Psychiatric News (11/30) reports, “U.S. undergraduate college students who attended online-only classes during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced higher levels of psychological distress than those who took a mix of online and in-person classes,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the 2021 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III, a biannual survey administered to students in higher educational institutions across the United States.” Some 59,250 participants were included in the study sample. The findings were published online Nov. 30 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Undergraduates Taking Online-Only Courses During Pandemic Reported Greater Psychological Distress, Psychiatric News, November 30, 2022

CNN (11/30, Howard) reports, “Deaths related to drug misuse and alcohol abuse appear to be on the rise among older adults in the United States, similar to the recent increases seen among younger adults, according to two new reports from the” CDC. A “report published…by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics” found that “rates of deaths from drug overdoses among seniors have more than tripled in the past two decades.” Meanwhile, a “report from the National Center for Health Statistics finds that rates of alcohol-induced deaths among adults 65 and older have been climbing since 2011 and rose more than 18% from 2019 to 2020.”

The New York Times (11/30, Rabin) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Drug and alcohol deaths increasing among US adults 65 and older, CDC data shows “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, November 30, 2022

The Wall Street Journal (11/29, Mosbergen, Subscription Publication) reports the rate of gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2021 hit a 28-year high, with a total of 48,953 deaths, according to researchers who evaluated CDC data from 1990 to 2021. The results published in JAMA Network Open show more than 1.1 million have died in firearm-related incidents since 1990.

The AP (11/29, Stobbe) reports researchers found both homicide and suicide rates “rose 8% last year, each hitting levels not seen since the early 1990s.” The researchers also found that “gun deaths began to steadily increase in 2005, but the rise accelerated recently, with a 20% jump from 2019 to 2021.”
CNN (11/29, McPhillips) reports, “The researchers found that firearm homicides were highest among Black men, and firearm suicide rates were highest among senior White men.”

Related Links:

— “Gun Death Rate Nears Three-Decade High, With Men at Most Risk “Dominique Mosbergen, The Wall Street Journal, November 29, 2022

PatientEngagementHIT (11/29, Heath) reports, “Six in 10 patients had a bad healthcare experience in the past year, leaving the door open for organizations to get a bad reputation or even lose market share, according to the latest The Beryl Institute-Ipsos PX Pulse, a quarterly report that examines the patient experience.” The report, based on “over 1,000 patient responses to the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, showed that 60 percent of patients had a poor healthcare experience in the past three months and very few (14 percent) could say they’ve had a positive healthcare experience in the past three months.”

Related Links:

— “Healthcare Orgs Face Imperative to Rebuild Good Healthcare Experience “Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT, November 29, 2022

The New York Times (11/29, A1, Newman, Fitzsimmons) reports New York City Mayor Eric Adams “announced a major push on Tuesday to remove people with severe, untreated mental illness from the city’s streets and subways.” Adams, “who has made clearing homeless encampments a priority since taking office in January, said the effort would require involuntarily hospitalizing people who were a danger to themselves, even if they posed no risk of harm to others, arguing the city had a ‘moral obligation’ to help them.”

Reuters (11/29, Borter) reports, “Adams said the city would immediately provide training for emergency personnel, hospital staff and other outreach workers on how to provide ‘compassionate care’ while removing someone from the streets who is undergoing a mental health crisis.”

Related Links:

— “New York City to Involuntarily Remove Mentally Ill People From Streets ” Andy Newman and Emma G. Fitzsimmons, The New York Times, November 29, 2022

Psychiatric News (11/28) reports, “A strong placebo response contributes significantly to the perception of pain reduction observed in clinical trials of cannabis-based therapies, according to” the findings of a 20-study, 1,459-adult patient systematic review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 28 in JAMA Network Open. Additionally, the research “suggests that media coverage of cannabis trials may promote high expectations of pain relief in clinical trial participants, thus increasing the placebo effect.”

Related Links:

— “Media Coverage, Placebo Response Linked to Pain Relief Seen in Cannabinoid Trials, Psychiatric News, November 28, 2022

USA Today (11/28, Ryu) reports, “Schizophrenia is a lifelong, psychotic disorder that affects fewer than 1% of the U.S. population, but is one of the most stigmatized mental illnesses,” affecting “how people think, feel and act.” While “people have also associated it with mass violence or shootings,” mental health clinicians “warn the relationship between schizophrenia and violence is often oversimplified and rarely ever causal.” Even though “it’s true that some may exhibit aggression or unpredictability when their symptoms go untreated or when combined with substance use, research has supported that most are not actually violent.” In fact, “serial killers are more likely to exhibit antisocial personality disorders (such as sociopathy or psychopathy), according to the American Psychiatric Association, and those with schizophrenia are at increased risk of becoming victims, rather than perpetrators, of violence.”

Related Links:

— “Do you really know what schizophrenia is? Most people don’t. “Jenna Ryu, USA Today, November 28, 2022

Healio (11/28) reports, “According to a recently released survey, 45% of Americans are worried about their mental health” during the upcoming holiday season. The “results of the poll, from BetterHelp, were made in conjunction with global research company Material, from an online survey of 1,009 American adults in November.” Findings from the poll “revealed that 72% of Americans expect something to negatively impact their mental wellbeing this winter, with the economy and managing family dynamics topping the list.”

Related Links:

— “Poll: 45% of Americans concerned about mental health during holidays “Shenaz Bagha, Healio, November 28, 2022

Neurology Advisor (11/23, Jacobs) reported, “Nonaffective psychotic disorders are an important, potentially modifiable risk factor for all-cause dementia, with individuals with these disorders warranting close monitoring for cognitive decline in later life,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 13-study systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Psychotic Disorders as a Potentially Modifiable Risk Factor for Dementia “Sheila Jacobs, Neurology Advisor, November 23, 2022

HealthDay (11/25, Murez) reported, “Researchers have found that nearly 3% of pregnancies in the United States were exposed to addictive opioid drugs,” according to results “from an analysis of data from 21,905 pregnant women in what’s dubbed the ECHO program (Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes).” The analysis “found opioid use in pregnancy was more prevalent in white individuals,” and use “was also more common in women with a history of depression and multiple substance use.” These resultswere published in the Journal of Women’s Health.

Related Links:

— “Nearly 3% of pregnancies in U.S. exposed to opioids “Cara Murez, HealthDay, November 25, 2022