MedPage Today (5/24, Bankhead) reports, “A measure of environmental stress had a significant association with mortality risk in patients with breast cancer, a large retrospective cohort study showed.” Investigators found that patients with a high “allosteric load” (a cumulative burden of chronic stress from life events) had almost a 50% higher all-cause mortality risk versus patients with a low “allosteric load.” MedPage Today adds, “Stratification of [allosteric load] scores showed that patients in the highest (fourth) quartile had almost an 80% greater risk than those in the lowest (first) quartile.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (5/23, Firth) reports, “Trends in prevalence of mental health diagnoses among youths differed by age and sex during the COVID-19 pandemic, with female adolescents representing ‘the most vulnerable population,’” investigators concluded after analyzing claims data. In adolescent “girls, the prevalence of anxiety disorders,” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, “depression, and eating disorders all increased, with the prevalence of diagnosed eating disorders more than doubling, from 0.26% in March 2020 to 0.36% in October 2020 and 0.56% in March 2022,” the data revealed. In spite of the “‘considerably lower’ prevalence of eating disorders in males ages 13 to 18, trends were similar when compared with teen girls: 0.03% in March 2020 to 0.06% in March 2022, the authors said,” but “changes in other mental health diagnoses were not observed for teen boys.” The findings were published online May 22 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

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CNN (5/23, Howard) reports, “Many adults in the United States say they still have not heard of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which was launched in July.” A new “survey released…by the Pew Charitable Trusts suggests that only 13% of adults in the United States are aware of the national 988 lifeline and how it is intended to connect mental health crisis counselors with people who call or text the three-digit number.” That “survey of 5,052 adults, conducted in April for Pew by Ipsos Public Affairs, found that once people who were unaware of 988 were informed about its purpose – that anyone can call, text or chat the number to reach a trained counselor – about 7 in 10 said they were somewhat likely or highly likely to use the service.”

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— “Most US adults still unaware of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline months after its launch, survey suggests “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, May 23, 2023

Healio (5/23, VanDewater) reports, “Among people with schizophrenia, lifetime duration of cannabis use was associated with cognitive function,” researchers concluded after conducting “a cross-sectional study among 31 inpatients with schizophrenia at the Harris County Psychiatric Center in Houston.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting.

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— “Lifetime duration of cannabis use, cognition linked in schizophrenia “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, May 23, 2023

HealthDay (5/23, Norton) reports, “Among 87 adults treated for gun injuries at a Wisconsin trauma center, many had worsening symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression six months later,” investigators concluded in findings published online May 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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— “PTSD, Other Mental Health Ills Haunt Gunshot Survivors “Amy Norton, HealthDay, May 23, 2023

The New York Times (5/23, Pearson, Richtel, Levenson) reports that on Tuesday, US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy “issued an extraordinary public warning…about the risks of social media to young people, urging a push to fully understand the possible ‘harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.’” Murthy, in a 19-page advisory, “noted that the effects of social media on adolescent mental health were not fully understood, and that social media can be beneficial to some users.” But, he wrote, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

The Hill (5/23, Choi) reports, “Murthy specifically pointed to the possibility of a link between time spent on social media and depression and anxiety,” citing “one 2019 study that found adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 who spent more than three hours on social media daily had double the risk of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

NBC News (5/23, Edwards, Jackson) reports, “The advisory urges policymakers and the companies that make the social media platforms to share with parents the burden of managing children’s and adolescents’ social media use,” and it “outlines recommendations for both technology companies and lawmakers.”

Meanwhile, Reuters (5/23) reports that APA CEO Saul Levin, MD, MPA, FRCP-E, FRCPsych, said, “The first principle of healthcare is to do no harm – that’s the same standard we need to start holding social media platforms to.”

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— “Surgeon General Warns That Social Media May Harm Children and Adolescents “Matt Richtel, The New York Times, May 23, 2023

PatientEngagementHIT (5/22, Heath) reports, “One in five patients experience some cost-related barrier to medication adherence, a… JAMA Network Open report showed, meaning their drugs are too expensive for them to take as prescribed.” In general, “researchers found that prescription drug costs are seriously impeding patients’ care management and daily life,” since for “some patients, this means rationing pills to make them last longer,” and “for others, it means not filling the prescription at all.”

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— “Cost a Barrier to Medication Adherence, But Price Estimates May Help ” Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT , May 22, 2023

Medscape (5/22, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Only 11% of eating disorder apps protect the privacy of users as is mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), according to” findings presented at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting. Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “a review of commercially available eating disorder apps by searching the Apple and Google play stores using key phrases such as ‘eating disorder,’ ‘anorexia,’ and ‘binge eating disorder.’” Thirty-six apps were then reviewed “using the 105 questions based on the APA’s app evaluation model, which covers categories such as efficacy, privacy, accessibility, and clinical applicability.”

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Medscape (5/22, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Patients taking antidepressant medication, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), often report emotional blunting even as their depression eases,” according to the findings of a 25-study “scoping review” presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (5/22, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Young people who [died by] suicide using a gun are often introduced to guns through family traditions and use the family gun to [die by] suicide,” researchers concluded after conducting “11 ‘psychological autopsy interviews’ with the loved ones of nine young people aged 17-21 who died by gun-related suicide.” The study team “interviewed six mothers, three fathers, one sibling, and one close friend.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)