HealthDay (10/29, Thompson ) reports, “Weed use among U.S. teenagers fell dramatically over the past decade, a new study shows.” Researchers found that “by 2021, only about 16% of teens said they were currently using marijuana, down from 23% in 2011.” Study results indicate that “all grades experienced a notable decline in current weed use, particularly among ninth graders.” The findings were published in Pediatric Reports.

Related Links:

— “Marijuana Use Has Fallen ‘Dramatically’ Among U.S. Teens,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 29, 2024

Endocrinology Advisor (10/28, Kuhns) reports, “Individuals with diabetes have a significantly higher risk for suicide than the general population, according to study results.” Researchers found that “over time, the suicide risk increased from 1999 to 2015 and then slightly declined from 2016 to 2020, though it remained higher than in earlier years, among individuals with diabetes.” The findings were published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Risk Factors Could Include Diabetes,” Lisa Kuhns PhD, Endocrinology Advisor, October 28, 2024

The Washington Post (10/25, Gilbert ) reported that Americans who cannot find or afford a professional therapist “are turning to artificial intelligence, seeking help from chatbots that can spit out instantaneous, humanlike responses – some with voices that sound like a real person – 24 hours a day at little to no cost.”

Organizations that operate mental health chatbots “say their users collectively would total in the tens of millions, and that doesn’t count those who use apps like ChatGPT that aren’t marketed for mental health but are praised on social media as a popular therapy hack.” The Post added that more than 6 million people with a mental illness last year “wanted but didn’t receive treatment.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (10/25, Weiland ) reported that according to new federal data, overdose deaths in the US “decreased by more than 12 percent between May 2023 and May 2024,” which represents “a major development in the nation’s efforts to combat the effects of fentanyl.” However, according to a Georgetown University analysis, the number of “fatal overdoses among Black Americans typically increased between 2022 and 2023, while deadly overdoses among white Americans often decreased.” The Times said the findings “reveal a continuation of what federal and state health officials have described as a two-track epidemic, with white Americans experiencing better outcomes and Black Americans struggling to keep up.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

The Hill (10/24, Ventura) reports, “Nearly three-fourths of U.S. adults said the government is not doing enough to ensure access to affordable mental health care, a new West Health-Gallup Healthcare surveyfound.” The new “survey revealed that 73 percent of Americans said that the government was not doing enough to ensure affordable access to mental health care, compared to 12 percent who said that it was doing about the right amount.” About 7% “said the government was doing too much, while another 7 percent said they didn’t know.”

Related Links:

— “Most say not enough being done to ensure affordable mental health care: Survey,” Juliann Ventura, The Hill, October 24, 2024