HealthDay (7/7, Murez) reported, “The use of antipsychotic medication in children is continuing to plummet, likely because of better policies and education,” investigators concluded after examining “Medicaid claims data between 2008 and 2016, looking at the off-label usage of these medications.” The study revealed “a 43% drop in antipsychotic prescriptions for Medicaid-enrolled children in 45 states, a stark contrast from the sharp rise in the 2000s.” The study authors concluded, “The decline we observed likely reflects the convergence of multiple state safer-use policies along with educational initiatives and the implementation of quality metrics for safe antipsychotic prescribing.” The findings were published in the July issue of the journal Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Fewer Kids Are Being Prescribed Antipsychotic Meds,”Cara Murez, HealthDay, July 7, 2023

Healio (7/7, Weldon) reported, “There was a ‘psychiatric boarding crisis’ in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, as psychiatric services were not prepared to support the number of youths needing care,” investigators concluded after cataloging “7,625 psychiatric emergency services encounters of patients aged four to 20 years who attended one of five mobile clinics operated by the Boston Emergency Services Team in Massachusetts.” The study suggested that “pediatric mental health services were not prepared for the number of youths needing care during the COVID-19 pandemic,” with “a lack of beds and staff” possibly having “contributed to the hardship.” The findings were published online July 6 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “US had ‘psychiatric boarding crisis’ during COVID-19 pandemic,”Rose Weldon, Healio, July 7, 2023

HealthDay (7/7, Murez) reported, “Americans who engage in creative activities – from crafting to playing the piano to painting — report better mental health, according to” findings from a 2,202-adult Healthy Minds Monthly Poll conducted in June by the American Psychiatric Association and announced in a July 6 news release. In that release, APA President Petros Levounis, MD, MA, stated, “Creative activities aren’t just for fun, they can help us take a step back from the daily grind, use our brains differently, and relax,” and “picking up that paintbrush or solving a tricky puzzle can truly move us to a different mindset.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “APA is pleased to call attention to these positive actions as part of the public discussion on mental health.”

Related Links:

— “Expressing Yourself Creatively Gives Mental Health Boost, Poll Finds,”Cara Murez, HealthDay, July 7, 2023

According to the New York Times (7/9, Span), “as baby boomers have turned 65, the age at which they typically qualify for Medicare, substance use disorders among the older population have climbed steeply.” For instance, “a study of opioid use disorder in people over 65 enrolled in traditional Medicare” published in a research brief in the June 2021 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, “showed a threefold increase in just five years – to 15.7 cases per 1,000 in 2018 from 4.6 cases per 1,000 in 2013.” Additionally, “fatal overdoses have…soared among seniors,” according to the findings of a research letter published online March 29 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Substance Abuse Is Climbing Among Seniors,”Paula Span, The New York Times, July 9, 2023

The New York Times (7/6, Belluck) reports the FDA granted “full approval to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi (lecanemab), and Medicare said it would cover much of its high cost, laying the foundation for widespread use of a medication that can modestly slow cognitive decline in the early stages of the disease but also carries significant safety risks.” The agency’s “decision marks the first time in two decades that a drug for Alzheimer’s has received full approval, meaning that the agency concluded there is solid evidence of potential benefit.” However, the FDA “also added a so-called black-box warning…stating that in rare cases the drug can cause ‘serious and life-threatening events.’”

Reuters (7/6, Beasley, Steenhuysen) reports the drug, “which is given intravenously, has a U.S. list price of $26,500 per year.” The “new label explains the need to monitor patients for potentially dangerous brain swelling and bleeding associated with amyloid-lowering antibodies.” Additionally, “the drug’s new label includes data showing that the use of certain anti-coagulants with Leqembi has been linked to a risk of brain hemorrhage.”

Related Links:

— “New Federal Decisions Make Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi Widely Accessible,”Pam Belluck, The New York Times , July 6, 2023

MedPage Today (7/6, Putka) reports, “Adults with cannabis use disorder had a moderately increased risk of morbidity and in-hospital mortality after major elective surgery compared with those without cannabis use disorder, a large retrospective study found.” Data show that “among 12,422 hospitalized patients, a composite outcome of perioperative complications and mortality occurred in 7.73% of the cannabis use disorder group and 6.57% of a matched control group.” The findings were published online in JAMA Surgery.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (7/6, Norton) reports, “Loneliness might be a true heartbreaker for people with diabetes – raising their odds of a heart attack even more than unhealthy lifestyle habits do,” according to findings from “a new study of over 18,000 adults with the blood sugar disease” published online in the European Heart Journal. The study team “found that people who reported feeling lonely were up to 26% more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke in the next decade, compared to those who felt more socially connected.”

Related Links:

— “Loneliness Can Really Break a Heart in People With Diabetes,”Amy Norton, HealthDay, July 6, 2023

Healio (7/6, Young) reports, “Depression associated with hormonal contraception” (HC) “may indicate susceptibility to postpartum depression,” investigators concluded in findings published online April 26 in JAMA Psychiatry. In the “study of 188,648 first-time mothers, 5,722 (mean age, 26.7 years) had a history of depression associated with HC use and 18,431 (mean age, 27.1 years) had a history of depression not associated with HC.” The study revealed that “women with depression associated with HC initiation had a higher risk for postpartum depression.”

Related Links:

— “Depression associated with hormonal contraception indicates risk for postpartum depression,”Kate Young, Healio, July 6, 2023

Healio (7/5, Weldon) reports, “The FDA said Wednesday that it has warned six companies about illegally selling what it called ‘copycat’ edibles containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol” (delta-8 THC), “a psychoactive and intoxicating substance found in cannabis sativa plants.” The substance “has not been approved by the FDA for any safe use.” In a July 5 press release, the agency “said the copycat products – often designed to resemble snack foods such as chips, cookies, candy and gummies – could be accidentally consumed by children in large quantities without realizing it.”

Related Links:

— “FDA warns companies about illegally selling ‘copycat’ edibles with delta-8 THC,”Rose Weldon, Healio, July 5, 2023

According to MedPage Today (7/5, DePeau-Wilson), for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), “use of prescription stimulant medication to manage their symptoms was not associated with later substance use,” investigators concluded in a “longitudinal analysis” that “followed patients with” AD/HD “over a 16-year period from childhood through adolescence into early adulthood.” The findings of the 547-child study were published online July 5 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)