Reuters (10/12, Satija) reports that the FDA “said on Wednesday there was a shortage of Adderall [amphetamine and dextroamphetamine], a treatment for” patients with “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, following intermittent manufacturing delays at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.” While “other manufacturers continue to produce amphetamine mixed salts, but there is not sufficient supply to continue to meet U.S. market demand through those producers, the U.S. health regulator said.”

ABC News (10/12, Pezenik, Salzman, Egan) reports that “Dr. ​​Anish Dube from the American Psychiatric Association told ABC News” that “while stopping Adderall is generally not life-threatening, rebound symptoms, including inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, may return and be distressing.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. FDA warns of ADHD drug Adderall shortage on Teva manufacturing delays ” Bhanvi Satija, Reuters, October 12, 2022

Medscape (10/11, Haelle, Subscription Publication) reports, “Opioids are the most common cause of fatal poisonings in young children, and their contribution to children’s deaths has been increasing, according to research” that “found that the proportion of deaths in U.S. children linked to opioids has doubled since the mid-2000s.” The study identified “731 child poisoning deaths” between 2005 and 2018 and found that “most of the deaths (61%) occurred in the child’s home, and in even more cases (71%) the child was being supervised when the poisoning occurred, most often by a parent (58.5%).” The findings were presented at the 2022 AAP National Conference & Exhibition.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Kaiser Health News (10/11, Bebinger) reports, “Hospitals typically employ all sorts of [healthcare professionals] who specialize in the heart, lungs, and kidneys.” However, “for patients with an addiction or a condition related to drug or alcohol use, few hospitals have a clinician – whether that be a physician, nurse, therapist, or social worker – who specializes in addiction medicine.” This “absence is striking at a time when overdose deaths in the U.S. have reached record highs, and research shows patients face an increased risk of fatal overdose in the days or weeks after being discharged from a hospital.”

Related Links:

— “Hospitals Have Been Slow to Bring On Addiction Specialists ” Martha Bebinger, Kaiser Health News, October 11, 2022

According to the New York Times (10/11, Pearson), on Oct. 11, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) “recommended for the first time that primary care” physicians “screen all children ages eight to 18 for anxiety, new guidance that highlights the ongoing mental health crisis among American youth.” Additionally, the USPSTF “reaffirmed its position that all adolescents ages 12 to 18 should be screened for depression.” By “making its recommendations, the task force hopes to reduce the number of children whose mental health conditions go undetected and untreated.”

Reuters (10/11, Steenhuysen) reports the task force’s recommendations “come at a time of rising rates of diagnosed mental health disorders among American young people.” It recommended “using screening questionnaires to identify children at risk, noting that studies show that children with such conditions benefit from treatment that may include cognitive behavioral therapy or psychotherapy.” The USPSTF, however, “found insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening of asymptomatic children or adolescents for suicide risk.”

HealthDay (10/11) provides links to the evidence report for depression, the final recommendation statement for depression, the evidence report for anxiety, and the final recommendation statement for anxiety, all of which are published in JAMA.

NBC News (10/11, Edwards) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “U.S. experts urge anxiety screening for children 8 and older “Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters, October 11, 2022

According to the AP (10/10, Khalil), the Pentagon is working “to confront spiraling suicide rates in the military ranks.” Earlier this year, “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of an independent committee to review the military’s mental health and suicide prevention programs.” DOD data indicate “suicides among active-duty service members increased by more than 40% between 2015 and 2020,” and in 2020 alone, “the numbers jumped by 15%.”

Related Links:

— “As suicides rise, US military seeks to address mental health “Ashraf Khalil, AP, October 10, 2022

Psychiatric News (10/7) reported, “Patients with first-episode psychosis [FEP] have a lower risk of work disability during periods when taking antipsychotics compared with periods not taking the medications,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 21,551-patient study published online Oct. 6 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Patients With FEP Appear To Have Lower Risk Of Work Disability During Periods When Taking Antipsychotics Compared With Periods Not Taking The Medications, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, October 7, 2022

The Washington Post (10/6, McGinley) reports that “more than 2.5 million adolescents were current e-cigarette users in 2022, with the majority choosing flavored, disposable products, according to a” federal study. These “findings, from the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the” FDA and CDC, and published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “show more than 14 percent of high-schoolers and 3.3 percent of middle-schoolers were current users, defined as those who used e-cigarettes at last one day in the past month.”

The New York Times (10/6, Jewett) reports the study “showed that 85 percent of adolescent e-cigarette users favored vapes in fruit, dessert and candy flavors.” The findings also revealed that “one in four of the high school students who were e-cigarette users reported vaping every day.”

The AP (10/6, Perrone, Stobbe), Reuters (10/6, Mishra), and HealthDay (10/6, Roberts Murez) also report on the findings.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The AP (10/6, Stobbe) reports, “The U.S. rate for gun deaths has increased for the second straight year, following 15 years of no real change,” according to a “government report.”

NBC News (10/6, Griffith) reports, “Gun homicide and suicide rates in the U.S. each increased by more than 8% from 2020 to 2021,” with “highs not recorded since the early 1990s,” investigators concluded.

MedPage Today (10/6, Firth) reports the study revealed that “from 2020 to 2021, homicides involving firearms increased from 6.12 to 6.63 per 100,000, while gun-related suicides increased from 8.07 to 8.75 per 100,000.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “US rate for gun deaths is up for the second straight year “Mike Stobbe, AP, October 6, 2022

MedPage Today (10/4, Firth) reports, “The National Academy of Medicine launched its National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being to address the growing challenges of burnout among health care workers, at an event hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) on Monday.” The “report, a response to long-standing concerns about burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic (60% of physicians reported burnout in a 2022 survey), emphasized the need for broad cultural change, investments in research, and efforts to destigmatize mental health.” One “key priority area, according to the report, is focusing on reducing mental health stigma.” AAMC President Emeritus Darrell Kirch, MD, “pointed out that credentialing and licensing applications contribute to this stigma by asking clinicians whether they’ve ever experienced a mental health problem.” Over “half of state medical boards continue to ask such questions in applications, said” American Medical Association Professional Satisfaction Vice President Christine Sinsky, M.D., “citing a map found on the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s website.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (10/4, Collins, Subscription Publication) reports, “Starting treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) with extended-release naltrexone injections in the emergency department (ED) produced a dramatic reduction in alcohol consumption,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 32-patient study presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians 2022 Scientific Assembly.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)