Replacing 30 Minutes Of Social Media Use With Physical Activity May Lead To Better Mental Health, Researchers Say

Healio (9/29, Bascom) reports, “Replacing 30 minutes of social media use with physical activity led to better mental health,” investigators concluded in a study involving 642 volunteers. The findings were published online Sept. 2 in the Journal of Public.

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— “Replacing 30 minutes of social media use with physical activity boosts mental health “Emma Bascom, Healio, September 29, 2022

People with pre-existing mental health conditions who undergo gender-affirming surgery may face higher rate of postoperative complications

MedPage Today (9/28, Monaco) reports, “Individuals undergoing gender-affirming surgery…with a pre-existing mental health condition seemed to face higher rates of postoperative complications,” investigators concluded in a study that included “more than 4,000 patients.” The findings were published online Sept. 28 in a research letter in JAMA Surgery.

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Older Veterans Who Say They Have Strong Sense Of Purpose In Life May Be Less Likely To Experience Range Of Mental Health Disorders Compared With Those Lacking Such A Sense Of Purpose, Data Suggest

Psychiatric News (9/28) reports, “Older veterans who say they have a strong sense of purpose in life may be less likely to experience a range of mental disorders compared with those with those lacking such a sense of purpose,” investigators concluded after examining data from the “National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study…a survey of 4,069 U.S. veterans, the majority of whom were 60 years and older, white, and male.” The findings were published online Sept. 23 ahead of print in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Feeling Strong Sense of Purpose May Protect Older Veterans From Mental Illness, Psychiatric News, September 28, 2022

Alcohol Misuse During Adolescence Tied To Midlife Alcohol Misuse, Poorer Physical Health, As Well As Less Satisfaction With Life, Researchers Conclude

Healio (9/28, Downey) reports, “Alcohol misuse during adolescence was associated with midlife alcohol misuse and poorer physical health, as well as less satisfaction with life, researchers” concluded in a study that “included 2,733 twin pairs from the FinnTwin16 study, a population-based longitudinal study of Finnish-born twins from 1975 to 1979.” The findings were published in the September issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

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— “Adolescent alcohol misuse linked to poor physical health, lower satisfaction later in life “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, September 28, 2022

Concerns Regarding 988 Suicide Lifeline Circulating On Social Media

CBS News (9/28, Maddox) reports, “Data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on September 9 showed that 45% more people contacted the new national suicide lifeline in August 2022 than in the same month” in 2021. Yet, even “though the new lifeline number has led to an increased call volume, concerns about the lifeline have circulated on social media,” with some people “even discouraging people from calling, citing concerns about the possibility of police involvement or forced hospitalization in the most critical of situations.” For their part, “many advocates and mental health experts have said that instead of law enforcement, mobile crisis teams should be sent in emergency situations” to “deescalate crises and connect people with crisis stabilization programs and other longer-term resources.”

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— “New 988 Lifeline is seeing a major uptick in calls — but concerns remain about police intervention, advocates say “Sarah Maddox, CBS News, September 28, 2022

Children Exposed To Superstorm Sandy While In Utero Appear To Have Substantially Increased Risks For Depression, Anxiety, AD/HD, And Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Research Suggests

The Washington Post (9/27, Gibson) reports research indicates that “children who were exposed to Sandy, a superstorm, while in utero had substantially increased risks for depression, anxiety and attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders,” symptoms of which “presented when the children were preschool-age.” The study revealed that “girls who were exposed to Sandy in utero experienced a 20-fold increase of generalized anxiety disorder and a 30-fold increase of depressive disorder, compared with girls who were not exposed to the storm,” while boys exposed to Sandy in utero were found to be “at an over 60-fold increased risk to develop” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), “a 20-fold increased risk to develop conduct disorder and a 15-fold increased risk to develop oppositional defiant disorder.” The findings of the 163-child and 151-parent study were published online Sept. 21 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Black Children Brought To The ED For Behavioral Issues Appear Less Likely To Report Suicidal Thoughts Than Children Of Other Races, Data Indicate

Psychiatric News (9/27) reports, “Black children brought to an emergency department [ED] for behavioral issues appear less likely to report suicidal thoughts than children of other races,” researchers concluded after analyzing “electronic medical record data from 504 patients aged 8 to 12 years visiting a pediatric” ED “with a psychiatric issue in 2019.” The study also revealed that “Black children were more likely to be brought to the emergency department by police and to be discharged rather than hospitalized for psychiatric care.” The findings were published online Sept. 27 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

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— “Black Children Less Likely to Report Suicidal Thoughts in Emergency Room, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, September 27, 2022

Multimorbidity Tied To 63% Increased Risk For Incident Dementia, Research Suggests

Healio (9/26, Downey) reports, “Multimorbidity was associated with a 63% increased risk for incident dementia, with the greatest risk linked to hypertension and diabetes,” investigators concluded findingspublished online in JAMA Network Open. The study also revealed that “the global prevalence of dementia is projected to increase from 57 million to 153 million individuals by 2050 – a threefold increase.” Data from the UK Biobank cohort was used in this study.

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— “Multimorbidity associated with increased risk for dementia “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, September 26, 2022

Study finds physicians suffering burnout twice as likely to be involved in patient safety incidents

Healio (9/23, Rhoades) reported, “Physicians suffering from burnout were twice as likely to be involved in patient safety incidents and four times more likely to see a decrease in job satisfaction, a new study [PDF] published in The BMJ found.” The researchers “reviewed 170 organizational studies comprised of 239,246 physicians, who are ‘twice as likely to experience burnout than any other worker, including other health care professionals,’ they wrote.”

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— “Physicians experiencing burnout twice as likely to be involved in patient safety incidents “Andrew Rhoades, Healio, September 23, 2022

Latinos Face Disparities In Access, Quality Of Mental Health Treatment, APA Says

ABC News (9/23, Ramos, Su, Halsey, Valle) reported, “According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2020, more than 18% of the Latinx community reported having a mental health condition,” and research available on the CDC’s “website also showed that 40.3% of Hispanic people experienced symptoms of depression, compared to 25.3% of white people.” Additionally, Latinos “face disparities in access and quality of mental health treatment, according to the American Psychiatric Association, which cites language barriers, lack of insurance and ‘lack of culturally tailored services and culturally competent mental health professionals’ among the many contributing factors.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health crisis among Latinos prompts push for accessible treatment, candid conversations “Stephanie Ramos, Amanda Su, Jilian Fama Halsey, and Alondra Valle, ABC News, September 23, 2022