Medscape (12/8, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports that research indicates “individuals experiencing a current episode of major depressive disorder (MDD) are significantly more likely to have insulin resistance (IR).” Researchers “found patients with MDD were 51% more likely to have IR compared with their counterparts without the depressive disorder.” Additionally, “in individuals experiencing current depression, IR was…associated with depression severity and depression chronicity.” The findings were published online December 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (12/8) reports, “Women with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are at an increased risk of death compared with women without trauma exposure or depression,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data collected from participants in the Nurses’ Health Study II,” which “involves 116,429 women who enrolled in 1989 at ages 25 to 42 years and are followed-up biennially.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “PTSD, Depression May Increase Risk of Death in Women, Psychiatric News, December 8, 2020

Healio (12/8, Gramigna) reports, “Gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals had more adverse childhood experiences than their heterosexual counterparts in the United States,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data collected in households via structured diagnostic face-to-face interviews of 36,309 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older who were included in the 2012 to 2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.” The study revealed “the highest prevalence of adverse sexual experiences and comorbid substance use and mental health disorders among gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, especially bisexual women.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Gay, lesbian, bisexual individuals have higher rates of adverse childhood experiences “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 8, 2020

Healio (12/8, Gramigna) reports, “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health of” healthcare workers on the front line, “survey results released by Mental Health America” indicate. The online survey garnered responses from 1,119 healthcare workers, revealing that 93% of them “reported experiencing stress, 86% reported experiencing anxiety, 77% reported frustration, 76% reported exhaustion and burnout and 75% reported feeling overwhelmed.” Click here to see the full breakdown of the survey’s findings.

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— “Survey shows significant mental health burden on frontline care workers during pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 8, 2020

HealthDay (12/7, Mann) reports, “Growing numbers of younger kids are overdosing on stimulant medications commonly used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [AD/HD],” researchers concluded after reviewing “charts from close to 90 million emergency department visits for nonfatal overdoses that took place over three years among U.S. kids in three age groups: 0 to 10; 11 to 14; and 15 to 24.” The findings were published online Dec. 7 in Pediatrics. MedPage Today (12/7, Hlavinka) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “ADHD Medication ODs Rising in U.S. Kids, Teens “Denise Mann, HealthDay, December 7, 2020

According to Healio (12/7, Weller), the COVID-19 “pandemic has heightened the stress and burnout that” healthcare professionals “experience, such that it is imperative to seek mental health care and, when needed, take difficult steps to protect colleagues’ well-being, according to” a speech given by “Saul Levin, MD, MPA, FRCP-E, FRCPsych, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association and clinical professor at the George Washington School of Medicine…at the opening session of the virtual American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.” Dr. Levin said, “As physicians, we’re responsible for the health of our patients, but we need to remember, we’re also responsible for ours.” In addition, “physicians must…be able to recognize symptoms of burnout and depression in themselves and their colleagues.” Finally, “if immediate help is needed for a colleague who expresses active suicidal ideation, physicians must be prepared to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or emergency services, Levin said.”

Related Links:

— “It takes ‘great courage’ to support colleagues’ mental health during pandemic “Madison Weller, Healio, December 7, 2020

CNN (12/7, Rogers) reports, “Negative body image can threaten mental health, according to new research that found teenagers who were dissatisfied with their bodies tended to experience depression as adults.” When “study participants were 14, on a five-point scale (from extremely satisfied to extremely dissatisfied) they rated their satisfaction with their weight, figure, body build or breasts, stomach, waist, thighs, butt, hips, legs, face and hair,” and at 18 “a nurse assessed their depression symptoms and severity.” The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, found that “girls who were discontented with their bodies at 14 had mild, moderate and severe depressive episodes at 18, while boys had mild and/or moderate depressive episodes.”

Related Links:

— “Teens with negative body image may experience depression as adults, study finds “Kristen Rogers, CNN, December 7, 2020

Healio (12/4, Gramigna) reported, “Emergency psychiatric services and clinical and diagnostic COVID-19 screening of psychiatric emergency patients are needed during the ongoing pandemic,” investigators concluded after examining “sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, symptoms and disposition of patients evaluated for psychiatric emergency during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 1 and April 30, with those seen immediately prior to this period, between January 1 and February 28.” Next, the research team “compared the same outcomes of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 with those who tested negative,” rating “prevalence and nature of stressors related to COVID-19 that affected the emergency presentation.” The findings were published online Oct. 28 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Emergency psychiatric services needed to address mental health fallout of COVID-19 era ”
Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 4, 2020

According to the AP (12/5, Tanner), “When children and teens are overwhelmed with anxiety, depression or thoughts of self-harm, they often wait days in emergency” departments due to the shortage of “psychiatric beds.” The issue has become more severe, however, amid “the pandemic, reports from parents and professionals suggest.” While children find themselves bearing “new burdens many are unequipped to bear,” swelling hospitalized COVID-19 patient totals have made bed space “even scarcer.” The AP added, “By early fall, many Massachusetts ERs were seeing about four times more children and teens in psychiatric crisis weekly than usual, said Ralph Buonopane, a mental health program director at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston.”

Related Links:

— “ER visits, long waits climb for kids in mental health crisis “Lindsey Tanner, AP, December 5, 2020

The New York Times (12/3, Wu) reports, “Across the nation, testing teams are grappling with burnout, repetitive-stress injuries and an overwhelming sense of doom.” While “supply chains sputter and laboratories rush to keep pace with diagnostic demand, experts warn that the most severe shortage stymieing America’s capacity to test is not one that can be solved by a wider production line or a more efficient machine.” The issue comes down to “a dearth of human power: the dwindling ranks in a field that much of the public does not know even exists.”

Related Links:

— “‘Nobody Sees Us’: Testing-Lab Workers Strain Under Demand ” Katherine J. Wu, The New York Times, December 3, 2020