NBC News (8/25, Bendix ) reports “a recent survey suggests that” the share of US adults who don’t have close friends “has risen overall, particularly among those who did not graduate college – creating a kind of class divide in people’s level of social engagement and connection.” Investigators observed that “nearly a quarter of U.S. adults with a high school diploma or lower education level said they had no close friends,” with the number being “higher for Black adults in that group: 35%.” These findings “come amid a documented rise in social isolation nationwide,” wherein “around 30% of adults say they’ve felt lonely at least once per week over the past year, and 10% say they’re lonely every day, according to a January poll from the American Psychiatric Association.” The findings were published by the Survey Center on American Life.

Related Links:

— “A stark social divide: Adults without college degrees more likely to have no close friends, survey finds,”Aria Bendix, NBC News, August 25, 2024

Psychiatric News (8/23) reported, “More than three-quarters of Americans (84%) believe school staff play a crucial role in identifying signs of mental health problems in students, but less than half (45%) believe most school staff have been trained in identifying these concerns, according to the latest Healthy Minds Monthly Poll, commissioned by APA and fielded by Morning Consult.” Investigators also found “that Americans are widely supportive of education about mental health in school, with 89% saying that students should be educated about mental health and the same number saying that school staff should participate in mental health trainings.” APA President Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, “affirmed the importance of mental health training for school staff” in a statement, saying, “One of the best things we can do in light of the youth mental health crisis is to give children and teenagers, and the people that are around them most days, the tools to understand what to do if someone isn’t feeling right.

Related Links:

— “Majority of Americans Believe Schools Play a Vital Role in Youth Mental Health, Psychiatric News , August 23, 2024

HealthDay (8/22, Mundell ) reports, “There’s a strong association between a state’s policies and laws around the rights of transgender people and the mental health of transgender residents, a new study shows.” Investigators also discovered that Washington-based participants “who said they were aware of [the state’s] efforts to safeguard trans people’s rights had a 56% lower odds for current depression and an 89% lower odds for anxiety, compared to those who weren’t aware.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “State Laws Strongly Affect Mental Health of Trans People, Study Finds,”Ernie Mundell, HeathDay, August 22, 2024

Healio (8/21, Rhoades) reports, “Individuals with type 2 diabetes who experience trauma may be at a lower risk for microvascular complications after resolving PTSD symptoms, according to…results from a retrospective study of U.S. veterans.” Investigators also “reported an association between no longer meeting the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and lower risk for mortality,” as well as “a lower likelihood of starting insulin (HR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.88) among veterans aged 18 to 49 years.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Resolving PTSD may lower risk for some diabetes-related complications,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades, Healio, August 21, 2024

Psychiatric News (8/21) reports, “Resilience and a strong sense of gratitude were significantly associated with self-reported successful aging among U.S. veterans with depression, anxiety, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to” a study. Investigators also observed that “somatic symptoms, such as pain, were negatively associated with successful aging, but veterans with more somatic symptoms who also had higher degrees of gratitude were significantly more likely to report successful aging.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Resilience and Gratitude Linked to Successful Aging Among Vets With Mental Disorders, Psychiatric News, August 21, 2024