Pulmonology Advisor (9/16, May) reports a review study suggests that “long-acting naltrexone is a promising approach for opioid use disorder (OUD), but its use has clinical implications in critically ill patients who are receiving sedation and analgesia.” The review study was published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Related Links:

— “Managing Sedation, Analgesia in Critically Ill Patients Receiving Naltrexone “Brandon May, Pulmonology Advisor, September 16, 2020

Psychiatric News (9/16) reports, “Physicians experience higher rates of psychological distress and suicidal ideation than the general population, but the experience of age may act as a buffer for older physicians,” investigators concluded in a 10,038-physician study that also revealed that “work-life conflict declined as physicians grew older.” The findings were published online Sept. 12 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Older Physicians Experience Less Work-Related Stress, Psychological Distress Than Younger Colleagues, Psychiatric News, September 16, 2020

Healio (9/15, Gramigna) reports, “Increasing death rates related to drug poisonings, suicide and alcohol varied significantly based on demographics and geography,” investigators concluded after analyzing “national vital statistics data of U.S. residents aged 20 to 64 years from January 2000 to December 2017.” For example, the study team “observed a significant cluster of drug poisoning deaths among the Northeast through Appalachia; however, rates of alcohol-induced and suicide deaths appeared higher in the West,” whereas “for rural areas, only suicide death rates were highest.” The findings of the “serial cross-sectional study” were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “‘Deaths of despair’ have increased along demographic, geographic lines “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 15, 2020

MedPage Today (9/15, Hlavinka) reports researchers analyzed EHRs and found that people with substance use disorders, especially opioid use disorder, are at higher risk for COVID-19. The findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (9/15, Gramigna) reports, “Suicide rates appeared to increase among United States military service members after transition to civilian life,” investigators concluded after conducting “a retrospective population-based cohort study in which they collected military service and demographic data of 1,868,970 service members who were included in the VA/Department of Defense Identity Repository.” In particular, the study team focused on people “who served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy after Sept. 11, 2001, and who separated from active status between January 2010 and December 2017.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Psychiatric News (9/15) reports, “Suicide rates among veterans peaked six to 12 months after they left the military, and those at higher risk included veterans who were younger, were male, had a shorter length of service, were not married, or were separated from the Marine Corps or Army,” the study revealed.

Related Links:

— “Military service member suicide rates increase after separation and vary by demographics “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 15, 2020