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

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

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

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

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

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

HealthDay (11/22, Norton) reports, “Most prescriptions for the medication gabapentin are for unapproved uses – and many patients end up taking it along with” medications that “create potentially dangerous interactions,” investigators concluded in a “study that looked at ‘off-label’ use of gabapentin” among US adults. The study revealed that “of almost 130 million outpatient visits where gabapentin was prescribed, more than 99% were for off-label uses.” The findings were published online May 21 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Many Psychiatric Patients Are Getting Risky Drug Gabapentin ‘Off-Label’ “Amy Norton, HealthDay, November 22, 2021

Healio (11/22, Gramigna) reports, “In light of recent CDC data showing more than 100,000 U.S. deaths from overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021, the American Psychiatric Association [APA]” has “reviewed effective substance abuse treatments and called for efforts to intervene.” Healio interviewed Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, chair of APA’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry, who said, “These data continue to highlight the alarming trend of increasing overdose deaths in the U.S.” Dr. Das added, “With the pandemic, there has been a deadly mix of worsening mental health symptoms and increased substance use,” adding, “The dual diagnosis nature of this makes the news about overdose deaths especially pertinent to psychiatrists.”

Related Links:

— “APA calls for action to address high number of overdose deaths “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 22, 2021

HealthDay (11/19, Norton) reported a study published in Obesity “is highlighting yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: It has likely made it even harder for kids with obesity to manage their weight.” Investigators “tracked 230 children from urban, low-income families who were enrolled in a clinical trial testing an obesity treatment program – either before or during the pandemic,” and found that over one year, kids in the program during the pandemic “typically saw an increase in their body mass index.”

Related Links:

— “Pandemic Curbed Kids’ Efforts to Lose Excess Weight “Amy Norton, HealthDay, November 19, 2021

The Washington Post (11/19, Searing) reported that “about a third of children ages 7 to 9 use social media apps on phones or tablets, according to a report” that was “based on data from a nationally representative pool of 1,030 parents with at least one child 7-to-12 years old.” The report also “notes an even higher social media presence among slightly older children, with half of those ages 10 to 12 using these apps.” Furthermore, investigators “found that most parents said they do some sort of monitoring of their children’s social media involvement,” yet “1 in 6 parents were found to be using no parental controls.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)