MD Magazine (6/2, Walter) reports, “Cannabis use is associated with poorer mental health outcomes, with evidence showing the use of higher-potency cannabis increasing these risks,” researchers concluded after examining “whether high-potency cannabis compared to low-potency cannabis increases the risk of problems resulting from cannabis use, common mental disorders, and psychotic experiences after controlling for early-life mental health symptoms and frequency of use.” The findings of the 1,087-individual study revealed that “use of high-potency cannabis was linked to a significant increase in the frequency of cannabis use,” as well as “cannabis problems…and increased likelihood of anxiety disorder.” What’s more, those “who use high-potency cannabis had a slight increase in likelihood of psychotic experiences…tobacco dependence,” and use of other illicit drugs. The findings were published online May 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “High-Potency Cannabis Linked to Poor Mental Health, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, June 2, 2020

MD Magazine (6/2, Walter) reports researchers have “established how loneliness and disease containment measures” in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic “could impact the mental health of both children and adolescents.” For “the rapid review, the investigators examined articles published between 1946-2020, with 20% of articles double screened using a predefined criteria and 20% of data double extracted for quality assurance.” The review revealed that “social isolation and loneliness increased the risk of depression, as well as the possibility of anxiety at the time of loneliness, which was measured between 0.25-9 years later.” What’s more, the review found that “young people were as much as three times more likely to develop depression in the future due to social isolation, with the impact of loneliness on mental health lasting up to nine years later.” The findings (pdf) were published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 Lockdown Having an Impact on Adolescent Mental Health, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, June 2, 2020

The Hill (6/1, Hellmann) reports the FDA “is reporting shortages of Zoloft [sertraline] and the generic version of the antidepressant as demand soars and supply chains for key ingredients are interrupted by the pandemic.” Pfizer told the agency “it has a limited supply [of Zoloft] available of the 100-count bottles of 100-milligram pills due to” an increase in demand, and other manufacturers reported shortages of generic versions.

Bloomberg (6/1, Edney) reports, “Zoloft prescriptions climbed 12% year-over-year to 4.9 million in March, the most ever in the U.S., according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.”

Related Links:

— “Zoloft shortages reported amid increased demand, strained supply lines, “Jessie Hellmann, The Hill, June 1, 2020

Newsweek (6/1, Gander) reports, “Changes to levels of the hormone estrogen appear to make consuming alcohol more rewarding to female mice,” investigators concluded, which could possibly “mean women are more likely to drink to excess at different phases of the menstrual cycle, one of the scientists involved” in the study “told Newsweek.” The findings were published online in the journal JNeurosci.

Related Links:

— “Estrogen Levels May Make Alcohol More Rewarding to Females, Say Authors of Study on Binge-drinking Mice, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, June 1, 2020

MedPage Today (6/1, Bankhead) reports, “Almost 20% of patients undergoing stem-cell transplantation had clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 6 months after the procedure, according to a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) virtual meeting.” The research found that “overall, 47 of 250 patients had significant PTSD symptoms, most often intrusion, avoidance, and hypervigilance.” Furthermore, “baseline quality of life (QoL), psychological symptoms, and marital status (single) had significant associations with PTSD 6 months after transplantation.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

According to Psychiatric News (6/1), the American Psychiatric Association (APA) “has issued statements in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in police custody in Minneapolis, and the resulting civil unrest this past weekend as demonstrators across the nation protested police brutality and institutional racism.” APA President Jeffrey Geller, MD, MPH, stated, “The demonstrations are a result of racism against Black people that has gone unchecked – and at times has been fostered by leaders of this country. APA will not stand for racism against Black Americans.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “APA stands with the Black community and all those opposed to racism to protect and improve the lives of those who have experienced discrimination and the associated trauma.”

Related Links:

— “APA Condemns Racism, Police Brutality and Calls for End to Racial Inequities, Psychiatric News, June 1, 2020

Modern Healthcare (5/29, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reported, “Experts fear the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s surveillance of COVID-19 cases and deaths among healthcare workers are under-counting the impact on the front lines, which could obscure the scope of the pandemic as it hits the front lines.” CDC numbers show “more than 63,000 healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19 and 307 have died from the virus as of Friday.” However, “those figures are based on information received from a relatively small pool of test reports,” as “the vast majority of the data collected lacks key information about the occupational status of those getting tested for the coronavirus.”

Related Links:

— “CDC underestimates COVID’s toll on healthcare workers, experts say, “Steven Ross Johnson, Modern Healthcare, May 29, 2020

CNN (5/31, Lamotte) reports, “Witnessing acts of racism via video, radio or social media can produce fear, anger and outrage, but even those who don’t take to the streets can experience significant emotional distress.” According to experts, this is called “vicarious racism,” and people can be harmed without being the victim. Studies have shown “that race-related stress is a significantly more powerful risk factor for poor mental health than stressful life events.” This “can contribute to anxiety disorders and depression.”

Related Links:

— “Vicarious racism: You don’t have to be the target to be harmed, “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, May 31, 2020

Healio (5/28, Gramigna) reports researchers in Japan found “postpartum women were more likely to use fatal suicide attempt methods and have more distinct and serious psychopathology than pregnant women.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Postpartum women at greater risk for fatal suicide attempt than pregnant women, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 28, 2020

USA Today (5/28, Dastagir) reports on the impact of black deaths on the African-American community. USA Today quotes experts discussing how the deaths of black people at the hands of police and from COVID-19 are taking a toll on the mental health of many black people in the US. For example, Dr. Danielle Jackson, a psychiatry resident and a board member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Caucus of Black Psychiatrists, said, “I can only describe the continued viewing of racial violence, torture, murder and disregard for the humanity of black bodies as repetitive trauma. Perpetrators of racial violence may have changed uniforms, speech, and coded message, but the message remains the same, ‘you – black person – are other, you are less than.’” Meanwhile, Dr. Roberto Montenegro, a chief fellow in psychiatry at Seattle Children’s Hospital who studies the impact of discrimination, “says living in a world where your body is a threat is painful and taxing.”

Related Links:

— “George Floyd video adds to trauma: ‘When is the last time you saw a white person killed online?’, “Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, May 28, 2020