The New York Times (5/23, Pearson, Richtel, Levenson) reports that on Tuesday, US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy “issued an extraordinary public warning…about the risks of social media to young people, urging a push to fully understand the possible ‘harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.’” Murthy, in a 19-page advisory, “noted that the effects of social media on adolescent mental health were not fully understood, and that social media can be beneficial to some users.” But, he wrote, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

The Hill (5/23, Choi) reports, “Murthy specifically pointed to the possibility of a link between time spent on social media and depression and anxiety,” citing “one 2019 study that found adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 who spent more than three hours on social media daily had double the risk of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

NBC News (5/23, Edwards, Jackson) reports, “The advisory urges policymakers and the companies that make the social media platforms to share with parents the burden of managing children’s and adolescents’ social media use,” and it “outlines recommendations for both technology companies and lawmakers.”

Meanwhile, Reuters (5/23) reports that APA CEO Saul Levin, MD, MPA, FRCP-E, FRCPsych, said, “The first principle of healthcare is to do no harm – that’s the same standard we need to start holding social media platforms to.”

Related Links:

— “Surgeon General Warns That Social Media May Harm Children and Adolescents “Matt Richtel, The New York Times, May 23, 2023

PatientEngagementHIT (5/22, Heath) reports, “One in five patients experience some cost-related barrier to medication adherence, a… JAMA Network Open report showed, meaning their drugs are too expensive for them to take as prescribed.” In general, “researchers found that prescription drug costs are seriously impeding patients’ care management and daily life,” since for “some patients, this means rationing pills to make them last longer,” and “for others, it means not filling the prescription at all.”

Related Links:

— “Cost a Barrier to Medication Adherence, But Price Estimates May Help ” Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT , May 22, 2023

Medscape (5/22, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Only 11% of eating disorder apps protect the privacy of users as is mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), according to” findings presented at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting. Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “a review of commercially available eating disorder apps by searching the Apple and Google play stores using key phrases such as ‘eating disorder,’ ‘anorexia,’ and ‘binge eating disorder.’” Thirty-six apps were then reviewed “using the 105 questions based on the APA’s app evaluation model, which covers categories such as efficacy, privacy, accessibility, and clinical applicability.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (5/22, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Patients taking antidepressant medication, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), often report emotional blunting even as their depression eases,” according to the findings of a 25-study “scoping review” presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (5/22, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Young people who [died by] suicide using a gun are often introduced to guns through family traditions and use the family gun to [die by] suicide,” researchers concluded after conducting “11 ‘psychological autopsy interviews’ with the loved ones of nine young people aged 17-21 who died by gun-related suicide.” The study team “interviewed six mothers, three fathers, one sibling, and one close friend.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (5/22, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “Mental healthcare” professionals “may want to consider stepping up their TikTok game, according to an analysis of social media-based information on dissociative identity disorder (DID),” according to findings presented at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting. In their “review of 97 TikToks featuring DID information,” the study team found that “just 5.2% were considered useful, 10.3% were misleading, and 84.5% were neither useful or misleading.”

According to Medscape (5/22, Anderson, Subscription Publication), the study team also looked at 60 YouTube videos, determining that “51.7% were useful, 6.6% were misleading, and 34.7% were neither.” The YouTube videos of highest quality “were from educational organizations and healthcare professionals,” and “the least accurate videos came from independent users and film/TV sources.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (5/19, Barros, Subscription Publication) reports, “A multicenter study indicates that an elevated proportion of children and adolescents around the world, particularly girls or those with high body mass index (BMI), experience disordered eating.” Investigators came to these conclusions after analyzing data from “32 studies, which involved a total of 63,181 participants from 16 countries.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

NBC News (5/18, Lovelace) reported, “A growing number of older adults say they can’t afford their prescription medications, a study…found.” Investigators found that approximately “1 in 5 adults ages 65 and up either skipped, delayed, took less medication than was prescribed, or took someone else’s medication last year because of concerns about cost.” These “findings were based on a national survey taken by more than 2,000 older adults from June 2022 through September 2022.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “1 in 5 older adults skipped or delayed medications last year because of cost ” Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, May 18, 2023

According to Health Exec (5/19, Murphy), a “new Crowe report, ‘Time for a Commercial Break,’” indicated that “it took commercial payors three months or longer to pay 31% of inpatient claims submitted in the first quarter of 2023; this was the case for just 12% of claims submitted to Medicare.” Health Exec added, “Crowe – a public accounting, consulting and technology firm – derived its data from financial transactions at 1,800 hospitals and 200,000 physicians across the” US.

Related Links:

— “‘Forced to jump through hoops’: Commercial insurers are making life harder for physicians “Hannah Murphy, Health Exec , May 19, 2023

The Hill (5/19, Migdon) reported, “Health care organizations including Planned Parenthood are suspending gender-affirming medical care in Florida to comply with a new state law that bans transition-related care for transgender minors and places heavy restrictions on care for adults.” According to The Hill, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)…on Wednesday signed legislation immediately prohibiting health care professionals from administering puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgeries to transgender minors.” Individuals “who violate the law risk being convicted of a third-degree felony crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, according to Florida’s criminal code.”

Related Links:

— “Florida health care providers are pausing gender-affirming care for adults “Brooke Migdon, The Hill, May 19, 2023