In a nearly 1,500-word article, the New York Times (6/27, Southall) reports that in the last five years, “an average of five New York City police officers have taken their own lives each year, according to the Police Department.” Just in the last six months, “six have died by suicide.” Research indicates that “police officers are at a higher risk of suicide than people in other jobs, a consequence of the intense stress of their work, peer pressure to keep their emotions hidden, and easy access to firearms.” In a message to 36,000 police officers given on June 14, Commissioner James P. O’Neill declared “a mental-health crisis and” directed “officers to seek help,” saying, “Accepting help is never a sign of weakness – in fact, it’s a sign of great strength.” For many police officers, however, “emotional vulnerability is incompatible with their desire to be seen as heroes.”

Related Links:

— “4 Officer Suicides in 3 Weeks: N.Y.P.D. Struggles to Dispel Mental Health Stigma, ” Ashley Southall, The New York Times, June 27, 2019

MedPage Today (6/26, Hlavinka) reports, “Certain antidepressants may function by mediating connectivity in areas of the brain associated with pain,” investigators concluded. The research, which involved MRI scans, revealed that “in a group of 66 patients on serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) – either duloxetine (Cymbalta) or desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – both drugs demonstrated reduced connectivity in the thalamo-cortico-periaqueductal network of the brain, also known as the ‘neurologic signature of physical pain,’ versus placebo.” The findings were published online June 24 in The Lancet Psychiatry. The authors of an accompanying editorial wrote, “[This study] promises to move the field of [functional] MRI network study forward in the prediction of treatment response.”

Meanwhile, Psychiatric News (6/26) reports, “The effectiveness of tramadol, a frequently prescribed opiate” analgesic, “may be significantly diminished when patients are also taking certain, commonly prescribed antidepressants, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin), fluoxetine (Prozac), or paroxetine (Paxil),” researchers concluded. The findings of the 152-patient study were published in the June issue of Pharmacotherapy.

Related Links:

— “The ‘Pain Network’: New Target for Antidepressants?, “Elizabeth Hlavinka, MedPage Today, June 26, 2019

HealthDay (6/26, Preidt) reports, “Suicide deaths among black females aged 13 to 19 rose 182% between 2001 and 2017, while the rate among black teen males rose 60% during that same period,” research indicated. The study also revealed that “the methods black teens used most often in suicide attempts – firearms and strangulation – are among the most lethal.” The findings were published online May 17 in the Journal of Community Health.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Rates Soaring Among Black Teens, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 26, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (6/26, Kamp, Subscription Publication) reports deaths from drug overdoses may have declined from 2017 to 2018, which would be the first year-to-year decrease since 1990. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that there were around 69,100 deaths from drug overdoses from November 2017 to November 2018, compared to around 72,300 death in the preceding 12-month period.

Related Links:

— “Overdose Deaths Likely to Fall for First Time Since 1990, “Jon Kamp, The Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2019

Politico (6/25, Ravindranath) reports, “The Department of Veterans Affairs is using artificial intelligence to figure out which veterans are in critical need of mental health treatment as part of a massive effort to stem suicide in its ranks.” Now, “a computer program scours millions of records for medications, treatment, traumatic events, overall health and other information, and based on prior experience, it plucks out the names of veterans most likely to die by suicide in the next year.” Next, “clinicians…reach out to them directly, sometimes before the patient has expressed suicidal thoughts to anyone.” The VA now “believes that its algorithms have reduced suicides by vulnerable veterans.”

Related Links:

— “How the VA uses algorithms to predict suicide, “Mohana Ravindranath, Politico, June 25, 2019