Reuters (6/30, S K, Singh) reports the FDA said Monday it is “revising the labeling of all extended-release stimulants used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to include warnings about the risk of weight loss and other side effects in patients under six years old.” The agency stated “that it is requiring a ‘limitation of use’ section in the prescribing information of all extended-release stimulants to include a statement on higher rates of adverse reactions in children younger than six years.”

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— “US FDA to revise ADHD stimulants labels to warn of weight loss risk in children under 6,”Sneha S K , Reuters, June 30, 2025

MedPage Today (6/30, Robertson ) reports a study found that “Medicaid reimbursement for postpartum depression (PPD) screening at well-child visits may increase detection and treatment of PPD in the first year postpartum.” Researchers utilized adjusted difference-in-differences models and “found that Medicaid reimbursement for maternal depression screening during well-child visits was associated with a 9.6 percentage point increase in the probability of billed depression screens and 18 additional depression screenings per 100 births during those visits.” Furthermore, they observed that “PPD screening reimbursement was associated with a 2.5 percentage point increase in the probability of the mother being diagnosed with a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder, a 3.3 percentage point increase in any outpatient mental health treatment, as well as a 3.3 percentage point decrease in prescription fills for medications for mood or anxiety disorders compared with mothers with commercial insurance.” The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (6/30, Thompson ) reports a systemic review and meta-analysis found that “both anxiety and depression decrease when kids take part in structured exercise programs,” which offer “an alternative to medications like antidepressants.” The review “pooled data from 375 prior clinical trials involving more than 38,000 kids 5 to 18.” Researchers observed that “anxiety improved through low-intensity resistance exercise, such as lifting light weights or gentle training using circuit weight machines.” Meanwhile, depression “improved most through moderate-intensity exercise in training that combines aerobic and strength programs.” Furthermore, they found that “the biggest improvements in depression symptoms occurred in programs lasting fewer than three months, suggesting that benefits of exercise can emerge relatively quickly.” In addition, the study found no significant difference between frequency or duration of exercise in improving mental health. The review was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Exercise Helps Kids’ Mood Disorders, Can Serve As Alternative To Meds, Review Finds,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 30, 2025

HealthDay (6/26, Thompson ) reports a study found that “children who’ve experienced only a single traumatic event are more than twice as likely to be chronically absent from school due to health problems.” The researchers “analyzed data from parents of more than 10,000 children 6 to 17 collected by the 2021-2022 National Health Interview Survey.” They found that children exposed to traumas such as racial or ethnic discrimination, verbal or emotional abuse, or having a parent who is incarcerated, mentally ill, or has a substance use disorder “were 2.4 times more likely to be chronically absent from school, missing at least 10% of school days due to health reasons.” Furthermore, “for each additional traumatic event they endured, their risk of health-related chronic absenteeism rose by 25%, researchers found.” Notably, exposure to violence “was associated with 2.6 times higher odds of chronic absenteeism.” The study was published in Academic Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Education Suffers After Even A Single Brush With Childhood Trauma,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 26, 2025

STAT (6/26, Facher, Subscription Publication) reports a study found that “compared to white patients, Black and Hispanic patients were 17.1% and 16.2% less likely, respectively, to receive either buprenorphine or naltrexone within 180 days of a health care event related to their substance use, like a nonfatal overdose or addiction-related infection.” The study is the first to “analyze data from multiple payers at once,” as it includes “data from roughly 176,000 health events related to substance use, and tracks receipt of medication based on claims data from Medicaid programs, Medicare Advantage, and private commercial insurers.” In addition, researchers found that “patients using either of the government-backed insurance options – Medicaid or Medicare Advantage – were substantially more likely to receive buprenorphine or naltrexone than those with commercial insurance.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Black, Hispanic patients significantly less likely to receive key addiction medications, study finds,” Lev Facher, STAT, June 26, 2025

