Healio (11/30, Miller) reports, “Approximately one in five children and parents reported being bullied due to the child’s food allergy,” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed survey data from 252 parents whose children participated in the FORWARD study.” The findings were presented at the virtual American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

Related Links:

— “Nearly 20% of food-allergic kids, their parents experience bullying “Janel Miller, Healio, November 30, 2020

Psychiatric News (11/30) reports, “A sequential approach to depression management that starts with medication and then transitions to psychotherapy can reduce the risk of relapse or recurrence,” investigators concluded in a meta-analysis that “compiled data from 17 studies (2,283 participants) that assessed the effects of sequential treatment on reducing depression relapse (a return of symptoms after a patient achieves remission) or recurrence (a return of symptoms after a patient achieves full recovery) in adults aged 18 to 65.” The findings were published online Nov. 25 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Medication Followed by Psychotherapy May Reduce Risk of Depression Relapse/Recurrence, Psychiatric News, November 30, 2020

Modern Healthcare (11/28, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reported that in Baltimore, MD, “more than a dozen hospitals and health systems are collaborating to form the Greater Baltimore Regional Integrated Crisis System.” This “five-year, $45 million project is preparing to launch a 24-hour crisis line within three years as an alternative to calling 911 during a mental health or substance use disorder emergency.”

Related Links:

— “Modern Healthcare, (Requires Subscription), November 28, 2020

Psychiatric News (11/25) reported, “Older adults may be more resilient to the anxiety, depression, and stress-related mental disorders that are being reported by younger adults during the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded after citing “a survey of 5,412 community-dwelling adults conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from June 24 to 30.” The findings were published online Nov. 20 in a viewpoint in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Older Adults May Be More Resilient During Pandemic Than Younger People Psychiatric News, November 25, 2020

CNN (11/25, Kim) reported, “The early stages of the coronavirus pandemic and the first Covid-19 lockdown caused the number of young people with anxiety to nearly double, according to a study from the University of Bristol.” The study“found that the number of people with anxiety jumped from 13% to 24% in young people between the ages of 27 and 29, and that number was higher than their parents.”

Related Links:

— “Young people’s anxiety levels nearly doubled during first Covid-19 lockdown, study says “Allen Kim, CNN, November 25, 2020

Healio (11/24, Gramigna) reports, “A significant proportion of U.S. adults reported serious psychological distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded after receiving and analyzing “online survey data from 1,337 individuals aged 18 years or older who were included in NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel, with second wave data fielded between July 7 and July 22.” The findings were published Nov. 23 in a research letter in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Many U.S. adults experienced serious psychological distress related to COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 24, 2020

Psychiatric News (11/23) reports, “Prazosin is effective at reducing alcohol consumption in adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and severe withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, headache, and nausea,” investigators concluded in a “12-week, randomized clinical trial of 112 treatment-seeking adults with AUD.” The study revealed that “those with severe withdrawal symptoms who took prazosin had half as many drinking days and only one-fifth the number of heavy drinking days as adults with severe withdrawal symptoms taking placebo.” The findings were published online Nov. 19 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Prazosin Can Reduce Drinking in AUD Patients With Severe Withdrawal Symptoms, Psychiatric News, November 23, 2020

The New York Times (11/23, Carey) reports, “The Department of Veterans Affairs [VA] has turned to machine-learning to help identify vets at risk of taking their own lives.” Suicide rates among veterans have risen by 30% since 2000, and are generally higher than the civilian population. The VA has developed a program called Reach Vet which deploys an algorithm that “updates continually, generating a new list of high-risk veterans each month.” The VA will reach out to a vet to make an appointment if their name appears on the list.

Related Links:

— “Department Of Veterans Affairs Employing New Algorithm To Identify Veterans At Risk Of Suicide “Benedict Carey, The New York Times, November 23, 2020

Healio (11/20, Gramigna) reported, “Older adults with higher levels of loneliness were at increased risk for more severe depression symptoms,” investigators concluded after “analyzing seven waves of data collected once every two years between 2004 and 2017 of adults aged 50 years and older who were included in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.” The findings of the 4,211-participant, “population-based cohort study” were published online Nov. 9 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Reducing loneliness among older adults may prevent future depressive symptoms “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 20, 2020

HealthDay (11/20, Murez) reported research indicates that “severe emotional distress and anxiety for those who have lived through major disasters can…lead to suicide.” Investigators arrived at that conclusion after examining data on “281 natural disasters during a 12-year period and their impact on suicide rates in those communities.” The study revealed that “suicide rates increased by 23% when compared to rates before and after the disaster.” The findings were published online Oct. 9 in the Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention.

Related Links:

— “Disasters Leave a Rise in Suicides in Their Wake: Study ” Cara Murez, HealthDay, November 20, 2020