MedPage Today (7/17, Monaco) reports “discontinuation or dosage change of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be more common than one would think, according to a qualitative study of online drug reviews.” Among “667 SSRI reviews posted to an online health forum by patients or caregivers, 335 posts were about discontinuing their medication – the most common type of medication change, reported” the researchers. The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (7/17, Gotkine) reports, “Use of oral contraceptives…especially the first two years of use, is associated with an increased risk for depression, with the association consistent with a causal relationship,” investigators concluded in a “population-based cohort study using data from 264,557 women from the U.K. Biobank.” Additionally, “Familial confounding was examined in 7,354 sibling pairs to validate causality.” The findings were published online June 12 in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences.

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— “Oral Contraceptive Use May Increase Risk for Depression,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay , July 17, 2023

Psychiatric News (7/17) reports, “Children and adolescents who have eating disorders are more likely than those without eating disorders to use most mental health and non-mental health services,” investigators concluded after examining “the health records of 1,449 patients aged five to 17 years who had eating disorders and” then comparing “them to the health records of 7,245 patients in the same age group in the general population who did not have eating disorders.” The findings were published online July 14 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

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— “Youth With Eating Disorders More Likely to Use Health Care Services, Psychiatric News , July 17, 2023

According to CNN (7/13, Viswanathan), as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline “heads into its second year of existence,” it “still has some hurdles to overcome when it comes to awareness, staffing and routing.” For example, “many people still don’t know that the lifeline exists or that 988 call centers face ongoing staffing challenges – and are actively seeking counselors.” What’s more, “since 988’s launch, there have been state-by-state differences in the implementation and funding of the crisis line.”

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— “One year after launch, 988 mental health crisis line still building awareness and staffing,”Jacqueline Howard and Giri Viswanathan, CNN, July 13, 2023

USA Today (7/16, Ramirez) reports, “Black suicide rates, among the nation’s lowest prior to 2000, have steadily climbed in the last two decades – and young Black people are most at risk: According to” data (PDF) from CDC, “rates among those aged 10 to 24 rose 36.6% from 2018 to 2021, the largest percentage jump among any demographic.” What’s more, “the problem is particularly acute among girls: In 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death for Black girls aged 12 to 14.”

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— “Black suicide rates, once among the nation’s lowest, have risen dramatically among youths,”Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, July 16, 2023