Healio (10/8, Mahoney ) reports, “Adults with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder had increased risk for severe infection outcomes while exposed to antipsychotics compared with nonexposure periods, according to a study.” The researchers said, “Based on our findings and in corroboration with previous findings, it seems reasonable to consider recommending pneumococcal (and potentially other anti-infective) vaccination for individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, who are older than 40 years, and are treated or due to commence treatment with antipsychotic medication.” The findings were published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Antipsychotic use tied to severe infection risk in patients with schizophrenia,” Moira Mahoney, Healio, October 8, 2024

MedPage Today (10/7, Henderson ) reports, “Cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood was linked to lower academic performance, a systematic review and meta-analysis suggested.” Researchers found that “among 63 studies that comprised 438,329 participants, moderate-certainty evidence indicated that cannabis use among individuals ages 24 years and younger was likely associated with lower school grades…as well as less likelihood of high school completion…university enrollment…and postsecondary degree.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (10/7, Ovalle ) reports, “Overdose deaths appear to be declining sharply in the United States, a sign that efforts to combat the scourge of lethal fentanyl may be paying off even as experts caution that the toll remains unacceptably high and could rise again.” Preliminary data that were “compiled by states and released by the” CDC “show a 10 percent drop in deaths during the 12-month period ending in April, with about 101,000 people succumbing to overdoses.”

Researchers and public health officials “said the decline could reflect multiple forces, including widespread availability of the overdose-reversal medication naloxone, greater access to opioid addiction treatment, and law enforcement crackdowns on illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which had become the leading killer of 18-to-49-year-olds.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (10/4, Rhoades) reported, “Fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses experienced ‘unprecedented’ decreases of 10% to 20% from last year, which could be due to factors like increased naloxone availability, according to researchers.” The study findings “showed a precipitous decline in state-level overdose-related mortality figures, especially among states in the Eastern region.” The findings were published in a blog post in Opioid Data Lab.

Related Links:

— “Fatal drug overdose deaths down as much as 10%, although reasons why remain unclear,” Andrew Rhoades, Healio, October 4, 2024

Psychiatric News (10/4) said, “Minority youth at high risk of psychosis who live in more diverse neighborhoods tend to have less severe positive symptoms – such as unusual thoughts or grandiose ideas – than those surrounded by less diversity, reports a study.” The investigators “found that part of this association was because youth in diverse neighborhoods experience less perceived discrimination and less peer victimization such as bullying.” The findings were published in Psychiatry Research.

Related Links:

— “Study Finds Neighborhood Diversity May Lessen Symptoms in Youth At Risk of Psychosis,” Psychiatric News, October 4, 2024