According to HealthDay (1/8, Thompson), the US is “in a state of shock and outrage over” the Jan. 6 “riotous siege on the U.S. Capitol Building by supporters of President Donald Trump.” Because “there could be still worse to come before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden,” it is important to take care of “mental and physical health…in the coming days of trial and tribulation…American Psychiatric Association President” Jeffrey Geller, MD, MPH, “said.” By “sticking to a normal daily routine, sleeping well, staying hydrated, eating healthy, exercising and participating in self-calming techniques like meditation or yoga, Geller said” that people could ease the stress they feel. People also should “try to avoid the use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco, Geller added.”

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— “Coping With Anxiety, Fear During a Rocky Presidential Transition ” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 8, 2021

MedPage Today (1/7, Ingram) reports researchers found that among patients with cancer “receiving long-term opioid treatment for pain, 19% developed behaviors of nonmedical opioid use.” The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (1/7, Chiu) reports, “Many Americans have been unable to pull their eyes away from images of hundreds of Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday – smashing windows, trampling over police officers, rampaging through the halls of government and forcing frightened lawmakers to flee.” But “constant exposure to images that generate fear, anxiety and distress can exact a heavy toll on people’s minds and bodies.” People also “may struggle with concentration or difficulties with sleep, causing confusion and exhaustion, said Jeffrey Geller, president of the American Psychiatric Association.” These effects “are likely to be only worsened by prolonged exposure to the triggering media, Geller said.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (1/4, Goldberg) reports on the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on addiction treatment. For example, some addiction treatments have been forced to close and studies have found that binge drinking has increased during the pandemic.

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— “‘Relapsing Left and Right’: Trying to Overcome Addiction in a Pandemic “Emma Goldberg, The New York Times, January 4, 2021

HealthDay (1/4, Murez) reports, “The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the emotional health of pregnant women whose exercise routines have been disrupted because of the coronavirus,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from an online survey of more than 1,800 U.S. women from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.” The study revealed that “women had higher depression scores than their counterparts who were able to exercise as usual.” The findings were published online in PLOS ONE.

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— “As Lockdowns Keep Pregnant Women From Exercise, Depression Rates Rise: Study ” Cara Murez, HealthDay, January 4, 2021

Healio (1/4, Gramigna) reports, “Heavy alcohol consumption during adolescence appeared associated with deleterious effects on white matter microstructural integrity,” researchers concluded in a study that “analyzed data of 451 participants aged 12 to 21 years at baseline who were included in the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence cohort.” Study “participants had two or more usable magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging scans and up to five examination visits across four years.” The findingswere published online Dec. 30 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Heavy alcohol consumption produces ‘deleterious’ effects on adolescents’ white matter “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 4, 2021

The Washington Post (12/4, Searing) reports, “Among high school teens in the United States, about 22 percent said they had used e-cigarettes, known as vaping, in the preceding 30 days,” according to researchpublished in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Meanwhile, “two new studies, published in the journals Tobacco Induced Diseases and PLOS One, report a link between vaping and mental fog.” Further, “people who vape, compared with those who do not, are 43 percent more likely to develop a respiratory disease,” according to research published in JAMA Network Open, and “a new study in the journal Addictive Behaviors finds that youths who vape are nearly three times more likely to take up cigarette smoking and more than twice as likely to try smokeless tobacco as are those who do not use e-cigarettes.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Reuters (12/31, Erman, O’Donnell) reported pharmaceutical companies raised US prices for 2021 amid the “effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced doctor visits and demand for some drugs.” The companies planned “to raise U.S. prices on more than 300 drugs in the United States on Jan. 1, according to drugmakers and data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors.”

The Wall Street Journal (1/1, Hopkins, Subscription Publication) reported that according to an Rx Savings Solutions analysis, companies raised their prices by an average of 3.3%.

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— “Exclusive: Drugmakers to hike prices for 2021 as pandemic, political pressure put revenues at risk “Michael Erman, Carl O’Donnell, Reuters, December 31, 2020

HealthDay (12/30, Thompson) reports, “Almost half of teenagers who regularly use” marijuana “admit they’ve gotten behind the wheel while stoned,” researchers concluded after analyzing “responses from more than 6,800 students 14 or older who participated in the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.” The study revealed that “nearly 13% of teen drivers said they’d operated a vehicle while stoned within the past month, compared with 5% who said they drove drunk.” The findings were published online in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

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— “With Pot Rules Relaxed, More U.S. Teens Driving While High: Study “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 30, 2020

The New York Times (12/30, Frakt) reports in “The Upshot” that “white Americans have higher rates” of suicide “than most other racial and ethnic groups.” In fact, “suicide in America has been rising for two decades, with rates for white Americans consistently well above those for Asian-Americans, Black Americans and Hispanics.” A possible “explanation may be a racial disparity in suicide data.” For example, research indicates that “deaths of Black Americans are far more likely to be coded as undetermined than those of white Americans, in part because Black Americans dying by suicide are less likely than whites to leave a note and to have a record of mental disorders.” The article includes links to a number of studies exploring racial disparities in suicide rates.

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— “What Can Be Learned From Differing Rates of Suicide Among Groups “Austin Frakt, The New York Times, December 30, 2020