The Washington Post (3/26, Ellison) reported, “Sleep-deprived adolescents – forced for generations to wake for school before the chimes of their circadian clocks – have had an unexpected break amid the anxiety and losses of the pandemic,” as “remote learning has allowed many of them to stay in bed an extra hour or more, providing a ‘natural experiment’ that sleep experts hope will inform the long and stubborn debate over school starting times.” But “so far, many results are anecdotal.” While “some kids are sleeping longer and more soundly, starting classes ready and refreshed,” other kids “are tossing and turning, beset by anxiety or staying up later staring at screens.” But these “varying experiences offer families and schools a glimpse of the effects of later schedules – and the possibility that the past year will yield enough evidence to persuade schools to follow scientists’ guidance to begin the school day no earlier than 8:30 a.m.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Reuters (3/26, Chander) reported, “More young adults in the United States reported feeling anxious or depressed during the past six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and fewer people reported getting the help they needed, according to a U.S. government study released on Friday.” According to the story, “the percentage of adults under age 30 with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder rose significantly about five months after the U.S. imposed COVID-19 related lockdowns, and reported rising deaths from the fast-spreading virus.” Specifically, “Between August 2020 and February 2021, this number went up to 41.5% from 36.4%, as did the percentage of such people reporting that they needed, but did not receive, mental health counseling.”

Newsweek (3/27, Fearnow) reported that the study was published Friday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “More under-30 Americans report anxiety, depression during pandemic – CDC “Vishwadha Chander, Reuters, March 26, 2021

Healio (3/26, Gramigna) reported, “Individuals with schizophrenia and co-morbid insomnia were at increased risk for suicidal ideation, recent suicide attempt and greater psychopathology,” researchers concluded after using “regression models to evaluate associations between current insomnia; suicidal ideation over the past two weeks; suicide attempt in the past six months evaluated via either the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia or self-report; and current psychopathology for individuals with baseline data from the Clinical Antipsychotic trials of Intervention Effectiveness.” The article does not disclose the number of study participants. The findings were published online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Insomnia tied to increased risk for suicidality in people with schizophrenia “Joe Gramigna, Healio, March 26, 2021

Medscape (3/25, Lowry, Subscription Publication) reports, “People who suffer abuse as children continue to have higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers as adults, likely placing them at increased risk for chronic health problems,” researchers concluded. In an 85-participant study “assessing trajectories of inflammation over a three-year period in healthy adults, those who reported higher rates of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse had higher levels of bio-inflammatory blood markers vs those who reported lower rates of abuse,” the study revealed. In addition, “these individuals…had significantly higher rates of loneliness and depression.” The findings were presented at the virtual Anxiety and Depression Association of America Conference 2021.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/25, Gramigna) reports, “Telehealth treatment in an intensive acute care psychiatric setting was associated with equivalent patient satisfaction as in-person treatment,” researchers concluded in a study that “analyzed data of 207 individuals treated virtually between May 2020 and September 2020, as well as of a comparison group of 207 individuals treated in the in-person partial program the year prior.” The findings were published online March 16 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Patient satisfaction high for psychiatric telehealth platforms in partial hospital program “Joe Gramigna, Healio, March 25, 2021