HCPlive (7/19, Derman) reported, “A new study observed the high prevalence of medical debt among adults with depression and anxiety, a factor that may prevent people from receiving mental health care.” Compared to people “without the respective mental disorders, medical debt was more prevalent among adults with lifetime depression…lif etime anxiety…curren t depression…and current anxiety.” Additionally, “medical debt was linked to delayed health care among adults with lifetime depression…lif etime anxiety…curren t depression…and current anxiety…compar ed to participants without mental disorders.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Medical Debt Causes Many People to Delay or Forgo Mental Health Care,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, July 19, 2024

USA Today (7/20, Chernikoff) reported new research “found that some gun laws can prevent firearm suicides among children and teens.” The study found “states with safe storage laws and mandatory waiting periods had lower rates of suicide deaths among children 18 and younger.” Those “same laws did not decrease the risk of kids being murdered by a firearm, the research found.” The findings were published in the Journal of Surgical Research.

Related Links:

— “Gun laws lower firearm-related suicides among youth, study shows,”Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, July 20, 2024

CNN (7/18, Holcombe ) reports humor “may be an important skill in parenting, according to new research.” In a study, “researchers surveyed about 300 people about their experiences being raised with or without humor and their views on their childhood.” Researchers found “people who were raised by adults who used humor were found to have a better view of their parents or caregivers, more likely to say they have a good relationship with them, more likely to say they did a good job, and reply that they would use the same parenting techniques.” The findings were published in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Even if your kids roll their eyes, keep making jokes, research says,”Madeline Holcombe , CNN, July 18, 2024

NBC News (7/18, Syal) reports, “Mushroom edibles are soaring in popularity across the U.S., claiming to offer a variety of mind-altering experiences, from the mild – a boost in focus from a ‘microdose’ – to psychedelic trips.” However, “the effects don’t necessarily stem from psilocybin, the Schedule I chemical found in so-called magic mushrooms.” Often, it is “a mushroom called Amanita muscaria – at least according to the product label.” According to NBC, “in reality, what’s going into many of these products remains an open question.”

Related Links:

— “Mushroom edibles are rising in popularity. It’s hard to say what’s in them.,”Akshay Syal, M.D., NBC News, July 18, 2024

The New York Times (7/17, Barry ) reports “researchers who conducted a large study of adults in Denmark” found that “adults who moved frequently in childhood have significantly more risk of suffering from depression than their counterparts who stayed put in a community.” The research found “adults who moved more than once between the ages of 10 and 15…were 61 percent more likely to suffer from depression in adulthood compared with counterparts who had not moved, even after controlling for a range of other individual-levelfactors.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (7/17) reports the study “found that individuals who lived in neighborhoods during childhood that were more income deprived were more likely to develop depression in adulthood, but the experience of moving during childhood – regardless of income – was associated with significantly higher rates of depression compared with those who did not move.”

Related Links:

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