The AP (12/17, Stobbe ) reports, “Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday.” Roughly “two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days.” That is “the largest proportion abstaining since the annual survey started measuring abstinence in 2017.” The Monitoring the Future survey found that “among 10th graders, 80% said they hadn’t used any of those substances recently, another record.” Meanwhile, “among 8th graders, 90% didn’t use any of them, the same as was reported in the previous survey.”

Related Links:

— “Most US teens are abstaining from drinking, smoking and marijuana, survey says,” Mike Stobbe, Associated Press, December 17, 2024

Psychiatric News (12/16) reports a study “suggests that more than half of patients wish to be notified when AI is used in their health care.” The researchers said their “findings suggest that notification about AI will be necessary for ethical AI and should be a priority for organizations and policymakers.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “ Majority of Patients Want to Know if AI Is Used in Their Health Care ,” Psychiatric News, December 16, 2024

HealthDay (12/16, Mundell ) reports “a new global review of data found that ‘increasing the number of daily steps, even at modest levels, was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.’” The “study found that up to a level of about 10,000 steps per day, the odds for depression decline as daily step levels rise.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “As Daily Steps Rise, Depression Levels Fall,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, December 16, 2024

The New York Times (12/13, Rogers) reported that while a Gallup poll released earlier this month found that 28% of Americans “say health care coverage in the U.S. is excellent or good,” 65% of Americans “say their personal health care coverage is good or excellent.” Americans who rated their health as “fair” or “poor” were “more likely to rate their health insurance negatively, as were those who were insured under the open marketplace through the Affordable Care Act.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Less Likely To Return To ED Or Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Study Finds
Psychiatric News (12/13) reported, “Youth who experience a mental health crisis and participate in a community stabilization program are significantly less likely to return to an emergency department (ED) or inpatient psychiatric unit, according to a study.” The researchers said, “This study suggests that community-based crisis intervention programs with an array of services and that focus on bridging youths to longer-term services may represent a safe and effective alternative to ED boarding for some youths with high-acuity behavioral health needs.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Community Stabilization Programs May Reduce Psychiatric Boarding Among Youth,” Psychiatric New, December 13, 2024

USA Today (12/13, Walrath-Holdridge) reported the FDA last week recalled “a popular antidepressant, often known by the brand name Cymbalta…due to the presence of a potentially cancer-causing chemical. More than 233,000 bottles of duloxetine capsules sold by Rising Pharmaceuticals were voluntarily recalled on Nov. 19, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration assigned the recall as a class II risk on Dec. 5. The risk level is the FDA’s second most severe level as it could cause ‘temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.’”

Related Links:

— “What is duloxetine and how does it work? What to know about antidepressant recalled by FDA,” Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, December 13, 2024

Healio (12/12, Rhoades) reports, “Reducing or eliminating physical activity disparities between boys and girls may result in substantially fewer cases of overweight and obesity and savings of around $780 million, results from a model simulation study suggest.” The findings “also showed that approximately $1.5 billion could be saved by eliminating sex disparities in sports participation.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Reducing sex disparities in physical activity may avoid thousands of obesity cases,” Andrew Rhoades, Healio, December 12, 2024

HealthDay (12/12, Thompson ) reports a study suggests that “seniors who want to stay sharp as they age should hit the treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike as often as possible.” The new research “shows that better cardio fitness in older age is linked to healthier brain aging.” That kind “of fitness preserves brain health as people age even if they carry genetic risk factors that make them vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported.” The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Staying Fit Can Keep Seniors’ Brains Sharp,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 12, 2024

HealthDay (12/11, Maher) reports “ableism, or prejudice against people with disabilities, is an established problem in general healthcare,” but “now, a small study shows those same issues persist in mental healthcare.” In some cases, “the barriers to care are physical, such as inaccessible entrances or a lack of reliable transit.” In other instances, “the hurdles are informational, such as hard-to-use online patient portals.” The findings were published in SSM – Qualitative Research in Health.

Related Links:

— “‘Ableism’ Prevents Many Americans From Getting Mental Health Care,” Denise Maher, HealthDay, December 11, 2024

CBS News (12/11, Breen) says, “Drug overdose deaths in the United States fell 17% between July 2023 and July 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report released Wednesday.” It marks “the largest decrease in deaths ever seen in the United States, White House Domestic Policy Council Advisor Neera Tanden said Wednesday.”

Related Links:

— “Overdose deaths in the U.S. fell 17% in 1-year period, CDC says,” Kerry Breen, CBS News, December 11, 2024