According to Psychiatric News (5/10), in a study focused on “on 1,580 participants (73% female) who had reported engaging in self-harm at age 14,” investigators “used computer modeling to identify any social or behavioral similarities in this group compared with peers who did not self-harm.” By doing so, the researchers “identified two distinct pathways by which adolescents develop self-harming behaviors: the first is associated with years of emotional difficulties and bullying: the second is associated with more willingness to take risks and experiencing less security with peers and family during adolescence.” The findings were published online May 7 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Researchers Identify Childhood Behaviors That May Signal Future Self-Harm, Psychiatric News, May 10, 2021

STAT (5/7, Joseph) reported while “the end of the emergency phase of the pandemic is in sight in the United States,” experts have warned the events of this past year will have “a long-term impact on people’s mental health.” While some people will see their “feelings of anxiety and depression that emerged during the pandemic…resolve as routines resume,” other people “will face new or worse mental health issues that persist or even appear down the road, a number that could be quite large given the magnitude of despair and disruption.”

Related Links:

— “As the Covid-19 crisis ebbs in the U.S., experts brace for some to experience psychological fallout ” Andrew Joseph, STAT, May 7, 2021

HealthDay (5/7, Preidt) reported Canadian researchers found ICU survivors “have a higher risk of self-harm and suicide after discharge than other hospital patients.” The findings were published in BMJ.

Related Links:

— “Time Spent in ICU Linked to Higher Odds for Suicide Later “Robert Preidt, HealthDay , May 7, 2021

The AP (5/8, Landers) reported that according to the CDC, “at least 87,000 people died of a drug overdose in America” in the 12-month period ending last September, “an increase of 27% from the previous 12 months and a record for the most such deaths in a single year.” In that same period, “deaths attributed to synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, increased 53% nationwide.”

Related Links:

— “Tragedies pile up with drug overdoses surging amid pandemic “Jamie Landers, AP, May 8, 2021

The New York Times (5/9, Taylor) reports across the US, mental health professionals say they have seen a growing number of Black people seek their help in the past year. Following the police killing of George Floyd, “mental health experts across the country say they have seen African-Americans, whose skepticism of therapy has been documented by research, seeking it in growing numbers.”

Related Links:

— “After a Traumatizing Year, Black People Turn to Therapy ” Derrick Bryson Taylor, The New York Times, May 9, 2021