HealthDay (6/7) reports, “Only 29 percent of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria receive a gender dysphoria-related diagnosis (GDRD), and 25 percent are prescribed gender-affirming hormonal treatment (GAHT),” investigators concluded in a study that included “958 gender-diverse children and adolescents who did not have a GDRD or GAHT at index.” Researchers then compared “the rates of first GDRD and first GAHT prescription.” The findings were published online June 7 in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Diagnosis, Treatment of Gender Dysphoria Varies Among Children
“Physician’s Briefing Staff, HealthDay, June 7, 2021

HealthDay (6/4) reported, “Methamphetamine users are at increased risk for physical and mental health problems as well as other substance use disorders,” investigators concluded in an “analysis of data from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2015 to 2019.” The study revealed that “meth users were nearly twice as likely as non-users to have two or more chronic medical conditions.” What’s more, “they were more than three times as likely to have mental illness, and more than four times as likely to have a substance use disorder involving drugs such as heroin, prescription stimulants, prescription opioids, cocaine and sedatives.” In addition, users of meth “had higher rates of liver disease (hepatitis or cirrhosis), lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma), and HIV/AIDS than non-users.” The findings were published online June 3 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Other Health Woes Common When Meth Addiction Strikes ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay , June 4, 2021

HCPlive (6/4, Walter) reported research indicates that “drinking rates are actually down during the” COVID-19 “pandemic in a sample of “473 “18-25 year old Ontario [Canada] residents, while mental health issues including depression, stress, and anxiety remain a concern.” The study authors theorized that “some potential reasons for the decrease in alcohol use include socializing restrictions, as well as a reduction of individuals living with roommates or in group living situations as peer influence is usually a strong predictor of alcohol misuse.” The findings were published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “Drinking Down, Depression Up Among Young People During COVID-19 “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, June 4, 2021

The New York Times (6/3, Blum) explores the topic of virtual reality therapy which has shown some success at treating anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some virtual reality therapies “build on a sometimes-divisive therapeutic technique called prolonged exposure, developed by Edna Foa, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.” Even though “some experts have worried the practice might overwhelm or re-traumatize patients, prolonged exposure is now widely accepted as an effective tool to treat chronic PTSD.”

Related Links:

— “Virtual Reality Therapy Plunges Patients Back Into Trauma. Here Is Why Some Swear by It. “Dani Blum, The New York Times, June 3, 2021

Healio (6/3, Gramigna) reports, “Opioid agonist treatment reduced mortality rates among people with opioid dependence,” researchers concluded in a systematic review and meta-analysis that “included 15 randomized clinical trials with 3,852 total participants and 36 primary cohort studies with 749,634 total participants.” The findings were published online June 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Opioid agonist treatment ‘important intervention’ for those with opioid dependence “Joe Gramigna, Healio, June 3, 2021

MedPage Today (5/30, Monaco) reported, “Nearly half all patients with hypothyroidism reported experiencing ‘brain fog,’ even before receiving a diagnosis,” investigators concluded after conducting “an online survey of over 5,000 people with hypothyroidism.” The study revealed that “905 (17.1%) said they experienced new-onset brain fog symptoms in the weeks or months following their initial diagnosis,” but “46% of all patients questioned said they experienced brain fog symptoms prior to receiving their hypothyroidism diagnosis.” The findings were presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology’s virtual annual meeting.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (6/2) reports, “Older adults being treated for depression with a combination of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and medication appear to have similar cognitive improvements over time as those treated with medication only,” investigators concluded after examining “six-month neurocognitive outcomes for a total of 120 patients with remitted depression who received either a combination of ECT (right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT), venlafaxine, and lithium or venlafaxine and lithium only as part of the” Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly study. The findings were published online May 17 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “ECT, Medication Combo Found as Safe as Medication Alone to Maintain Remission From MDD, Psychiatric News, June 2, 2021

HCPlive (6/2, Iopace) reports the FDA “has granted de novo clearance” to Cognoa “for an AI-based, diagnostic aid (Canvas Dx) designed to aid physicians in primary care” in making a “diagnosis of autism.” This clearance “is the first authorized to aid in primary care diagnosis of autism in young children, with the goal of shortening time-to-diagnosis and initiation of earlier interventions.” The diagnostic aid “is indicated for use in diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder for patients aged 18 to 72 months at risk of developmental delay, based on concerns from parent, caregiver, or” clinician.

Related Links:

— “FDA Grants De Novo Clearance to AI-Based Autism Diagnosis Aid “Connor Iapoce, HCPlive, June 2, 2021

Healio (6/2, Gramigna) reports, “Suicide rates in the United States differed by race and ethnicity in recent years,” researchers concluded after obtaining and then analyzing “data for this study via the National Vital Statistics System…with rates adjusted for age according to postcensal population estimates.” The study team “collected mortality, race and ethnicity data from death certificates. The findings of the “cross-sectional study” were published online May 26 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rates differed significantly by race, ethnicity in past decade “Joe Gramigna, Healio, June 2, 2021

HCPlive (6/1, Walter) reports, “An earlier wake up time could pay dividends in drastically cutting the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD),” researchers concluded after examining “the association of genetically proxied morning diurnal preference with the risk of depression” in some “697,828 participants of European ancestry.” The study team “used up to 340 genetic loci associated with diurnal preference in a meta-analysis of the UK Biobank and 23andMe cohorts as genetic proxies for diurnal preference.” The findings were published online May 26 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Earlier Wake Up Time Reduces Risk of Depression “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, June 1, 2021