Medscape (3/10, Larkin, Subscription Publication) reported, “Pregnant and postpartum patients with schizophrenia are three times more likely to experience interpersonal violence, compared with those without schizophrenia,” according to a “population-based cohort study that included almost 2 million participants.” In the study, “3.1% of patients with schizophrenia had an emergency department visit for interpersonal violence during pregnancy or the first postpartum year, compared with 0.4% of those without schizophrenia.” The findings were published online March 6 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Bloomberg (3/9, Meghjani, Peng) reports, “Signs of early-stage dementia are more common among some US minority groups, highlighting the need for monitoring and screening among Americans with less access to health care.” Nearly “17% of American Indians or Alaska Natives 45 years and older reported worsening memory loss, compared to nearly 10% among all Americans in the same age group, according to results of a telephone survey from the” CDC published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Also, “Hispanic and Latino adults had the second-highest rate at just over 11%.” Moreover, these “populations were less likely to speak with health-care professionals about concerns regarding memory loss or confusion than the US adult population overall, according to the” results.

Related Links:

— “Dementia Signs Among Some US Minority Groups Highlight Screening Need “Tanaz Meghjani and Ilena Peng, Bloomberg, March 9, 2023

HealthDay (3/9, Norton) reports a study, “of medical records from more than 415,000 new mothers, found that those living in urban areas with more tree coverage had a lower risk of being diagnosed with postpartum depression, versus women from less-green neighborhoods.” The study found that “for every 10% increase in ‘street-level’ green space, the risk of postpartum depression declined by about 4%.” Furthermore, increased physical activity accounted “for a small portion of the link between green space and lower depression risk,” according to the findings published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.

Related Links:

— “Could Walks in the Park Ward Off Postpartum Depression? “Amy Norton, HealthDay, March 9, 2023

HealthDay (3/9, Murez) reports a 137-study systematic review and meta-analysis “has found that…the psychological fallout from the pandemic has been less intense than thought.” Nearly “75% of study participants in the studies reviewed were adults and 25% were children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19.” According to the researchers, “the mental health changes were minimal…whether the studies covered the mental health of the population as a whole or that of specific groups.” However, the results, published online March 8 in the BMJ, did find that the pandemic has “had a disproportionate effect on women.”

Related Links:

— “COVID’s Toll on Mental Health May Have Been Exaggerated: Study “Cara Murez, HealthDay, March 9, 2023

The New York Times (3/8, Chung) reports that “opioids were the leading cause of fatal poisonings among children age 5 years old and younger in recent years, a study has found.” The study “analyzed 731 poisoning-related deaths that occurred from 2005 to 2018 across 40 states” and “found that opioids…contributed to nearly half, or 47%, of those deaths.” According to the findings published in Pediatrics, “about 41% of these poisoning deaths resulted from accidental overdoses,” while 18% were described as “‘deliberate’ poisonings.”

CNN (3/8, Christensen) reports the trend worsened over time. The findings also showed that “more than 65% of the deaths happened at home.”

Related Links:

— “Opioids Are Leading Cause of Child Poisoning Deaths, Study Finds “Christine Chung, The New York Times, March 8, 2023