The Washington Post (8/11, Kornfield) reports that naloxone, “an affordable antidote for opioid overdoses, has become more difficult to obtain amid a fatal epidemic.” According to the Post, “after a manufacturing issue halted Pfizer’s production of the single-dose injectable naloxone in April, groups that distribute a significant amount of the lifesaving medicine say they are facing an unprecedented obstacle to reverse drug overdoses as they reach an all-time high.” What’s more, “organizers say the insufficient supply has been felt unequally across the” US. For its part, drugmaker “Pfizer, which offers naloxone at a discount to a national buyer’s club made up of harm prevention programs, said it may take until February before it can meet demand again.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (8/10) reports, “Adults aged 65 years and older who are suicidal appear to report higher levels of intent compared with younger adults who are suicidal, but they are less likely to meet the criteria for major depression and several other mental disorders,” investigators concluded in a study involving “a total of 683 participants…divided into three age groups: younger (18 to 44), middle-aged (45 to 64), and older (65 and older) adults.” The findings were published online Aug. 9 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

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— “Older Adults Less Likely Than Younger to Report Psychiatric Symptoms After Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric News, August 10, 2021

In a lengthy investigatory piece, the Marshall Project (8/10, Schwartzapfel) reports that three years ago, “Congress passed the First Step Act, a wide-ranging prison reform legislation that, among other things, required the federal prison system to expand access to medications for people addicted to opioids.” Currently, however, the combination of “bureaucratic inertia and outdated thinking about addiction treatment means the federal program is still serving only a tiny fraction of those eligible, The Marshall Project has learned.” As of last month, “the Bureau of Prisons [BOP] had only 268 people on medications to treat opioid dependence, according to Jeffrey A. Burkett, who helps oversee the rollout of the program as the National Health Services Administrator for the BOP.” This figure represents “less than 2% of the more than 15,000 people the bureau itself estimated were eligible, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.”

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— “Drugs that treat opioid addiction and overdoses not widely available in federal prisons “Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project, August 10, 2021

MedPage Today (8/9, Grant) reports on research finding that “students who experienced mistreatment during medical school were more likely to become exhausted or disengaged, have less empathy, and have career regret.” The study found that “those who reported mistreatment on the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Medical School Year 2 Questionnaire – 22.9% of respondents – had higher exhaustion and disengagement scores on the Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) 2 years later.” In addition, “18.8% of those who had experienced mistreatment reported career regret on the GQ.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (8/9) reports, “Globally, the pooled prevalence estimates for clinically elevated depression and anxiety symptoms almost doubled among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded in a 29-study, 80,879-participant meta-analysis. The findings were published online Aug. 9 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Depression, Anxiety Up in Children, Teens Worldwide During Pandemic “Physician’s Briefing Staff, HealthDay, August 9, 2021