MedPage Today (3/6, Kneisel) reports, “Pediatric atopic dermatitis was associated with increased risks of learning and memory difficulties, especially in kids with comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders, a cross-sectional study suggested.” According to “a weighted sample of over 69 million children, those with atopic dermatitis were more likely to experience learning difficulties compared with kids without the condition (10.8% vs 5.9%, P<0.001), along with memory difficulties (11.1% vs 5.8%, P<0.001), reported” researchers in JAMA Dermatology. Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (3/6, George ) reports, “Dementia was more common in people with essential tremor than in the general population, a prospective cohort study found.” Investigators found that “over 5 years, the cumulative prevalence of dementia was 18.5% and the average annual conversion rate of mild cognitive impairment to dementia was 12.2%.” Those “rates were three times higher than those in the general population and approximately one-half the magnitude of those reported in Parkinson’s disease.” The findings are scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting.

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MedPage Today (3/6, DePeau-Wilson ) reports, “Intravenous esketamine given during and after C-section diminished postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms early after birth, a randomized controlled trial in China showed.” Investigators found that “women who received IV esketamine had a significantly lower prevalence of PPD symptoms 7 days after birth compared with those who didn’t get the drug.” But, “there were no differences in PPD symptoms between groups at days 14, 28, or 42 after birth.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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HealthDay (3/6, Thompson ) reports that “a new study says some women are at more risk than others for menopause-linked mental health issues, and many escape them altogether.” Researchers found that “there’s no evidence that menopause causes a universal rise in risk for mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or psychosis.” Rather, “certain groups of women are more likely to have mental health problems during menopause – those with previous depression or depressive symptoms, those whose sleep is disturbed by nighttime hot flashes, and those who had a stressful life event around the time of menopause.” The findings were published in The Lancet.

Psychiatric News (3/6) also covers the story.

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— “Some Women Escape the Mental Health Effects of Menopause: Study,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 6, 2024

Psychiatric News (3/5) reports, “Frequent cannabis use may raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, a study…has found.” Investigators came to this conclusion after examining “data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) between 2016 and 2020.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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— “Frequent Cannabis Use Raises Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Psychiatric News, March 5, 2024

Healio (3/5, Weldon) reports, “Mass shootings on school campuses in the United States have become more deadly over the last 25 years, according to a study published in Pediatrics.” Overall, during that time frame “there were 1,453 school shootings. During the most recent 5 school years, there was a substantially higher number of school shootings than the prior 15 years combined, at a total of 794 shootings between 2017 and 2022.” Additionally, “there were an average of 7.6 fatalities in five school mass shooting[s] from 1997-1998 to 2011-2012 compared with 14 in six school mass shootings from 2012-2013 to 2021-2022.”

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— “Study: US school shootings more deadly since 1997,”Rose Weldon, Healio, March 5, 2024

The New York Times (3/4, Baumgaertner ) reports, “Toddlers who are exposed to more screen time have fewer conversations with their parents or caregivers by an array of measures. They say less, hear less and have fewer back-and-forth exchanges with adults compared with children who spend less time in front of screens.” These results, “published on Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, make up one of the first sets of longitudinal evidence to confirm an intuitive reality: Screens are not just linked to higher rates of obesity, depression and hyperactivity among children; they also curb face-to-face interactions at home – with long-term implications that could be worrisome.”

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MedPage Today (3/4, DePeau-Wilson ) reports, “The proliferation of ketamine clinics in the U.S. has veered far off course from the recommendations of the nation’s premier psychiatric association when it comes to using the anesthetic to treat mood disorders, experts say.” MedPage Today adds, “In 2017, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued a consensus statement on the use of ketamine in treating mood disorders, published in JAMA Psychiatry.” However, “the ketamine clinics cropping up across the U.S. don’t appear to follow that guidance, Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, of Stanford University and a spokesperson for the APA, told MedPage Today.” Dr. Das said, “[Intravenous] ketamine is being offered in smaller clinics off-label and there isn’t a practice guideline from the American Psychiatric Association that’s recommending ketamine for use in the way that it’s being used.” Dr. Das also “said the surge of ketamine clinics is something of a ‘wild west’ where vulnerable patients are being offered treatment without being informed of the downsides.”

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HCP Live (2/6, Derman) reports, “Many individuals who had an emergency department visit for cannabis use developed a new anxiety disorder within 3 years, according to a new study.” Investigators found that “this applied to 27.5% of individuals who visited the emergency room due to heavy cannabis use.” The findingswere published in eClinicalMedicine.

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— “Heavy Cannabis Use Linked to Increased Risk for Anxiety,”Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, February 6, 2024

HealthDay (3/1, Thompson ) reported, “Vaping and skipped meals appear to be the main causes of frequent headaches among teens, a new study says.” Published in Neurology, the study found that “overall, regular meals reduced risk of frequent headaches by 8%, researchers report. Researchers also found that teens who use e-cigarettes daily have twice the odds of frequent headaches than those who’ve never vaped.”

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— “Vaping, Skipping Breakfast Ups Headache Risk for Teens,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay , March 1, 2024