According to MedPage Today (3/31, DePeau-Wilson), last “week’s FDA approval of the first-ever over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone product (Narcan) for the treatment of opioid overdoses was broadly praised.” Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, of Stanford University School of Medicine and chair of the Council on Addiction Psychiatry for the American Psychiatric Association (APA), stated, “We have nearly 200 Americans dying every day as a result of opioid-involved overdose.” Dr. Das added, “Anything that we can do to make overdose reversal possible is a step in the right direction.” Nevertheless, “we need to work collaboratively as psychiatrists, physicians, governments, [and] communities to address the substance use disorders that our nation is facing,” Dr. Das said. The majority of “statements from medical societies…noted that the approval is a critical step in addressing the deaths from opioid overdose.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/20, VanDewater) reports, “Veterans with feelings of loneliness and lower life purpose that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic had greater odds of developing new suicidal thoughts or behaviors during the pandemic,” researchers concluded in a study that “used data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study to assess suicidality in veterans.” The findings of the 2,441-veteran study were published online April 5 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “New suicidality in veterans during pandemic linked to preexisting mental health “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, April 20, 2023

CNN (3/30, Russell) reports, “Emergency department visits for firearm injuries in the United States dropped slightly since 2020, but the rate in 2022 was still above pre-pandemic levels.”

MedPage Today (3/30, Henderson) reports, “Compared with 2019, the average number of weekly ED visits for firearm injury was 37% higher in 2020, 36% higher in 2021, and 20% higher in 2022.” The data indicated that “among both males and females, average weekly ED visits for firearm injuries were consistently highest among people ages 15 to 24 from 2019 to 2022.” But, “the biggest increases in the proportion of firearm injury ED visits were among kids younger than 14 during the three pandemic years compared with 2019.” The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Emergency room visits from firearms dropped in 2022, but remained higher than pre-pandemic rate “Kyla Russell, CNN, March 30, 2023

CNN (3/30, McPhillips) reports, “Prescriptions for stimulants often used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder surged during the pandemic, especially among adults, a new study found.” The findings were published online in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Prescriptions for ADHD treatments surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, CDC report shows “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, March 30, 2023

According to HCPlive (3/30, Walter), research indicates that “suicides via firearms are more likely in individuals with higher alcohol consumption, as well as in male decedents.” The study included “45,959 male suicide decedents with a mean age of 42.6 years and 12,136 female suicide decedents with a mean age of 44.2 years.” The study also revealed that “the probability of using a firearm when alcohol is consumed was higher in the male group compared to females.” The findings were published online March 29 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “The Risk of Firearm-Related Suicide Increases as Alcohol Consumption Increases “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, March 30, 2023