HealthDay (7/29, Preidt) reports research indicates that “lonely seniors are much more likely to take opioid” analgesics, “sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs and other medications,” thereby putting them “at increased risk for drug dependency, attention problems, falls, accidents and mental decline,” investigators concluded after surveying some “6,000 U.S. seniors (average age: 73).” The findings were published online July 26 in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Loneliness Raises Opioid Dangers in Seniors: Study “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 29, 2021

Healio (7/28, Gramigna) reports, “Physical activity may reduce age-associated risk for all-cause dementia among older adults,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data of 8,270 participants (55.6% women; mean age, 63.9 years) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging who had available follow-up data between 2002 and 2019.” The findings of the “population-based cohort study” were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “Physical activity may reduce older adults’ all-cause dementia risk “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 28, 2021

HealthDay (7/28) reports, “Depression and suicide concerns increased among adolescents during the pandemic, especially among females, according to a study recently published online in Pediatrics.” Study researchers “compared the percent of primary care visits among adolescents aged 12 to 21 years with screening for depression, screening positive for depression, and screening positive for suicide risk between June and December 2019 and June and December 2020”; they found “that during the pandemic period, there was a decrease in depression screening at primary care visits from 77.6 to 75.8 percent (prevalence ratio, 0.98; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.06).”

Related Links:

— “Depression, Suicide Concerns Up Among Teens During Pandemic “Physician’s Briefing Staff, HealthDay, July 28, 2021

Healio (7/28, Gramigna) reports, “Adults in the U.S. who identify as transgender or gender nonbinary more often reported worsening memory and thinking, functional limitations and depression than cisgender adults,” investigators concluded in two large “studies that assessed cognition among transgender and gender nonbinary adults at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.”

Related Links:

— “Depression, subjective cognitive decline common among transgender, nonbinary adults “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 28, 2021

The Washington Post (7/28, Hassan) reports, “Rallying calls of praise for star gymnast Simone Biles poured in from around the world as USA Gymnastics confirmed” on July 28 “that the 24-year-old would be withdrawing from the following day’s gymnastics all-around final in Tokyo to prioritize her mental health.”

Reuters (7/28, Tetrault-Farber, Lies) reports that “Biles said she felt she had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders,” a burden that “seems to have been exacerbated by a year a grief, loss and restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.” According to Reuters, “even prior to arriving in Tokyo, athletes were facing new and unfamiliar pressures,” being forced “to find ways to train during lockdowns and qualify for the world’s biggest sporting event without compromising their health or that of their families and communities.”

The AP (7/28, Fryer) reports that Biles is not the only Olympic athlete who has struggled with mental health. For example, “Michael Phelps, winner of a record 23 gold medals and now retired, has long been open about his own mental health struggles.” The swimmer “has said he contemplated suicide after the 2012 Olympics while wracked with depression.” Phelps said, “We’re human beings. Nobody is perfect. So yes, it is OK not to be OK.”

Related Links:

— “Pandemic takes toll on athlete mental health at Tokyo Games “Gabrielle Tétrault-farberElaine Lies, Reuters, July 28, 2021

MedPage Today (7/27, Walsh) reports, “Individuals with a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had twice the risk of subsequently developing lupus,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data for Medicaid enrollees residing in the 29 most populous states during the years 2007 to 2010.” Investigators “identified 10,942 incident cases of” systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), “who were matched according to age, sex, and race/ethnicity with 109,420 controls.” The findings were published online in Arthritis Care & Research.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (7/27, Gramigna) reports, “Depression appeared to adversely affect cognitive performance but not cognitive change among a cohort of individuals aged 90 years or older,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the LifeAfter90 cohort, a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of participants aged 90 years or older that launched in 2018 to attempt to characterize cognitive and brain aging among this age group.” The findings of the 655-participant study were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “Depression may affect cognitive performance among those in their 90s “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 27, 2021

MedPage Today (7/27, Grant) reports, “Mental health disorders were associated with an increased risk of COVID-19-related mortality, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 studies from seven countries.” Researchers “noted that although they were able to determine the associations between severe mental health disorders and risk of COVID-19 mortality, it wasn’t possible to identify significant differences between specific mental health disorders.” The review was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Modern Healthcare (7/26, Hellmann, Subscription Publication) reports, “The $2.3 trillion government spending bill passed in December permanently allowed Medicare to cover mental health services delivered virtually but…beneficiaries must see the practitioner in person within six months before virtual treatment begins.” This requirement, which is anticipated “to take effect next year, has puzzled and frustrated” clinicians and “advocates, who argue it has no clinical benefit, will deter patients from seeking care and make it difficult to expand access to mental healthcare in rural communities.” Now, bipartisan legislation “would remove the requirement stating that beneficiaries must see their mental health practitioner in person before beginning virtual care and subsequent periods afterward, which is to be determined by HHS.” The American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association, among others, support such legislation.

Related Links:

— “Providers, advocates say Medicare telehealth policy poses barrier to mental healthcare “Jessie Hellmann, Modern Healthcare, July 26, 2021

USA Today (7/26, Brook) reports, “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed deep concern about suicide among troops during a visit to U.S. forces stationed in Alaska where there has been an alarming spike in those deaths” since Dec. 30. Since then, “at least six soldiers have died by probable suicide…and suicide is suspected in several others, USA TODAY has reported.” According to the article, “Austin raised the issue of suicide in nearly every visit he had with military, civilian and tribal leaders during his visit to Alaska, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meetings.” Austin is quoted as saying, “Mental health is health period.” He added, “And we have to approach it with the same energy that we apply to other – any other health issue, with compassion and professionalism and resources. And so if you’re hurting, there are resources available.”

Related Links:

— “‘Mental health is health. Period.’ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin decries stigma in message to troops “Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, July 26, 2021