The New York Times (12/30, Frakt) reports in “The Upshot” that “white Americans have higher rates” of suicide “than most other racial and ethnic groups.” In fact, “suicide in America has been rising for two decades, with rates for white Americans consistently well above those for Asian-Americans, Black Americans and Hispanics.” A possible “explanation may be a racial disparity in suicide data.” For example, research indicates that “deaths of Black Americans are far more likely to be coded as undetermined than those of white Americans, in part because Black Americans dying by suicide are less likely than whites to leave a note and to have a record of mental disorders.” The article includes links to a number of studies exploring racial disparities in suicide rates.

Related Links:

— “What Can Be Learned From Differing Rates of Suicide Among Groups “Austin Frakt, The New York Times, December 30, 2020

The Washington Post (12/29, Berger) reports, “Eating disorders are on the rise among children and adolescents in Britain amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health warned Tuesday, citing a survey of pediatricians – the latest indication that the pandemic has taken a searing toll on mental health worldwide, across age groups.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (12/29, Murez) reports, “When U.S. military personnel get gun locks and counseling on safe storage of their weapons, they store those guns safely, and that could be key to lowering the military suicide rate,” investigators concluded in a study that “included 232 firearm-owning members of the Mississippi National Guard.” The study team “divided them into groups, some of whom received only lethal means counseling or health and stress counseling, and some of whom received counseling plus cable gun locks.” The findings were published online Dec. 22 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Related Links:

— “Counseling on Gun Safety Could Cut Suicide Rate in Military: Study “Cara Murez, HealthDay, December 29, 2020

HealthDay (12/29) reports, “Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (AD/HD) appear to “have a strikingly high prevalence of attempted suicide, with women being at particular risk, researchers say.” Their “study of nearly 22,000 Canadian adults found that 14% of those with” AD/HD “had attempted suicide,” a rate that “was roughly five times” that of adults without AD/HD. The findings were published online Dec. 21 in the Archives of Suicide Research.

Related Links:

— “ADHD Raises Adult Suicide Risk, Especially for Women “Amy Norton, HealthDay, December 29, 2020

Healio (12/28, Gramigna) reports, “Racial/ethnic disparities in diagnoses and treatment of first-episode psychosis were apparent before the first psychosis diagnosis,” investigators concluded after analyzing “medical and prescription drug claims from January 2007 to September 2015 of 3,017 Black, Hispanic or white patients who were continually enrolled in commercial insurance plans and received a diagnosis of first-episode psychosis between ages 10 and 21 years.” The findings of the “observational cohort study” were published online Dec. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry.
“Because Black and Hispanic patients have fewer behavioral health–related clinical contacts before the occurrence of [first-episode psychosis], these patients may have reduced opportunities for timely detection of psychotic symptoms and early interventions,” Heun-Johnson and colleagues wrote.

Related Links:

— “Racial/ethnic disparities remain in diagnosis, treatment of first-episode psychosis “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 28, 2020