CNN (11/4, Christensen) reports that research indicates “the number of US adolescents admitted to” emergency departments (EDs) “for injuries related to sexual abuse more than doubled between 2010 and 2016.” The data indicated that “for kids ages 12 to 17, the number increased from 2,280 in 2010 to 5,058 in 2016.” Investigators also “found that the number of emergency department admissions for child sexual abuse jumped from 5,138 in 2010 to 8,818 in 2016, an increase of more than 70%.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (11/4, Preidt) reports that the data also “showed that 85% of the” ED “admissions for cases of confirmed sexual abuse in this age group involved girls and 15% of the cases involved boys.”

The Hill (11/4, Sullivan) reports, “The researchers…noted that rates of sexual abuse have been declining, so the increase in treatment could be because of other factors, such as better coordination and awareness between medical and legal professionals.”

Also covering the story are Reuters (11/4, Carroll) and MedPage Today (11/4, Hlavinka).

Related Links:

— “Child sex abuse cases treated in ERs rose more than 70% in seven years, study says, ” Jen Christensen, CNN, November 4, 2019

Newsweek (11/1, Dodge) reported, “Veterans with moderate or severe pain intensity are more likely to attempt suicide, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The study evaluated more than 200,000 cases over a two-year period, discovering lower survival rates among veterans with pain, even when considering a history of suicide attempts, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and financial concerns.”

Related Links:

— “Veterans In Pain Are More Likely To Attempt Suicide, Va Study Shows, “Blake Dodge, Newsweek, November 1, 2019

Newsweek (11/3, Dodge) reported that “according to an article published” in the November 2018 issue of the journal Frontiers of Psychiatry, methamphetamine “can induce a psychosis similar to presentations of schizophrenia.” Recreational use of methamphetamine “has been associated [with] both auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions and disorganized speech.” These triggered symptoms are “not exactly a far cry from some of the most common markers of schizophrenic episodes like distortions in perceptions, false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking and disorganized speech, according to the authors.” The study abstract disclosed that 554 current users of methamphetamine were included in the study.

Related Links:

— “Amid Meth Resurgence, Police Often Can’t Tell The Difference Between Trips And Mental Illness: Report
, “Blake Dodge, Newsweek, November 3, 2019

CBS News (11/1, Cerullo) reported on its website, “Construction workers and miners are used to physically demanding, often dangerous work. Yet these jobs may also expose hard-hats to another risk: substance abuse.” The piece continued, “A recent study found that workers in these industries are more likely than other workers to use opioids and cocaine. A little over 3% of those employed in the construction trade and extraction industry had used non-prescription opioids over the past month, compared to 2% of other types of workers, according to the research, which was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.”

Related Links:

— “Construction workers and miners are the most likely to use opioids, “Megan Cerullo, CBS News, November 1, 2019

Psychiatric News (11/1) reported, “People who are homosexual, bisexual, or unsure of their sexual orientation have both a higher risk and a higher rate of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder than people who are heterosexual,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), a survey of roughly 36,000 U.S. adults.” According to Psychiatric News, “the NESARC-III determined if participants had eating disorders based on whether their responses suggested that they met the DSM-5 criteria for eating disorders.” The findings were published online Oct. 31 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders

Related Links:

— “Sexual Minorities Found to Be at Elevated Risk for Eating Disorders, Psychiatric News, November 1, 2019

HealthDay (11/1, Reinberg) reported, “How the media reports on celebrity suicides may increase the risk for copycats,” researchers indicated, “but following guidelines on the reporting of these suicides can reduce the risk of others following suit,” investigators concluded after using “14 variables from recommendations by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on how to report on suicide, which include not sensationalizing the death and framing the report as a public health issue.” In particular, “the researchers looked at how the guidelines were used after the suicides of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain.” The findingswere published online Nov. 1 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Media Reports on Celeb Suicides Could Trigger Copycats, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, November 1, 2019

Modern Healthcare (10/31, Meyer, Subscription Publication) reports a federal lawsuit, seeking class-action status, filed against Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) claims the insurer “is unlawfully denying behavioral health benefits to members in violation of generally accepted medical standards.” The complaint claims HCSC, which “runs Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in five states,” unlawfully denied coverage “to a young Chicago-area woman suffering from depression, substance use disorder, and borderline personality based on faulty guidelines issued by MCG Health in Seattle” last year. The article says that MCG’s guidelines used by HCSC are “much more restrictive than generally accepted medical standards issued by the American Psychiatric Association,” according to the lawsuit.

Related Links:

— “Major Blues insurer sued for denying behavioral health claims, “HARRIS MEYER, Modern Healthcare, October 31, 2019

MD Magazine (10/29, Ward) reports, “Patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], such as ulcerative colitis,” may be “at an increased risk of developing mental illness,” researchers concluded after combing “through a commercial database containing electronic health record data from 26 major integrated US healthcare systems to aggregate a patient cohort of individuals with a diagnosis of UC and depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder between 2014 and 2019 using the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms.” The findings were presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric Illness More Prevalent in People With Ulcerative Colitis, “Alexandra Ward, MD Magazine, October 29, 2019

Reuters (10/31, Rapaport) reports a recent study suggests that people “who have stress disorders like PTSD may be more vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infections, especially if they are diagnosed at younger ages or dealing with other psychiatric issues.” Researchers “examined data on 144,919 people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” and also “looked at data for 184,612 siblings of these subjects who didn’t have a stress disorder, along with more than 1.4 million unrelated individuals without these disorders.” The study was published in The BMJ, along with an accompanying editorial that the findings add to a large body of evidence linking PTSD and other stress-related mental health problems to an increased risk of poor physical health.

Related Links:

— “Stress disorders tied to risk for life-threatening infections, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, October 31, 2019

The AP (10/30, Miller) reports, “The Trump administration has unveiled a website” – FindTreatment.gov – that aims to help “millions of Americans with substance abuse issues learn about and locate treatment options.” The White House “said it believes the site…will enable the tens of millions of Americans with a variety of substance abuse and mental health issues to better access the care they need.” The site, which is “the latest development in the administration’s effort to address the nation’s opioid crisis,” adds user-friendly search criteria and tools to “an obscure directory of 13,000 licensed [healthcare professionals] maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.”

The Washington Post (10/30, Bernstein) reports the website includes information about “an array of treatment programs, including inpatient and outpatient services, as well as help for people under 18, veterans and members of the LGBTQ community.” Users will be able “to search for programs that accept different kinds of insurance and offer particular medications, such as buprenorphine or methadone.” Moreover, “the 13,000 [healthcare professionals] listed on the site have all been licensed by their states.”

The Hill (10/30, Sullivan) reports the site will also guide users to healthcare professionals that accept Medicaid.

Medscape (10/30, Ault, Subscription Publication) also reports.

Related Links:

— “White House launches website aimed at addiction treatment, “Zeke Miller, AP, October 30, 2019