The New York Times (8/15, Caron) reports, “In July, the Food and Drug Administration posted more shortages in” medications for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and this month, the agency “and the Drug Enforcement Administration took the rare step of issuing a joint public letter acknowledging the shortage and asking manufacturers to increase production.” These actions come as “parents and caregivers across the country are spending hours each month hunting down pharmacies with” AD/HD “medication in stock and asking their doctors to either transfer or rewrite prescriptions.” Meanwhile, “others pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for name-brand drugs that are sometimes more readily available but, unlike generics, are not covered by their insurance.” Some parents are reporting that the shortage of AD/HD medications is causing “collateral damage to their children’s self-esteem.”

Related Links:

— “The Collateral Damage of A.D.H.D. Drug Shortages,”Christina Caron, The New York Times, August `5, 2023

Psychiatric News (8/15) reports, “Experiencing substance-induced psychosis may raise the risk of suicide attempt,” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed data from 5,806,700 people aged 13 years or older who lived in Denmark from January 1, 1995, to August 10, 2017.” The study team “followed the individuals until the individuals had a suicide attempt, had a first psychotic disorder (except for first substance-induced psychosis), died, or emigrated, whichever came first.” The findings were published online Aug. 13 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Substance-Induced Psychosis Linked to Increased Risk of Suicide Attempt,Psychiatric News , August 15, 2023

The Hill (8/15, Latour) reports, “Two-thirds of U.S. adults have been impacted in some way by the nation’s substance use crisis,” according to findings from “a new KFF Tracking Poll” announced on Aug. 15. In the poll, 66% “of respondents…said either they themselves or a family member have experienced addiction to alcohol or drugs, homelessness due to addiction, or an overdose resulting in an emergency room visit, hospitalization or death.” What’s more, “among white respondents, 67 percent said someone in their family has experienced addiction or overdose, compared to 58 percent of Black adults and 56 percent of Hispanic adults,” a gap that “‘is mostly driven by addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers,’ the researchers noted.”

HealthDay (8/15, Reinberg) reports, “The poll of over 1,300 U.S. adults was conducted from July 11 to 19 either online or by telephone.” The American Psychiatric Association provides additional information on substance use disorder.

Related Links:

— “Majority of US adults say addiction has affected their family in some way: poll,”AMEE LATOUR, The Hill , August 15, 2023

Healio (8/14, Carter) reports, “Use of lithium vs. valproate as a prophylactic treatment may be associated with adverse kidney outcomes, including AKI,” investigators concluded in a study that “examined data from the Stockholm Creatinine Measurements database, a health care use cohort of all adult Stockholm residents, and included 10,946 patients who began lithium or valproate therapy from January 2007 to December 2018.” Even though the study found that new “use of lithium was meaningfully associated with adverse kidney outcomes, with low absolute risks that did not differ between therapies,” it also revealed, however, that “elevated serum lithium levels were associated with future kidney risks, particularly AKI, emphasizing the need for close monitoring and lithium dose adjustment.” The findings were published online July 7 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Lithium therapy may be linked with AKI, poor kidney outcomes vs. valproate,”Shawn M. Carter, Healio, August 14, 2023

CNN (8/14, LaMotte) reports that a survey found that a “majority of American adults say” that “inhaling marijuana smoke” is “safer than inhaling smoke from tobacco,” and “also believe there is less harm to adults and children from secondhand marijuana smoke than tobacco smoke.”
But, HealthDay (8/14, Murez) reports, “the reality is that smoke of any kind isn’t good for your lungs, the study authors stressed.” The researchers “also found that people who were young, 18 to 29, were more likely to move toward the view that cannabis was safer compared to those surveyed who were aged 60 or older.” Meanwhile, “being unmarried was also more aligned with a view that cannabis was safer.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Many Americans wrongly believe exposure to marijuana smoke is safer than tobacco, study finds,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, August 14, 2023

CNN (8/15, Bracho-Sanchez) reports, “Latino children who live in states with harsher laws that apply to immigrants and systemic prejudice against them are more likely to experience mental health or chronic physical health conditions, according to a new study.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Health of Latino children worse in states with anti-immigrant attitudes and policies, new study says,”Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN, August 15, 2023

KFF Health News (8/14, Rayasam) reports, “A national shortage of mental” healthcare clinicians, “and the search for affordable care, has exacerbated strain on parents, often the primary caregivers who maintain the health and well-being of their children,” a “day-to-day struggle” that “has led to its own health crisis, say psychologists, researchers, and advocates for families.” Even “as parents navigate the mental health care system’s shortcomings, stress can start to take a physical and mental health toll that disrupts their ability to continue providing care, said Christine Crawford, the associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy group that helps families find care.” Parents focus their energies into helping their children, “often at the expense of their own health, Crawford said.”

Related Links:

— “Parents See Own Health Spiral as Their Kids’ Mental Illnesses Worsen,”Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News, August 14, 2023

Psychiatric News (8/11) reported, “Taking lithium may significantly reduce the risk of psychiatric hospitalization for people who have major depressive disorder” (MDD) “or bipolar disorder” (BD), according to the findings of a 260-patient study published online ahead of print in the November issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Lithium May Reduce Psychiatric Hospitalizations in People With Bipolar, Major Depressive Disorder, Psychiatric News, August 11, 2023

According to Bloomberg Law (8/11, Subscription Publication), HHS “has awarded over $88 million to grant programs to develop school-based mental health programs and to increase access to substance use disorder treatments,” the department announced on Aug. 11.

Related Links:

— “HHS Allocates Over $88 Million to Youth Mental Health Programs, Bloomberg Law, August 11, 2023

HCPlive (8/10, Kunzmann) reports, “Patients with irritable bowel disease (IBD) who experience symptoms of anxiety or depression are at an increased risk of poorer disease outcomes including resistance to steroid therapy.” The study, which included 325 patients with IBD, was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Depression, Anxiety Symptoms Linked to Poor IBD Outcomes and Steroid Response,”Kevin Kunzmann, HCPlive, August 10, 2023