MD Magazine (6/2, Walter) reports, “Cannabis use is associated with poorer mental health outcomes, with evidence showing the use of higher-potency cannabis increasing these risks,” researchers concluded after examining “whether high-potency cannabis compared to low-potency cannabis increases the risk of problems resulting from cannabis use, common mental disorders, and psychotic experiences after controlling for early-life mental health symptoms and frequency of use.” The findings of the 1,087-individual study revealed that “use of high-potency cannabis was linked to a significant increase in the frequency of cannabis use,” as well as “cannabis problems…and increased likelihood of anxiety disorder.” What’s more, those “who use high-potency cannabis had a slight increase in likelihood of psychotic experiences…tobacco dependence,” and use of other illicit drugs. The findings were published online May 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “High-Potency Cannabis Linked to Poor Mental Health, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, June 2, 2020

MD Magazine (6/2, Walter) reports researchers have “established how loneliness and disease containment measures” in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic “could impact the mental health of both children and adolescents.” For “the rapid review, the investigators examined articles published between 1946-2020, with 20% of articles double screened using a predefined criteria and 20% of data double extracted for quality assurance.” The review revealed that “social isolation and loneliness increased the risk of depression, as well as the possibility of anxiety at the time of loneliness, which was measured between 0.25-9 years later.” What’s more, the review found that “young people were as much as three times more likely to develop depression in the future due to social isolation, with the impact of loneliness on mental health lasting up to nine years later.” The findings (pdf) were published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 Lockdown Having an Impact on Adolescent Mental Health, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, June 2, 2020

The Hill (6/1, Hellmann) reports the FDA “is reporting shortages of Zoloft [sertraline] and the generic version of the antidepressant as demand soars and supply chains for key ingredients are interrupted by the pandemic.” Pfizer told the agency “it has a limited supply [of Zoloft] available of the 100-count bottles of 100-milligram pills due to” an increase in demand, and other manufacturers reported shortages of generic versions.

Bloomberg (6/1, Edney) reports, “Zoloft prescriptions climbed 12% year-over-year to 4.9 million in March, the most ever in the U.S., according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.”

Related Links:

— “Zoloft shortages reported amid increased demand, strained supply lines, “Jessie Hellmann, The Hill, June 1, 2020

Newsweek (6/1, Gander) reports, “Changes to levels of the hormone estrogen appear to make consuming alcohol more rewarding to female mice,” investigators concluded, which could possibly “mean women are more likely to drink to excess at different phases of the menstrual cycle, one of the scientists involved” in the study “told Newsweek.” The findings were published online in the journal JNeurosci.

Related Links:

— “Estrogen Levels May Make Alcohol More Rewarding to Females, Say Authors of Study on Binge-drinking Mice, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, June 1, 2020

MedPage Today (6/1, Bankhead) reports, “Almost 20% of patients undergoing stem-cell transplantation had clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 6 months after the procedure, according to a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) virtual meeting.” The research found that “overall, 47 of 250 patients had significant PTSD symptoms, most often intrusion, avoidance, and hypervigilance.” Furthermore, “baseline quality of life (QoL), psychological symptoms, and marital status (single) had significant associations with PTSD 6 months after transplantation.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)