HCPlive (6/27, Walter) reports, “Veterans had a decreased prevalence of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the general population,” investigators after conducting a 47,291-adult study that “compared the rates of suicide attempts and plans between Veterans and civilians.” The findings were published online June 26 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Veterans at a Lower Risk of Suicidal Behavior During COVID-19 Pandemic,” Kenny Walter, HCPLive, June 27, 2023

The New York Times (6/27, Ghorayshi) reports, “Transgender people in Denmark have a significantly higher risk of suicide than other groups,” investigators concluded after conducting “an exhaustive analysis of health and legal records from nearly seven million people over the last four decades.” The study revealed not only that “transgender people in the country had 7.7 times the rate of suicide attempts and 3.5 times the rate of suicide deaths compared with the rest of the population,” but also that “transgender people in Denmark died – by suicide or other causes – at younger ages than others.” The findings were published online June 27 in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Landmark Study Shows Higher Suicide Risk for Transgender People,” Ghorayshi, New York Times, June 27, 2023

Psychiatric News (6/26) reports, “Three in ten young adults who identify as members of sexual minorities experience weight-based discrimination and may have a higher risk of disordered eating behaviors as a result,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 1,257 sexual minority women and men aged 18 to 31 years…who had participated in the U.S. Growing Up Today Study as children and adolescents and responded to a follow-up questionnaire in 2013.” The findings were published online June 21 in a brief report in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Weight-Based Discrimination Linked to Disordered Eating in Sexual Minority Young Adults,” Psychiatric News, June 26, 2023

According to HCPlive (6/26, Walter) research suggests that there may be a “link between benzodiazepine use and suicidal behavior that warrants further exploration.” Included in the study were “data from 111,550 individuals who attempted suicide and 12,312 suicide victims.” The study revealed “an adjusted odds ratio of 1.74 for hospitalized suicide attempts and 1.45 for those who [died by] suicide in individuals with recent psychiatric history,” and “benzodiazepine dispensing was higher in the 30-day risk period compared to the reference ones.” The findings were published online June 20 in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

Related Links:

— “Association Found Between Benzodiazepine Use and Suicide Attempts, Suicide,” Kenny Walter, HCPLive, June 26, 2023

Medscape (6/26, Rak, Subscription Publication) reports, “Mothers with obsessive-compulsive disorder are more likely to have adverse pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal outcomes than those without the disorder, according to…research.” The findings of the observational study were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)