Category Archives: In The News

Pediatric Patients With AD/HD Appear To Be At Increased Risk Of Injuries, Hospitalization Because Of Those Injuries, Data Suggest

HCPlive (9/6, Walter) reports research indicates that “pediatric patients with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) appear to be at “increased risk of injuries and hospitalization because of the injuries.” Investigators came to this conclusion after evaluating data on “4658 patients with” AD/HD “aged six to 18 years” who “were matched with 18,632 sex-, age- and index day-matched…control participants” without AD/HD. The findings were published online Sept. 6 in the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

Related Links:

— “Patients With ADHD at an Increased Risk of Injuries “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, September 6, 2022

Older Individual’s 24-Hour Activity Pattern May Forecast Depressive Symptom Subgroup, Research Suggests

HCPlive (9/5, Walter) reports, “An older individual’s 24-hour activity pattern could help forecast their depressive symptom subgroup,” investigators concluded in a study that “identified four distinct subgroups – earlier rising/robust…shorter active period/less modelable…shorter active period/very weak…and later settling/very weak.” The findings were published online Aug. 31 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Activity Patterns Related to Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, September 5, 2022

Adults With T2D Or A Sleep Disorder May Have Increased Risk For Depression Compared With Those With Neither Condition, Data Indicate

Healio (9/2, Monostra) reported, “Adults with type 2 diabetes [T2D] or a sleep disorder have an increased risk for depression compared with those with neither condition,” investigators concluded after conducting “a population-based cohort study of 115,807 adults with type 2 diabetes aged 40 years and older registered in the Danish National Diabetes Register from 2000 to 2012.” The findings were published online in the September issue of the Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications.

Related Links:

— “Type 2 diabetes, sleep disorders linked to increased risk for depression “Michael Monostra, Healio, September 2, 2022

Up To 9% Of US Teens Say They Have Engaged In “Digital Self-Harm,” Survey Study Reveals

HealthDay (9/2, Mozes) reported, “Up to 9% of American teens say they’ve engaged in what’s known as ‘digital self-harm,’” that is, “anonymously posting negative comments about themselves on social media,” researchers concluded after examining “survey responses offered up by nearly 5,000 middle and high schoolers in 2019.” The study also revealed that “teens who engaged in digital self-harm were up to seven times more likely to have considered suicide and as much as 15 times more likely to have made an attempt.” The findingswere published online in the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “‘Digital Self-Harm’: When Teens Cyberbully Themselves “Alan Mozes, , September 2, 2022

Small Study Examines Association Between Maternal Depression, Behavioral Problems In Children With Autism

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

Patients Provide Clear Preferences When Completing Psychiatric Advance Directives, Systematic Review Indicates

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

HHS Awards $40.2 Million In Youth Mental Health Grants, Allots $47.6 Million For New School-Based Mental Health Grants

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

Lack Of Emergency Contacts On Safety Plans May Be Potential Indicator For Increased Suicide Risk Among At-Risk Veterans, Study Suggests

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

Federal Telehealth Expansion During COVID-19 Pandemic Helped Reduce Opioid Overdose Risk, Study Finds

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