Healio (4/26, Monostra) reports, “Adults with severe mental illness and diabetes need more intensive interventions and greater support to overcome barriers to diabetes self-management,” investigators concluded in a 78-participant study that included “39 were people with severe mental illness and diabetes, nine…family members” and “30…health care staff members.” According to the study, “some feelings, such as low mood, depression, stress or anxiety, were linked to concerns about diabetes and derailed attempts at diabetes self-management,” and almost “all participants with severe mental illness and diabetes were also challenged by the burden of managing other health problems other than their mental illness and diabetes.” The findings were published online March 26 in Diabetic Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Greater support, interventions key to diabetes care for adults with severe mental illness “Michael Monostra, Healio, April 26, 2021

HealthDay (4/26, Murez) reports research indicates that “calming tunes at bedtime seem to help older people struggling with insomnia,” investigators concluded after examining data from “five studies with 288 participants.” The findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis were published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Links:

— “Lullaby Effect: Music Can Speed Your Way to Sleep, Study Finds “Cara Murez, HealthDay, April 26, 2021

HealthDay (4/23) reported, “Depression and other mental health problems have become much more common among pregnant women and new mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, an international study finds.” The “researchers noted that mental health issues can harm not only a woman’s own health but also affect mother-infant bonding and children’s health over time.” The findings were published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Related Links:

— “Pandemic Is Leading to More Depression for Pregnant Women Worldwide: Study ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 23, 2021

Healio (4/23, Miller) reported, “Most people who used kratom did so to self-treat their opioid dependence or withdrawal,” investigators concluded after analyzing “500 YouTube videos.” The study revealed that “kratom was most frequently used to self-medicate for opioid dependence/addiction (83.4%), followed by pain (75%), anxiety (67%), lack of energy (50%), depression (42%) and substance use problems (42%), as well as mood elevation (25%) and nootropic effects (25%).” The findings were published online ahead of print in the journal Emerging Trends in Drugs, Addictions, and Health.

Related Links:

— “Most people use kratom to self-manage opioid addiction “Janel Miller, Healio, April 23, 2021

NBC News (4/23, Carroll) reports, “Women who use marijuana during pregnancy are putting their babies at risk, a study published Thursday finds.” The piece says that “babies born to women who were heavy cannabis users during pregnancy are more likely to have health problems, including premature birth and death within a year of birth, compared to babies born to women who did not use cannabis during pregnancy, according to an analysis of nearly 5 million California women who gave birth between 2001 and 2012.” The findings were published in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Heavy marijuana use during pregnancy linked to premature birth, early infant death “Linda Carroll, NBC News, April 23, 2021