CNN (1/3, Howard) reports, “There appears to be a connection between social media use and depressive symptoms in 14-year-olds, and that connection may be much stronger for girls than boys,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data on 10,904 14-year-olds who were born between 2000 and 2002 in the” UK. The findings were published online Jan. 4 in EClinicalMedicine. CNN adds that child and adolescent psychiatrist Gary Maslow, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke University, explained that “he often points his patients’ families to the American Academy of Pediatrics for tips on how to establish healthy social media habits in the home.” Also covering the study are Reuters (1/4, Kelland) and The Guardian (UK) (1/4, Campbell).

Related Links:

— “Link between social media and depression stronger in teen girls than boys, study says, “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, January 3, 2019

MedPage Today (1/4) reports a study by researchers at Duke University analyzing data from the UK suggests “self-harm in adolescents was associated with more than threefold higher risk of committing violent crime…with certain risk factors raising the likelihood of ‘dual harm.’” The findings were published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage (requires login and subscription)

The NPR (1/2, Herman) “Shots” blog reports, “Two-thirds of states don’t keep track of how many families give up custody to help the child get mental health services.” However, research “by the Government Accountability Office found that back in 2001, more than 12,000 families in 19 states did exactly that.” Advocates for people with mental illness “blame decades of inadequate funding for in-home and community-based services across the country – a lack of funding that has chipped away at the mental health system.” The article follows the story of one family’s heartbreaking decision to help their child.

Related Links:

— “To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody, “Christine Herman, NPR, January 02, 2019

Medscape (1/2, Lowry, Subscription Publication) reports, “Food insecurity stems from limited financial resources, yet paradoxically, it is associated with binge eating disorder (BED) and excess weight,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 1,251-participant study were published online Dec. 19 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

According to Healio (1/2, Demko), after evaluating “data from a large community sample of more than 7,000 youth, researchers found a high rate of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, particularly in females and after puberty.” What’s more, “these symptoms were linked to higher rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, psychosis and suicide ideation,” the study found. The findings were published online Nov. 23 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Obsessive compulsive symptoms common in community youth, “Savannah Demko, Healio, January 2, 2019

On its front page, the New York Times (12/31, A1, Singer) reported, “Facebook has computer algorithms that scan the posts, comments and videos of users in the” US and elsewhere “for indications of immediate suicide risk.” Whenever “a post is flagged, by the technology or a concerned user, it moves to human reviewers at the company, who are empowered to call local law enforcement.” But, “in a forthcoming article in a Yale law journal,” health law scholar Mason Marks contends that “Facebook’s suicide risk scoring software, along with its calls to the police that may lead to mandatory psychiatric evaluations, constitutes the practice of medicine.” Marks argues that “government agencies should regulate the program, requiring Facebook to produce safety and effectiveness evidence.”

Related Links:

— “In Screening for Suicide Risk, Facebook Takes On Tricky Public Health Role, ” Natasha Singer, , December 31, 2018.

The Wall Street Journal (1/1, A1, Hopkins, Subscription Publication) reports that a new analysis from Rx Savings Solutions shows pharmaceutical companies are increasing prices on hundreds of drugs this year. According to the analysis, more than three dozen drugmakers raised prices on hundreds of medicines Tuesday. The Journal adds that overall, the price increases are in excess of inflation. Drugmaker Allergan increased prices by almost 10 percent on some two dozen medications, an analysis showed.

Related Links:

— “Drugmakers Raise Prices on Hundreds of Medicines, “Jared S. Hopkins, The Wall Street Journal, January 01, 2019.

The Hill (12/28, Bowden) reported “opioid-related deaths among teens and young children have nearly tripled since 1999.” The findings (12/7) were published in JAMA Network Open.

ABC News (12/28, Bracho-Sanchez) reported on its website that researchers “examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)” and found that “almost 9,000 children and young adults have died from opioid poisonings in the past 20 years.”

Related Links:

— “Opioid deaths in children, teens on the rise: study, “John Bowden, The Hill, December 28, 2018.

Psychiatric News (12/28) reported that on Dec. 26, “the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final order…to downgrade the risk category for certain uses of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).” This particular change was one “for which APA had strongly advocated, saying it could greatly expand access to safe, effective treatment for individuals with serious and persistent psychiatric disorders.

Related Links:

— “FDA Downgrades Risk Category for Certain Uses of ECT, Psychiatric News, December 28, 2018.

HealthDay (12/27, Mozes) reports, “Teens who are often bullied may be left with shrinkage in key parts of their brain, increasing their risk for mental illness,” researchers concluded after analyzing “brain scans of nearly 700 14- to 19-year-olds.” The study revealed that teens who were chronically bullied had at age 19 “reduced size in two key regions of the brain, compared to age 14” in the putamen and the caudate. The findings were published online Dec. 12 in Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Being Bullied May Alter the Teen Brain, “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, December 27, 2018.