The AP (6/16, Megerian) reports Vice President Harris “and administration officials on Thursday launched a task force dedicated to fighting online harassment and abuse, which they warned can be a precursor to real-life violence.” The new “task force will address several issues, including prevention of online abuse and services for people who are targeted.”

Reuters (6/16, Alper) reports, “The group is tasked with producing within six months a blueprint detailing actions to address the problem, including more support for victims, prevention and greater accountability for aggressors and platforms hosting them.”

NBC News (6/16, Gregorian) reports the group “aims to address the growing problem of online harassment and abuse which disproportionately targets women, girls and LGBTQI+ people,” a White House official said.

CNN (6/16, Fossum) also reports.

Related Links:

— “VP Harris launches task force on online harassment, abuse “Chris Megerian, AP, June 16, 2022

According to HealthDay (6/16, Preidt), cannabis “use, drinking, smoking and vaping all fell among U.S. youth” during the COVID-19 pandemic, “likely because they had to spend more time at home and less time with their friends,” investigators concluded in a 49-study systematic review, the findings of which were published online April 27 in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports.

Related Links:

— “Youth Drinking, Pot Use Went Down During Pandemic “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 16, 2022

USA Today (6/15, Morin, Groppe) reports President Biden on Wednesday signed “an executive order…to offer new initiatives for the LGBT+ community, including addressing conversion therapy and expanding resources for mental health.” This new order “comes as state legislatures have passed multiple bills or executive orders that are anti-LGBTQ in recent months.”

Bloomberg (6/15, Ceron, Fabian) reports, “Under the order, HHS will ‘explore guidance’ that bars programs and organizations that receive federal funding from subjecting people to conversion therapy and provide support to those who have been subjected to such practices.” Also, the order “will include a commitment to expand mental-health resources that are inclusive of LGBTQ youth.”

Politico (6/15, Owermohle, Daniels) reports, “Biden is also directing HHS to take ‘steps to address the barriers and exclusionary policies’ to different types of health care and treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Biden signs executive order to address conversion therapy, anti-LGBTQ bills “Rebecca Morin and Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, June 15, 2022

Healio (6/15, Herpen) reports, “Approximately 75% of men reported losing sleep after staying up late to play video games, and 62% of men say they have lost sleep due to staying up to drink alcohol,” investigators concluded after examining survey results from a poll of “2,010 American men from Feb. 17 to 24.” The findings were presented at SLEEP 2022.

Related Links:

— “Survey: majority of men lose sleep due to video games, alcohol “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 15, 2022

According to The Hill (6/15, Melillo), research indicates that “Medicaid expansion is associated with a statistically significant reduction in suicide rates compared with those reported in states that did not expand Medicaid.”

MedPage Today (6/15, Short) reports the study revealed that “from 2000 to 2018, suicide rates increased nationwide, but a smaller increase was detected in states with Medicaid expansion after 2014 (2.56 increase per 100,000 individuals) compared with states with no expansion (3.10 increase per 100,000).” The findings were published online June 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rates slow in states that expanded Medicaid: study “Gianna Melillo, The Hill, June 15, 2022

HCPlive (6/14, Kunzmann) reports, “Antidepressant and sedation therapy trazodone is used frequently for off-label treatment of neuropsychiatric diagnoses including insomnia and anxiety – and infrequently at its indicated dose,” researchers concluded after analyzing data from “1.4 million eligible adults, of whom approximately 310,000 had an insomnia diagnosis and more than half (approximately 170,000) were receiving medical care for the condition.” The findings were presented at the American Psychiatric Association 2022 Annual Meeting.

Related Links:

— “Trazodone Frequently Prescribed in Insomnia Care, Despite Guidelines “Kevin Kunzmann, HCPlive, June 14, 2022

HealthDay (6/14, Mann) reports research suggests that “kids who play well with others in preschool are less likely to experience mental health issues as they grow up.” The study published online in Child Psychiatry and Human Development found that “those who played better with their peers when they were 3 were less likely to be hyperactive, and their parents and teachers reported that these kids had fewer conduct and emotional issues.”

Related Links:

— “Why Getting Along in Preschool Is So Important “Denise Mann, HealthDay, June 14, 2022

According to HealthDay (6/13, Norton), Denver’s “‘radical’ approach to handling low-level 911 calls – sending mental health professionals rather than police – may have taken a bite out of crime,” investigators concluded after evaluating that city’s “STAR program, which removed police from the response to select 911 calls…involving a nonviolent person suffering from a mental health or substance abuse crisis.” The study revealed “a 34% reduction in less serious crimes, such as trespassing and disorderly conduct, over the program’s six-month test run.” The findings were published online June 8 in the journal Science Advances.

Related Links:

— “For 911 Calls, Are Mental Health Specialists Often the Better Choice? “Amy Norton, HealthDay, June 13, 2022

According to Kaiser Health News (6/13, Bruce), Illinois now “allows K-12 students in public schools to have five excused absences per school year for mental health reasons, another example of the growing acknowledgment among lawmakers that emotional and physical health are intertwined.” This policy, “which went into effect at the beginning of 2022, passed both chambers of the state legislature unanimously.” Other states have also “implemented policies that allow students to take mental health days, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia.” Nevertheless, “a lack of services for young people remains a concern.”

Related Links:

— “States Fight Student Mental Health Crisis With Days Off “Giles Bruce, Kaiser Health, June 13, 2022

CNN (6/13, LaMotte) reports a survey study has “found many moderate drinkers above age 30 actually end up binging on the weekend,” and those “who binged were about five times more likely to experience multiple alcohol problems, such as ‘getting hurt, emotional or psychological problems from alcohol, having to use more alcohol to get the same effect, and experiencing effects of alcohol at work, school or caring for children,’ said” a study author. These findings were published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

HealthDay (6/13, Norton) reports the survey results revealed that “when it came to alcohol problems, 7% of all moderate drinkers reported multiple issues at the outset; that grew to almost 12% when they were surveyed again nine years later.”

Related Links:

— “Think you’re OK because you only drink on weekends? Think again, study says “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, June 13, 2022