NBC News (11/23, Wile) reported “critical shortages of the ADHD drug” amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall) “and the antibiotic amoxicillin have left families reeling as the medicines their loved ones need become harder to find.” The article added, “Drugmakers have offered little insight into the reasons for the shortages, other than to blame surging demand.” However, “according to experts, drug companies face few repercussions for not disclosing key information about the production of these medications,” and consequently, “U.S. consumers remain at the mercy of drug companies when it comes to learning the cause of the shortages or how and when they might be resolved.”

Related Links:

— “Adderall and amoxicillin shortages raise questions about transparency and accountability in Big Pharma “Rob Wile, NBC News, November 23, 2022

The American Journal of Managed Care (11/26, McNulty) reported, “The risk of experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) may be higher in women who give birth resulting from unintended pregnancies, according to a study published in Social Science & Medicine.” Furthermore, “while women who conceive via fertility treatments may not be at an increased risk, the type of treatment used to conceive may impact outcomes.” These “findings suggest that pregnancy intention, rather than fertility treatment use or type of fertility treatment, may have the greatest impact on PPD from among the variables considered in the study.”

Related Links:

— “Unintended Pregnancy May Increase Risk of Postpartum Depression, Study Finds “Rose McNulty, The American Journal of Managed Care, November 26, 2022

MedPage Today (11/23, DePeau-Wilson) reported, “Use of medications for” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “was not associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 19-study systematic review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 23 in JAMA Network Open. The researchers found that “among over 3 million people, there were no statistically significant associations between AD/HD medication use and any CVD risks among children and adolescents…young or middle-age adults…or older adults…over a median follow-up ranging from 0.25 to 9.5 years.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (11/22, Swain) reports, “Children who experienced adversity from age 0 to 15 years were at elevated risk for developing CVD in young adulthood compared with those who did not,” investigators concluded in findings published online in the European Heart Journal. For the study, investigators “analyzed 1,263,013 individuals born in Denmark between 1980 and 2001 who were not diagnosed with CVD or congenital heart disease before age 16 years,” then “stratified the cohort into five groups based on adversity experienced between birth and age 15 years.”

Related Links:

— “People with childhood adversity at elevated risk for CVD in young adulthood “Erik Swain, Healio, November 22, 2022

According to Healio (11/22, Hemphill), in a Nov. 21 news release, “the American Psychiatric Association said it ‘stands in solidarity’ with the LGBTQ community in the aftermath of the shooting at Club Q Nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and amidst ongoing discrimination.” The release stated, “Bias toward LGBTQI people, whatever form it takes, hurts mental health.” In addition, the release said, “We stand opposed to laws and rhetoric that discriminate against [the LGBTQ] community, whether it is promoting dangerous conversion therapy or restricting provision of health care services to trans or gender-diverse individuals.”

Psychiatric News (11/22) reports, “As APA has responded to past acts of mass gun violence, the organization asserted that gun violence is a public health crisis.” The association stated, “APA has worked over the past years, often in concert with other physician and mental health organizations…to promote legislation that strengthens background checks, research, and other methods to control access to firearms.” In addition, “APA strongly opposes rhetoric that would link violent acts of hate and mass shootings to mental illness.”

Related Links:

— “APA supports LGBTQ community in wake of nightclub shooting “Nancy Hemphill, Healio, November 22, 2022

MedPage Today (11/22, Monaco) reports, “Using benzodiazepines for sleep disorders was tied to a higher risk for overdose in the six months after starting treatment versus other treatments for commonly used treatments, researchers” concluded. The “cohort study of over 23,000 young adults (mean age 23)” revealed that “those who newly initiated benzodiazepine treatment had a 44% higher risk of drug overdose at six months versus other treatments in an as-treated adjusted analysis.” The findings were published online Nov. 22 in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (11/21, Firth) reports, “Workforce shortages among mental health professionals in the U.S. were linked to increased rates of youth suicide at the county level,” researchers concluded in a study that “used data from all U.S. counties and all youth suicides (ages five to 19) from January 2015 through December 2016 obtained from death certificates through the CDC’s Compressed Mortality File, for which 2016 was the most recently released dataset.” The study “also used publicly available health professional shortage area data from the Health Resources and Services Administration.” The findings were published online Nov. 21 in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (11/21, Gotkine) also covers the study.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (11/21, Bascom) reports, “One-third of public health workers” (PHWs) “have faced some sort of workplace violence that has affected their mental health,” investigators concluded in a survey study that examined responses from 26,174 PHWs. The study revealed that “26%…experienced stigma due to their public health work, 24%…were bullied or harassed and 12%…received job-related threats.” The findings were published online Nov. 13 ahead of print in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Public health workers face workplace violence that is ‘detrimental’ to mental health “Emma Bascom , Healio, November 21, 2022

mHealth Intelligence (11/18, Melchionna) reported a study “found that despite an overall decline in visit rates throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, high telehealth availability led to better care engagement among Medicaid beneficiaries with mental health conditions treated within federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).” These “results were similar after reviewing data from patients with various diagnoses.” Theresults were published in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth Availability at FQHCs Linked to Engagement in Mental Healthcare ” Mark Melchionna, mHealth Intelligence, November 18, 2022

Psychiatric News (11/18) reported, “Using cannabis while pregnant may raise the risk of preterm birth,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 27 studies that measured cannabis use during pregnancy and were published between 1986 and 2022.” The findings of the meta-analysis were published online Oct. 28 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis Use in Pregnancy Linked to Preterm Birth, Psychiatric News, November 18, 2022