HealthDay (12/17) reports on research finding that “in Maryland, suicide mortality increased among Blacks and decreased among Whites during the progressive closure period [March 5 to May 7, 2020] of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The research included data on “1,079 suicide decedents from 2017 to 2020,” and found that “mean suicide mortality increased among Black residents during” the March to May period from 0.177 per day in 2017 to 2019 to 0.344 per day, while it declined “among White residents (0.672 per day in 2020 versus 1.224 per day in 2017 to 2019).” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Mortality Up for Blacks During Closure Period of COVID-19, HealthDay, December 17, 2020

Psychiatric News (12/17) reports, “Suicide risk is about two times higher in patients with Parkinson’s disease than the general population, even after adjusting for physical and mental comorbidities,” investigators concluded after conducting a “a cohort study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance data, identifying 35,891 patients who received a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis between 2005 and 2014, with follow-up through 2016.” Next, “each patient with Parkinson’s was matched with four control participants (those who had not been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease), for a total control cohort of 143,577.” The findings were published online Dec. 16 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Parkinson’s Disease Associated With Increased Risk of Suicide, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, December 17, 2020

Healio (12/16, Gramigna) reports, “Cotreatment with benzodiazepine and opioids was linked to increased long-term mortality risk,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data of 5,212 individuals aged 20 years or older who were included in the large, nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys…which were conducted between 1999 and 2015.” The findings were published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Benzodiazepine-opioid cotreatment linked to increased long-term mortality risk “Joe Gramigna, Healio , December 16, 2020

MedPage Today (12/16, Hlavinka) reports, “Suicide risk was nearly doubled for patients with Parkinson’s disease compared with the general population,” investigators in Taiwan concluded in a study that included “35,891 Parkinson’s patients.” The study revealed that “overall, the cumulative incidence of suicide during 2005-2016 was 66.6 and 32.3 deaths per 100,000 for the Parkinson’s and control groups.” The findings were published online Dec. 16 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HCPlive (12/15, Alicea) reports research indicates that “preschool children with asthma and food allergies” may “be at increased risk of having concurrent mental health problems.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after having “assessed data from 4649 children, of which slightly more than half (50.3%) were over the age of five.” The findings were published online Dec. 7 in Acta Paediatrica.

Related Links:

— “Asthma, Allergies Associated with Increased Risk for Mental Health Issues “Jonathan Alicea, HCPlive, December 15, 2020