HealthDay (7/21, Mann) reports, “Women, but not men, had greater cognitive reserves if they exercised regularly and took classes, read or played games,” while “taking part in more mental activities improved thinking speed for both women and men,” investigators concluded in a brain scan study that “included 758 people (average age, 76).” The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Exercise, Puzzles, Games: They Help Men’s, Women’s Brains Differently “Denise Mann, HealthDay, July 21, 2022

HCPlive (7/21, Walter) reports research indicates that “high school students using cannabis as a sleep aid are more prone to cannabis dependency, binge drinking, and psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety.” Investigators came to that conclusion after examining data on “407 9-11 graders at an urban Northeastern US public high school.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the November issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis Use as a Sleep Aid Linked to Dependency for High School Students “Kenny Walter, HCPliv, July 21, 2022

According to the AP (7/21, Goldberg), “federal officials are grappling with how local teams staffing the national 988 lines will contend with suspicion of the medical establishment” among Black communities. This is important, because “improper detentions and other issues contribute to what some experts say is an underutilization of mental health services.” HHS is now “urging partners in each community to communicate the distinction between 911 and 988.” Just “one in three African-Americans who need mental healthcare receives it, according to the American Psychiatric Association.”

Related Links:

— “Mistrust lingers in Black communities amid 988 launch “Michael Goldberg, AP, July 21, 2022

Healio (7/20, Herpen) reports, “The risk of suicide mortality was similar in patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy [ECT] and matched controls, with no evidence that the therapy decreased risk of death by suicide,” investigators concluded after analyzing “electronic medical record data from the Department of Veterans Affairs health system, between 2000 and 2017, to include 5,157 index courses of ECT therapy, along with 10,097 matched controls who did not receive ECT.” The findings were published online April 13 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “ECT did not decrease risk for death by suicide compared with other mental health care “Robert Herpen, Healio, July 20, 2022

In light of the nationwide launch of the 988 suicide hotline, STAT (7/20, Gaffney) reports that even though “some call centers said they didn’t see any change in volume with the launch of the new number, the Department of Health and Human Services expects the volume of calls to the national line to double in the first full year,” a surge that “could tax a mental healthcare system that’s already severely strained, and direly underfunded.” The article spotlights volunteers at Call2Talk, a Framingham, MA-based call center handling 988 calls.

Related Links:

— “At a 988 call center, volunteers embrace a new number while providing familiar hope “Theresa Gaffney, STAT, July 21, 2022