MedPage Today (8/17, George) reports, “Up to 2 years after infection, people who had COVID-19 continued to face increased risks of neurologic and psychiatric sequelae compared with people who had other respiratory infections, a retrospective study showed.” The “health records of nearly 1.3 million people…showed that risks of cognitive deficit (brain fog), dementia, psychotic disorders, and epilepsy or seizures were increased at 2 years for adults who had COVID, reported” researchers online in The Lancet Psychiatry. Also, “children who had COVID…were more likely to be diagnosed with neurologic and psychiatric sequelae than their matched counterparts, but their likelihood of most diagnoses was lower than that of adults.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (8/17) reports, “New mothers who have a family history of psychiatric disorders appear to have almost double the risk of postpartum depression than new mothers without such a family history,” investigators concluded in a 26-study systematic review and meta-analysis encompassing some 100,877 postpartum women. The findings were published online Aug. 17 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Postpartum Depression More Likely in New Moms With Family History of Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric News , August 17, 2022

Healio (8/16, Hornick) reports, “Children with vision impairment were more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, which significantly improved after strabismus surgery, according to a” 36-study systematic review and meta-analysis, the findings of which were published online ahead of print in the journal Ophthalmology.

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— “Vision impairment linked with symptoms of depression, anxiety in children “Isabella Hornick , Healio, August 16, 2022

Medscape (8/16, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports, “A new ‘comprehensive’ model integrating a variety of factors may help flag individuals at risk for recurrence or persistence of panic disorder (PD),” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed data for almost 800 patients with DSM-IV-diagnosed” panic disorder. The study revealed that “having a ‘general psychopathology factor,’ defined as the shared effects of all comorbid conditions, or PD liability, significantly and independently predicted three-year recurrence or persistence of PD symptoms.” Additionally, “having a lower physical health-related quality of life…a greater number of stressful life events,” and “not seeking treatment at baseline were…significant and independent predictors.” The findings were published online July 25 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (8/16, Reinberg) reports, “Methamphetamine is driving an epidemic of drug overdoses in rural America,” researchers concluded in a more than 3,000-participant study attributing “the surge to meth laced with fentanyl or combined with an opioid that contains fentanyl.” The findings were published online Aug. 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Meth Plays Big Role in Drug ODs in Rural America “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 16, 2022