Reuters (10/9, Carroll) reports a new study finds that few federal dollars “are available for research into ways to prevent firearm injuries even though they are the second-leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens and the leading cause of death among high schoolers.” Researchers looked at government databases, including “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to identify and quantify the leading causes of mortality in young people, and the Federal Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORTER), a searchable database of scientific research awards from federal agencies.” The study was published in Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Second leading cause of death in children, firearms attract few U.S. research dollars, “Linda Carroll, Reuters , October 9, 2019

CNN (10/9, Lamotte) reports, “Not only did eating a healthy diet for three weeks improve depressive symptoms in college-aged young adults, but those who continued the diet for three months kept their improved outlook on life,” research indicated.

Medscape (10/9, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “The analysis included 76 normal weight university students with a mean age of about 20 years.” Study “participants had a score of 7 or more on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Depression subscale (DASS-21-D), which corresponds with moderate depression symptoms, and a score of more than 57 on the Dietary Fat and Sugar Screener (DFS), which suggests a poor diet.” The findings were published online Oct. 9 in PLOS One. HealthDay (10/9, Heubeck) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Healthy diet improves depression in young adults, study says, “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, October 9, 2019

The ABC News (10/9) website reports, “Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death across the U.S. population, but is second-most among” college students. Completely “independent of college, statistics reveal a spike in suicidality between the ages of 15 and 25.” Students in higher education “today also face challenges that are particular to their generation, such as greater financial stress and an increasingly digital world that replaces face-to-face connection and may contribute to sensations of loneliness and isolation.” At the same time, “college counseling services face a particular challenge in developing protocols that can effectively triage and recognize students at higher risk.”

Related Links:

— “Rising suicide rates at college campuses prompt concerns over mental health care, “Eden David, ABC News , October 9, 2019

CNBC (10/8, Stieg) reports on a survey from nonprofit Mind Share Partners, which examined “the effects that mental health issues can have on employees” by having “1,500 people ages 16 and older who are employed at a company with at least 11 employees” answer “questions online about their mental health.” The survey found that “60% of people have experienced symptoms of mental health issues in the past year.” Furthermore, survey data indicated that “half of millennial (defined in this survey as 23-38 years old) and 75% of Gen-Zer (18-22 years old) respondents have quit a job partially due to mental health reasons.” The findingswere published in Harvard Business Review.

Related Links:

— “Half of millennials and 75% of Gen-Zers have quit jobs for mental health reasons, “Cory Stieg, CNBC, October 8, 2019

HealthDay (10/8, Reinberg) reports, “Eating disorders…may trigger suicide attempts, three new studies” indicate. In the first study, which included “data on more than 36,000 adults,” investigators “found that only half of those with eating disorders seek help, that some are less likely than others to seek help, and that people with eating disorders are five to six times more likely to try suicide.” The findings were published in the August issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. A second study, published online June 25 “in the journal BMC Medicine…found that adults with eating disorders have” a “five- to sixfold higher risk of suicide attempts, compared with people without eating disorders.” The third study, which involved “207 people with binge-eating disorder,” revealed that “more than half of the participants placed a high value on their weight or body shape.” The findings were published online July 2 in the journal Obesity.

Related Links:

— “Eating Disorders Linked to Suicide Risk, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, October 8, 2019

HealthDay (10/7, Norton) reports, “Americans are increasingly viewing people with mental illnesses as a violent threat, despite scientific evidence to the contrary,” research indicated. Investigators “found that compared with 10 to 20 years ago, more Americans today believe that people with schizophrenia are a violent threat toward others.” Specifically, “by 2018, over 60% of study respondents held that view – and a similar percentage thought people with the disorder should be forced into hospitalization.” The researchers’ conclusions “are based on a national survey conducted in three waves – 1996, 2006 and 2018,” in which “there were about 1,100 to 1,500 participants in each wave.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in the journal Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Spurred by Mass Shootings, More Americans View Mentally Ill as Violent, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, October 7, 2019

Reuters (10/7, Rapaport) reports, “Young people who attempt suicide by poisoning often use antidepressants or over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin,” researchers concluded after examining “U.S. Poison Center data from 2000-2018 on 1.68 million suspected cases of suicide by self-poisoning among people ages 10 to 25.” The findings were published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Toxicology. HealthDay (10/7, Gordon) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Youth suicide attempts often involve over-the-counter painkillers, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, October 7, 2019

Healio (10/7, Gramigna) reports, “Current evidence does not support claims of adverse health outcomes associated with antidepressant use, and such claims are likely exaggerated by confounding by indication,” investigators concluded in an umbrella review that included “45 meta-analyses of observational studies and 252 full-text articles.” The findings were published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants not associated with adverse health outcomes, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 7, 2019

Recent reports show a small but growing number of people are taking very high doses of loperamide, an anti-diarrheal medication, in an attempt to self-manage opioid withdrawal or to achieve a euphoric high. These individuals may be at risk of severe or fatal cardiac events. Download resources on loperamide misuse to share with your colleagues and patients.

Related Links:

— Prevent Loperamide Abuse

Newsweek (10/4, Gander) reported, “Transgender people who have gender-affirming surgery are less likely to need mental health treatment,” researchers concluded after examining “data collected between 2005 and 2015 from a Swedish population register linked to a national healthcare database,” then assessing “the available information on the 2,679 individuals diagnosed with gender incongruence.” The findings were published online Oct. 4 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Transgender People Who Have Gender-Affirming Surgery Less Likely To Need Mental Health Treatment, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, October 4, 2019