The AP (12/17, Stobbe ) reports, “Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday.” Roughly “two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days.” That is “the largest proportion abstaining since the annual survey started measuring abstinence in 2017.” The Monitoring the Future survey found that “among 10th graders, 80% said they hadn’t used any of those substances recently, another record.” Meanwhile, “among 8th graders, 90% didn’t use any of them, the same as was reported in the previous survey.”

Related Links:

— “Most US teens are abstaining from drinking, smoking and marijuana, survey says,” Mike Stobbe, Associated Press, December 17, 2024

Psychiatric News (12/16) reports a study “suggests that more than half of patients wish to be notified when AI is used in their health care.” The researchers said their “findings suggest that notification about AI will be necessary for ethical AI and should be a priority for organizations and policymakers.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “ Majority of Patients Want to Know if AI Is Used in Their Health Care ,” Psychiatric News, December 16, 2024

HealthDay (12/16, Mundell ) reports “a new global review of data found that ‘increasing the number of daily steps, even at modest levels, was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.’” The “study found that up to a level of about 10,000 steps per day, the odds for depression decline as daily step levels rise.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “As Daily Steps Rise, Depression Levels Fall,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, December 16, 2024

The New York Times (12/13, Rogers) reported that while a Gallup poll released earlier this month found that 28% of Americans “say health care coverage in the U.S. is excellent or good,” 65% of Americans “say their personal health care coverage is good or excellent.” Americans who rated their health as “fair” or “poor” were “more likely to rate their health insurance negatively, as were those who were insured under the open marketplace through the Affordable Care Act.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Less Likely To Return To ED Or Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Study Finds
Psychiatric News (12/13) reported, “Youth who experience a mental health crisis and participate in a community stabilization program are significantly less likely to return to an emergency department (ED) or inpatient psychiatric unit, according to a study.” The researchers said, “This study suggests that community-based crisis intervention programs with an array of services and that focus on bridging youths to longer-term services may represent a safe and effective alternative to ED boarding for some youths with high-acuity behavioral health needs.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Community Stabilization Programs May Reduce Psychiatric Boarding Among Youth,” Psychiatric New, December 13, 2024