HealthDay (7/23, Preidt) reports, “Hundreds of suicides could be prevented in the United States each year if the minimum age for buying a handgun was raised to 21 in the 33 states that have a minimum age of 18,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data on suicides by teens ages 13-20 in the 46 states that didn’t change their handgun sales policies between 2001 and 2017.” The study revealed that “a minimum age of 18 to buy a handgun was associated with 344 extra deaths on average among young people ages 18-20 during the study period,” whereas “a minimum age of 21 to buy a handgun was associated with an 18% lower rate of suicide among those ages 18-20.” The findings were published online July 22 in the BMJ.

Related Links:

— “With Tighter Handgun Laws, U.S. Would See Fewer Suicides by Young People, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 23, 2020

Healio (7/23, Gramigna) reports, “The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as infection with the virus, appeared associated with increased risk for development of general psychiatric disorders and loneliness,” researchers concluded after examining available data on some “15,530 participants who served as the first wave of the Understanding Society COVID-19 study.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the September issue of the journal Psychiatry Research.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 pandemic, infection increase risk for general psychiatric disorders, loneliness, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 23, 2020

Newsweek (7/22, Gander) reports, “Both our genes and our lifestyles may explain why some people maintain good memory into their 90s,” research indicated.

HealthDay (7/22, Reinberg) reports that in a study involving “100 people without dementia, average age 92, who were followed for up to 14 years,” researchers sought to find out why “some people in their 90s stay sharp whether their brain harbors amyloid protein plaques – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease – or not.” The study revealed that “a combination of genetic luck and a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle” were probably why these people maintained cognitive resilience as nonagenarians. The findings were published online July 22 in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Genetics and Lifestyle May Explain Why Some Have Sharp Memory in Their 90s, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, July 22, 2020

Health IT Analytics (7/22, Kent) reports, “Dementia-associated common gene variants or the APOE e4 genotype can more than double dementia risk, but good cardiovascular health can halve dementia risk,” researchers concluded after analyzing data from “data from 1,211 participants in the offspring cohort of the…Framingham Heart Study, the longest-running cardiovascular disease study in the US.” The findingswere published online in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Genetics, Cardiovascular Health Both Contribute to Dementia Risk, ” Jessica Kent, Health IT Analytics, July 22, 2020

Psychiatric News (7/22) reports, “Deaths involving illicit opioids, stimulants (such as methamphetamine), heroin, and cocaine rose dramatically between 2015 and the end of 2019,” the American Medical Association’s Opioid Task Force concluded in a new report. In addition, the report “showed a 37.1% decrease in opioid prescribing; wider use of state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs; and increasing numbers of doctors trained to prescribe buprenorphine (a medication used for treating opioid use disorder).” In a press release, Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force, “emphasized the importance of naloxone, a drug that can be used to reverse an opioid overdose in an emergency. ‘If it weren’t for naloxone, there likely would be tens of thousands additional deaths,’” she stated.

Related Links:

— “Deaths From Illicit Opioids Rise Dramatically While Deaths From Prescription Opioids Fall, Psychiatric News, July 22, 2020