Survey Study Examines How Sexual Trauma, Emotional Bullying And Physical Assault During Service Affects Mental Health Of Female Military Veterans

Reuters (11/29, Rapaport) reports, “Many female U.K. military veterans experience sexual trauma, emotional bullying and physical assault during their service that has long-term negative health consequences,” researchers concluded in a survey study that “examined data from online surveys completed by 750 female veterans.” The study revealed that “overall, more than one in five women said they experienced sexual harassment (22.5%) and emotional bullying (22.7%) in the military,” while others “also experienced sexual (5.1%) and physical (3.3%) assault.” In particular, PTSD “was significantly associated with emotional bullying,” as were sexual harassment and sexual assault. The findings were published online in BMJ Military Health.

Related Links:

Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Pediatric Healthcare Professionals Made More Calls To Two State Programs Seeking Advice On How To Treat Youth With Mental Illness During COVID-19 Pandemic Than Before The Pandemic, Researchers Say

Psychiatric News (11/29) reports pediatric healthcare professionals “made more calls to two state programs seeking advice on how to treat youth with mental illness, especially those with comorbid conditions, during the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic,” investigators concluded after examining “trends in the types of calls received by” the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access programs supporting “PCPs in Maryland and Mississippi between January (Maryland) or September (Mississippi) 2019 and March 2021.” The study revealed that “both programs experienced an uptick in call volume starting in April 2020, when the pandemic took hold in the United States, especially calls involving depression and anxiety.” The findings were published online Nov. 29 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “PCPs Sought Advice More Often on Youth Mental Illness First Year of Pandemic, Psychiatric News, November 29, 2021

Depression After Childbirth May Affect Economic Welfare, Financial Stability Of Mothers Up To 15 Years Later, Data Suggest

Healio (11/24, Gawel) reported, “Depression after childbirth can affect the economic welfare and financial stability of mothers up to 15 years later,” researchers concluded in a study that “examined 4,362 women in the U.S. enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study who had delivered between 1998 and 2000 and were followed until 2017.” The investigators then “combined interview data with the mothers’ medical records and analyzed them at three, five, nine, and 15 years after delivery.” The findings were published Oct. 22 online ahead of print in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Maternal depression linked with long-term economic instability “Richard Gawel, Healio, November 24, 2021

Patients With Major Psychiatric Disorders Appear To Have Higher Rates Of Medical Comorbidities Tied To Worse COVID-19 Outcomes, Research Suggests

Healio (11/24, Gramigna) reported, “Patients with major psychiatric disorders appeared to have higher rates of medical comorbidities linked to worse COVID-19 outcomes,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 2,535,098 unique individuals, of whom 3,350 had schizophrenia, 26,610 had mood disorders and 18,550 had anxiety disorders.” The findings of the “cross-sectional study” were published online Nov. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Major psychiatric disorders may worsen COVID-19 outcomes “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 24, 2021

Adults With AD/HD May Be Four Times More Likely To Have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Study Indicates

According to HealthDay (11/24), adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) may be “four times more likely to have” generalized “anxiety disorder,” researchers concluded after examining data from “a nationally representative sample of nearly 6,900 respondents from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health,” including 272 people with AD/HD “and 682 who had generalized anxiety disorder.” The study also revealed the “connection was even more significant for women, who had five times higher odds of anxiety disorder if they had” AD/HD. The findings were published online Nov. 16 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Adults With ADHD Face 4 Times the Odds for Anxiety Disorder “Cara Murez, HealthDay, November 24, 2021

Growing Number Of NFL Players Availing Themselves Of Team-Provided Behavioral Health Clinicians

According to the New York Times (11/26, Clemmons), over two years ago, “the N.F.L. Players Association and the N.F.L. agreed to form the Comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness Committee, a panel of” physicians “appointed by both groups, which mandated that each team employ a behavioral health team clinician.” Currently, seven teams “have a full-time clinician, and the rest of the clubs employ someone in the role for at least eight hours each week.” Consequently, a growing number of players “have taken advantage” of such services, “and have been more open about doing so.” Nevertheless, some stigma still remains that seeking mental healthcare is a sign of weakness, particularly among Black players who comprise “roughly 70 percent” of those playing in the NFL. The Times added that earlier this year, “the American Psychiatric Association… apologized for racial inequities in care and research.”

Related Links:

— “Pushed by Players, the N.F.L. Works to Embrace Mental Health “Anna Katherine Clemmons, The New York Times, November 26, 2021

Wearable Device Created To Detect, Reverse Opioid Overdoses

Healio (11/23, Herpen) reports, “Researchers have created a wearable device” placed on the stomach “that can detect and reverse opioid overdoses.” When the device is activated, “it behaves like an insulin pump, able to sense when a person stops breathing and moving,” and “when indicated, naloxone is released.” Investigators tested the closed-loop wearable naloxone injector system in two small cohorts. The findingswere published online Nov. 22 in Scientific Reports.

Related Links:

— “Study examines wearable device that reduces opioid overdose risk “Robert Herpen, Healio, November 23, 2021

In Brain Scan Study, Teens, Young Adults With Autism Show Marked Differences In White Matter Compared To Those Without Autism

HealthDay (11/23, Preidt) reports, “Teens and young adults with autism show marked differences in their brains’ white matter compared to those without the disorder,” investigators concluded after analyzing “the results of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) brain scans of 264 people with autism, ranging in age from six months to 50 years, and a control group of 319 age-matched people without autism.” The findings are set for presentation at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Brain’s ‘White Matter’ Changes in People With Autism “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 23, 2021

Social Media Use May Be Associated With Higher Risk For Depression, Study Indicates

HealthDay (11/23) reports, “The latest in a spate of studies investigating links between use of social media and depression suggests the two go hand in hand,” investigators concluded in a study that followed “a yearlong look at social media use and onset of depression among nearly 5,400 adults,” none of whom “reported even mild depression at the start.” The findings were published online Nov. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Social Media Tied to Higher Risk of Depression ” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, November 23, 2021

Concerns growing over safety risks of aducanumab following cases of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities

The New York Times (11/22, Belluck) reports, “Concerns about safety risks of the controversial new Alzheimer’s drug [aducanumab] Aduhelm have intensified in the wake of the death of a 75-year-old woman who experienced brain swelling after receiving infusions of the drug as a participant in a clinical trial.” The incident “occurred in late September,” and “between July and September, three other cases of [amyloid-related imaging abnormalities] ARIA were reported to the FDA’s adverse event database, all requiring hospitalization.”

Bloomberg (11/22, Langreth) reports Biogen’s drug “produced brain swelling in 35% of patients who took the approved dose, although most didn’t experience symptoms, company researchers said in a study” published in JAMA Neurology. The study “found that 362 of 1,029 patients who received the approved dose of the drug experienced the side effect, which showed up in brain imaging of people in two big clinical trials of the drug.”

Related Links:

— “Concerns Grow Over Safety of Aduhelm After Death of Patient Who Got the Drug “Pam Belluck, The New York Times, November 22, 2021