MedPage Today (9/12, Firth) reported a study found that “use of medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) in jail was strongly associated with lower risks for overdose, death, and re-incarceration after release into the community.” Researchers observed that “among 6,400 individuals with probable OUD, those who opted to take medication for it had a 52% lower risk of fatal overdose after release and a 56% lower risk for death from any cause compared with those who went untreated.” Furthermore, “receiving medication while in jail was also associated with a 24% lower risk of nonfatal overdose and a 12% lower risk of re-incarceration.” Researchers also observed that “within 30 days of release, medication recipients were more likely to receive treatment for OUD compared to individuals who did not receive treatment (60.2% vs 17.6%). At 6 months after release, 58% of those who started in jail were still receiving treatment.” The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The American Journal of Managed Care (9/11, McNulty) says a study found that “nearly 8 in 10 adults with alopecia areata (AA) report experiencing stigma,” underscoring the “profound psychosocial burden experienced by adults with AA in the United States, including feelings of embarrassment, negative judgment, or being treated differently because of their condition.” Researchers observed that 79.2% of respondents with AA “reported some form of internalized or external stigma. Three in 4 (74.6%) respondents reported embarrassment due to AA, 66.8% felt judged negatively by others, and 58.7% said they were treated negatively because of their condition. The takeaways of these findings are consistent with previous research, including a study assessing attitudes toward AA among people without the condition.” The survey “also revealed notable rates of comorbid mental health conditions” and that 42% of respondents “said they were dissatisfied with their current hair growth, with dissatisfaction rising sharply with severity.” The study was published in The Journal Of Dermatology.

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— “Patients With Alopecia Report High Rates of Internal, External Stigma,”Rose McNulty, The American Journal of Managed Care, September 11, 2025

Healio (9/11, Leiser) reports, “Sociodemographic factors may influence cancer survivors’ ability to access pharmacologic treatment for mental health conditions, according to” research. The data indicated that “use of medication for depression or anxiety varied significantly based on race and ethnicity, as well as insurance status.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “‘Not doing enough’: Study reveals gaps in cancer survivors’ access to mental health care,”Mark Leiser, Healio , September 11, 2025

HealthDay (9/10, Gotkine) reports a study suggests that “a ketogenic diet (KD) is a feasible adjunctive therapy and is associated with improvements in depression symptoms among young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).” Study participants received “standard-of-care counseling and/or medication treatment and were enrolled in a 10- to 12-week KD intervention.” Researchers observed that “73 percent of the time, nutritional ketosis was achieved. Postintervention, depressive symptoms decreased by 69 and 71 percent with the Patient Health Questionnaire and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, respectively; improvement occurred within two to six weeks. There was a nearly threefold increase in global well-being.” In addition, “both body mass and fat mass decreased (−6.2 and −13.0 percent, respectively). A decrease was seen in serum leptin (−52 percent), while there was an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (+32 percent). On several cognitive tasks, performance improved.” The study was published in Translational Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Adjunctive Ketogenic Diet Shows Promise In Alleviating Symptoms In Young Adults With MDD, Study Suggests,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, September 10, 2025

HealthDay (9/10, Solomon) reports a study found that “dementia odds significantly increase with the number of psychiatric comorbidities.” The researchers “assessed the odds of dementia (all types) among individuals with several psychiatric disorders and identified relevant co-occurrence patterns.” They observed that “compared with those with one psychiatric disorder (70.7 percent of patients), the odds of dementia were higher for those with two comorbidities (21.4 percent of patients) and even higher for those with four comorbidities (1.8 percent). For patients with co-occurrence of mood and anxiety disorders, the mean posterior probability of dementia ranged from 48 to 89.6 percent.” The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.

