Healio (4/2, Gramigna) reported, “Separation anxiety may significantly predict suicidal thoughts among patients with mood and anxiety disorders, according to study results published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.” In the study, “the researchers sought to assess the link between both childhood and adult separation anxiety and suicide risk measures among 509 consecutive psychiatric outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders according to DSM-IV criteria.”

Related Links:

— “Separation anxiety significantly predicts suicidal thoughts in mood, anxiety disorders “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 2, 2021

Psychiatric News (4/2) reported, “Children who have a parent with bipolar disorder are more likely to develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during their preschool years than children with no family history of bipolar disorder, reports a study in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.” In addition, the study “found that these children were more likely to develop symptoms of bipolar disorder as they grew older.”

Related Links:

— “Children of Parents With Bipolar Disorder at Risk of ADHD and Early Onset Bipolar, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, April 2, 2021

According to HealthDay (4/1, Murez), “spending countless hours online and on popular social media” may increase “cyberbullying, particularly among teen boys.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after surveying some “428 teens aged 13 to 19, evenly split between girls and boys.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling.

Related Links:

— “Boys Who Spend Lots of Time Online More Likely to Cyberbully “Cara Murez, HealthDay, April 1, 2021

Healio (4/1, Weller) reports, “In a longitudinal analysis of twins, those who used cannabis more often than their identical twin during adolescence had worse socioeconomic outcomes in early adulthood,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from three longitudinal studies involving 3,762 twins, including 2,410 monozygotic twins,” then using “a continuous adolescent cannabis use index and compared psychiatric, cognitive and socioeconomic outcomes – including educational attainment, occupational status and income – between twins through early adulthood.” The findings were published online April 6 in PNAS.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis use in adolescence affects socioeconomic outcomes in early adulthood “Madison Weller, Healio, April 1, 2021

Healio (4/1, Downey) reports, “Many young teenagers, especially gender minority youth, know someone who has attempted suicide,” investigators concluded after assessing “data from 3,979 teenagers aged 14 and 15 years who were recruited between October 2018 and August 2019 for Growing up with Media, a national longitudinal survey.” The study also revealed that “youths’ exposure to suicidal behavior was related to higher levels of depressed mood.” The findings were published online April 1 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Gender minority youth more likely to know someone who has attempted suicide “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, April 1, 2021

CNN (4/1, Rios) reports, “Millions have survived Covid-19 hospitalization, and, for most, the acute physical symptoms have gone away.” But many “continue to endure the emotional and psychological trauma that comes with having Covid-19.” A study “published February 2021 found that 30% of Covid-19 survivors experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a psychological illness that usually occurs after someone has a life-threatening experience.”

Related Links:

— “Post-Covid PTSD: the storm after the storm “Christopher Rios, CNN, April 1, 2021

Newsweek (4/1, Slisco) reports, “Suicide rates dropped in 2020 despite former President Donald Trump warning that COVID-19 lockdowns would lead to an increasing number of people taking their own lives.” Total US suicides for 2020 “numbered 44,834, over 2,600 fewer deaths than 2019’s total of 47,511, according to National Center for Health Statistics figures cited in an article published Wednesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.” A smaller decrease of “around 800 happened between 2018 and 2019.”

Related Links:

— “Suicides Fell by 2,600 in 2020, Despite Donald Trump’s Lockdown Warnings “Aila Slisco, Newsweek , April 1, 2021

The Washington Post (3/30, Lumpkin) reports across the US, “some school leaders and experts say the pandemic has brought new urgency to a mental health crisis that had been unraveling on college campuses for years.” College students say the social isolation brought on by the pandemic and associated restrictions have made it more difficult to study and strained relationships with their families and friends. The Washington Post adds “evidence shows college students experienced higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in 2020 than in 2019.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/31, Gramigna) reports, “A significant number of children with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] did well by middle childhood in one or more key domains of developmental health,” investigators concluded in a study that included “272 children with ASD.” The findings of the “longitudinal cohort study” were published online March 29 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Most children with autism ‘do well’ by middle childhood in key developmental domains “Joe Gramigna, Healio, March 31, 2021

Healio (3/30, Gramigna) reports, “Rates of maternal depression and anxiety have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prior estimates,” investigators concluded in a study that analyzed “data of 1,301 women who completed a COVID-19 impact survey as part of a pregnancy cohort in Canada between May 20, 2020, and July 15, 2020.” Next, the study team “compared symptoms of maternal depression and anxiety during the pandemic with three prior estimates obtained at three-, five- and eight-year timepoints between April 2012 and October 2019.” The findings of the “longitudinal analysis” were published online March 24 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Anxiety, depression have increased among mothers since onset of COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, March 30, 2021