According to the AP (10/10, Khalil), the Pentagon is working “to confront spiraling suicide rates in the military ranks.” Earlier this year, “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of an independent committee to review the military’s mental health and suicide prevention programs.” DOD data indicate “suicides among active-duty service members increased by more than 40% between 2015 and 2020,” and in 2020 alone, “the numbers jumped by 15%.”

Related Links:

— “As suicides rise, US military seeks to address mental health “Ashraf Khalil, AP, October 10, 2022

Psychiatric News (10/7) reported, “Patients with first-episode psychosis [FEP] have a lower risk of work disability during periods when taking antipsychotics compared with periods not taking the medications,” investigators concluded in the findings of a 21,551-patient study published online Oct. 6 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Patients With FEP Appear To Have Lower Risk Of Work Disability During Periods When Taking Antipsychotics Compared With Periods Not Taking The Medications, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, October 7, 2022

The Washington Post (10/6, McGinley) reports that “more than 2.5 million adolescents were current e-cigarette users in 2022, with the majority choosing flavored, disposable products, according to a” federal study. These “findings, from the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the” FDA and CDC, and published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “show more than 14 percent of high-schoolers and 3.3 percent of middle-schoolers were current users, defined as those who used e-cigarettes at last one day in the past month.”

The New York Times (10/6, Jewett) reports the study “showed that 85 percent of adolescent e-cigarette users favored vapes in fruit, dessert and candy flavors.” The findings also revealed that “one in four of the high school students who were e-cigarette users reported vaping every day.”

The AP (10/6, Perrone, Stobbe), Reuters (10/6, Mishra), and HealthDay (10/6, Roberts Murez) also report on the findings.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The AP (10/6, Stobbe) reports, “The U.S. rate for gun deaths has increased for the second straight year, following 15 years of no real change,” according to a “government report.”

NBC News (10/6, Griffith) reports, “Gun homicide and suicide rates in the U.S. each increased by more than 8% from 2020 to 2021,” with “highs not recorded since the early 1990s,” investigators concluded.

MedPage Today (10/6, Firth) reports the study revealed that “from 2020 to 2021, homicides involving firearms increased from 6.12 to 6.63 per 100,000, while gun-related suicides increased from 8.07 to 8.75 per 100,000.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “US rate for gun deaths is up for the second straight year “Mike Stobbe, AP, October 6, 2022

MedPage Today (10/4, Firth) reports, “The National Academy of Medicine launched its National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being to address the growing challenges of burnout among health care workers, at an event hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) on Monday.” The “report, a response to long-standing concerns about burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic (60% of physicians reported burnout in a 2022 survey), emphasized the need for broad cultural change, investments in research, and efforts to destigmatize mental health.” One “key priority area, according to the report, is focusing on reducing mental health stigma.” AAMC President Emeritus Darrell Kirch, MD, “pointed out that credentialing and licensing applications contribute to this stigma by asking clinicians whether they’ve ever experienced a mental health problem.” Over “half of state medical boards continue to ask such questions in applications, said” American Medical Association Professional Satisfaction Vice President Christine Sinsky, M.D., “citing a map found on the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s website.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)