Reuters (10/10, Singh) reports, “Roughly 15.5 million U.S. adults have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and most of them struggle with gaining access to treatment for the condition, according to data from a U.S. study released on Thursday.” Approximately “one-third of those reporting a diagnosis of ADHD said they had received a prescription for a stimulant drug used to treat it in the previous year, researchers reported in the” CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The study also found that “nearly three quarters of those with a prescription for a stimulant drug reported difficulty getting it filled because the medication was unavailable.”

Related Links:

— “More than 15 million US adults have ADHD, new study estimates,” Puyaan Singh, Reuters, October 10, 2024

HealthDay (10/9, Mundell ) reports, “A study tracking almost 10,000 9- and 10-year olds for two years finds a link between time spent watching TV and other screens with…higher odds for ADHD and depression.” Researchers found that “kids with the highest levels of daily time spent staring at screens had…10% higher odds for depression, a 7% higher risk for conduct issues, and a 6% higher risk for ADHD, compared to children with lower rates of screen use.” The findings were published in BMC Public Health.

Related Links:

— “More Screen Time Tied to Mental Health Risks for Tweens,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, October 9, 2024

USA Today (10/9, Rodriguez ) reports research found that “it’s far more common to live through childhood trauma than to grow up without it.” A “study found that 3 in 4 high school students experienced at least one potentially traumatic event involving violence, abuse or exposure to mental health or substance use problems.” The study also found “1 in 5 high school students said they experienced at least four of these potentially traumatic events.” The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

HealthDay (10/9, Gotkine ) reports “emotional abuse, physical abuse, and household poor mental health were the most common” adverse childhood experiences (61.5, 31.8, and 28.4 percent, respectively).

Related Links:

— “Most high school students say they’ve had a traumatic experience as a kid,” Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, October 9, 2024

The New York Times (10/8, Ghorayshi ) reports, “About 3.3 percent of high school students identify as transgender and another 2.2 percent are questioning their gender identity, according to the first nationally representative survey on these groups, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.”

Gender-questioning and transgender “teenagers reported alarmingly higher rates of bullying at school, persistent sadness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to the survey, which was carried out in 2023.” Roughly “one in four transgender students said they had attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 11 percent of cisgender girls and 5 percent of cisgender boys.” The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

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

Psychiatric News (10/8) reports, “Women with mild to moderate depression or anxiety and no other mental illnesses who discontinue antidepressants during pregnancy do not appear to experience adverse psychiatric outcomes postpartum, according to a study.” Researchers found that “individuals who discontinued their antidepressants during pregnancy also used fewer days of sick leave 1.5 years after childbirth compared with those in the continued use group (45 days vs. 53 days).” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Stopping SSRIs/SNRIs During Pregnancy Not Tied to Adverse Outcomes in Women With Milder Symptoms,” Psychiatric News, October 8, 2024