NBC News (2/6, Lovelace ) reports, “More than a year after the Food and Drug Administration announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall, doctors and patients say they are still struggling to get their hands on ADHD medications.” And “despite repeated promises from drugmakers that the supply crunches would be resolved soon, shortages persist and frustration is growing.” High demand, “coupled with drugmakers’ claim that they’re being restricted in how much they can make, has fueled a nationwide shortage, experts say.”

Related Links:

— “‘I’m fed up’: Frustrations grow as ADHD drug shortage continues,”Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, February 6, 2024

Psychiatric News (2/6) reports, “Black adults who have been exposed to gun violence at any point in their lives may have a higher risk of suicidal ideation, planning a suicide, or attempting a suicide, a study…has found.” More than 3,000 Black adults in the US were surveyed. Investigators found that “overall, 56% of participants reported being exposed to at least one type of gun violence, and 12% reported being exposed to at least three types of gun violence.” The researchers found that “participants who were exposed to one or two types of gun violence had 1.69 times the odds of reporting lifetime suicidal ideation, whereas those who were exposed to three or more types of gun violence had 2.27 times the odds of reporting lifetime suicidal ideation.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Exposure to Gun Violence Increases Risk of Suicidality in Black Adults, Psychiatric News, February 6, 2024

HCP Live (2/6, Derman) reports, “Lurasidone is linked to improving social functioning in patients with schizophrenia, a new study found.” The researchers “leveraged data from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group 6-week JEWEL study which started in May 2016 and ended in November 2018, as well as a subsequent 12-week open-label extension study to evaluate longer-term changes.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Lurasidone Linked to Improving Social Functioning for Schizophrenia,”Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, February 6, 2024

MedPage Today (2/2, Firth ) reports that as a “part of a broader overdose prevention strategy, the Biden administration announced changes to decades-old federal rules, which aim to simplify and expand access to addiction treatment in order to save more lives.” Specifically, a new rule issued by HHS “makes permanent pandemic-era flexibilities that allow eligible patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD) to receive take-home methadone doses.” In a statement, Bobby Mukkamala, MD, chair of the AMA’s Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force, called the rule a “step in the right direction in the fight against the worsening overdose epidemic.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/2) reported, “Playing a musical instrument and/or singing in a group may improve brain health later in life,” research shows. Published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study“found that playing a musical instrument, singing, and overall musical ability was associated with significantly better performance in working memory and executive function.”

Related Links:

— “Playing Music, Singing Linked to Better Brain Health Later in Life, Study Shows, Psychiatric News, February 2, 2024

HCPlive (2/2, Derman) reported that a “new study found antidepressants in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class did not increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke or other serious bleeding events in most ischemic stroke survivors.” Lead investigator Kent P. Simmonds, DO, PhD., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said, “Our results should reassure clinicians that for most stroke survivors, it is safe to prescribe SSRI and/or SNRI antidepressants early after stroke to treat post-stroke depression and anxiety, which may help optimize their patients’ recovery.” The study was published in Stroke and presented at the International Stroke Conference.

Related Links:

— “Masturbation abstinence is popular online. Doctors and therapists are worried,”Lisa Hagen, NPR , February 2, 2024

HCPlive (2/2, Derman) reported that a “new study found antidepressants in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class did not increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke or other serious bleeding events in most ischemic stroke survivors.” Lead investigator Kent P. Simmonds, DO, PhD., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said, “Our results should reassure clinicians that for most stroke survivors, it is safe to prescribe SSRI and/or SNRI antidepressants early after stroke to treat post-stroke depression and anxiety, which may help optimize their patients’ recovery.” The study was published in Stroke and presented at the International Stroke Conference.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants from SSRI or SNRI Classes Were Safe for Most Stroke Survivors,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, February 2, 2024

MedPage Today (2/4, Megli) reports, “For-profit ketamine clinics have proliferated over the past few years, offering infusions for a wide array of mental health issues, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and anxiety.” While “the off-label use of ketamine hydrochloride, a Schedule III drug approved by the FDA as an anesthetic in 1970, was considered radical just a decade ago, now between 500 and 750 ketamine clinics have cropped up across the nation.” Although “it’s legal for doctors to prescribe ketamine, the FDA hasn’t approved it for mental health treatment, which means that individual practitioners must develop their own treatment protocols.” This results in “wide variability” among healthcare professionals, “with some favoring gradual, low-dosage treatments while others advocate larger amounts that can induce hallucinations, as the drug is psychedelic at certain doses.” Iter Investments managing principal Dustin Robinson said, “Ketamine is the wild West.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

mHealth Intelligence (2/2, Vaidya ) reported that a new “study by nonprofit research organization RAND Corp. assessed telehealth availability, wait times, and service features for various mental health conditions and facility-, client-, and county-level characteristics associated with telehealth availability.” To perform the study, “RAND researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a secret shopper survey of mental health treatment facilities throughout the United States, except Hawaii.” The researchers found that “telehealth availability varied widely at the state level. Less than half of mental health treatment facilities in Mississippi and South Carolina were offering telehealth services versus all mental health treatment facilities contacted in Delaware, Maine, New Mexico, and Oregon.” The findings were published in JAMA Health Forum.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth Availability at Mental Health Facilities Varies Across States,”Anuja Vaidya, mHealth Intelligence, February 2, 2024

HealthDay (2/1, Thompson ) reports, “Coupons for e-cigarettes appear to be a powerful way to get people hooked on vaping, a new study shows.” Investigators found that “people who receive coupons for e-cigarettes are 50% more likely to begin vaping, and less likely to quit once they’ve started.” The research was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “E-Coupons Are Luring Folks to Taking Up Vaping,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 1, 2024