Some people are consuming high doses of loperamide in an attempt to self-manage opioid withdrawal or to achieve a euphoric high. Taking high doses puts these individuals at risk for severe or fatal cardiac events. Help prevent loperamide misuse by educating at-risk patients about the risks of misusing loperamide or taking more than the directed dose. Download the patient fact sheet to share with patients and colleagues and find resources for providers at LoperamideSafety.org.
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The AP (12/20, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports, “People in crisis and those trying to help them will have a new phone number – 988 – to reach the national suicide prevention network starting in July,” now that “federal health officials” from the Department of Health and Human Services on Dec. 20 “announced more than $280 million to smooth the transition from the current 10-digit number to three digits.” In addition to voice calls, the 988 number will “handle text and chat.” People using 988 “will be able to reach trained counselors who belong to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network.”
The Hill (12/20, Coleman) reports, “Before July, Americans needing help should call the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.”
Related Links:
— “988 suicide phone hotline getting $282M to ease July launch “Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP, December 20, 2021
Healio (12/17, DeFino) reported, “Sleep disturbance in psychiatrically vulnerable youth may be linked to negative emotional responses to social media,” researchers concluded in a study that “assessed 243 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years who were admitted to an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit between February 2020 and January 2021 and examined their relationships with social media, clinical outcomes and sleep disturbances.” The findings were published in the December issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Related Links:
— “Social media linked to sleep disturbance in psychiatrically vulnerable youth “Anthony DeFino, Healio, December 17, 2021
Psychiatric News (12/17) reported, “A history of childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, is common among patients who experience first-episode psychosis [FEP],” investigators concluded after examining “data from 100 hospitalized patients with first-episode psychosis and 94 volunteers with no history of first-episode psychosis in the PROFEP study.” The study revealed that approximately “61% of patients with first-episode psychosis reported having experienced childhood trauma compared with roughly 17% of people who did not have first-episode psychosis,” with “the most frequent childhood trauma” being “emotional abuse.” The findings were published Dec. 15 online ahead of print in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Related Links:
— “Childhood Trauma Linked to First-Episode Psychosis, Psychiatric News, December 17, 2021
Healio (12/17, Salvaryn) reported, “Psychotherapy may work better than medication in reducing the level of long-term depressive symptoms,” investigators concluded “in a follow-up of three randomized controlled trials” of 298 “patients treated for major depression,” looking “at outcomes at five years to determine whether the patient’s original treatment influenced the course of illness and whether baseline features or clinical characteristics influenced long-term outcomes of the depression.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the January issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
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— “Psychotherapy may be superior to medication when treating long-term depression “Georgia I Salvaryn, Healio, December 17, 2021
HealthDay (12/16) reports that “increased physical activity, including a low amount of light-intensity physical activity (LPA), is associated with a reduced risk for dementia among older adults, according to” researchers who carried out a “retrospective cohort study involving 62,286 participants aged 65 years or older without preexisting dementia” and “found that 3,757 participants (6.0 percent) developed dementia during a median follow-up of 42 months, for an overall incidence of 21.6 per 1,000 person-years.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “Physical Activity Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk in Seniors, HealthDay, December 16, 2021
Healio (12/16, Holden) reports, “Individuals with the lowest incomes were found to have more psychotic symptoms and experienced a greater degree of distress from these symptoms after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” researchers concluded in a cohort study that “surveyed 1,950 participants aged 18 to 30 years in 2016 and 1,804 individuals aged 18 to 30 years in 2020.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the January issue of the journal Psychiatry Research.
Related Links:
— “Lower income associated with increased psychotic symptoms, severity in pandemic “Lisa Holden, Healio, December 16, 2021
Medscape (12/14, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports a new study now “provides more evidence that antipsychotics that raise prolactin levels are tied to a significantly increased risk for breast cancer.” After identifying “914 cases of invasive breast cancer among 540,737 women,” investigators concluded that “the relative risk for breast cancer was 62% higher in women who took category 1 antipsychotic medications associated with high prolactin levels.” These medications “include haloperidol (Haldol), paliperidone (Invega), and risperidone (Risperdal).” What’s more, “the risk was 54% higher in those taking category 2 antipsychotics that have mid-range effects on prolactin,” such as “iloperidone (Fanapt), lurasidone (Latuda), and olanzapine (Zyprexa).” The findings were published online Dec. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)
Healio (12/15) reports, “Psychosocial counseling geared toward women who require interventions due to intimate partner violence [IPV] was shown to be effective in enhancing their overall wellbeing,” researchers concluded in a study that “was conducted over a two-year period from October 2018 to September 2020 and included 60 participants, all women recruited from a city-based VA hospital who had dealt with IPV over the past year.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Targeted counseling effective for women who experienced intimate partner violence “Robert Herpen, Healio, December 15, 2021
The New York Times (12/8, MacKeen) reported on prolonged grief disorder (PGD), “a newly recognized condition” that is “a syndrome in which people feel stuck in an endless cycle of mourning that can last for years or even decades, severely impairing their daily life, relationships and job performance.” PGD “isn’t new” but previously “it was listed in the D.S.M. as a condition for further study. Preliminary studies suggest that it affects around 7 percent of those in mourning.” The Times added, “Dr. Vivian Pender, president of the American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the D.S.M., said the prevalence of prolonged grief disorder may increase because of the sheer magnitude of Covid deaths.” Dr. Pender said, “I think the pandemic has made losing someone particularly worse. The usual loss and grieving process has been disrupted.”
Related Links:
— “As Covid Deaths Rise, Lingering Grief Gets a New Name “Dawn MacKeen, The New York Times, December 8, 2021