HCPlive (8/20, Walter) reports researchers have “determined the overall effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of geriatric adults with pre-existing major depressive disorder (MDD).” For the study, researchers “examined 73 community-living older adults with pre-existing MDD living in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis,” finding that these older adults “were more concerned by the risk of contracting the virus than by the risks of social isolation.” What’s more, the study revealed that “older patients exhibited resilience to the stress and isolation of physical distancing.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the September issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Geriatric Patients with Depression Showing Resiliency During COVID-19 Pandemic, “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, August 20, 2020

HealthDay (8/20, Reinberg) reports, “Girls with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa may have stunted growth,” researchers concluded in a study that included “255 girls around age 15 who were hospitalized for anorexia nervosa.” After measuring “patients’ height at the time of hospitalization and again at adulthood,” investigators found that “the women’s adult height was much shorter than expected compared with the genetic potential gauged by their parents’ height.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Related Links:

— “Anorexia Often Stunts Girls’ Growth, Study Finds, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 20, 2020

NBC News (8/19) reports the USPSTF’s new guidance “recommends behavioral counseling for all sexually active adolescents, as well as for adults at high risk for STIs.” The USPSTF says cases of STIs could be reduced significantly if younger people received counseling about risky behavior.

Related Links:

— “USPSTF Guidance Says Young People Should Receive Counseling About Risky Behavior To Reduce Cases Of STIs, “Kelsie Sandoval, NBC News, August 19, 2020

USA Today (8/19, Dastagir) reports, “During the pandemic, people are talking a lot about children.” However, “what has received far less attention, child development experts say, is the impact the pandemic is having on the youngest children: babies, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners.” Research shows that “birth to age five is a critical time for child development…and new data from the Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development Early Childhood Household Survey Project (RAPID-EC Project) shows caregiver distress is cascading down to young children in ways science shows can be toxic in the short- and long-term.”

Related Links:

— “During the pandemic, are the little kids all right? Survey shows COVID is taking a toll now and will in the future., “Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, August 19, 2020

TIME (8/19, Mansoor) reports Americans “who struggle with drug addiction have turned to syringe services programs (SSPs) for decades – not only to exchange used needles for clean ones but also as a first step towards treatment.” However, the coronavirus pandemic “has made it more difficult for participants to get clean needles as sites shut down or reduce their operating hours.” As the pandemic “continues, the nation’s drug overdose crisis appears to be worsening.”

Related Links:

— “‘A Pandemic Upon an Epidemic.’ Syringe Services Struggle to Provide Care to Those Battling Drug Addiction Amid COVID-19, “Sanya Mansoor, TIME, August 19, 2020