HealthDay (4/1, Gotkine ) reports that a study found that “the prevalence of prescription stimulant misuse and prescription stimulant use disorder (PSUD) is high among U.S. adults aged 18 to 64 years.” Researchers from the NIH observed “that 25.3 percent of those using prescription stimulants reported misuse and 9.0 percent had PSUD. Among those with PSUD, 72.9, 87.1, 42.5, and 63.6 percent solely used their own prescribed stimulants, used amphetamines, reported no misuse, and had mild PSUD, respectively.” Additionally, the study shows “women aged 35 to 64 years had the largest increase in the number of individuals dispensed prescription stimulants, from 1.2 million in quarter 1 of 2019 to 1.7 million in quarter 4 of 2022.” However, the “prevalence of prescription stimulant misuse was lower among women aged 35 to 64 years using these medications.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Prevalence of Prescription Stimulant Misuse High in U.S. Adults,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 1, 2025

The Washington Post (3/31) reports a recent study published in JAMA found that “from 2009 to 2019, avoidable mortality increased by an average of 33 deaths per 100,000 people across the United States.” In contrast, avoidable deaths “dropped by an average of nearly 23 deaths per 100,000 across all other countries in the study” during the same period, with European Union countries reducing avoidable deaths by an average of 25 per 100,000. The study noted significant state-by-state variations within the US, “ranging from five avoidable deaths in New York to 100 per 100,000 in West Virginia.” The rise in US deaths was primarily attributed to “external causes such as traffic accidents, homicides, suicides, and drugs and alcohol. Among external causes, drug-related deaths were responsible for 71 percent of the increase in avoidable deaths.” The study also observed a spike in avoidable mortality numbers from 2019 to 2021 across all examined regions, largely due to COVID-19.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HCPlive (3/31, Derman) reports, “A cross-sectional study found an association between discrimination and mental health across US adults.” About 31% of US adults have experienced at least one major incident of discrimination in their lifetime, with 63% facing discrimination daily. Marginalized groups “experienced more health issues linked to discrimination.” Researchers found that “depression rates rose from 10% to 23% in women and 5.5% to 22% in men (2013–2023). Anxiety rates increased from 8% to 31% in women and 5% to 24% in men (2018–2023). Among Black adults, depression rose from 9% in 2013 to 21% in 2023, while anxiety jumped from 6% in 2018 to 27% in 2023.” Although the study results “demonstrate that White adults experienced higher odds of positive screening results for depression with increasing levels of discrimination,”researchers concluded the finding “does not imply that exposure to discrimination is less significant for Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, and other racial and ethnic populations.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Daily Discrimination’s Link to Depression, Anxiety Varies by Race,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, March 31, 2025

HCPlive (3/28, Derman) reported, “A new national survey reported that healthcare [professionals] prioritize quality of life, long-term symptom management, and treatment consistency for patients with bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia.” The survey of 127 psychiatrists and 126 nurse practitioners/physician assistants, conducted online by The Harris Poll, found that “medication adherence was a top concern for healthcare [professionals] when selecting treatments for bipolar I disorder (36%) and schizophrenia (41%). Other concerns included manic (32%) and depressive (31%) episodes for bipolar I disorder, and patients’ ability to take medication as prescribed (41%) and maintain independence and complete daily living activities (38%).” The survey “found that most [professionals] (97%) often look for treatment options that minimize the number of different treatments their patient needs at once.” In addition, “new treatments are more likely to be adopted if included in clinical guidelines and accessible through insurance, with [professionals] valuing strong clinical research and patient experiences.”

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— “Survey: Providers Prioritize QoL, Long-Term Care in BPD, Schizophrenia,” Chelsie Derman, HCPLive, March 28, 2025

HealthDay (3/28, Thompson ) reported a study found that “about 40% of troubled 8- to 20-year-olds reported social media use that could be problematic, saying that they feel discontented, disconnected and upset when they can’t log on to their favorite sites.” Researchers found that “these young people also had higher levels of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, as well as poorer overall well-being, compared to peers in treatment who weren’t overly attached to social media.” In addition, “troubled young people hooked on social media had higher levels of substance abuse.” Researchers stated, “What we often see is that the characteristics of problematic use mirror those of addiction, with continued use even when wanting to stop, cravings, interference with daily tasks and activities, deceptive use, interpersonal disruptions and more.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

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— “Social Media Can Drag Down Troubled Young People,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 28, 2025

The AP (3/27, Seitz ) reports, “In a major overhaul, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.”

CNN (3/27, Tirrell , Luhby , Goodman , Gumbrecht ) reports, “In its announcement, HHS said it will consolidate from 28 to 15 divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America, and will reduce regional offices from 10 to five.”

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— “Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring,” Amanda Seitz, Associated Press, March 27, 2025

Psychiatric News (3/27) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis shows that “nearly a quarter of referrals to psychiatric emergency departments (PEDs) in the United States are made by police, a rate dramatically higher than the global average.” According to the review, “patients referred to PEDs by police tended to be homeless males with a diagnosis of substance use and/or psychotic disorders and were more likely to display aggressive behavior.” On average, “13.7% of PED admissions globally were referred by police, compared with 22.8% in the United States. Compared with patients not referred by police, police-referred patients globally were more than four times as likely to show aggressive behavior, 1.84 times as likely to be homeless, and 1.33 times and 1.45 times as likely to have a diagnosis of a substance use or a psychotic disorder, respectively.” The review was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Individuals in U.S. More Likely to Be Referred to Psychiatric EDs by Police Than in Other Countries,” Psychiatric News, March 27, 2025

Medscape (3/27, Cotelo, Subscription Publication) reports a study found “the use of antidepressants has been linked to a 2% weight gain in patients who used this treatment at any point during a 6-year follow-up.” According to researchers, “the average weight gain after 6 years was 0.53 kg (1.01% of body weight), and 24.5% of participants gained more than 5% of their body weight.” They said the “data indicate that women, individuals under 55, and those with normal weight at the start of the study were more likely to experience” weight gain with antidepressant use. They concluded, “All individuals taking antidepressants had a higher likelihood of weight gain and developing obesity, with the risk increasing for those with continued use of these medications.” The study was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/26, Hornick ) reports, “Patients with COPD plus a depression/anxiety disorder had poorer scores related to disease burden and health-related quality of life, according to” research. Investigators came to this conclusion after assessing “220 patients with COPD who underwent the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview,” and then comparing “several measures of disease burden captured via questionnaires in patients with vs. without depression/anxiety disorders.” The findings were published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

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— “Patients with COPD plus depression or anxiety experience greater disease burden,” Isabella Hornick, Healio, March 26, 2025

Medical Economics (3/26, Littrell) reports, “A recent study suggests that patients often prefer to wait for an appointment with their own primary care physician (PCP) – particularly for chronic condition management, mental health care and other sensitive issues. It’s when symptoms are acute or urgent that speed becomes the priority.” Researchers found 94.1% of surveyed patients reported seeing a PCP, and 71.4% said it was “extremely important” to have a personal physician. More than “half of patients expressed a strong preference to only see their own physician for follow-ups involving mental health (56.8%), chronic conditions (54.6%) or annual checkups (52.6%).” Researchers stated that “most patients are willing to wait three to four weeks to see their own PCP for certain types of visits.” But only “17.1% of respondents preferred to wait to see their own physician for a new symptom, and only 7.2% said they would wait for their PCP when experiencing an urgent concern.” The study was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Patients are willing to wait to see their own doctor,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, March 26, 2025