Healio (6/11, Miller) reported, “Individuals who used or abused opioids were significantly more likely to receive sedating medications, including benzodiazepines, than those who did not use opioids,” according to researchers who “analyzed 171,766 responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2015 to 2018 to determine how often opioids are used in conjunction with sedating medications.” The results, presented virtually at a medical conference, demonstrated “that opioid use and abuse varied by age, sex, race, education and income.”

Related Links:

— “Despite risks, opioid users more likely to receive sedating medications “Janel Miller, Healio, June 11, 2021

Healio (6/11, Gramigna) reported, “Apparent major depressive episodes after COVID-19 illness appeared distinct from those usually observed among adults,” researchers concluded after using “a multipanel commercial vendor to conduct 12 waves of an internet nonprobability Qualtrics survey approximately every month between May 2020 and February 2021 among people aged 18 years or older.” The findings of the 91,791-person “survey study” were published online in a research letter June 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Major depressive episodes after COVID-19 illness differ from typical presentation “Joe Gramigna, Healio, June 11, 2021

The Washington Post (6/11, Chiu) reported a study the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued on Friday indicates that during 2021’s early months, trips “to emergency departments for suspected suicide attempts increased roughly 50 percent for adolescent girls compared with the same period in 2019.” The authors wrote, “The findings from this study suggest more severe distress among young females than has been identified in previous reports during the pandemic, reinforcing the need for increased attention to, and prevention for, this population.”

USA Today (6/11, Hauck, Miller) and HealthDay (6/11, Thompson) also covered the story.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (6/10, Ernst) reports, “Childhood-onset insomnia symptoms that continued into adulthood served as ‘strong determinants’ of internalizing disorders in young adults,” investigators concluded after examining data “from the Penn State Child Cohort, a population-based sample of 700 children,” then following “up with participants eight years later as adolescents (n = 421; median age, 16 years) and 15 years later as young adults (n = 492; median age, 24 years).” The findings were presented at the virtual SLEEP 2021 meeting.

Related Links:

— “Childhood insomnia that persists into adulthood impacts mental health of young adults “Julia Ernst, Healio, June 10, 2021

HealthDay (6/10, Preidt) reports, “Drinking rose among older Americans during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that could put their health at risk, claim researchers” from the University of Michigan who conducted a poll (PDF) of “more than 2,000 adults ages 50 to 80 were questioned in late January, when COVID-19 case rates were high nationwide and vaccination of older adults had just begun.” Approximately “14% of respondents who drink alcohol said their drinking increased during the first 10 months of the pandemic,” but “the rate was much higher among the minority who said they drink as part of their routine, to improve their mood or to relax, or to cope with boredom, stress or pain, according to the university’s National Poll on Healthy Aging.”

Related Links:

— “Pandemic Boosted Drinking Among Americans Over 50: Poll “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 10, 2021