Psychiatric News (11/4) reports, “As autumn renders the daylight hours shorter and winter creeps closer, a significant percentage of Americans will experience changes in mood, according to the latest APA Healthy Minds poll.” About “two-fifths of Americans (41%) said their mood declines during the winter months.” The poll found that “this is especially true in the Midwest and Northeast, where 52% and 46% of respondents, respectively, said they experience a decline in mood.” APA President Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, said, “The winter months have less light, the time change can feel abrupt, and the holidays for some are overwhelming. … It’s helpful to keep tabs on your mood. … If you’re feeling very poorly, consider talking to a mental health clinician, and also know that spring is only a few months away.”

Related Links:

— “Poll Finds Many Americans Experience Changes in Mood as Winter Approaches,” Psychiatric News, November 4, 2024

Healio (11/4, Jenkins ) reports, “Exercise interventions reduced daily alcohol dependence and significantly improved physical and mental health, like heart rate and anxiety, among patients with alcohol use disorder, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.” The researchers said “the changes in the five outcome indicators of physical and mental status were statistically significant…wh ich proves that exercise can be an adjunctive means of improving the quality of life and reducing the relapse rate of” patients with AUD “in conjunction with clinical treatments.” The findings were published in PLOS ONE.

Related Links:

— “Exercise improves physical, mental health in people with alcohol use disorder,” Cassandra Jenkins, Healio, November 4, 2024

Healio (11/1, Wursta) reports, “According to published results, severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may be risk factors for decreased bone mineral density, fragility fractures and undiagnosed osteoporosis.” Researchers “performed a longitudinal population-based cohort study of 444,480 patients aged 50 years and older.” The findings were published in the British Journal of General Practice.

Related Links:

— “Mental illness may be associated with fragility fractures, undiagnosed osteoporosis,” Max R. Wursta, Healio, November 1, 2024

Healio (11/1, Kellner ) reports, “Although state laws have expanded access to naloxone, overdose deaths among adolescents and young adults continue to climb, according to data.” Researchers found that “before NALs were implemented, opioid-related deaths rose 7.8% per year,” and “afterward, states with patient-specific NALs saw an increase of 4.7% per year in such deaths, and states with patient-nonspecific NALs experienced increases of 8.7% per year.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Study: Naloxone access laws have not reduced youth opioid deaths,” Sara Kellner, Healio, November 1, 2024

Medical Economics (10/31, Littrell) says a study “looked at 200 adults with chronic neck or back pain, and reported that effective physician-patient communication during the initial consultation can have significant implications toward patients’ overall outcomes.” According to one researcher, “patients were better equipped to manage their uncertainties, including fears, anxiety and confidence in their own ability to cope with their condition, as a result of effective communication during their first consultation.” The findings were published in the Journal of Health Communication.

Related Links:

— “Physician-patient communication during initial consultation affects outcomes for chronic pain patients,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, October 31, 2024

Oncology Nurse Advisor (10/31, Larson) reports, “Level of psychological distress, anxiety symptoms, and preparedness for cancer survivorship moderate the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in younger breast cancer survivors.” Oncology Nurse Advisor adds, “Pretreatment assessment of these moderators can help clinicians decide which interventions are most appropriate for these patients.” The research was published in JCO Oncology Practice.

Related Links:

— “Efficacy Moderators Identify Beneficial Psychosocial Interventions for Younger BC Survivors,” Jennifer Larsen, Oncology Nurse Advisor, October 31, 2024

Healio (10/29, Jenkins ) reports, “A community coalition-engaged intervention led to a statistically significant reduction in overdose deaths involving any opioid and psychostimulantsother than cocaine, according to a study.” T

he researchers said that the “results suggest that community-focused, data-driven interventions that scale up evidence-based practices with a communications campaign may collectively contribute to successes in addressing the evolving nature of some opioid-involved polysubstance overdose deaths.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Community-engaged intervention reduces polysubstance overdose deaths by 37%,” Cassandra Jenkins, Healio, October 29, 2024

HealthDay (10/29, Thompson ) reports, “Weed use among U.S. teenagers fell dramatically over the past decade, a new study shows.” Researchers found that “by 2021, only about 16% of teens said they were currently using marijuana, down from 23% in 2011.” Study results indicate that “all grades experienced a notable decline in current weed use, particularly among ninth graders.” The findings were published in Pediatric Reports.

Related Links:

— “Marijuana Use Has Fallen ‘Dramatically’ Among U.S. Teens,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 29, 2024

Endocrinology Advisor (10/28, Kuhns) reports, “Individuals with diabetes have a significantly higher risk for suicide than the general population, according to study results.” Researchers found that “over time, the suicide risk increased from 1999 to 2015 and then slightly declined from 2016 to 2020, though it remained higher than in earlier years, among individuals with diabetes.” The findings were published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Risk Factors Could Include Diabetes,” Lisa Kuhns PhD, Endocrinology Advisor, October 28, 2024

The Washington Post (10/25, Gilbert ) reported that Americans who cannot find or afford a professional therapist “are turning to artificial intelligence, seeking help from chatbots that can spit out instantaneous, humanlike responses – some with voices that sound like a real person – 24 hours a day at little to no cost.”

Organizations that operate mental health chatbots “say their users collectively would total in the tens of millions, and that doesn’t count those who use apps like ChatGPT that aren’t marketed for mental health but are praised on social media as a popular therapy hack.” The Post added that more than 6 million people with a mental illness last year “wanted but didn’t receive treatment.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)