MedPage Today (11/29, Firth) reports, “Antipsychotic medication-related deaths were rare among children, but young adults on higher doses had a significantly increased risk of death, according to a U.S. national retrospective cohort study of Medicaid patients.” In the study, “those ages 18 to 24 had increased risk of death with current use of second-generation antipsychotic agents in daily doses of greater than 100-mg chlorpromazine equivalents compared with control medications including antidepressants and mood stabilizers, reported” researchers in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (11/29) says, “The prevalence of U.S. veterans diagnosed with cannabis use disorder more than doubled between 2005 and 2019, with the greatest increases reported among those with bipolar disorder and psychotic spectrum disorders, according to a report published…in The American Journal of Psychiatry,” a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. In the study, “researchers analyzed electronic health records from the Veterans Health Administration collected from 2005 to 2014 and 2016 to 2019.”

Related Links:

— “Cannabis Use Disorder Rising Among Veterans, Study Finds,” APA Psychiatric News Alert, November 29, 2023

CNN (11/29, McPhillips) reports, “More people died from suicide in the United States last year than any other year on record, dating to at least 1941, according to provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” More than “49,449 lives were lost due to intentional self-harm in 2022 – more than 14 deaths for every 100,000 people.”

However, “provisional data from 2022 shows signs of improvement in rates among children and teens. The suicide rate for children ages 10 to 14 dropped 18% in 2022, to about 2 deaths for every 100,000 children, and the rate among those ages 15 to 24 fell 9% to about 14 deaths for every 100,000 people.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide deaths reached a record high in the US in 2022, despite hopeful decreases among children and young adults,” Deidre McPhillips, CNN, November 29, 2023

Healio (11/28, Rhoades) reports, “Food insecurity was linked to an increased risk for dementia and faster memory decline among older adults, according to a study.” The data also indicated that “those with food insecurity were typically younger and had lower educational attainment than those with food security.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Food insecurity associated with dementia risk,” Andrew Rhoades, Healio, November 28, 2023

HealthPayerIntelligence (11/28, Bailey) reports, “Medicare beneficiaries newly enrolled in accountable care organizations (ACOs) did not see any improvements in their depression and anxiety symptoms, suggesting Medicare ACOs may need better incentives to improve mental healthcare, a studypublished in Health Affairs found.”

The study found “new ACO enrollment in the following year was associated with a 12.2 percentage point lower likelihood (24.4 percent) of having an evaluation and management (E/M) visit with any clinician for depression or anxiety and a 9.8 percentage point lower likelihood (22.7 percent) of having an E/M visit for depression anxiety with a primary care clinician.

Additionally, there were no significant differences in changes in depression and anxiety symptoms by ACO enrollment status.”

Related Links:

— “Medicare ACO Enrollment Did Not Improve Mental Healthcare Outcomes,” Victoria Bailey, Health Payer Intelligence, November 28, 2023