Medscape (2/24, Brunk, Subscription Publication) reports Dr. Jonathan Alpert, chair of the APA’s Council on Research, spoke “during an annual psychopharmacology update held by the Nevada Psychiatric Association” about the link between chronic medical conditions and depression. Dr. Alpert said depression is 2-10 times more common among people with chronic medical conditions, especially those with chronic pain. Dr. Alpert also said, “About 60% of adults over 65 have two or more chronic conditions, of which depression is the single most common comorbidity.”

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Wall Street Journal (2/23, Chaker, Subscription Publication) reports a survey conducted by researchers at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education suggests that many Americans have felt lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that young adults and mothers have been particularly affected by this trend.

Related Links:

— “Pandemic Loneliness Is Hitting Young Adults Especially Hard “Anne Marie Chaker, The Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2021

Healio (2/23, Gramigna) reports, “The prevalence of adverse mental health symptoms among U.S. adults remained elevated in the later phase of the COVID-19 pandemic vs. prepandemic,” investigators concluded after conducting “a survey study between August 28, 2020, and Sept. 6, 2020,” that “analyzed data of 5,186 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older who completed 139-item online surveys through Qualtrics for the COVID-19 Outbreak Public Evaluation Initiative.” The findings were published online Feb. 19 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Adverse mental health symptoms remain elevated among U.S. adults in pandemic’s later phase “Joe Gramigna, Healio, February 23, 2021

The New York Times (2/23, Carey) reports research shows “that for young people who are anxious by nature, or feeling emotionally fragile already, the pandemic and its isolation have pushed them to the brink. Rates of suicidal thinking and behavior are up by 25 percent or more from similar periods in 2019, according to a just-published analysis of surveys of young patients coming into the emergency” department. Many EDs “are now seeing a surge in such cases.” Furthermore, “the local emergency department is frequently unprepared for the added burden. Workers often are not specially trained to manage behavioral problems, and families don’t have many options for where to go next, leaving many of these pandemic-insecure adolescents in limbo.”

Related Links:

— “For Some Teens, It’s Been a Year of Anxiety and Trips to the E.R. “Benedict Carey, The New York Times, February 23, 2021

HealthDay (2/23, Murez) reports a variable sleep schedule may worsen mood and symptoms of depression, investigators concluded after using “fitness trackers to determine the sleep and activity of more than 2,100 early-career physicians,” then gathering “mood data by asking the interns to report their daily mood on a smartphone app and to take quarterly tests for signs of depression.” The findings were published online Feb. 18 in the journal npj Digital Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Grumpy? Depressed? Try a More Regular Sleep Schedule ” Cara Murez, HealthDay, February 23, 2021