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— “Dementia Odds Significantly Increase With More Psychiatric Comorbidities,”Lori Solomon, HealthDay, September 10, 2025

HealthDay (9/9, Solomon) reports a study found that “loneliness, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness and failure are key factors driving suicidal feelings in adults with autism.” The researchers conducted “an online survey of 1,369 participants with autism to understand factors contributing to suicidal thoughts.” They found “that of the 19 factors examined, loneliness, feelings of worthlessness/failure, hopelessness, and mental illness were the highest-rated contributing factors to suicidal thoughts and feelings, particularly by women and sex/gender minorities with autism. Notable differences in ratings were seen also by age.” The study was published in Autism in Adulthood

Related Links:

— “Loneliness, Hopelessness, Worthlessness Tied to Suicidal Feelings in Adults With Autism, “Lori Solomon, HealthDay, September 9, 2025

Healio (9/5, Laboy) reported, “A smartphone app designed for therapeutic intervention did not impact time until suicide attempt after hospitalization but did reduce repeated attempts for patients with prior suicide attempts, according to results of a randomized study.” One researcher said, “Our results suggest that the app may be most helpful for patients who had previously attempted suicide – an especially high-risk subgroup.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicide-focused CBT app shows most efficacy for patients with prior history of attempts,” Locas Laboy, Healio, September 5, 2025

Psychiatric News (9/4) reports a study found that “hospitalized teenagers at risk of suicide can articulate their own personal reasons for living, which can be an important aspect of safety planning and treatment.” The researchers “used retrospective data from the electronic medical records of 211 teenagers (71% female) who were admitted to the adolescent unit of a psychiatric hospital in 2023 for suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

As part of the unit’s routine clinical services, staff collected data on demographic characteristics, suicide risk, referral details for individual therapy, and reasons for living.” They found the results were “varied but were often related to family, friends, and pets as well as the adolescents’ future aspirations.”

Researchers concluded, “Identification of individualized reasons for living can provide unique insights into who and what is most important to adolescents. Reasons for living can feasibly be used to build rapport, establish therapy goals, and personalize evidence-based treatments, thereby reducing adolescents’ suicidal thoughts and behaviors.” The study was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Reasons Why Suicidal Adolescents Want to Live: A Corpus-Driven Language Analysis,” Ana M. Ugueto, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., Lauren A. O’Hagan, Ph.D., and Mathijs F. G. Lucassen, Ph.D., Psychiatric Services, September 4, 2025

HealthDay (9/4, Gotkine) reports a study suggests that “initiating cannabis use for self-medication is associated with higher weekly use and increased anxiety, depression, and paranoia.” The researchers “examined reasons for first using cannabis (RFUCs) and their associations with reasons for continuing cannabis use, weekly consumption, and symptoms of paranoia, anxiety, and depressive symptoms using data from the Cannabis&Me survey.” They observed that “weekly THC units were higher with initiation of cannabis for anxiety, for depression, or because family members were using it. Higher paranoia scores were seen in association with RFUC to relieve physical discomfort, anxiety, depression, and minor psychotic symptoms. Associations for anxiety and depression were similar. In contrast, lower paranoia and anxiety were seen for starting for fun or curiosity. Increased depression was seen in association with RFUC for boredom.” The studywas published in BMJ Mental Health.

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— “Self-Medication With Cannabis Linked to Anxiety, Depression, Paranoia,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, September 4, 2025

HealthDay (9/3, Thompson) reports a new study published in Health Affairs found that “only 2 in 5 retail pharmacies carried buprenorphine,” one of the “most effective medications for treating opioid addiction,” in 2023. The researchers “analyzed buprenorphine claims logged between 2017 and 2023 in a database that covers 93% of U.S. retail prescription claims. Results showed that buprenorphine was available at only 39% of U.S. pharmacies in 2023, up from 33% in 2017.” Furthermore, “pharmacies in minority neighborhoods are even less likely to have buprenorphine on hand, results showed.” Rural counties were also “persistently more likely to carry buprenorphine, as well as counties with high rates of opioid overdose deaths. But in 73 hard-hit rural counties, less than 25% of pharmacies carried buprenorphine, and another 25 counties lacked a pharmacy altogether.”

Related Links:

— “It’s Still Tough to Find a Key Anti-Opioid Treatment at U.S. Pharmacies,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, September 3, 2025