Healio (9/15, Gramigna) reports, “Increasing death rates related to drug poisonings, suicide and alcohol varied significantly based on demographics and geography,” investigators concluded after analyzing “national vital statistics data of U.S. residents aged 20 to 64 years from January 2000 to December 2017.” For example, the study team “observed a significant cluster of drug poisoning deaths among the Northeast through Appalachia; however, rates of alcohol-induced and suicide deaths appeared higher in the West,” whereas “for rural areas, only suicide death rates were highest.” The findings of the “serial cross-sectional study” were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “‘Deaths of despair’ have increased along demographic, geographic lines “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 15, 2020

MedPage Today (9/15, Hlavinka) reports researchers analyzed EHRs and found that people with substance use disorders, especially opioid use disorder, are at higher risk for COVID-19. The findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (9/15, Gramigna) reports, “Suicide rates appeared to increase among United States military service members after transition to civilian life,” investigators concluded after conducting “a retrospective population-based cohort study in which they collected military service and demographic data of 1,868,970 service members who were included in the VA/Department of Defense Identity Repository.” In particular, the study team focused on people “who served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy after Sept. 11, 2001, and who separated from active status between January 2010 and December 2017.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Psychiatric News (9/15) reports, “Suicide rates among veterans peaked six to 12 months after they left the military, and those at higher risk included veterans who were younger, were male, had a shorter length of service, were not married, or were separated from the Marine Corps or Army,” the study revealed.

Related Links:

— “Military service member suicide rates increase after separation and vary by demographics “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 15, 2020

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