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.”

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— “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.”

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— “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.

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— “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.

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— “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.

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

NBC News (12/17, Hopkins) reported, “A growing number of adult women in the United States have been diagnosed with and are seeking treatment for” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Psychiatrist David Goodman, MD, FAPA, “an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,” stated, “There’s been an increase in women diagnosed with” AD/HD “over the last several years because of an increasing recognition that it’s not just the disruptive, impulsive behavior of boys that leads to a diagnosis.”

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— “ADHD in women: Symptoms develop in childhood, but the signs are often missed “Caroline Hopkins, NBC News, December 17, 2022

Medscape (12/15, Burton, Subscription Publication) reports, “Cluster headache (CH) is associated with a significantly increased risk for comorbid conditions, including mental disorders and other neurologic disease, leading to significant disability and absenteeism,” investigators concluded in a study that “drew on two Swedish population-based registries and included 3240 patients with CH aged 16-64 years and 16,200 matched control persons.” The study also revealed that “patients with CH had a sixfold increased risk for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and a twofold increased risk for musculoskeletal disorders.” The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (12/15, Bender, Subscription Publication) reports, “Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is significantly linked to comorbid psychiatric conditions and a higher risk for mortality and can take more than a year to be diagnosed,” researchers concluded in the findings of “a population study of more than 145,000 patients.” The study revealed that “participants with TRD used outpatient resources and missed work at twice the rate as patients with treatment-responsive depression.” Additionally, they “had a threefold higher number of days spent in hospital.” The findings were published online Dec. 14 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (12/15) reports, “Among adults with mental illness released from correctional centers, each month that passes after release without accessing mental health services is associated with a greater risk of reincarceration,” investigators concluded in a study that included “a total of 1,664 participants who were released from correctional centers 4,171 times during the study period.” The findings were published online Dec. 15 in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Mental Health Services May Reduce Reincarceration, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, December 15, 2022

HealthDay (12/15, Murez) reports, “Gun deaths skyrocketed in the United States between 2019 and 2020, according to” an analysis of CDC data from 1981 to 2020 “on gun death rates.” The study revealed that “men were most affected, with Black men most frequently killed in gun murders and white men in gun suicides.” In fact, “between 2019 and 2020 alone, gun homicides rose 39% for Black people, highlighting a grim statistic associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.” The findings were published online in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Gun Homicides Rose Sharply During Pandemic, Black Men Most Affected “Cara Murez, HealthDay, December 15, 2022