MedPage Today (6/21, George) reports, “Repetitive head-impact exposure in American tackle football was linked with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),” investigators concluded. After evaluating “data from 631 brain donors who played American tackle football for an average of 12.5 years, and who died at a mean age of 59.7 years,” the study team found that “cumulative repetitive head impacts were associated with CTE status, CTE severity, and pathologic burden…among brain donors who played football an average of 12.5 years.” The study also revealed, however, that “concussion counts alone were not associated with CTE risk.” The findings were published online in the journal Nature Communications.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HCPlive (6/21, Walter) reports, “Addressing alcohol consumption in late teen years could help reduce the risk of developing depression in young adulthood,” investigators concluded in a 3,902-adolescent study that examined “whether alcohol dependence, but not high frequency or quantity of consumption, during adolescence increased the risk of depression in young adulthood.” The study revealed “a positive association between alcohol dependence at 18 years (latent intercept) and depression at age 24 years,” but found “no association between the rate of change…and depression.” Additionally, after adjustments, there was “no evidence showing an association between alcohol consumption and depression.” The findings were published online June 1 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

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— “Reducing the Risk of Alcohol Use During Adolescents Drops Risk of Depression in Adulthood,”Kenny Walter, HCPlive, June 21, 2023

HealthDay (6/21, Mann) reports, “A growing number of states are legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and it may be leading to an unexpected side effect among millennials and Gen Xers: binge drinking,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health of people aged 12 and older from 2008 to 2019.” When the study team examined “binge drinking before and after recreational cannabis laws were put in place, they noted a 4.8% decrease in binge drinking among 12- to 20-year-olds, but increases in all other age groups: up 1.7% among 31- to 40-year-olds; 2.5% for those 41 to 50; and 1.8% for those aged 51 and older.” The findings were published online June 15 ahead of print in the August issue of the International Journal of Drug Policy.

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— “Legalizing Marijuana Tied to More Binge Drinking in Folks Over 30,”Denise Mann, HealthDay , June 21, 2023

Healio (6/20, Swain) reports, “Among patients who received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator” (ICD), “a diagnosis or clinically relevant symptoms consistent with anxiety, depression or PTSD were common, especially in the first year, researchers” concluded in the findings of a 109-study systematic review and meta-analysis encompassing 39,954 patients and published in the June issue of the journal Europace.

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— “Mood disorders common in first year after ICD implantation,” Erik Swain, Healio, June 20, 2023

According to Modern Healthcare (6/20, Tepper, Subscription Publication), although “the U.S. faces an ongoing mental health crisis in the aftermath of the illness, death, social disruption and economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic…chronic gaps persist in access to mental healthcare despite the enactment of major” mental health parity “laws meant to guarantee that health insurance covers these services.”

This year, “more than 20% of U.S. adults reported having mental illnesses…according a survey by the advocacy organization Mental Health America,” and “among those, 55% said they were unable to obtain treatment.” While “a shortage of mental and behavioral health practitioners is a significant part of the problem, as is a stigma against seeking care,” it still comes down to the fact that “health insurance coverage of mental healthcare doesn’t measure up to other forms of care, particularly when it comes to the size and variety of clinicians participating in provider networks.”

Related Links:

— “Why insurers’ mental health coverage falls short,” Nona Tepper, Modern Healthcare, June 20, 2023