The AP (6/17, Johnson ) reports, “A new study documents lost opportunities to treat drug overdose survivors covered by the Medicare program – and illustrates the difficulty of managing chronic pain.” Medicare beneficiaries “who survived a drug overdose in 2020 were much more likely to later receive opioid painkillers than any medication to treat addiction – and some went on to die of an overdose.” In the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, “researchers found 53% of overdose survivors received opioid painkillers while 4% received treatments such as buprenorphine. Only 6% filled prescriptions for the overdose antidote naloxone. Within a year of their overdose, 17% experienced a second nonfatal overdose and 1% died of an overdose.”

Related Links:

— “Lost chances to treat overdose survivors are documented in new Medicare study,”Carla K. Johnson, AP, June 17, 2024

Healio (6/14, Young) reported, “Individuals diagnosed with glaucoma may benefit from increased monitoring for dementia symptoms, particularly if they were diagnosed at age 80 years or older, according to a study in Ophthalmology.” In the study, “participants with glaucoma had a more than 35% increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, about 65% greater risk for vascular dementia and about 55% greater risk for all-cause dementia, regardless of sex.”

Related Links:

— “Increased monitoring for dementia may be needed in patients with glaucoma,”Kate Young, Healio, June 14, 2024

Cardiovascular Business (6/12, Walter ) reports, “Drinking alcohol on a regular basis is associated with a heightened risk of hypertension, according to a new meta-analysis published in Hypertension.” In the study, “overall, the team’s analysis revealed a ‘positive and almost linear association’ between alcohol consumption and hypertension. Risk ratios were 0.89 for individuals who drank no alcohol, 1.11 for those who drank at least 24 g/d, 1.22 for those who drank at least 36 g/d and 1.33 for those who drank at least 48 g/d.”

Related Links:

— “Even moderate alcohol use increases risk of high blood pressure, new meta-analysis confirms,”Michael Walter, Cardiovascular Business, June 12, 2024

HealthDay (6/12, Mundell ) reports, “Depression and memory declines may be closely linked in older people, new research suggests.” Senior study author Dr. Dorina Cadar said, “Our study shows that the relationship between depression and poor memory cuts both ways, with depressive symptoms preceding memory decline and memory decline linked to subsequent depressive symptoms.” However, “in contrast to the finding that memory and depression were closely intertwined, the research did not show a strong relationship between depression and another marker of brain health, verbal fluency.” The results were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Depression Could Take Toll on Memory With Age,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, June 12, 2024

Rheumatology Advisor (6/11, Maitlall) reports, “The high prevalence of mental health conditions among individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) emphasizes the need for early screening, intervention, and tailored strategies to mitigate the impact of these conditions on patient outcomes, according to study results published in Rheumatology.” In the study, “among adults with SLE, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, and depressive disorders were the 3 most common mental health conditions, corresponding to prevalence rates of 27.0%, 27.0%, and 22.4%, respectively.”

Related Links:

— “Emotional Wellness Impacts Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,”James Maitlall, MD, Rheumatology Advisor, June 11, 2024

The Washington Post (6/11, Beard) reports, “A growing body of evidence suggests the effects of mental health has a disproportionate impact on women’s bodies.” Data recently “presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in April indicate that depression and anxiety accelerate the development of new cardiovascular disease risk factors, particularly among young and middle-aged women.” Trial participants “with a history of anxiety or depression before the study were about 55 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes compared to those without.” These results were “most pronounced among women with anxiety or depression who were under 50, who were nearly twice as likely to develop cardiovascular risk factors compared with any other group.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (6/10, Corkery , Irvine) reports on efforts by Montana resident Ali Mullen to reduce firearm suicide rates in the state, where over the last three years the “suicide rate was the highest in the nation, according to an analysis of federal mortality data by The New York Times.” Ms. Mullen lost her husband in January 2021 to suicide by firearm, and now distributes gun locks to help other families avoid dealing with a similar situation.

Related Links:

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

Psychiatric News [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com] (6/7) reported, “Skills-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy and emotion-focused psychotherapy were equally effective at preventing relapse in patients with bipolar disorder when added to standard treatment, reports a study [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com] in JAMA Psychiatry.” In the study, “what affected the relapse rate more than the therapy delivered was whether the patients attended all their psychotherapy sessions and whether they had bipolar I versus bipolar II disorder.”

Related Links:

— “Emotion-Focused Therapy Comparable to CBT at Preventing Relapse Among Bipolar Patients, Psychiatric News, June 7, 2024

HealthDay [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com] (6/7, Mundell ) reported, “If your child is among the youngest in their school grade, it’s more likely they’ll be mistakenly identified by teachers as having ADHD or autism, a new study confirms.” Researchers “found that ‘children who are younger relative to their peers within the same school year are 38% more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis and 28% more likely to be prescribed ADHD medications,’ compared to older kids in the same class.” The results [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com] were published in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Younger Kids in Class Might Be Misdiagnosed With ADHD, Autism,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, June 7, 2024

mHealth Intelligence (6/6, Vaidya) reports, “New data reveals that in 2021, 43.2 percent of psychiatrist visits occurred via telehealth versus 4.5 percent of visits to other physicians, highlighting telemental healthcare’s enduring popularity after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The results were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “43% of mental health visits occurred via telehealth in 2021,”Anuja Vaidya, mHealth Intelligence , June 6, 2024