CNN (12/15, McPhillips) reports, “Substance use among teens – including alcohol, marijuana, vaping and illicit drugs – dropped significantly in 2021, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s latest Monitoring the Future survey, published Wednesday.” Study researchers “found the largest single-year decline in illicit drug use since the survey began in 1975, with drops of about 5% from 2020 among eighth- and 12th-graders and nearly 12% among 10th-graders.”

TIME (12/15, Ducharme) reports, “Even with the declines, alcohol remains the most commonly used illegal substance among U.S. teenagers. About 47% of 12th graders and 29% of 10th graders said they consumed alcohol in the past year, compared to 55% and 41% in 2020.”

According to The Hill (12/15, Guzman), “The survey also asked students about their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students reported moderate increases in feelings of boredom, anxiety, depression, loneliness, worry and difficulty sleeping.”

Related Links:

— “Substance use among teens dropped significantly in 2021, survey finds ” Deidre McPhillips, CNN, December 15, 2021

HealthDay (12/13, Preidt) reports, “Older adults have a higher risk of delirium after hip and knee surgery if they’re taking anxiety, depression or insomnia” medications, researchers concluded after analyzing “data from nearly 10,500 patients aged 65 and older who had knee or hip surgery in the past 20 years.” The study authors posited that “older patients should temporarily stop these medications or switch to safer alternatives before elective surgery.” The findings were published online Nov. 8 in the journal Drug Safety.

Related Links:

— “Certain Meds Raise Odds for Delirium After Surgery “Robert Preid, HealthDay, December 13, 2021

Healio (12/13, Gramigna) reports, “Available evidence does not sufficiently support prescription cannabinoids for treating psychiatric disorders,” researchers concluded after conducting an 841-study review, the findings of which were published online Dec. 8 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Current evidence does not support prescription cannabinoids for psychiatric disorders “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 13, 2021

Healio (12/13, Gramigna) reports, “Areas with high levels of social fragmentation had higher rates of psychosis,” investigators concluded in a 19-study systematic review, the findings of which were published online Dec. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Social fragmentation may increase risk for psychosis “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 13, 2021

The New York Times (12/13, A1, Cohen) reports the “sense of endlessness, accompanied by growing psychological distress leading to depression” resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, “was a recurrent theme in two dozen interviews conducted in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.” The Times adds that “after two years of zigzagging policy and roller coaster emotions, terrible loss and tantalizing false dawns, closing borders and intermittently shuttered schools,” along with new anxieties over the Omicron variant, “people’s resilience has dwindled.”

Related Links:

— “Across the World, Covid Anxiety and Depression Take Hold “Roger Cohen, The New York Times, December 13, 2021

Endocrinology Advisor (12/10, Nye) reported, “People with bipolar disorder…were found to have significantly different thyroid hormone levels during depressive and manic episodes,” investigators concluded in a 291-patient “cross-sectional study” revealing that “free triiodothyronine…levels differed significantly between the patients experiencing manic episodes and depressive episodes.” The findings of which were published online in BMC Endocrine Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Manic and Depressive Bipolar Disorder Events Linked to Thyroid Function “Jessica Nye, Endocrinology Advisor, December 10, 2021

Healio (12/10, Herpen) reported, “The initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered a rise in diagnoses of and hospitalizations for anorexia nervosa in both children and adolescents,” researchers concluded in a study that sought to “to determine the frequency and severity of diagnoses in a nationwide cross-section of nearly 1,900 children and adolescents before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The findings of the Canadian “cross-sectional study” were published online in Dec. 7 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “First wave of COVID-19 in Canada magnified incidence of anorexia nervosa “Robert Herpen, Healio, December 10, 2021

Healio (12/10, Gramigna) reported, “Treatment-resistant depression [TRD] prevalence varied by sex, race and age,” investigators concluded in a study that “sought to outline TRD prevalence using two large U.S. claims databases, Humana (n = 296,055 patients) and Optum (n = 277,941).” The study team “analyzed data of patients aged 18 years or older who had pharmaceutically treated depression (PTD)…with at least one major depressive disorder diagnosis based on ICD-10-CM criteria and one antidepressant prescription filled in 2018.” The findings of the “cross-sectional study” were published online Nov. 30 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. “ Females, middle-aged adults, and White patients had higher risk of TRD. The median time from index antidepressant use to TRD was about 6 months in incident PTD patients.”

Related Links:

— “Sex, race, age impact risk for treatment-resistant depression “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 10, 2021

Kaiser Health News (12/8, Appleby) reports on the “increasingly heated debate” regarding coverage for audio-only telehealth visits, an issue that “has drawn outsize interest from physician groups.” KHN adds, “Cutting off or reducing audio-only payments could lead providers to sharply curtail telehealth services, warn some physician groups and other experts,” while “other stakeholders, including employers who pay for health coverage, fear payment parity for audio-only telehealth visits could lead to overbilling.” AMA President-elect Jack Resneck Jr., M.D., said, “I take care of patients who drive from two or three hours away and live in places without broadband access. … For these patients, it’s important to have a backup when the video option doesn’t’ work.”

Related Links:

— “Post-Pandemic, What’s a Phone Call From Your Physician Worth? “Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News, December 8, 2021

MedPage Today (12/8, Frieden) reports, “Harm reduction strategies, including syringe service programs and use of fentanyl test strips, will be eligible for federal grants under a $30 million, three-year program announced” on Dec. 8 “by the Biden administration.” What’s more, “in addition to the harm reduction grants – which will be given at a rate of $10 million per year for three years – the administration also released model legislation for states that want to start up or refine their syringe service programs, formerly known as needle exchange programs.” Click here to read more about the grant funding opportunities.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)