According to the AP (10/22, Ungar), “a growing body of research shows that bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and the in-between diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder share common genetic underpinnings as well as overlapping symptoms and signs.” Some investigators, however, “while acknowledging common genetic underpinnings of bipolar, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, are skeptical about framing them as on a psychosis continuum, particularly if that leads to changing categories” used “to diagnose people with each disorder.” Those experts “say the current criteria are useful in deciding treatment and care.”

Related Links:

— “Genes link bipolar, schizophrenia, once thought unrelated “Laura Ungar , AP, October 22, 2022

MedPage Today (11/7, DePeau-Wilson) reported, “Using long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic therapies rather than oral agents for schizophrenia was tied to demographic and clinical factors, a single-center retrospective cohort study suggested.” Younger age “predicted which patients received LAI antipsychotic treatment,” and “length of first admission also predicted LAI use…said” one researcher. The findings of the 246-patient study were presented at the 2022 Neuroscience Education Institute Congress.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

USA Today (11/28, Ryu) reported, “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, Jenna Ryu, November 28, 2022

MedPage Today (11/30, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “A simulated driving program reduced inattention and risk of crashing among teens with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “compared with conventional driver’s training, according to a small study” of 152 teens “that used a program combining computer-based and driving simulator training.” During the “15-minute simulated drives, teens in the training group had a mean of 16.5 long glances…from the road per drive compared with 28.0 long glances per drive in those who did not undergo the training at 1 month…and 15.7 versus 27.0 long glances, respectively, at 6 months…reported” investigators online in The New England Journal of Medicine. American Psychiatric Association Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families Chair Anish Dube, MD, MPH, who was not involved in the study, said, “Any kind of interventions that you have that are reducing or minimizing that risk of adverse events, I think these are steps in the right direction.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

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