Medscape (6/24, Crist, Subscription Publication) reported, “Already high levels of physician burnout climbed even higher during the COVID-19 pandemic as academic medical faculty faced increased demands on their time, both at work and at home, according to a…report” published in the Canadian Journal of General Internal Medicine. `The report found that “the rate of burnout reached nearly 76%, and rates were higher among women and faculty early in their careers.”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

According to Psychiatric News (6/24), on June 24, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) “issued a statementexpressing disappointment in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision [PDF] in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization regarding abortion rights,” overturning “Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed women nationwide the right to a safe abortion.” The association “summarized its response to the decision this way: ‘By dismantling nearly 50 years of legal precedent, the Court has jeopardized the physical and mental health of millions of American women and undermined the privacy of the physician-patient relationship.’” The statement added, “In light of the ruling, the American Psychiatric Association, alongside many of its colleagues in the house of medicine and in the field of mental health, pledges to continue its long-standing support for legal abortion services.”

Related Links:

— “APA Issues Statement Opposing Dobbs v. Jackson Decision, Psychiatric News, June 24, 2022

Healio (6/24, Herpen) reported, “Prevalence of depression in parental dyads was greatest during…the postnatal interval, while persistent throughout the perinatal period,” investigators concluded in a 23-study systematic review and meta-analysis encompassing “29,286 couples.” The findings were published online June 24 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Parental depression greater in postnatal period, study finds “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 24, 2022

The Washington Post (6/23, McGinley) reports Juul “was grounded Thursday by federal regulators who ordered all of its e-cigarette products off the market, a move they blamed on ‘inconsistent and conflicting data’ on safety.” Also, the FDA “said it was denying Juul’s applications to continue selling the company’s e-cigarette device and pre-filled cartridges in menthol and tobacco flavors.” Furthermore, “the agency said the company failed to provide sufficient information proving the products were safe – for people of any age.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

According to Health IT Analytics (6/23, Kennedy), research indicates that “a new Kaiser Family Foundation… analysis reveals that the national suicide death rate increased 12 percent from 2010 to 2020, with rates rising fastest among people of color and younger individuals.” The analysis utilized the CDC’s WONDER database to look at “trends in suicide rates over time and by race and ethnicity, sex, age, and state.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide Death Rates Spiked Over Decade, Especially Among People of Color ” Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics, June 23, 2022

HealthDay (6/23, Norton) reports, “Hate crime laws that protect gay, lesbian and transgender people may have an unexpected benefit: fewer teen suicide attempts, among kids of all sexual orientations,” investigators concluded in a study revealing that “teen suicide attempts dipped by an average 16%, compared to rates before the laws.” Included in the study were “responses from more than 679,000 U.S. high school students who took part in a federal health survey between 1991 and 2018.” The findings were published online June 23 in the journal Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.

Related Links:

— “Youth Suicide Attempts Drop in U.S. States With Hate Crime Laws “Amy Norton, HealthDay, June 23, 2022

Healio (6/22, Herpen) reports, “Despite advances in treatment, patients with schizophrenia have faced obstacles in obtaining an education, with the largest gap occurring in high-income countries,” researchers concluded in a 3,321-study systematic review and meta-analysis that encompassed 318,632 patients. The findings were published in the July issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Patients with schizophrenia face more educational obstacles in higher-income nations “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 22, 2022

Reuters (6/22, Khandekar) reports, “Nearly 1 in 5 American adults who reported having COVID-19 in the past are still having symptoms of long COVID, according to survey data collected in the first two weeks of June, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.” The data collected by the “Census Bureau and analyzed by the” CDC also “found that younger adults were more likely to have persistent symptoms than older adults,” and women were “more likely to have long COVID than men.”

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— “Nearly 1 in 5 adults who had COVID have lingering symptoms – U.S. study “Amruta Khandekar, Reuters, June 22, 2022

Healio (6/22, Herpen) reports, “Prevalence of clinically significant anxiety and depression among adults in the United States increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prior years,” researchers concluded after examining data “from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System…a state-based monthly telephone survey in which 1,429,354 adults responded (1,093,663 from 2017 to 2019; 335,691 from March to December 2020).” The findingswere published online June 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Prevalence of anxiety, depression in U.S. adults elevated in first year of pandemic ” Robert Herpen, Healio, June 22, 2022

The Washington Post (6/21, McGinley) reports, “The Biden administration said Tuesday it plans to develop a rule requiring tobacco companies to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes sold in the United States to minimally or nonaddictive levels.” This is “an effort that, if successful, could have an unprecedented effect in slashing smoking-related deaths and threaten a politically powerful industry.” The Administration’s notice “said the Food and Drug Administration intends by May 2023 to develop a proposed standard ‘that would establish a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and certain finished tobacco products.’”

The New York Times (6/21, A1, Jewett, Jacobs) and Reuters (6/21, Shakil, Khandekar, Sharma) also report.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)