MedPage Today (11/10, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “The belief that long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics for schizophrenia should be reserved for patients with severe symptoms or adherence issues may be contributing to their underutilization,” researchers concluded in a 380-participant, “nationwide survey of psychiatric clinicians.” The survey study revealed that “low LAI prescribers were more likely to say these therapies should only be used for patients with more severe symptoms (50% vs 21% for high prescribers) or with adherence issues (82% vs 50%, respectively).” The findings were presented at the Neuroscience Education Institute Congress.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (11/9, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “A history of violence and having an impulsive or behavioral disorder were predictors of substance use among youths admitted to a child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit,” investigators concluded in a study that “reviewed 1,101 patient charts.” Additionally, “patient age was…a significant predictor of substance use,” the study revealed. The findings were disclosed in a poster presentation at the Neuroscience Education Institute Congress.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (11/9, Weldon) reports, “Inpatient and outpatient volume increased for pediatric patients with an eating disorder following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” researchers concluded after examining “data from 14 U.S. medical centers, as well as one private eating disorder program.” Following “an initial decline in admissions at the start of the pandemic lockdowns, the sites reported a significant increase in admissions of 7.2% per month through April 2021, followed by a 3.6% decrease per month through the following December.” The findings were published online Nov. 7 in JAMA Pediatrics.

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— “Eating disorder admissions increased after start of pandemic “Rose Weldon, Healio, November 9, 2022

According to the New York Times (11/9, Baumgaertner), “even when Black and Hispanic patients start a prescription for buprenorphine – the most popular medication to help those in recovery fight cravings – the typical duration of their treatment is shorter than that of white patients,” investigators concluded in findings published online Nov. 9 in a research letter in JAMA Psychiatry. After sorting through “15 years of prescription data by race and ethnicity,” the study team found that “the percentage of minority patients who remained on buprenorphine for more than 180 days – the minimum recommended duration – was significantly below that of white patients.”

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— “Medication Treatment for Addiction Is Shorter for Black and Hispanic Patients, Study Finds “Emily Baumgaertner, The New York Times , November 9, 2022

CNN (11/8, LaMotte) reports, “Americans are failing in their endless quest for adequate slumber, leading to deficits that can impact health, according to a” study that “analyzed sleep data on over 9,000 Americans age 20 and older collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2017 and March 2020.” Nearly “30% of respondents had trouble falling or staying asleep and about 27% were very sleepy during the day, according to the study.” The findings published in JAMA Network Open also revealed that “over 30% of adults reported an hour of sleep debt…while nearly 1 in 10 adults had a sleep debt of two hours or more.”

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— “Sleep deprivation affects nearly half of American adults, study finds “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, November 8, 2022