According to the New York Times (4/5, Caron),”tighter restrictions are probably in store for controlled substances” such as medications for anxiety and for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. If the Drug Enforcement Agency approves these proposals “as currently written, patients who are receiving telehealth prescriptions for controlled medications from a” clinician “they have never seen in person will need to have at least one in-person appointment after the public health emergency ends in order to continue receiving their prescriptions.” The Times interviews psychiatrist Shabana Khan, MD, “the chairwoman of the American Psychiatric Association’s committee on telepsychiatry, to help people who take mental health medications understand the anticipated changes and how to adjust for them.” Dr. Khan advises patients to develop a plan now with a physician and schedule an appointment as soon as possible, instead of waiting until May 11 when the public health emergency is set to expire.

Related Links:

— “How to Prepare for the Proposed Changes to Telehealth Prescriptions ” Christina Caron, The New York Times , April 5, 2023

MedPage Today (4/5, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “Sleep problems throughout the transition from childhood to early adolescence were associated with psychopathology symptoms, highlighting the importance of good sleep for adolescents’ mental well-being,” investigators concluded in a study revealing that “among over 10,000 kids, those with more severe sleep problem profiles had a higher risk of concurrent internalizing symptoms.” The findings were published online April 5 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/3, Bascom) reports, “Exercise significantly decreased suicide attempts,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 17-study, 1,021-participant systematic review and meta-analysis published online ahead of print in the June issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Meta-analysis: Exercise significantly decreases suicide attempts “Emma Bascom, Healio, April 3, 2023

Healio (4/3, VanDewater) reports, “From 2002 to 2021, the rate of drug overdose death among people aged 65 years or older quadrupled, “investigators concluded in a study that “evaluated the annual overdose mortality rate among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older using data from the CDC WONDER database.” Additionally, “for 2021 data, the researchers…evaluated characteristics of intentional and unintentional overdose death, drug type and decedent demographics.” The study also revealed that “most unintentional overdoses involved illegal drugs and most intentional overdoses involved prescription” medications. The findings were published online March 29 in a research letter JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Geriatric drug overdose deaths in US quadrupled over 20 years “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, April 3, 2023

Psychiatric News (4/3) reports, “The percentage of adults receiving prescriptions for stimulants increased from 2016 to 2021 and jumped from 2020 to 2021, particularly among women,” researchers concluded after examining “2016-2021 claims data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, a national sample of de-identified health care claims from enrollees in employer-sponsored insurance plans.” Included in the study were “all stimulant prescriptions…regardless of whether an enrollee’s records had any” AD/HD “diagnosis codes present.” The findings were published online March 31 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Stimulant Prescriptions Spiked During Pandemic, CDC Report Finds, Psychiatric News, April 3, 2023