HealthDay (9/1, Munez) reports, “While half of mothers of children with autism suffer symptoms of depression,” researchers have “discovered that did not raise the risk of behavioral problems for their kids.” The findings (PDF) of the 86-mother-child dyad study were published online Aug. 26 in the journal Family Process. Commenting on the study, Ludmila DeFaria, MD, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Women’s Mental Health, stated, “It indicates that it’s something that we can use to reassure mothers, in essence, that having mental health issues is not worsening their kids’ behavior.” Dr. DeFaria was not involved in the study.

Related Links:

— “Half of Moms of Children With Autism Have Depression “Cara Murez, HealthDay, September 1, 2022

Psychiatric News (9/1) reports, “When patients complete psychiatric advance directives…they tend to document clear and comprehensive mental health treatment preferences,” and “also rarely use the documents to refuse all psychiatric medications in advance,” investigators concluded in a 42-study systematic review encompassing 4,633 participants. The findings were published online Aug. 30 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Patients Provide Clear Preferences in Psychiatric Advance Directives, Review Finds, Psychiatric News, September 1, 2022

According to Bloomberg Law (9/1, Subscription Publication), on Sept. 1, HHS announced that it has “awarded $40.2 million in youth mental health grants in August and has allotted $47.6 million for new school-based mental health grants.” Included in the $40.2 million grant is “an award of $13.9 million for Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education,” and “of the $47.6 million award, $10 million is for the Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma program, the HHS said.”

Related Links:

— “HHS Awards $88 Million in Youth, School Mental Health Grants, Bloomberg Law, September 1, 2022

Healio (8/31, Downey) reports, “Strong associations between the genetic risk for suicide attempts in adults and their offspring were reported in” the findings of an 11,878-child “case-control study” published online Aug. 31 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Genetic factors linked to suicide attempt risk among children “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, August 31, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/31) reports, “Veterans at risk of suicide who do not list a contact for emergencies when creating a safety plan may be more likely to attempt or die by suicide within a year than those who list a contact,” and may also “be more likely to be hospitalized,” researchers concluded after they “examined data on 1,602 veterans who completed a safety plan between October 1, 2018, and July 8, 2020, using the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System’s electronic medical record system.” The findings were published online Aug. 30 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Lack of Social Contacts on a Suicide Prevention Plan Linked to Higher Risk of Suicide, Psychiatric News , August 31, 2022

Bloomberg Law (8/31, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “Federal telehealth expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic helped reduce the risk of overdosing for Americans struggling with opioid use, according to a study” published online in JAMA Psychiatry. These findings, “which come as part of a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, also suggest that opioid users were more likely to stick with treatment longer due to telehealth options.”
        
The Hill (8/31, Choi) reports investigators “looked at data from more than 170,000 Medicare beneficiaries,” including “receipts for telehealth services and medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) as well as medically treated overdoses.”

Related Links:

— “Opioid Overdoses Slowed by Telehealth Expansion, CDC Says “Ian Lopez, Bloomberg Law, August 31, 2022

CNN (8/30, LaMotte) reports, “Taking oral or inhaled glucocorticoids, a type of steroid used to curb inflammation in asthma and other autoimmune disorders, may be linked to damaging changes in the white matter of the brain, a…study found.” One study author wrote, “This study shows that both systemic and inhaled glucocorticoids are associated with an apparently widespread reduction in white matter integrity.” Using “data from the U.K. BioBank,” the study published in BMJ Open “found the greatest amount of white matter damage in people who use oral steroids regularly over long periods of time.”

Related Links:

— “Common steroids used for asthma, allergies linked to brain decline, study finds “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, August 30, 2022

CBS News (8/30) reports, “The Drug Enforcement Administration issued an advisory Tuesday about an ‘emerging trend’ of ‘brightly-colored’ fentanyl pills being used to lure children and young people.” The so-called “‘rainbow fentanyl’ has been seized by law enforcement agencies in 18 states just this month, the DEA said.” These “drugs, made to look like candy, comes in several forms, including ‘pills, powder and blocks that resembles sidewalk chalk,’ the DEA said.”

Related Links:

— “DEA warns “emerging trend” of brightly-colored fentanyl being used to lure youth, CBS News, August 30, 2022