Psychiatric News (7/16) reports that on July 15, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) “and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)…issued recommendations for schools and communities as they move to safely reopen schools in the COVID-19 era.” Both organizations “urged schools and communities to keep” certain “precautions in mind when considering reopening,” such as “public health agencies” basing “recommendations on returning students, teachers, and staff to classrooms on scientific evidence and local community circumstances, not politics.” What’s more, “the return to school must include appropriate protections for all children, families, school personnel, and other members of the community.”

Related Links:

— “APA, AACAP Outline Plan for School Reopening That Emphasizes Safety, Optimizes Mental Health, Psychiatric News, July 16, 2020

MedPage Today (7/16, D’Ambrosio) reports, “One in five women that used prescription opioids during pregnancy reported misuse,” investigators from the CDC concluded after analyzing “2019 survey data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), covering 32 states, as well as survey data from two states that did not participate in PRAMS.” The study revealed that “of more than 1,400 women who used opioids during pregnancy, 21% self-reported misuse, stating that they received prescriptions from sources other than” clinicians, “or used opioids for non pain-related reasons,” The findings were published online July 17 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

According to USA Today (7/16, Bote), “months after announcing a proposal to implement a three-digit suicide prevention hotline, the FCC” has given its approval to 988. It will take two years to implement the number, “as telecom and voice service companies will be mandated to have a 988 hotline by July 16, 2022.”

CNN (7/16, Stracqualursi) reports that people who currently want to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have to dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255). But, “even after 988 is active, callers will still be able to reach the hotline through the original 10-digit number.”

Related Links:

— “FCC unanimously approves 988 as new three-digit suicide prevention hotline, “Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, July 16, 2020

The AP (7/15, Choi) reports, “If you decide to have an alcoholic drink, limiting yourself to one a day is best – whether you’re a man or woman.” This is “the new advice experts are recommending for the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are scheduled to be updated later this year for the first time in five years.” Currently, “the guidelines…say men should limit themselves to two drinks a day, and that women should limit themselves to one.”

Related Links:

— “Men should limit alcohol to 1 drink a day, experts say, “Candice Choi, AP, July 15, 2020

CNN (7/15, LaMotte) reports researchers surveyed caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and found that around a third of people with the disease “have access to a firearm in their home.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “One-third of caregivers say Alzheimer’s patients have access to guns at home, study finds, “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 15, 2020