Oncology Nurse Advisor (10/31, Larson) reports, “Level of psychological distress, anxiety symptoms, and preparedness for cancer survivorship moderate the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in younger breast cancer survivors.” Oncology Nurse Advisor adds, “Pretreatment assessment of these moderators can help clinicians decide which interventions are most appropriate for these patients.” The research was published in JCO Oncology Practice.

Related Links:

— “Efficacy Moderators Identify Beneficial Psychosocial Interventions for Younger BC Survivors,” Jennifer Larsen, Oncology Nurse Advisor, October 31, 2024

Healio (10/29, Jenkins ) reports, “A community coalition-engaged intervention led to a statistically significant reduction in overdose deaths involving any opioid and psychostimulantsother than cocaine, according to a study.” T

he researchers said that the “results suggest that community-focused, data-driven interventions that scale up evidence-based practices with a communications campaign may collectively contribute to successes in addressing the evolving nature of some opioid-involved polysubstance overdose deaths.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Community-engaged intervention reduces polysubstance overdose deaths by 37%,” Cassandra Jenkins, Healio, October 29, 2024

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)