HealthDay (4/9, Murez) reported research indicates that physical activity may benefit children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A small study published “in the April issue of the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal reported that 10 minutes of low-intensity exercise reduced verbal repetition of phases or words and hand-flapping, two common behaviors associated with autism.”

Related Links:

— “Kids With Autism Can Really Benefit From Exercise “Cara Murez, HealthDay, April 9, 2021

Psychiatric News (4/9) reported, “Opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose among young people who fill an initial opioid prescription are rare but more likely to occur in those who have other substance use disorders or who have mood or anxiety disorders,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the health insurance claims of more than 3.2 million youth aged 11 to 25 years who filled an initial opioid prescription between 2006 and 2016.” The findings were published online March 19 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Study Identifies Risk Factors for Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose in Youth, Psychiatric News, April 9, 2021

Healio (4/9, Gramigna) reported, “Hospitalized individuals who had mood disorder history were at increased risk for greater COVID-19 morbidity and mortality,” investigators concluded in a study that sought “to assess the link between prior mood disorder diagnosis and hospital outcomes among 2,988 individuals, of whom 717 had a prior mood disorder diagnosis, who were admitted with COVID-19 to two academic medical centers and four community hospitals in Eastern Massachusetts between Feb. 15, 2020, and May 24, 2020.” The findings of the “retrospective cohort study” were published online April 6 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Mood disorder diagnosis increases risk for COVID-19 mortality among hospitalized patients “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 9, 2021

HealthDay (4/8) reports that when investigators “used standardized scales to measure” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “symptoms, stress levels and resilience in 558 college students, they found that those who reported more symptoms also had more stress,” but “four benchmarks of resilience – social support, social skills, the perception of one’s ability to reach a goal, and planning and prioritizing – made a big difference.” The study revealed that “resilient students had less stress than their AD/HD symptoms would have otherwise predicted.” The findings were published online ahead of print April 6 in the Journal of College Counseling.

Related Links:

— “College Can Really Ramp Up Stress for People With ADHD ” Denise Mann, HealthDay, April 8, 2021

Healio (4/8, Gramigna) reports, “More than 40% of U.S. military veterans reported moderate or greater levels of posttraumatic growth linked to the COVID-19 pandemic,” with “most common areas of growth” including “greater appreciation of life, improved social relationships and increased personal strength.” The findings of the 3,078-veteran survey study were published online April 8 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “43% of veterans report increased posttraumatic growth linked to COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio , April 8, 2021