NPR (8/21, Westervelt) reports on the mental health aftermath of the fires on Maui. Clinicians there “describe these early days of disaster mental health treatment as a kind of triage, psychological first aid for anguish that runs the spectrum of symptoms from deep sadness and sleeplessness to exhaustion, even breakdowns,” as people deal with the loss of family members, friends, pets, homes, and jobs, and others wait anxiously to learn more about those who are still missing. A period of “initial shock is now giving way to wrenching anxiety, nightmares, anxiety, depression and sometimes anger, as the depth of the trauma settles in.” Currently, “state and federal officials are trying to mobilize a fresh influx of mental health clinicians to help the some 65 clinicians already on the ground,” and “Hawaii’s governor issued an emergency order temporarily waiving the state-licensing requirement for counseling.”

Related Links:

— “Massive mental health toll in Maui wildfires: ‘They’ve lost everything’,”Eric Westervelt, Jonaki Mehta, NPR , August 21, 2023

Healio (8/21, Weldon) reports, “Device overuse and screen time topped a poll of parental concerns about children’s health, followed by concerns about internet safety and mental health, according to results released” Aug. 21 in the “annual University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.” The pool, which “received 2,099 responses…from parents with at least one child,” rated parents’ top “five concerns” to be “overuse of devices or screen time (67%), social media (66%), internet safety (62%) depression and suicide (57%) and bullying (53%).”

Related Links:

— “Poll: Screen time tops parents’ concerns about children’s health,”Rose Weldon, Healio , August 21, 2023

Psychiatric News (8/18) reported, “Most adolescents who vape have tried to quit at least once,” according to the findings of an 185-adolescent survey study published online ahead of print in the December issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors. That study also found “which vaping cessation methods that adolescents are interested in trying.” Additionally, “greater perceived harm of vaping was significantly associated with motivation to quit vaping, while greater perceived risk of addiction and higher socioeconomic status were significantly associated with ever use of nicotine replacement to quit vaping,” the study revealed.

Related Links:

— “More Than Three-Fourths of Adolescents Who Vape Have Tried to Quit,Psychiatric News, August 18, 2023

KFF Health News (8/20, Waldman) reports, “While it was once unheard-of to mention suicide as a cause of death in news obituaries and paid death notices, that has been changing, especially in the past 10 years, said Dan Reidenberg…managing director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention.” And “while there’s no right or wrong way to write death announcements, mental health and grief experts said the reluctance to acknowledge suicide has implications beyond the confines of a public notice,” as “the stigma attached to the word affects everything from how people grieve to how people help prevent others from ending their own lives.” Meanwhile, “research shows that talking about suicide can help reduce suicidal thoughts,” although “studies have also found that spikes in suicide rates can follow news reports about someone dying that way — a phenomenon known as ‘suicide contagion.’”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (8/17, Collins) reports, “Vaping CBD (cannabidiol) is on the rise among middle and high school students, according to a national U.S. survey, and health experts warn there can be serious risks involved.” Results from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that “more than 1 in 5 students who use electronic cigarettes said they had vaped CBD,” while “more than 6% didn’t know whether or not they had vaped CBD.” And “while the authors of the study say CBD is the most popularized non-psychoactive component of cannabis, they add that its use raises several safety concerns, including potential harm to the liver and lungs and possible damage to the male reproductive system.” The findingswere published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “CBD Vapes Rising in Popularity Among Teens,”Sarah D. Collins, HealthDay, August 17, 2023