NBC News (7/19, Edwards) reports, “From 2019 to 2020, the CDC said, the rate of fatal drug overdoses rose by 30% overall, from 21.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019 to 28.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2020. Most deaths were due to illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.” The data indicate a disparity in outcomes by ethnicity; the death rate among Black Americans “increased most dramatically,” by 44%, while for “American Indian and Alaska Native populations, the rate increased by 39%.”

Also reporting are the Wall Street Journal (7/19, Wernau, Subscription Publication) and USA Today (7/19, Hassanein).

Related Links:

— “Overdose death rate increased by 30% in 2020, a ‘staggering’ rise ” Erika Edwards, NBC News, July 19, 2022

Healio (7/18, Downey) reports, “Higher levels of loneliness reported in children prior to the age of 12 years predicted alcohol-related issues emerging in adulthood, researchers reported” in a 310-university student study, the findings of which were published online ahead of print in the December issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors Reports.

Related Links:

— “Childhood loneliness predicts increased alcohol use later in life “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, July 18, 2022

Psychiatric News (7/18) reports, “Healthcare workers who reported experiencing high levels of stress about child care during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to report anxiety, depression, and burnout compared with those without child care stress,” investigators concluded after examining survey data from “the 14-item Coping with COVID survey of 58,408 healthcare workers (including 15,766 physicians and 11,409 nurses), conducted between April and December 2020.” The study also revealed that healthcare workers “experiencing such stress were also more likely to report an intent to reduce their hours or leave their position than those without child care stress.” The findings were published online July 18 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Child Care Stress Among Health Care Workers Associated With Burnout, Intent to Reduce Hours, Psychiatric News, July 18, 2022

Dermatology Advisor (7/15, Stong) reported, “Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have fluctuating symptoms of depression over time, and those with severe AD have the highest risk for depressive symptoms, investigators” concluded in a study that included “695 adult patients.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Related Links:

— “Severe Atopic Dermatitis Tied to Poor Mental Health “Colby Stong, Dermatology Advisor, July 15, 2022

The Hill (7/15, Breslin) reported a “study by the Coalition for Applied Modeling for Prevention (CAMP) and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the colossal rise in injection drug use…in the United States in recent years.” The study showed that “the most recent data, from 2018, estimated that approximately 4 million Americans injected drugs,” a “five-fold increase from the last approximation, in 2011.” The research also found that “the burden of fatal and nonfatal overdoses among those who inject drugs has…gone up sharply.”

Related Links:

— “CDC study shows meteoric rise in number of Americans injecting drugs “Maureen Breslin, The Hill, July 15, 2022