E.J. Mundell (6/20, Mundell) reports, “As society relaxes its rules around marijuana, U.S. teens seem to be responding by using the drug in much bigger numbers than a generation ago,” researchers concluded after examining “1991-2017 U.S. federal health data on more than 200,000 high school students.” Investigators “found that the number who said they’d used pot at least once over the past month rose 10-fold – from 0.6% in 1991 to 6.3% by 2017.” The findings were published online in the American Journal of Public Health.

Related Links:

— “Marijuana Use By Teens In The US Has Risen Tenfold Since The 1990s, Research Indicates, ” E.J. Mundell, HealthDay, June 20, 2019

The Hill (6/19, Slaughter) reports, “Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie told lawmakers his agency is stepping up efforts to prevent veteran suicides during testimony before a Senate panel Wednesday.” During testimony, Wilkie said, “Suicide is a national public health issue that affects communities everywhere. Just as there is no single cause of suicide, no single organization can end veteran suicide.” He added, “We must work side-by-side with our partners at all levels of government and in the private sector to provide our veterans with the mental health and suicide prevention services they need.”

Related Links:

— “VA chief pressed on efforts to prevent veteran suicides, “Brittany Slaughter, The Hill, June 19, 2019

TIME (6/20, Ducharme) reports a new analysis released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reveals suicide rates in the US “are at their highest since World War II…and the opioid crisis, widespread social media use and high rates of stress may be among the myriad contributing factors.” The data indicate that in 2017, “14 out of every 100,000 Americans died by suicide” – a “33% increase since 1999.” In addition, the data show that “the male suicide rate was more than three times higher than the female rate,” but “female suicide rates are rising more quickly.” The analysis also reveals that for both men and women, “suicide rates are highest among American Indians and Alaska natives, compared to other ethnicities.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Suicide Rates Are the Highest They’ve Been Since World War II, “Jamie Ducharme, TIME, June 20, 2019

The AP (6/18, Tanner) reports in health surveys in 2016-2017 of almost 500,000 women in the US “7% of pregnant women, or 1 in 14, said they used marijuana in the past month,” compared to “a little over 3% in 2002-03.” The findings were published in JAMA and presented at a medical conference.

Medscape (6/18, Haelle, Subscription Publication) reports in a second study, “Canadian research reveals that such use comes with greater risk of preterm birth and several other poor perinatal and neonatal outcomes.” The second study was also published in JAMA. Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, of Boston University School of Medicine, and two colleagues wrote in an accompanying editorial, “These two studies send a straightforward message: cannabis use in pregnancy is likely unsafe; with an increasing prevalence of use (presumably related to growing social acceptability and legalization in many states), its potential for harm may represent a public health problem.”

Related Links:

— “Marijuana use doubles in US pregnant women to 1 in 14, “Lindsey Tanner, AP, June 18, 2019

HealthDay (6/18, Reinberg) reports a study based on over one million California hospital records found nearly 20 percent of deaths among women who died within a year of giving birth were due to drug overdose or suicide from 2010 to 2012. The research also indicated “about 75% of those who died had visited an emergency department at least once after giving birth.” The research was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Related Links:

— “Drug Overdoses, Suicide Are Risk for New Mothers: Study, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, June 18, 2019

In a nearly 3,500-word piece, the AP (6/18) reports, “Suicide, long the leading cause of death in U.S. jails, hit a high of 50 deaths for every 100,000 inmates in 2014,” which was “the latest year for which the government has released data.” More and more, “troubling questions are being raised about the treatment of inmates in many jails, possible patterns of neglect – and whether better care could have stopped suicides.” Now, “a joint investigation by the Associated Press and the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service finds that scores of jails have been sued or investigated in recent years for allegedly refusing inmates medication, ignoring their cries for help, failing to monitor them despite warnings they might harm themselves or imposing such harsh conditions that the sick got sicker.”

Related Links:

— “Many US jails fail to stop inmate suicides, investigation reveals, AP, June 18, 2019

Reuters (6/18, Carroll) reports that since 2007, “suicide rates have been climbing among U.S. teens, with an especially pronounced increase in boys recently,” researchers concluded after examining data from “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Underlying Cause of Death database.” The study’s lead author “hopes the study will alert parents and other relatives to the increasing suicide rates so they will notice changes in teens and young adults that might suggest a risk for suicide.” The findings were published June 18 in a research letter in JAMA.

According to CNN (6/18, Howard), “overall in 2017, there were 6,241 suicides among young people aged 15 to 24, of whom 5,016 were young men and 1,225 were young women, the researchers found.” The study, however, “had some limitations, including that the causes of death in the data were based on death certificates, which can be subject to error, or it could suggest that the observed increase in suicide deaths may reflect more accurate reporting in certificates.” In addition, investigators “did not examine factors behind the increase in suicide rates.”

Also covering the story are The Hill (6/18, Budryk), MedPage Today (6/18, Hlavinka), HealthDay (6/18, Thompson), and Medical Daily (6/18).

Related Links:

— “U.S. teen suicides rising, especially among boys, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, June 18, 2019

Healio (6/17, Miller) reports that Sourav Sengupta, MD, MPH, director of the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program and assistant professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, “recently wrote an essay that appeared in JAMA where he discussed his struggles at balancing his professional workload and social and familial responsibilities and how he ultimately realized he needed professional help to overcome these difficulties.” Back in 1964, “researchers studied this ongoing battle, providing limited details in the” American Psychiatric Association’s journal the “American Journal of Psychiatry of a clinician who took multiple narcotics as he dealt with problems at home and work.” Dr. Sengupta provided “some advice to clinicians who may not think they need help or perhaps are afraid to,” saying, “Let’s face it: we’re not the best at assessing and addressing our own core emotional challenges. Getting some outside perspective and support and direction provides a map back to feeling well.”

Related Links:

— “Clinician who sought mental health help shares journey, “Janel Miller, Healio, June 17, 2019

The Washington Post (6/17, Dennett) reports “that eating disorders in midlife — and beyond — are all too common among women,” as indicated by “a 2012 study [that] estimated that 13 percent of American woman age 50 and older have eating disorder symptoms.” Moreover, “a 2017 study found that about 3.5 percent of women older than 40 have a diagnosable eating disorder, yet most are not receiving treatment.” Finally, “another study found that though rates of anorexia plateau around age 26, rates of bulimia don’t plateau until around age 47, and rates of binge-eating disorder don’t plateau until the 70s.”

Related Links:

— “The overlooked crisis of eating disorders among middle-aged women, “Carrie Dennett, The Washington Post, June 17, 2019

MedPage Today (6/17, D’Ambrosio) reports, “Sexting among adolescents was linked to increased sexual behaviors and mental health risks in youth,” researchers concluded in a 23-study “review and meta-analysis.” The findings were published online June 17 in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (6/17, Thompson) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Teen Sexting Can Be Warning Sign of Other Risky Behaviors, “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 17, 2019