The New York Times (12/20, Diaz) reports, “The Drug Enforcement Administration confiscated more than 379 million doses of fentanyl this year, the agency said, and it seized more than double the number of pills laced with the potent synthetic opioid than it seized last year.” In a Tuesday statement, the DEA “announced…that it had confiscated more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills in 2022, as well as more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.”

The Washington Post (12/20, Miroff) reports “more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses” in 2021, and “two-thirds of those deaths were caused by fentanyl, according to U.S. public health data.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Drug Agency Doubles Its Catch of Fentanyl-Laced Pills in 2022 “Johnny Diaz, The New York Times, December 20, 2022

According to Reuters (12/20, Farge), on Dec. 20 at a press briefing, Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, “said…that 10 million people, or about a quarter of Ukraine’s population, may suffer from a mental health disorder in relation to the conflict there.” As the war continues, cases of PTSD “caused by distressing events” are rising, “prompting a separate U.N. agency to launch online support services.”

Related Links:

— “One in four Ukrainians at risk of mental disorder due to conflict – WHO, Reuters, December 20, 2022

Bloomberg Law (12/20, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “Suicide prevention, addiction treatment, mental health, and the Covid-19 pandemic are the subjects of significant focus in a proposed government spending package released Tuesday, teeing up the Biden administration’s health department to tackle major initiatives in the year ahead.” Overall, “$209.9 billion in base discretionary funding is included in the FY 2023 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill,” which is “a 7.1% increase over the 2022 level.”

Related Links:

— “Addiction, Mental Health, Covid Top HHS List in Spending Push “Ian Lopez , Bloomberg Law, December 20, 2022

The Washington Post (12/19, Rowan) reports “taking on a new hobby as one ages might provide an important defense against dementia, some experts say.” According to Pacific Brain Health Center Director and Geriatric Psychiatrist David Merrill, “activities that demand focus and industry are the whetstone to keeping cognition sharp.” He adds, “‘Use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biologic fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or our bones.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The Wall Street Journal (12/19, Mosbergen, Subscription Publication) reports an analysis of data from children’s hospitals found that the incidence of firearm injuries in the US among children rose sharply between April 2020 and December 2021. A separate study found that homicides for children trended upward between 2013 to 2020. Both studies were published in JAMA Pediatrics.
       
The New York Times (12/19, Rabin) reports the rate of homicide for children in the US “rose by about 28 percent in 2020,” researchers found in the second study. The findings also revealed “a majority of the homicides were among Black children, and almost half were among children in the southern United States,” and “older children and boys of all ages were more likely to be victims of gun violence than younger children and girls.”

Related Links:

— “Gun Injuries Among Children Surged During Pandemic, Study Says “Dominique Mosbergen, The Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2022