HealthDay (6/4) reported, “Methamphetamine users are at increased risk for physical and mental health problems as well as other substance use disorders,” investigators concluded in an “analysis of data from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2015 to 2019.” The study revealed that “meth users were nearly twice as likely as non-users to have two or more chronic medical conditions.” What’s more, “they were more than three times as likely to have mental illness, and more than four times as likely to have a substance use disorder involving drugs such as heroin, prescription stimulants, prescription opioids, cocaine and sedatives.” In addition, users of meth “had higher rates of liver disease (hepatitis or cirrhosis), lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma), and HIV/AIDS than non-users.” The findings were published online June 3 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Other Health Woes Common When Meth Addiction Strikes ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay , June 4, 2021

HCPlive (6/4, Walter) reported research indicates that “drinking rates are actually down during the” COVID-19 “pandemic in a sample of “473 “18-25 year old Ontario [Canada] residents, while mental health issues including depression, stress, and anxiety remain a concern.” The study authors theorized that “some potential reasons for the decrease in alcohol use include socializing restrictions, as well as a reduction of individuals living with roommates or in group living situations as peer influence is usually a strong predictor of alcohol misuse.” The findings were published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “Drinking Down, Depression Up Among Young People During COVID-19 “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, June 4, 2021

The New York Times (6/3, Blum) explores the topic of virtual reality therapy which has shown some success at treating anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some virtual reality therapies “build on a sometimes-divisive therapeutic technique called prolonged exposure, developed by Edna Foa, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.” Even though “some experts have worried the practice might overwhelm or re-traumatize patients, prolonged exposure is now widely accepted as an effective tool to treat chronic PTSD.”

Related Links:

— “Virtual Reality Therapy Plunges Patients Back Into Trauma. Here Is Why Some Swear by It. “Dani Blum, The New York Times, June 3, 2021

Healio (6/3, Gramigna) reports, “Opioid agonist treatment reduced mortality rates among people with opioid dependence,” researchers concluded in a systematic review and meta-analysis that “included 15 randomized clinical trials with 3,852 total participants and 36 primary cohort studies with 749,634 total participants.” The findings were published online June 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Opioid agonist treatment ‘important intervention’ for those with opioid dependence “Joe Gramigna, Healio, June 3, 2021

MedPage Today (5/30, Monaco) reported, “Nearly half all patients with hypothyroidism reported experiencing ‘brain fog,’ even before receiving a diagnosis,” investigators concluded after conducting “an online survey of over 5,000 people with hypothyroidism.” The study revealed that “905 (17.1%) said they experienced new-onset brain fog symptoms in the weeks or months following their initial diagnosis,” but “46% of all patients questioned said they experienced brain fog symptoms prior to receiving their hypothyroidism diagnosis.” The findings were presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology’s virtual annual meeting.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)