MedPage Today (7/2, Kahn) reports, “Older adults who experienced delirium while hospitalized for COVID-19 had increases in functional disability and cognitive impairment in the 6 months after discharge, according to a prospective cohort study.” In the study, patients “with delirium had increased functional disability (rate ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.66) and cognitive impairment (odds ratio 2.48, 95% CI 1.38-4.82) over the 6 months after discharge compared with those without in-hospital delirium, reported” researchers in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (7/2, Jenkins) reports, “Youth with autism spectrum disorder and psychiatric comorbidities were more likely to be hospitalized and show greater symptom severity, which led to prolonged hospital stays and higher costs, according to study results.” In the study, “results showed patients with ASD and comorbid impulse control disorders had the highest likelihood of psychiatric hospitalization (OR = 7.2; 95% CI, 6.47-8.07), followed by disruptive behavior disorders (OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 2.2-2.77) and mood disorders (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.99-2.41).” These findings were presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

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— “Psychiatric comorbidities increase odds of hospitalization among youth with ASD,”Cassandra Jenkins, Healio, July 2, 2024

MedPage Today (7/1, DePeau-Wilson ) reports, “Multiple first-line antidepressant medications were broadly linked with weight gain, although bupropion (Wellbutrin) had the least amount of weight change, according to observational data.” In a two-year study, “the estimated weight gain was lower for bupropion compared with sertraline (Zoloft) – the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the analysis – at 6 months (difference -0.80 kg, 95% CI -1.26 to -0.42 kg), according to” researchers. Additionally, six-month weight gain was higher for “escitalopram (Lexapro): difference 0.41 kg (95% CI 0.31-0.52 kg); paroxetine (Brisdelle): difference 0.37 kg (95% CI 0.20-0.54 kg); duloxetine (Cymbalta): difference 0.34 kg (95% CI 0.22-0.44 kg); venlafaxine (Effexor): difference 0.17 kg (95% CI 0.03-0.31 kg);” and “citalopram (Celexa): difference 0.12 kg (95% CI 0.02-0.23 kg)” than bupropion. These results were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

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The New York Times (6/30, Philipps) reports research suggests brain damage experienced by Navy SEALs who died by suicide “may be just as widespread in SEALs who are still alive. A Harvard study, published this spring, scanned the brains of 30 career Special Operators and found an association between blast exposure and altered brain structure and compromised brain function.” Additionally, “the more blast exposure the men had experienced, the more problems they reported with health and quality of life.” The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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ABC News (6/29, Kekatos ) reported, “While anti-LGBTQ+ legislation can have a harmful effect on mental health, experts and LGBTQ+ rights advocates say legislation that strengthens protections for LGBTQ+ people can do just the opposite as well as bring a sense of acceptance and belonging.” Studies have “shown that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience mental health struggles than those who are heterosexual or cisgender. LGBTQ+ individuals are 2.5 times more likely to have depression and anxiety or to misuse substances compared with heterosexual individuals, according to the American Psychiatric Association.”

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— “LGBTQ people say their mental health is positively impacted when states have protective laws,”Mary Kekatos, ABC News, June 29, 2024

Healio (6/27, Welsh) says, “Perinatal vs. non-perinatal suicide was more likely to be associated with depression, substance use, physical health issues and recent bereavement, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and policies, researchers reported” in JAMA Network Open. In the study, “researchers observed higher odds of the following contributing factors for perinatal vs. matched non-perinatal deaths: intimate partner problems (OR = 1.45); recent argument (OR = 1.33;); depressed mood (OR = 1.39); substance or other abuse (OR = 1.21); physical health problems (OR = 1.37); and death of a family member or friend (OR = 1.47).”

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— “Mental, physical health, domestic violence, substance use tied to maternal suicide rate,”Erin T. Welsh, Healio, June 27, 2024

Psychiatric News (6/27) reports, “The U.S. Surgeon General issued a landmark advisory Tuesday spelling out the crisis of firearm violence and calling for a commitment from the nation – from firearm owners to clinicians to community leaders – to tackle the growing and urgent threat using a public health approach.” The advisory “calls for implementing community violence prevention programs and firearm risk reduction strategies; expanding research funding; and improving access to mental health care and support for those exposed to or at risk for firearm violence including trauma-informed care.” American Psychiatric Association CEO and Medical Director Marketa Wills, MD, MBA, said in response to the advisory, “The members of the American Psychiatric Association have become all too familiar with suicides and homicides involving gun violence and the additional impacts on people’s mental and physical health. … The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence elevates this crisis in our national attention and emphasizes the damage gun violence has caused to families across the United States. It affirms that people with mental illness are especially vulnerable and includes prevention strategies that could help save lives.”

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— “Surgeon General Lays Out Approach to Stem Growing Crisis of Gun Violence, Psychiatric News , June 27, 2024

Healio (6/26, Buzby) says, “The association between daily alcohol consumption and risk for hypertension is a linear relationship and the strength of the association varied between men and women, researchers reported” in Hypertension. In the study, “compared with a daily intake of 12 g per day, risk for hypertension increased with higher daily alcohol intake in a linear fashion: 0 g per day (RR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84-0.94); 24 g per day (RR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.15); 36 g per day (RR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.14-1.3); and 48 g per day (RR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.18-1.49).” (1 ounce = 28 g)

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— “Analysis suggests causal link between daily alcohol consumption and high blood pressure,”Scott Buzby, Healio, June 26, 2024

The AP (6/26, Bose ) says, “Racial and ethnic inequities in health care are found in every state in the U.S. despite the passage of legislation intended to improve health outcomes for minorities and increased awareness of health care disparities over the past two decades, according to a new national report released Wednesday.” The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report “detailed how structural racism and people’s surroundings have contributed to worse health outcomes for minorities,” and offered “recommendationsand solutions to health care organizations and the federal government, like a more diverse workforce and adjusting payment systems to make health care more affordable.”

The Hill (6/26, Daniels) says, “The report found that racial and ethnic minorities are significantly less likely to have primary care,” and “during emergency room visits, minorities experience longer wait times and are assigned less acute triage severity scores.” Meanwhile, “long-term care facilities serving minority residents offer fewer clinical services and have lower staffing levels.” In order to address the issue, “one action is to report data on the inequities. The report calls on the Office of Management and Budget to aggressively enforce requirements for routine collection of race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation and language data by all federal health care agencies and research programs.” Additionally, the report “urges the National Institutes of Health and other research funders to expand funding for research aimed at addressing health care inequities, structural racism and health-related social needs.”

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— “Health care needs to diversify its workforce to get rid of racial inequalities, a new report says,”Devna Bose, AP, June 26, 2024

CNN (6/26, Holcombe ) reports, “Lonely isn’t just how many people are around – it’s how you feel. And it may impact your stroke risk, according to a new study” published in eClinicalMedicine. Specifically, “older adults who reported being chronically lonely had a 56% higher risk of stroke than those who were consistently rated low on the loneliness scale, according to” the study. Although “there was a strong increase in risk for people who scored high on loneliness at both points of the survey, there was not a clear association with stroke risk in those who only scored high at one point in time, [lead study author Dr. Yenee] Soh said.”

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— “This non-medical intervention may reduce your stroke risk,”Madeline Holcombe, CNN, June 26, 2024