MedPage Today (8/17, George) reports, “Up to 2 years after infection, people who had COVID-19 continued to face increased risks of neurologic and psychiatric sequelae compared with people who had other respiratory infections, a retrospective study showed.” The “health records of nearly 1.3 million people…showed that risks of cognitive deficit (brain fog), dementia, psychotic disorders, and epilepsy or seizures were increased at 2 years for adults who had COVID, reported” researchers online in The Lancet Psychiatry. Also, “children who had COVID…were more likely to be diagnosed with neurologic and psychiatric sequelae than their matched counterparts, but their likelihood of most diagnoses was lower than that of adults.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (8/17) reports, “New mothers who have a family history of psychiatric disorders appear to have almost double the risk of postpartum depression than new mothers without such a family history,” investigators concluded in a 26-study systematic review and meta-analysis encompassing some 100,877 postpartum women. The findings were published online Aug. 17 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Postpartum Depression More Likely in New Moms With Family History of Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric News , August 17, 2022

Healio (8/16, Hornick) reports, “Children with vision impairment were more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, which significantly improved after strabismus surgery, according to a” 36-study systematic review and meta-analysis, the findings of which were published online ahead of print in the journal Ophthalmology.

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— “Vision impairment linked with symptoms of depression, anxiety in children “Isabella Hornick , Healio, August 16, 2022

Medscape (8/16, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports, “A new ‘comprehensive’ model integrating a variety of factors may help flag individuals at risk for recurrence or persistence of panic disorder (PD),” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed data for almost 800 patients with DSM-IV-diagnosed” panic disorder. The study revealed that “having a ‘general psychopathology factor,’ defined as the shared effects of all comorbid conditions, or PD liability, significantly and independently predicted three-year recurrence or persistence of PD symptoms.” Additionally, “having a lower physical health-related quality of life…a greater number of stressful life events,” and “not seeking treatment at baseline were…significant and independent predictors.” The findings were published online July 25 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (8/16, Reinberg) reports, “Methamphetamine is driving an epidemic of drug overdoses in rural America,” researchers concluded in a more than 3,000-participant study attributing “the surge to meth laced with fentanyl or combined with an opioid that contains fentanyl.” The findings were published online Aug. 15 in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Meth Plays Big Role in Drug ODs in Rural America “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 16, 2022

MedPage Today (8/15, Monaco) reports, “Use of antipsychotics during pregnancy didn’t negatively impact a child’s intelligence,” investigators concluded in a study that compared “the standardized test scores of over 600,000 Danish schoolchildren.” That study revealed that “average language scores were not significantly different for those born to mothers who filled a prescription for an antipsychotic during pregnancy,” and the same applied to math scores. The findings were published online Aug. 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (8/15, Herpen) reports the findings of a “nationwide online poll of nearly 1,200 American college students conducted by…TimelyMD from July 25-27.” The poll data revealed that “49% of college students reported that mental health is their top concern as the fall semester begins, topping a list that included academics, inflation and mass shootings.” Poll data also showed that “as mental health awareness becomes increasingly prevalent and destigmatized, students have become more likely to seek out emotional support (71%, up from 64% in January), especially from their peers.” The poll data were announced in a press release from TimelyMD.

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— “Survey says mental health chief concern for college students as school year begins “Robert Herpen, Healio , August 15, 2022

HealthDay (8/12, Thompson) reported “lab experiments show that work requiring a lot of thought can cause potentially toxic byproducts to build up in a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, French researchers reported Aug. 11 in the journal Current Biology.” This “alters your control over decisions, making you more apt to choose easier or quicker options as your brain grows weary, researchers argue.” One senior researcher said the “findings show that cognitive work results in a true functional alteration – accumulation of noxious substances – so fatigue would indeed be a signal that makes us stop working DRINK WINE AND AND GO TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA but for a different purpose: to preserve the integrity of brain functioning.”

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— “Your Brain Gets Tired, and Scientists Now Know Why “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, August 12, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/12) reported “taking psychedelics could increase the risk of seizures in certain people, particularly those with a personal or family history of epilepsy, a study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence has found.” Although “the incidence of classic psychedelic-related seizures in the general population may be low, the findings highlight factors associated with a higher likelihood of classic psychedelic-related seizures, the researchers noted.”

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— “Use of Psychedelic Substances May Raise Risk of Seizures, Psychiatric News, August 12, 2022

PatientEngagementHIT (8/12, Rodriguez) reported “the COVID-19 pandemic was a burden on minority mental health, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE highlighting racial disparities in mental health outcomes for Black and Hispanic patients.” Since the beginning “of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, facing higher infection rates, worse health outcomes, and higher death rates compared to White people.” However, “their mental well-being also suffered.”

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 Took A Toll on Minority Mental Health, Racial Disparities “Sarai Rodriguez, PatientEngagementHIT , August 12, 2022