Healio (6/3, Rollet ) reports, “In the first year after stopping anabolic steroid misuse, men had worse sexual function than those who continued using or never used the agents as well as more depression and anxiety, according to a presenter at ENDO 2024.” In a study, “men who had stopped using steroids had lower sexual function scores (IIEF-15 = 70; 95% CI, 67-71) compared with current users (IIEF-15 = 64; 95% CI, 60-67) and past users (IIEF-15 = 64; 95% CI, 60-67; P = .0009).” Additionally, “recent steroid cessation was associated with higher depression scores (BDI-II = 7; 95% CI, 4-11) compared with no past steroid use (BDI-II = 3; 95% CI, 1-6; P = .0079).”

Related Links:

— “Mental health, sexual function worsen for men in first year of quitting steroids,”Jill Rollet, Healio, June 3, 2024

The New York Times (5/31, Jacobs , Jewett ) reported the FDA “on Friday raised concerns about the health effects of MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, citing flaws in a company’s studies that could pose major obstacles to approval of a treatment anticipated to help people struggling with the condition.” FDA staff “said that bias had seeped into the studies because participants and therapists were readily able to figure out who got MDMA versus a placebo.” The agency “also flagged ‘significant increases’ in blood pressure and pulse rates that could ‘trigger cardiovascular events.’”

The AP (5/31, Perrone ) reported the FDA “posted its initial review of the drug Friday, ahead of a meeting of outside advisers who could help decide whether MDMA – currently illegal under federal law – becomes the first drug of its kind to win U.S. approval as a medication.” In the review, “FDA scientists said that patients who received MDMA and talk therapy showed ‘rapid, clinically meaningful, durable improvements in their PTSD symptoms.’” However, “they also called the research ‘challenging to interpret,’ and questioned how long the benefits might last.”

The Washington Post (5/31, Gilbert , Ovalle ) reported, “The agency’s review outlines the challenges for sponsor Lykos Therapeutics, which conducted two late-stage clinical trials showing that patients treated with MDMA – better known by its street name, ecstasy – experienced a significant improvement in their PTSD symptoms relative to those who got a placebo.”

Reuters (5/31, Jain, Roy) reported there “is a large unmet need for new treatments for PTSD, which affects those who have experienced traumatic events and is common among war veterans, as existing drugs do not work on all patients.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Healio (5/31, Weldon) reported, “Preteens whose parents were incarcerated or arrested were more likely to experience suicidal ideation, according to research published in Pediatrics.” In the study, “researchers examined data from 10,532 children who participated in the ABCD study and found that 6.5%…reported parental incarceration and 12% reported parental arrest.” Of those, “4.7% reported suicidal ideation. The researchers calculated that children whose parents had been incarcerated had an RR of suicidal ideation of 1.74 (95% CI, 1.32-2.31). Children whose parents had been arrested had an RR of suicidal ideation of 1.89 (95% CI, 1.53-2.37) and an RR of suicide attempt of 2.69 (95% CI, 1.7-4.25).”

Related Links:

— “Parents’ incarceration may put kids at higher risk for suicidal thoughts,”Rose Weldon, Healio, May 31, 2024

Healio [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com] (5/30, Weldon) reports, “Teenagers who use cannabis have a much higher risk for developing a psychotic disorder compared with their nonusing peers, according to research published in Psychological Medicine.” In the study [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com], “researchers found that, compared with no cannabis use, cannabis use was significantly associated with psychotic disorders during adolescence (adjusted HR = 11.2; 95% CI, 4.6-27.3), but not during young adulthood (aHR = 1.3; 95% CI, 0.6-2.6). When the researchers restricted outcomes to hospitalizations and ED visits, the strength of the association increased markedly during adolescence (aHR = 26.7; 95% CI, 7.7-92.8) but again did not change meaningfully during young adulthood (aHR = 1.8; 95% CI, 0.6-5.4).”

Related Links:

— “Study suggests strong link between teen cannabis use, psychotic disorders,”Rose Weldon, Healio, May 30, 2024

The New York Times [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com] (5/30, Barry ) reports, “Post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses among college students more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, climbing most sharply as the coronavirus pandemic shut down campuses and upended young adults’ lives, according to new research published on Thursday.” PTSD prevalence “rose to 7.5 percent from 3.4 percent during that period, according to the findings [mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com],” which were published in JAMA Network Open.

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— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (5/29) reports, “Individuals having a mental health crisis who were transported to a hospital by a ‘psychiatric ambulance’ required fewer restraints or other coercive measures compared with individuals transported by the police, according to a report in Psychiatric Services.” This option is an alternative to law enforcement transporting patients, as police “usually receive limited training in managing psychiatric disorders and in responding to individuals experiencing psychiatric symptoms or crises, which may increase the risk for preventable escalation and the use of restrictive measures,” researchers wrote.

Related Links:

— “Study Finds ‘Psychiatric Ambulance’ Provides Safe and Uncoercive Transport of Individuals in Crisis, Psychiatric News , May 29, 2024

Reuters (5/29, Rumney) reports, “Nicotine alternatives used in vapes being launched in the U.S. and abroad, such as 6-methyl nicotine, may be more potent and addictive than nicotine itself, though the scientific data remains incomplete, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and independent researchers.” These substances “are not subject to U.S. tobacco and vaping regulations that are designed to control traditional nicotine, a highly addictive drug,” meaning “manufacturers can sell vapes containing synthetic nicotine analogues such as 6-methyl nicotine in the United States without seeking authorization from the FDA – a process that can be costly, time-consuming and is often unsuccessful.”

Related Links:

— “Exclusive: Nicotine-like chemicals in U.S. vapes may be more potent than nicotine, FDA says,”Emma Rumney, Reuters , May 29, 2024

KFF Health News (5/28, Graham) reports, “Caring for older adults with dementia is stressful, especially when they become physically or verbally aggressive, wander away from home, develop paranoia or hallucinations, engage in inappropriate or repetitive behaviors, or refuse to let caregivers help them.” Now, however, “help is available from a first-of-its-kind website created by prominent experts in this field.” The site “offers free training in a comprehensive approach to managing neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia – a method known as DICE – based on several decades of scientific research as well as extensive clinical practice.”

Related Links:

— “New Help for Dealing With Aggression in People With Dementia,”Judith Graham , KFF Health News, May 28, 2024

Psychiatric News (5/28) says, “In contrast to the overall rise in U.S. suicide rates since 2000, the suicide rate among people diagnosed with cancer has been dropping since 1989, according a report in Translational Psychiatry.” In the general population, “average suicide rates increased 1.7% a year since 2000, researchers reported. By contrast, average cancer-related suicide deaths declined gradually between 1989 and 2013, followed by a sharper decline between 2013 and 2017, during which the rate dropped 27% a year on average.”

Related Links:

— “Psychosocial Care Credited for Declining Suicide Rate Among Patients With Cancer,Psychiatric News , May 28, 2024

HCP Live (5/28, Derman) reports, “In a recent study, major depressive disorder (MDD) was the most observed comorbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), followed by somatoform disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).” In the study, researchers wrote, “It was surprising that almost 80% of participants reported some degree of psychological distress in the form of major depression, somatoform disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder, which is one and half times more than reported in the literature.” The findings were published in Reumatologia.

Related Links:

— “Major Depressive Disorder Is the Most Observed Psychiatric Comorbidity in RA,”Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, May 28, 2024