Psychiatric News (1/10) reports, “Military personnel and veterans who have been taking opioids for chronic pain may experience greater benefits from group therapy that integrates mindfulness techniques than from supportive psychotherapy, according to a” study. This “randomized clinical trial, which compared outcomes in veterans and military from Utah, found that those who received Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement…reported greater reductions in chronic pain symptoms and opioid use than those who received supportive psychotherapy.” The findings were published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Mindfulness Training Reduces Opioid Use, Craving Among Military Experiencing Chronic Pain,” Psychiatric News, January 10, 2024

The New York Times (1/10, Richtel ) reports, “Prescriptions for drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder surged during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly among women and patients ages 20 to 39, according to new research compiled by scholars affiliated with the” FDA. This “increase came as prescription rates held relatively steady for other key classes of behavioral health medications used to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety, according to the study.” The Times adds, “The reasons are not totally clear, the researchers found, and could include pandemic-related stress, recognition of undiagnosed cases, over-prescription and online marketing of medications.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The Hill (1/10, Sforza ) reports that the study found that the increase “contributed to the shortage of popular medications like Adderall.” The data indicated that “overall, stimulant prescriptions for those 20 to 39 jumped 30 percent, while nonstimulant ADHD prescriptions for that age group increased 81 percent.”

Related Links:

— “ADHD treatment prescriptions for adults surged during pandemic, fueling shortages: Study,” Lauren Sforza, The Hill, January 10, 2024

Healio (1/9, Weldon) reports, “Infants and toddlers faced socio-emotional development delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 pandemic delayed socio-emotional development in young children,” Rose Weldon, Healio, January 9, 2024

HCP Live (1/9, Derman) reports, “Home-use transcranial direct current stimulation…combined with a digital psychological intervention or digital placebo is not superior to sham for the treatment of” patients with “a major depressive episode, according to a new study.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Home-Use tDCS is Not an Effective Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder,” Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, January 9, 2024

HealthDay (1/9, Mundell ) reports, “Depression that emerges around the time of pregnancy raises a woman’s risk for suicide sharply and for many years, new Swedish research shows.” Investigators “found that a new mom’s odds for suicide soars seven-fold in the year after a diagnosis of perinatal depression – depression that arises just before, during or after a pregnancy.”

The study indicated that “between five to 18 years after delivery, the risk of suicide in women with perinatal depression was still more than double that of women unaffected by the illness.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Psychiatric News (1/9) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Pregnancy-Linked Depression Raises Odds for Suicide Years After Delivery,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, January 9, 2024