experiencing a mental health emergency.” The second gentleman, “who has spoken out on the importance of mental health for adults and children…met with crisis counselors and call center operators in Hyattsville, Maryland.” The AP added, “The Biden administration wants to highlight the 988 helpline as a support system, particularly as the holiday season often brings up feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.” The Hill (12/16, Gangitano) also covered the story.

Related Links:

— “Douglas Emhoff tours 988 call center for mental health, AP, December 16, 2022