HealthDay (6/25, Gotkine ) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis found that “paternal mental distress is associated with poorer child development.” The researchers “conducted a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature on the association between paternal perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress and offspring development during the first 18 years of life. Of the studies identified, 48 cohorts (from 84 studies) with 674 effect sizes met criteria for quantitative synthesis.” They observed “associations for paternal perinatal mental distress with poorer global, social-emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development in offspring. There was no evidence for adaptive and motor outcomes.” Further, they noted that “generally stronger associations were seen for postnatal than antenatal mental distress, suggesting that a more direct influence on the developing child may be exerted by the father’s mental state after birth.” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Paternal Mental Distress Linked to Poorer Offspring Development,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, June 25, 2025

HealthDay (6/25, Thompson ) reports a study found that “people living with an autoimmune disease are nearly twice as likely to suffer from mood problems like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.” According to researchers, “the risk of mood disorders is 87% to 97% higher in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and Graves’ syndrome,” and the “risk remains higher even after accounting for other factors like age, income and family history of psychiatric disorders.” They observed that about 29% of more than 37,800 study participants “with an autoimmune illness said they’d been previously diagnosed with a mood disorder, compared with 18% of the general population.” This figure “included more than 25% versus 15% diagnosed with depression, and 21% versus nearly 13% diagnosed with anxiety. Women with autoimmune diseases were particularly vulnerable to mood disorders, affecting 32% compared with 21% among men, results show.” The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Autoimmune Diseases Increase Risk Of Mood Disorders,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 25, 2025

HealthDay (6/23, Thompson ) reports a study found that fewer than one in five children with autism or intellectual disability covered by Medicaid “are receiving recommended genetic testing, even though guidelines urge such tests.” The researchers “analyzed claims data for more than 240,000 children 7 to 17 enrolled in either Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program from 2008 to 2016.” They observed that “genetic testing rates were highest among children with both autism and intellectual disabilities, reaching 26%. But they were just 17% for kids with autism and 13% for those with intellectual disability, results show.” Researchers noted that “rates remained low even as newer and less expensive genetic testing methods gained traction after 2013.” In addition, the study “found that Black children were less likely to receive genetic testing compared with white kids.” The study was published in Genetics in Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Genetic Tests For Autism, Intellectual Disability Not Being Done On Medicaid Kids,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 23, 2025

Psychiatric News (6/23) reports a new APA Health Minds poll found that 55% of adults “believe climate change is impacting Americans’ mental health, while four in 10 adults say they have personally experienced effects on their mental health.” According to the poll, 35% of respondents “worry about climate change on a weekly basis, indicating that for many, this is a persistent source of stress.” Meanwhile, 18% of respondents “said climate change was having a significant impact on their mental health, with 26% saying it was having somewhat of an impact.” The data also “highlighted generational and parental divides in perceptions of climate change’s mental health impact. Younger adults ages 18 to 34 were significantly more likely than those 65 or older to report that climate change is affecting their personal mental health (65% versus 30%). Parents (52%) were significantly more likely than non-parents (42%) to report climate change is currently impacting their mental health.”

Related Links:

— “Climate Change Significantly Affects Mental Health, Especially Among Younger Adults,” Psychiatric News, June 23, 2025

HealthDay (6/20, Solomon) reported a study found that “there are substantial racial and ethnic differences in U.S. adolescents’ use of mental health services.” The researchers analyzed “data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2022 to 2023) to estimate racial and ethnic differences in mental health service.” They found that “the percentage of adolescents receiving any mental health visit was 31.7 percent among non-Hispanic White adolescents but was significantly lower among participants of racial and ethnic minority groups, ranging from 21.9 percent for non-Hispanic Black adolescents to 25.6 percent for Hispanic adolescents. There were also significant differences seen in prescription medication use and receipt of care in outpatient, school, and telemental health settings.” Furthermore, researchers noted “few to no racial or ethnic differences for receipt of mental health services from support groups, peer support specialists or recovery coaches, inpatient or residential settings, or emergency departments.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Racial, Ethnic Differences Seen in Teens’ Use of Mental Health Services,” Lori Solomon, HealthDay, June 20, 2025