The Hill (5/1, Migdon) reports, “Close to a third of LGBTQ youth say laws and policies that target LGBTQ people have had a substantial and negative impact on their mental health over the past year, according to an annual report published…by The Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ youth suicide prevention group.” The report indicated that “nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people said their mental health is poor either ‘most of the time’ or ‘always’ because of policies and legislation that takes aim at their sexual orientation or gender identity.” The report “analyzed survey responses from more than 28,000 LGBTQ young people ages 13 to 24 across the U.S.”

Related Links:

— “More than 30 percent of LGBTQ youth attribute poor mental health to anti-LGBTQ laws “Brooke Migdon, The Hill , May 1, 2023

Psychiatric News (4/28) reported, “People who begin to experience problem drinking after the age of 60 can benefit from treatment and may have better mental functioning than those who develop problem drinking earlier in life,” researchers concluded in the findings of a 780-participant study published in the April issue of the journal Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “Age at Onset of Problem Drinking May be Poor Predictor of Outcomes, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, April 28, 2023

According to MedPage Today (4/28, Monaco), many children experiencing symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “may not be getting the treatment they need,” investigators concluded. The study revealed that “of 1,206 children with parent-reported” AD/HD, “only 26.2% ever received any form of outpatient mental healthcare.” What’s more, “only 12.9% of kids were currently receiving” AD/HD “medications; 8% were receiving stimulants and 5.1% were receiving atomoxetine (Strattera), guanfacine, or clonidine.”

HCPlive (4/28, Walter) reported that “11,723 patients” were included in the study, the findings of which were published online April 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

NBC News (4/29, Hopkins) reported, “Hospitalizations for eating disorders spiked during the pandemic, doubling among adolescent girls, according to” data published online Feb. 25, 2022, in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and even though “most teens have returned to a normal life of in-person school, sports and social activities, eating disorders, especially anorexia, remain at an all-time high, experts warn.” However, “with a shift in the way psychiatrists, psychologists and physicians diagnose them, it’s possible more cases are being recognized, rather than more teens developing new disorders.” A decade ago, “the American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental disorders – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, or D.S.M.-5 – included binge eating as an official eating disorder for the first time” and also “drove greater recognition of eating disorders, including among boys.”

Related Links:

— “Eating disorders among teens more severe than ever “Caroline Hopkins, NBC News, April 29, 2023

HCP Live (4/27, Smith) reports, “Unawareness of memory decline—as opposed to greater awareness—is associated strongly with future clinical progression of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, according to new findings.” The research was published online April 25 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Unawareness of Memory Decline Associated with Greater Risk of Alzheimer’s “Tim Smith, HCP Live, April 27, 2023