Healio (9/13, Gramigna) reports “substance use is increasing among elderly patients, a population also presenting with increasing needs related to comorbid psychiatric disorders, according to” a presentation given by Olivera Bogunovic, MD, medical director of ambulatory services at Harvard Medical School’s McLean Hospital, at the Psych Congress 2020 Virtual Experience conference. Dr. Bogunovic discussed problems with alcohol, certain medications, and illicit drugs.

Related Links:

— “Older patients at increased risk for substance use, comorbid psychiatric disorders “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 13, 2020

Psychiatric News (9/11) reported, “E-cigarette use, also known as vaping, may be associated with an increased risk of sleep deprivation in young adults aged 18 to 24 years even after they quit,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 18,945 young adults who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System…in 2017 and 2018.” The findings were published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Related Links:

— “E-Cigarette Use Tied to Sleep Deprivation in Young Adults Psychiatric News, September 11, 2020

The AP (9/11, Mumphrey, Kelleher) reported “the coronavirus pandemic has taken a harsh toll on the mental health of young Americans, according to” the latest COVID Response Tracking Study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. According to the poll, 56% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 “say they have at least sometimes felt isolated in the past month, compared with about 4 in 10 older Americans.” In addition, 25% “of young adults rate their mental health as fair or poor, compared with 13% of older adults, while 56% of older adults say their mental health is excellent or very good, compared with just 39% of young adults.”

Forbes (9/11, Durkee) reports that back in April, a poll from the APA “found that 36% of Americans believed the pandemic had taken a ‘serious toll’ on their mental health, while an August survey from the Commonwealth Fund found that approximately one-third of Americans reported negative mental health issues – far more than in the other countries surveyed.”

Related Links:

— “Poll: Pandemic takes toll on mental health of young adults “Cheyanne Mumphrey and Jennifer Sinco Kellehe, AP, September 11, 2020

Healio (9/11, Gramigna) reported “psychiatrists play an important role in the care of transgender individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, according to a” presentation given by Dan Karasic, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at University of California-San Francisco at the Psych Congress 2020 Virtual Experience conference. In the presentation, Dr. Karasic also “provided an overview of the importance of updated standards set to be released in the coming World Professional Association for Transgender Health…Standards of Care Version 8.”

Related Links:

— “Transgender individuals with mental illness benefit from modernized psychiatric care “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 11, 2020

The Washington Post (9/9, Romm) reports people who rely on USPS for prescription drugs “may have experienced ‘significant’ delays in their deliveries, according to a” report from Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA). The report accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of placing the “health of millions of Americans” at risk.

USA Today (9/9, Wu) reports Warren and Casey “said some of the nation’s largest pharmacies told them they were experiencing, on average, delivery delays of 18-32%, meaning deliveries that would normally take 1-2 days would instead take 3-4 days.” The senators also said the delays could pose “serious health risks to millions of Americans and (increase) costs for consumers and taxpayers.”

The AP (9/9, Daly, Izaguirre) says the report conflicts with claims made by DeJoy that the changes he implemented “should not have impacted anybody.”

CNN (9/9, Holmes, Cole) and The Hill (9/9, Wise) also cover the story.

Related Links:

— “Patients may have seen ‘significant’ delays in medicine deliveries by USPS, Senate report finds “Tony Romm, The Washington Post, September 9, 2020