Healio (4/19, Herpen) reports, “Incidence of suicide was higher among physicians than in the general population and affected female physicians significantly more than male,” investigators concluded in a study that “sought to compare the death rate due to suicide of physicians in Spain with the general population and to examine differences based on gender.” The study revealed that “rates of death by suicide were higher among physicians (1,295.7 per 100,000 deaths) than those in the general population (813.21 per 100,000).” The findingswere published in the April issue of the journal Psychiatry

Related Links:

— “Suicide higher among physicians than general population “Robert Herpen, Healio, April 19, 2022

Psychiatric News (4/19) reports, “Older adults who exhibit significant changes in blood pressure over a year may have a higher risk of depressive symptoms than those whose blood pressure remains consistent,” researchers concluded in a study that “analyzed data from 505 older adults aged 55 to 91 who participated in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.” The findings were published online April 2 ahead of print in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Blood Pressure Variability Linked With Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults, Psychiatric News, April 19, 2022

Behind a paywall, Bloomberg Law (4/19, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “The HHS is pumping out $105 million in grant funding for states and territories transitioning to a three-digit national suicide hotline in an effort to beef up staffing ahead of the targeted summer rollout.” The new 988 “dialing code is slated to replace the current 10-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in July.”

Related Links:

— “Suicide Call Centers to Get $105 Million Ahead of New Hotline “Ian Lopez, Bloomberg Law , April 19, 2022

HealthDay (4/18, Norton) reports research indicates that “in school districts with greater segregation, Black students tended to have more behavioral issues and were more likely to drink alcohol, versus their peers in more integrated districts.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after examining “data on more than 1,200 Black children and teenagers in school districts that, in 1991, were still under court-ordered desegregation.” The youngsters “lived in those districts between 1991 and 2014, allowing researchers to examine the effects of a ‘natural experiment,’ in which school district segregation increased over time.” The findings were published online April 18 in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “School Segregation Tied to Problem Drinking Among Black Youth “Amy Norton, HealthDay, April 18, 2022

HealthDay (4/18, Mann) reports, “People with substance abuse disorders [SUD], depression and other mental health conditions may be at higher risk for COVID-19 – even when they are fully vaccinated,” researchers concluded after examining “records of more than 263,000 patients of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (average age: 66).”

Healio (4/18) reports the study found that “135,481 (51.4%) of participants presented with at least one psychiatric disorder diagnosis, with 39,109 (14.8%) developing a breakthrough infection,” with “most specific psychiatric disorder diagnoses…associated with an increased incidence of breakthrough infection.” The findings were published online April 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Issues Linked to Higher Risk of Breakthrough COVID Infections ” Denise Man, HealthDay , April 18, 2022