Healio (3/20, Herpen) reports, “While psychedelic use may be associated with fewer psychotic symptoms among adolescents, the link between psychedelics and manic symptoms appears to be associated with genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, data show.”

Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from 16,255 adolescent twins (54.7% girls) born between July 1992 and December 2005, who first participated in the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden at age 9 years and were later assessed at ages 15, 18 and 24 years.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Link between psychedelic use, manic symptoms in teens may be associated with genetics,” Robert Herpen, MA, Healio, March 20, 2024

MedPage Today (3/20, DePeau-Wilson ) reports, “Five distinct suicide profiles that could improve detection and treatment of co-existing health conditions and bolster suicide prevention strategies were identified in a cross-sectional study.” In the “analysis of 306,800 suicide deaths, individuals who faced physical health challenges comprised the largest profile class of the five (31.7%).”

The data indicated that “decedents with this profile (class 4) also had the lowest rates of disclosing suicidal intent (14.4%) or leaving a suicide note (25.1%).” Although “physical health conditions made up the largest profile, the remaining profiles were comprised of individuals who predominantly faced mental health or substance abuse conditions: Class 1: comorbid mental health and substance use problems (13.5%); Class 2: mental health problems (17.6%); Class 3: crisis, alcohol-related, and intimate-partner problems (18%);” and “Class 5: polysubstance problems (19.2%).”

The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

CNN (3/21, Cheng) reports, “The US Federal Communications Commission has taken the first step toward adopting a rule that would require telecommunications companies to route calls to the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline based on the caller’s physical location rather than their phone number’s area code.”

The agency’s chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, “said she has submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking to the full commission and expects the rule to pass a vote in the next several weeks, given bipartisan support for the change.” She said, “When people reach out to 988 for help, they should have confidence that the support they receive is local.”

Related Links:

— “988 mental health crisis calls may soon be routed based on location rather than area code,” Mira Cheng, CNN, March 21, 2024

Bloomberg Law (3/18, Díaz , Subscription Publication) reports, “President Joe Biden signed an executive order to strengthen women’s health research standards across federal agencies and prioritize its funding, part of a broader effort to close the gap on long-standing disparities.” Biden “called it the ‘most comprehensive executive actions ever taken to improve women’s health’ at a White House event on Monday, and said it highlighted the administration’s efforts to bolster economic gains for women.”

NBC News (3/18, Kenny ) reports Biden “announced more than 20 new actions and commitments by federal agencies, including $200 million for research at the National Institutes of Health.” The Administration “described the investments as a first step toward a ‘Fund on Women’s Health’ that Biden called on Congress to invest in during his State of the Union address this month.”

Related Links:

— “Biden signs executive order to boost women’s health research,” Summer Concepcion, Fiona Glisson and Caroline Kenny, NBC News, March 18, 2024

HCP Live (3/18, Derman) reports, “Middle-aged adults in the US report significantly greater levels of loneliness than their European counterparts, and this is suggested to be because of weaker family ties and greater income inequality, a recent study” found. When “broken down to age groups, baby boomers in the US reported greater levels of loneliness than England, Continental Europe, Mediterranean Europe, and Nordic Europe.”

With regard to “Generation X, adults in the US reported greater levels of loneliness in all the same nations as baby boomers did except in England, which had an insignificant difference.” The findings were published in American Psychologist.

Related Links:

— “US Middle-Aged Adults Report Loneliness More Than European Adults: Why Is This?,” Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, March 18, 2024