Healio (7/23, Gramigna) reported, “The continued use of electroconvulsive therapy [ECT] appeared warranted for reducing suicide risk among patients with severe depression,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from Swedish national registers of 28,557 patients (ECT group mean age, 55.9 years; non-ECT group, 45.2 years; 55.5% women) who received inpatient care between Jan. 1, 2012, and Oct. 31, 2018, for moderate depression, severe depression or severe depression with psychosis.” The findings of the “registry-based cohort study” were published online July 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Electroconvulsive therapy significantly reduces suicide risk in severe depression “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 23, 2021

HealthDay (7/22, Murez) reports, “Youth who identify as LGBTQ+ suffer more bullying at their schools when they live in areas with politically conservative voting records.” Investigators examined “school district voting records in the 2016 presidential election, as well as bullying experiences in schools and mental health outcomes of LGBTQ+ students in Washington state using the 2018 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey.” The study revealed that “LGBTQ+ students are at a higher risk for psychological distress and suicidal thoughts as a result of bullying, particularly in school districts that voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.” The findings were published online in the journal Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy.

Related Links:

— “When It Comes to Bullying of LGBTQ Teens, Local Politics Matters  “Cara Murez, HealthDay, July 22, 2021

Psychiatric News (7/22) reports, “An estimated 1.562 million children worldwide lost a caregiver from March 2020 to April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded in a study that revealed that “862,365 children in…21 countries had been orphaned or lost a custodial grandparent due to COVID-19, including 788,704 who lost a mother, father, or both parents.” The findings were published online July 20 in The Lancet.

Related Links:

— “More Than 1.5 Million Children Globally Lost Caregivers Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, Psychiatric News, July 22, 2021

CNN (7/22, Hunt) reports, “The proportion of schizophrenia cases linked with problematic use of marijuana has increased over the past 25 years, according to a new study.” According to the research, CNN writes that “in 1995, 2% of schizophrenia diagnoses in the country were associated with cannabis use disorder,” but “in 2000, it increased to around 4%,” and has “increased to 8%” since 2010. The findings were published online July 21 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds “Katie Hunt, CNN, July 22, 2021

Medwire News (7/21, McDermid) reports, “The presence of an eating disorder diagnosis significantly increases the risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and all-cause mortality in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes [T1D],” researchers concluded after using “health records to identify 20,035 adolescents and young adults (aged 10–39 years) with type 1 diabetes, 0.8% of whom had an eating disorder diagnosis.” The study authors concluded. “It is important to incorporate screening tools for disordered eating behavior into routine type 1 diabetes care to allow for timely identification of such patients and to consider eating disorders as a reason for poor glycemic control, potentially due to insulin withholding.” The findings were published online in Diabetes Care.

Related Links:

— “Eating disorders tied to increased DKA, mortality risk in young people with type 1 diabetes “Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, July 21, 2021