NPR (6/6, Neuman) reports, “Gun deaths in the United States reached an all-time high in 2021 for the second year in a row, with firearms violence the single leading cause of death for children and young adults, according to” findings (PDF) from research “released by Johns Hopkins University.” The study, which “relies on data from the” CDC, “reported a total of 48,830 Americans lost their lives to gun violence in 2021. The latest data works out to one gun death every 11 minutes.” Additionally, “the report found 26,328 suicides involving a firearm took place in 2021 and 20,958 homicides.” The Hill(6/6, Fortinsky) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Gun deaths hit their highest level ever in 2021, with 1 person dead every 11 minutes,” Scott Neuman, NPR, June 6, 2023

Healio (6/6, Adams) reports, “In a survey of psychiatrically hospitalized youth, more than half of participants reported their most recent suicide attempt occurred in the evening and night,” leading researchers to conclude that “the diurnal variation in suicidal ideation points to the need for increased support in the later hours of the day to decrease youth suicide risk.” Included in the study were a sample of “61 participants with a mean age of 13 years who were recruited mostly from a partial hospital setting” and another sample of “165 youth with a mean age of 14 years who were on the inpatient units of the psychiatric hospital.” The findings were presented at the SLEEP meeting. Medscape (6/6, Brooks, Subscription Publication) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “,” Healio, June 6, 2023

The AP (6/6, Schoenbaum) reports the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) “declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. on Tuesday and released a guidebook pointing to laws it deems discriminatory in each state, along with ‘know your rights’ information and resources to help people relocate to states with stronger LGBTQ+ protections.” The “nation’s largest organization devoted to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans said travel advisories aren’t enough to help people already living in states where lawmakers have targeted LGBTQ+ people.”

The Hill (6/6, Migdon) reports, “At least 525 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced this year in 41 states, [HRC] said in its warning, including more than 220 pieces of legislation that explicitly target transgender people.” Over “76 anti-LGBTQ bills have become law this year by HRC’s count, more than doubling last year’s number, which was previously the worst year on record.”

Related Links:

— “LGBTQ+ Americans are under attack, Human Rights Campaign declares in state of emergency warning,” Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press, June 6, 2023

— “Human Rights Campaign declares national state of emergency for LGBTQ people,” Brooke Migdon, The Hill, June 6, 2023

According to HealthDay (6/5, Murez), despite the fact that “U.S. gun deaths and injuries in children have risen at astronomical rates,” research indicates that “among kids on Medicaid, only about two of every five children who get shot receive mental healthcare within six months of these traumatic incidents.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “Medicaid data on more than 2,600 kids, aged five to 17, who suffered a nonfatal firearm injury between 2010 and 2018.” The study revealed that “just 37% had received mental health services within six months after the injury.” The findings were published online June 5 in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Many Kids Wait Too Long for Mental Health Care After Gun Injury,” Cara Murez, HealthDay, June , 2023

MedPage Today (6/5, Putka) reports, “Of all mental health facilities that serve youth in the U.S., only 28% offered LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer)-specific mental health services in 2020, a small increase from 25% in 2014, according to data from the National Mental Health Services Survey” published online June 5 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

The survey data revealed that “per capita, all 50 states had fewer than 10 youth-serving facilities with LGBTQ-specific services per 100,000 children, with services more available in coastal states and less available in rural ones.”

Additionally, “for-profit facility status was associated with higher odds of offering LGBTQ-specific services compared with nonprofit status…while public facility status was associated with lower odds.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)