NPR (9/8, Noguchi) reports “eating disorders are thriving during the” current COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, “hotline calls to the National Eating Disorders Association are up 70-80%.” For some people, “eating is a form of control – a coping mechanism tied to stress.” Eating disorders also pose a “lethal threat,” having “the second-highest mortality rate of any psychiatric diagnosis – outranked only by opioid use disorder.”

Related Links:

— “Eating Disorders Thrive In Anxious Times, And Pose A Lethal Threat “Yuki Noguchi, NPR, September 8, 2020

USA Today (9/5, Ayres) reported, “During the pandemic, doctors in many parts of the country have connected with their patients online instead of in person for everyone’s safety.” Those “patients who had adapted to connecting to family and friends via video smoothly transitioned to seeing their physicians that way too, minimizing a lot of potential technical difficulties.” According to USA Today, “This situational advance of telemedicine has left many doctors and patients hoping it will continue to be an option even when life returns to ‘normal.’”

Related Links:

— “During COVID-19, many doctors and patients are using telehealth to keep connected “Amy Sinatra Ayres, USA Today, September 5, 2020

The New York Times (9/7, Goldberg) reports, “Early on in the pandemic, a pervasive myth among patients and some health authorities was the idea that Covid-19 was a short-term illness.” It’s only been “in recent months” that “more attention [has] been given to long-haulers.” For instance, the Times adds that “in online support groups like Body Politic and Survivor Corps, long-haulers have produced informal surveys and reports to study their course of illness,” and in one support group, “dozens wrote that their months of illness have contributed to anxiety and depression, exacerbated by the difficulties of accessing medical services and disruptions to their work, social and exercise routines.”

Related Links:

— “For Long-Haulers, Covid-19 Takes a Toll on Mind as Well as Body “Emma Goldberg, The New York Times, September 7, 2020

Healio (9/4, Gramigna) reported, “Certain types of childhood maltreatment were linked to suicide behaviors among children and young adults,” investigators concluded in a systematic review and meta-analysis that “included 79 studies with 337,185 youths, with a mean age of 15.67 years.” Researchers found “significant associations between higher suicide attempt rates and sexual abuse…physical abuse,” emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, and “combined abuse.” What’s more, “these forms of childhood maltreatment were linked to as much as a 2.5 times higher risk for suicide ideation, and sexual abuse specifically with a four times higher risk for suicide plans,” the review revealed. The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Childhood maltreatment linked to increased suicide behaviors among children, young adults “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 4, 2020

The Washington Post (9/3, Brulliard, Wan) reports that “physicians and researchers are seeing signs” that the coronavirus pandemic “is doing deep damage to people’s sleep.” Dubbed “coronasomnia” by some experts, it “could prove to have profound public-health ramifications – creating a massive new population of chronic insomniacs grappling with declines in productivity, shorter fuses and increased risks of hypertension, depression and other health problems.”

Related Links:

— “The pandemic is ruining our sleep. Experts say ‘coronasomnia’ could imperil public health. ”
Karin Brulliard and William Wan, The Washington Post, September 3, 2020

HealthDay (9/3, Norton) reports that anticholinergic medications may “speed up older adults’ mental decline – especially if they are at increased risk of dementia,” investigators concluded. The study also revealed that “healthy older adults on these medications had an increased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.” The findings of the 688-older adult study were published online Sept. 2 in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Common Meds Tied to Faster Mental Decline in Seniors “Amy Norton, HeathDay, September 3, 2020

HealthDay (9/3, Preidt) reports, “Young adults with kidney problems may be at increased risk for mental decline in middle age,” investigators concluded in a study that “included more than 2,600 people with an average age of 35.” Participants underwent “blood and urine tests to assess kidney function every five years for 20 years, and the tests were used to estimate their risk of kidney failure at each visit.” When the study period ended, “participants were given thinking and memory tests.” The findings were published online Sept. 2 in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Kidneys Might Affect Mental Status As You Age “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 3, 2020

The New York Times (9/3, Bakalar) reports obesity “may be linked to an increased risk for dementia,” investigators concluded in a study that analyzed “data on 6,582 men and women, age 50 and older, who were cognitively healthy at the” beginning of the study and who were tracked “for an average of 11 years.” The findings were published online June 23 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Related Links:

— “Excess Weight May Increase Your Risk of Dementia “Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, September 3, 2020

HealthDay (9/2, Preidt) reports, “Cyberbullying is less common among teens who feel loved and supported by their parents,” investigators concluded after analyzing survey “responses from more than 12,600 U.S. youth aged 11 to 15 years” in which the children “were asked about their bullying behaviors and their relationship with their parents.” The study revealed that “the more adolescents considered their parents as loving, the less likely they were to cyberbully, the survey findings” revealed. The findings were published online in the International Journal of Bullying Prevention.

Related Links:

— “Cyberbullying Could Rise During Lockdown, But Parents Can Stop It “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 2, 2020

NBC News (9/3, Kingkade) reports researchers “found active shooter drills in schools correlated with a 42 percent increase in anxiety and stress and a 39 percent increase in depression among those in the school community, including students, teachers and parents, based on their social media posts,” according to a report released by Everytown for Gun Safety. The report is based “on research from Georgia Tech’s Social Dynamics and Wellbeing Lab, which analyzed 27.9 million tweets and 1,454 Reddit posts that came from accounts with connections to 114 schools in 33 states that held active shooter drills in the 2018-19 academic year.”

Related Links:

— “Active shooter drills are meant to prepare students. But research finds ‘severe’ side effects “Tyler Kingkade, NBC News , September 3, 2020