In the New York Times (3/2) “The Checkup,” Perri Klass, MD, writes that “a prospective study published in the March issue of the journal The Lancet Psychiatry found that even light activity – and a corresponding decrease in the amount of time that kids spent being sedentary – was linked to better mental health as they” grew older. For the study, investigators “looked at the activity of adolescents at the ages of 12, 14 and 16, who were then assessed for depression at around 18.” The study revealed that “activity levels when kids were younger were linked to their mental health later on; the depression scores at 18 were lower for every additional 60 minutes per day of light activity at 12, 14 and 16, and higher for every additional sedentary hour.”

Related Links:

— “The Benefits of Exercise for Children’s Mental Health, “Perri Klass, The New York Times, March 2, 2020

HealthDay (3/2, Reinberg) reports fewer US teens are beginning drug and alcohol use “before their 16th birthday, a new study finds.” After examining data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2004 to 2017, investigators “found that between 2004 and 2017, the age at which teens started drinking alcohol and smoking rose from 16 to 17 years.” At the same time, “the age for trying heroin went from 17 to 18, and for cocaine it increased from 18 to 19 years.” The findings were published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “U.S. Kids Waiting a Little Longer to Try Alcohol, Drugs, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, March 2, 2020

HealthDay (3/2, Norton) reports, “Of the medications that have been studied to treat problem marijuana use, none have proved effective,” researchers concluded. In their 26-trial review, investigators “found that no tested” medications, “including antidepressants, anxiety medication and synthetic cannabinoids, showed clear benefits for people with cannabis use disorder.” The findings were published online March 3 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Do Any Medications Help Ease Marijuana Dependence?, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, March 2, 2020

Psychiatric News (2/28) reported, “Fear of missing out – the fear that others may be having fun or rewarding experiences from which one is absent – may make adolescents more sensitive to feeling stress or negative emotions when their friends don’t react to their social media posts,” researchers concluded after studying “the relationships between fear of missing out…emotional symptoms, and social media addiction in 472 adolescents aged 11 to 19 years.” The findings were published online Feb. 27 in Addictive Behaviors.

Related Links:

— “Fear of Missing Out Linked to Adolescents’ Addiction to Social Media, Psychiatric News, February 28, 2020

Psychiatric News (2/27) reports, “Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who receive treatment with methadone or buprenorphine” appear to have an 80 percent “lower risk of dying from an opioid overdose compared with patients receiving nonmedication treatment,” researchers concluded after examining “outpatient substance use specialty treatment records from 48,274 patients in Maryland from 2015 to 2016 and” then cross-referencing “the data with opioid overdose death records.” The findings were published online Feb. 24 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Medication Treatment for OUD Linked With 80% Lower Risk of Fatal Overdose, Psychiatric New, February 27, 2020