MedPage Today (9/23, Walsh) reports, “Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had concurrent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression or anxiety were at increased risk for early discontinuation of treatment,” investigators concluded in an analysis that “included 15,081 prescriptions for methotrexate given to 15,081 individuals and 8,412 prescriptions for a TNF inhibitor given to 7,092 patients.” After adjusting for confounding factors, researchers found that “the likelihood for stopping treatment with methotrexate was found to be higher for RA patients with PTSD,” and that “RA patients with PTSD were more likely to discontinue treatment with” a TNF inhibitor. The findings were published online Sept. 13 in ACR Open Rheumatology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (9/23) reports, “College students whose academic performance has been negatively impacted by internet use or computer gaming are at higher risk of mental health problems than students without problematic internet use/computer gaming behaviors,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 43,003 undergraduates aged 18 and older who participated in the 2017 American College Health Association‐National College Health Assessment.” The findings were published online Sept. 16 in the journal Depression & Anxiety.

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— “Problematic Internet Use, Gaming May Point to Students Experiencing Mental Health Symptoms Psychiatric News, September 23, 2020

HealthDay (9/23, Preidt) reports, “Severe mental illness diagnoses often get missed in patients hospitalized for physical health problems,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from nearly 13,800 U.K. adults who were diagnosed with severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, between 2006 and 2017 and who had more than 45,700 emergency hospital admissions over the period.” The study also revealed that “ethnic minority patients were more likely to have unrecorded mental health diagnoses.” The findings were published online in PLoS Medicine.

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— “Severe Mental Illnesses Often Overlooked at Hospital Admission: Study “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 23, 2020

The AP (9/22, Johnson) reports the US death toll from coronavirus has passed 200,000, “by far the highest in the world.” The US is seeing close to 770 deaths daily on average, and a model from the University of Washington predicts the US death toll “will double to 400,000 by the end of the year as schools and colleges reopen and cold weather sets in.”

Reuters (9/22, S) reports the most deaths from coronavirus recorded in a single day in the US was 2,806 on April 15. According to CDC data, over 70% of people in the US who have died from the virus were older than 65.

Politico (9/22, Wanneh) reports that since January, there have been around 6.9 million cases of coronavirus in the US, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard. The US accounts for 4% of the world’s population, but has recorded around 20% of the world’s deaths from the virus.

CNN (9/22, Yan) reports that back in March, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted that COVID-19 could kill 200,000 Americans and “skeptics lambasted him and accused him of fearmongering.” CNN compares the loss of life from COVID-19 to “109 Hurricane Katrinas” or a 9/11 “every day for 66 days.”

The Wall Street Journal (9/22, Calfas, Subscription Publication) and Newsweek (9/22, Kim) also cover the story.

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— ““Unfathomable”: US death toll from coronavirus hits 200,000 “Carla K. Johnson, AP, September 22, 2020

Psychiatric News (9/22) reports “data from an emergency department in Richmond,” VA, indicate that “the number of nonfatal opioid-related overdoses may have risen during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among people who are Black,” researchers concluded after examining “the number of nonfatal opioid overdoses recorded in electronic medical records from VCU’s Emergency Department from March to June 2019 with those that occurred from March to June 2020 – the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The study revealed that “nonfatal opioid overdoses increased from 102 between March and June 2019 to 227 between March and June 2020.” The findings were published in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Nonfatal Opioid Overdoses Rose During COVID-19 Pandemic, Report Suggests, Psychiatric News, September 22, 2020