Healio (10/20, Gramigna) reports, “Frequent nonmedical cannabis use and cannabis use disorder appeared linked to self-reported psychotic disorders,” researchers concluded in a study that “included data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).” Specifically, the study team “analyzed data of 43,093 participants of NESARC between 2001 and 2002 and 36,309 participants of NESARC-III between 2012 and 2013.” The findings were published online Oct. 14 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis use may increase risk for self-reported psychotic disorders “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 20, 2021

Healio (10/20, Gramigna) reports, “Between 2011 and 2019, fewer than 12% of adolescents with major depression and substance use disorder were treated for both conditions,” researchers concluded after investigating “temporal trends and sociodemographic disparities in co-occurring major depression and SUD treatment” among “136,262 (51.1% boys; 13.8% Black; 23.2% Hispanic; 53.6% white) U.S. adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who participated in the annual cross-sectional surveys of the National Survey on Drug and Health between 2011 and 2019.” The findings of the survey study were published online Oct. 20 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Few adolescents with depression, substance use disorder treated for both “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 20, 2021

The Hill (10/19, Prieb) reports, “A group of pediatric organizations have declared a national emergency in children’s mental health,” drawing on “statistics from March through October 2020, which showed that the percentage of emergency” department “visits for mental health emergencies among children ages 5-11 rose by 24 percent – and by 31 percent for children ages 12-17.”

Modern Healthcare (10/19, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reports, “The American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health on” Oct. 19, asking “for more federal funding to ensure access to mental healthcare services, telemedicine, and more support for school-based care which often is the first point of care.”

Related Links:

— “Pediatric groups declare national emergency over children’s mental health “Natalie Prieb, The Hill, October 19, 2021

HealthDay (10/19, Thompson) reports, “Preschoolers with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “rarely receive the gold-standard treatment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for their condition,” researchers concluded. That group “recommends a behavioral therapy technique called ‘parent training in behavior management,’ or PTBM, as first-line treatment for” AD/HD in children “ages four and five.” Just one of “every 10 children in that age group with an” AD/HD “diagnosis” or AD/HD-like “symptoms actually receive a referral for PTBM therapy, however,” researchers concluded after reviewing “medical records for more than 22,700 four- and five-year-olds treated by primary care” physicians. The findings were published online Oct. 18 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Most Kids Newly Diagnosed With ADHD Aren’t Getting Best Care “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 19, 2021

Healio (10/19, DeFino) reports, “A longitudinal study assessing illness progression in” 231 “patients with bipolar disorder [BD] and major depressive disorder [MDD]” revealed “a worsening of patient function with depressive episodes, but an overall improvement in functioning over five years.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the December issue of the journal Psychiatry Research.

Related Links:

— “Functioning worsens in patients with bipolar, MDD only during depressive episodes “Anthony DeFino, Healio, October 19, 2021