HealthDay (12/19, Thompson) reports, “Flipping through Instagram or TikTok might seem like a good way to relax during a work break, but social media actually could be making you less happy on the job. Workers who cut down on their social media use 30 minutes a day on the job had better mental health, job satisfaction and commitment to their occupation, a new study reports.”

The results were published in the journal Behavior and Information Technology.

Related Links:

— “Bummed Out at Work? Cutting Down on Social Media May Help,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 19, 2023

Parkinson’s News Today (12/19, Wexler) reports, “Nuplazid (pimavanserin) outperformed a placebo at managing psychosis in people with Parkinson’s disease dementia in a Phase 3 clinical trial.” This result “‘supports the maintenance of antipsychotic efficacy and safety of [Nuplazid] in patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and psychosis,’ the researchers wrote” in Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Nuplazid effectively treats psychosis in Parkinson’s dementia patients,” Marisa Wexler, Parkinson’s News Today, December 19, 2023

Psychiatric News (12/19) reports, “Over 75% U.S. adults plan to start 2024 with a New Year’s resolution – including 28% who are resolving to work on improving their mental health, according to APA’s latest Healthy Minds monthly poll.” Of the respondents “who want to work on improving their mental health, the most common steps they plan to take toward this goal include exercising more (67%) or meditation (49%). Other actions included seeing a therapist or psychiatrist (35% and 21%, respectively) and journaling (26%).”

Related Links:

— “More Than 1 in 4 U.S. Adults Plans to Make Mental Health a Priority in 2024,” APA Psychiatric News Alert, December 19, 2023

HCP Live (12/15, Smith) reported the FDA “announced that it has approved of newly-required measures related to safety labels for opioid pain medicines, part of a move to support patients’ ability to make better-informed decisions about opioid use.” Announced Friday, “the FDA’s decision is considered to be part of the agency’s Overdose Prevention Framework. The framework outlines the FDA’s commitment to taking actions to prevent overdoses and decrease drug-related fatalities.”

Related Links:

— “FDA Announces Approval of Opioid Pain Medication Safety Labeling Changes,” Tim Smith, HCP Live, December 15, 2023

Healio (12/15, Weldon) reported, “The rate of e-cigarette use increased more than fivefold among adolescents in late pregnancy from 2016 to 2021, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.” In the study, researchers “found that the weighted prevalence of exclusive e-cigarette use during late pregnancy increased from 0.8% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2021, whereas the prevalence of exclusive cigarette use decreased from 9.2% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2021.”

Related Links:

— “E-cigarette use increases among pregnant adolescents,” Rose Weldon, Healio, December 15, 2023