Systematic Review Links Traces Of Lithium In Drinking Water To Lower Suicide Rates

Newsweek (7/28, Gander) reports investigators have linked “traces of the chemical lithium in drinking water…to lower suicide rates” by examining data from “15 existing ecological studies related to lithium and suicide.” The findings of the systematic review were published online July 27 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

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— “Traces of Lithuim in Drinking Water May Have ‘Anti-Suicidal Effect’, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, July 28, 2020

Much Can Be Learned From COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stress To Help Vulnerable Families In The Future, Viewpoint Authors Say

Psychiatric News (7/28) reports the “trauma and unpredictability” of the COVID-19 pandemic may “add stress in the lives of vulnerable children, including those who are abused, maltreated, and/or have a mental illness.” For that reason, “there is much that can be learned from such stress to help vulnerable families in the future, according to” a viewpoint published online July 27 in JAMA Pediatrics. The viewpoint’s authors “advised researchers to carefully assess parents and children over time about family exposure to the pandemic and COVID-19–associated losses/strains, including the loss of housing, increased family conflict, and/or separation from a parent or the death of loved one.” The viewpoint’s authors concluded, “[L]essons from COVID-19 have the potential to deepen rather than diminish the research agenda on adverse early experiences among children and families.”

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— “Lessons From Pandemic Could Advance Understanding of How Best to Support Vulnerable Families, Psychiatric News, July 28, 2020

Survey Indicates Pandemic Has Had An Impact On Family Mental Health

MedPage Today (7/27, Hlavinka) reports that a national survey indicates that “as COVID-19 infections ravaged the country from March to June, parent and child well-being felt the ripple effects.” Among the more than 1,000 “parents who responded to the survey, 26.9% said their mental health had worsened, 14.3% said their children’s behavioral health had declined, and 9.6% said both their mental health and their children’s behavioral health had slumped.” The survey also found that “nearly half of these families reporting declines in parental and child well-being lost access to childcare (47.6%), and food insecurity also rose across the study period.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.

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HHS Formally Renews Determination COVID-19 Pandemic Is A Public Health Emergency

Psychiatric News (7/27) reports, “Last week, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar formally renewed the agency’s determination that the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency,” an extension that “keeps many regulatory changes and waivers relevant to psychiatrists – such as relaxed telemedicine restrictions – in effect for the time being.” In a letter (PDF) sent to Azar, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, wrote, “APA recently surveyed its membership to understand the impact of easing telehealth regulations on practice during the PHE [public health emergency],” finding “a major shift to the use of telehealth after the PHE was declared.” Dr. Levin continued, “These survey results mirror national research on telehealth that show improved access to care, reduced no-show rates, and a high rate of patient satisfaction.”

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— “HHS Renews Declaration of Public Health Emergency for COVID-19, Psychiatric News, July 27, 2020

AMA Opioid Task Force urges removal of barriers to evidence-based care for patients with pain, SUDs

Medscape (7/24, Hughes, Subscription Publication) reported, “In the past 5 years, there has been a significant drop in the use of prescription opioids and in deaths associated with such use; but at the same time there’s been a dramatic increase in fatalities involving illicit opioids and stimulants, a new report from the American Medical Association (AMA) Opioid Task Force shows.” Even though “the medical community has made some important progress against the opioid epidemic, with a 37% reduction in opioid prescribing since 2013, illicit drugs are now the dominant reason why drug overdoses kill more than 70,000 people each year, the report says.” In an attempt “to improve the situation, the AMA Opioid Task Force is urging the removal of barriers to evidence-based care for patients who have pain and for those who have substance use disorders (SUDs).” Task force chair and immediate past president Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A., told Medscape Medical News, “It is critically important as we see drug overdoses increasing that we work towards reducing barriers of care for substance use abusers. … At present, the status quo is killing far too many of our loved ones and wreaking havoc in our communities.”

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Studies Suggest Flu, Pneumonia Vaccines May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk

NPR (7/27, Hamilton) reports the findings from “two studies presented Monday at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference” suggest that “vaccines that protect against the flu and pneumonia may actually protect people from Alzheimer’s, too.” University of Texas researchers in the first study “combed through millions of medical records in a national database” and found that “people who got at least one flu shot had a 17% reduction in risk,” and those “who got regular vaccinations saw their risk drop another 13%.” The second study by Duke University and the University of North Carolina examined “the medical records of more than 5,000 people who were at least 65 years old,” and found people “who received a pneumonia vaccine before age 75 were at least 25% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”

CNN (7/27, Kane, Lamotte) reports experts “say more studies are needed to pin down the relationship between getting those vaccines and the reduced risk.” The article adds, “If getting vaccinated for flu or pneumonia, just on its own, can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, then these are important messages to get out to the public, Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer Maria Carrillo told CNN.”

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— “Flu Shot And Pneumonia Vaccine Might Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk, Research Shows, “Jon Hamilton, NPR, July 27, 2020

More Education, Higher Incomes May Be Tied To Symptoms Of Depression, Anxiety In Black Men, Research Suggests

The Washington Post (7/24, Blakemore, Blakemore) reported data from six recent studies indicate that while “more education and higher incomes are associated with a lower risk of depression and discrimination for white people and black women…for high-achieving black men, more success actually increases the likelihood they will experience symptoms of depression and anxiety.” The researchers wrote in a separate article, “Race alone may not be the issue here. Instead, it is an issue of race and gender, that may stem from hopelessness, inequality and blocked opportunities.” Click here to learn more about the studies referenced in this article.

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Raising Minimum Age For Handgun Purchases May Result In Fewer Suicides By Teens, Study Indicates

HealthDay (7/23, Preidt) reports, “Hundreds of suicides could be prevented in the United States each year if the minimum age for buying a handgun was raised to 21 in the 33 states that have a minimum age of 18,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data on suicides by teens ages 13-20 in the 46 states that didn’t change their handgun sales policies between 2001 and 2017.” The study revealed that “a minimum age of 18 to buy a handgun was associated with 344 extra deaths on average among young people ages 18-20 during the study period,” whereas “a minimum age of 21 to buy a handgun was associated with an 18% lower rate of suicide among those ages 18-20.” The findings were published online July 22 in the BMJ.

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— “With Tighter Handgun Laws, U.S. Would See Fewer Suicides by Young People, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 23, 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic, Infection May Be Associated With Increased Risk For Development Of General Psychiatric Disorders, Loneliness, Researchers Say

Healio (7/23, Gramigna) reports, “The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as infection with the virus, appeared associated with increased risk for development of general psychiatric disorders and loneliness,” researchers concluded after examining available data on some “15,530 participants who served as the first wave of the Understanding Society COVID-19 study.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the September issue of the journal Psychiatry Research.

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— “COVID-19 pandemic, infection increase risk for general psychiatric disorders, loneliness, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 23, 2020

Genes, Healthy And Fulfilling Lifestyle May Explain Why Some People In Their 90s Remain Sharp, Small Study Indicates

Newsweek (7/22, Gander) reports, “Both our genes and our lifestyles may explain why some people maintain good memory into their 90s,” research indicated.

HealthDay (7/22, Reinberg) reports that in a study involving “100 people without dementia, average age 92, who were followed for up to 14 years,” researchers sought to find out why “some people in their 90s stay sharp whether their brain harbors amyloid protein plaques – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease – or not.” The study revealed that “a combination of genetic luck and a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle” were probably why these people maintained cognitive resilience as nonagenarians. The findings were published online July 22 in the journal Neurology.

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— “Genetics and Lifestyle May Explain Why Some Have Sharp Memory in Their 90s, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, July 22, 2020