Healio (5/2, Gramigna) reported, “Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, provided an overview of lessons learned and remaining challenges” from the COVID-19 pandemic at the American Psychiatric Association’s virtual annual meeting. Discussing “psychiatric outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Fauci also “referenced a CDC study conducted in June 2020 that surveyed 5,470 U.S. adults and found 41% reported one or more adverse mental or behavioral health condition,” including “31% with anxiety or depression symptoms, 26% with trauma or stressor-related disorder symptoms, 13% who initiated or increased substance use and 11% who seriously considered suicide.”

Related Links:

— “Fauci gives overview of lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic at APA annual meeting “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 2, 2021

HealthDay (4/29, Preidt) reports that even though “herbal kratom is used by less than 1% of the U.S. population,” its rate of use “is much higher among those who misuse opioid” analgesics, researchers concluded after examining “data collected from more than 56,000 U.S. teens and adults during the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health..” The study also revealed that “men, white people and those with depression and serious mental illness were also more likely to report using kratom.” The findings were published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Who Is Using Herbal Kratom? ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 29, 2021

Psychiatric News (4/29) reports, “People who use prescription opioid” analgesics “along with the so-called Z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone, and zaleplon) for insomnia have a significantly higher risk of overdose than people who use opioids alone,” researchers concluded after using “the IBM Marketscan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Database” to analyze “data on patients 15 to 85 years of age who had filled an opioid prescription between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2017,” then comparing “510,529 patients within this group who also began taking Z-drugs with an equal number of patients who were taking opioids alone.” The findings were published online April 26 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric News, Psychiatric News, April 29, 2021

Healio (4/28, Gramigna) reports, “Children exposed to mass trauma were at increased risk for developing panic disorder,” investigators concluded in research assessing the “psychiatric effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on youths.” For the study, researchers “analyzed data from 6,991 students in grades six through 12 who participated in a New York City Board of Education post-Sept. 11 needs assessment study.” The findingswere published online ahead of print in the June issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Children with mass trauma exposure more likely to develop panic disorder “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 28, 2021

MedPage Today (4/28, Monaco) reports, “Gender-affirming surgery can make a substantial beneficial impact on the mental health of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals,” investigators concluded. In their “secondary analysis of data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey,” investigators found that “undergoing at least one type of gender-affirming surgery nearly halved the likelihood of TGD individuals experiencing severe psychological distress within the past month,” and “those who underwent at least one gender-affirming surgery also reported significantly less suicidal ideation within the past year.”

HealthDay (4/28, Murez) reports the study comes “at a particularly critical time, as some states move to ban certain gender-affirming treatments and surgeries for transgender minors.” The findings were published online April 28 in JAMA Surgery.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)