MedPage Today (1/11, Putka ) reports that many patients receiving “extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)…experienced long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive impairment, or functional impairment, a meta-analysis found.” The data indicated that “fully 41% of…patients” receiving ECMO “had neuropsychiatricsymptoms at 6 months or longer follow-up, with pain or discomfort (52%), sleep disturbance (37%), and anxiety (36%) as the most common symptoms.” Meanwhile, “long-term follow-up at 6 months and beyond also showed the secondary outcomes of neurocognitive impairment in 38% and functional impairment in 52%.” The findings were published in Neurology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (1/11, Herpen) reports, “Combination behavioral and pharmaceutical therapy improved functionality and daytime symptoms of insomnia, while addition of a second treatment provided further benefits for the condition, according to research.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Psych, med therapies improved daytime insomnia symptoms, functionality,” Shenaz Bagha, Healio, January 11, 2024

The New York Times (1/10, Hoffman ) reports, “Often sold as a dietary supplement and promoted by retailers as a mood booster and focus aid, tianeptine,” popularly known as gas-station heroin, “is among a growing, unregulated class of potentially addictive products available in gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops and across the internet.” The drugs “often originate in other countries, including Indonesia and Russia, where they are commonly used,” although the FDA “has not approved them as medicines in the United States.” Notably, “at least nine states have banned or severely restricted tianeptine, including Florida, Michigan and Ohio.”

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— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/10, Thompson ) reports, “A bout of depression can trigger a bump in body weight among people struggling with obesity, a new study has found.” Notably, “people who had an increase in symptoms related to depression experienced an increase in their weight a month later,” researchers found. The findings were published in PLOS One.

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— “Vicious Cycle: Depression and Weight Gain Often Go Together,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 10, 2024

Psychiatric News (1/10) reports, “Military personnel and veterans who have been taking opioids for chronic pain may experience greater benefits from group therapy that integrates mindfulness techniques than from supportive psychotherapy, according to a” study. This “randomized clinical trial, which compared outcomes in veterans and military from Utah, found that those who received Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement…reported greater reductions in chronic pain symptoms and opioid use than those who received supportive psychotherapy.” The findings were published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

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— “Mindfulness Training Reduces Opioid Use, Craving Among Military Experiencing Chronic Pain,” Psychiatric News, January 10, 2024

The New York Times (1/10, Richtel ) reports, “Prescriptions for drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder surged during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly among women and patients ages 20 to 39, according to new research compiled by scholars affiliated with the” FDA. This “increase came as prescription rates held relatively steady for other key classes of behavioral health medications used to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety, according to the study.” The Times adds, “The reasons are not totally clear, the researchers found, and could include pandemic-related stress, recognition of undiagnosed cases, over-prescription and online marketing of medications.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The Hill (1/10, Sforza ) reports that the study found that the increase “contributed to the shortage of popular medications like Adderall.” The data indicated that “overall, stimulant prescriptions for those 20 to 39 jumped 30 percent, while nonstimulant ADHD prescriptions for that age group increased 81 percent.”

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— “ADHD treatment prescriptions for adults surged during pandemic, fueling shortages: Study,” Lauren Sforza, The Hill, January 10, 2024

Healio (1/9, Weldon) reports, “Infants and toddlers faced socio-emotional development delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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— “COVID-19 pandemic delayed socio-emotional development in young children,” Rose Weldon, Healio, January 9, 2024

HCP Live (1/9, Derman) reports, “Home-use transcranial direct current stimulation…combined with a digital psychological intervention or digital placebo is not superior to sham for the treatment of” patients with “a major depressive episode, according to a new study.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Home-Use tDCS is Not an Effective Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder,” Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, January 9, 2024

HealthDay (1/9, Mundell ) reports, “Depression that emerges around the time of pregnancy raises a woman’s risk for suicide sharply and for many years, new Swedish research shows.” Investigators “found that a new mom’s odds for suicide soars seven-fold in the year after a diagnosis of perinatal depression – depression that arises just before, during or after a pregnancy.”

The study indicated that “between five to 18 years after delivery, the risk of suicide in women with perinatal depression was still more than double that of women unaffected by the illness.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Psychiatric News (1/9) also covers the story.

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— “Pregnancy-Linked Depression Raises Odds for Suicide Years After Delivery,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, January 9, 2024

ABC News (1/8, Zhang) reports, “For children under the age of 2, television screen time is associated with sensory differences later in toddlerhood, according to a new study.” Notably, “children who watched any television or DVDs at 12 months of age were twice as likely by 36 months to experience ‘atypical sensory processing’ … compared to others of that age.” According to the research, “after 18 months of age, each extra hour of screen exposure per day was associated with around a 20% increased likelihood of sensory processing differences.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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— “Screen time for kids under 2 linked to sensory differences in toddlerhood: Study,” Dr. Angela Zhang, ABC News, January 8, 2024