The Hill (6/9, Hellmann) reports researchers found “some people with substance use disorders have increased their usage during the pandemic, according to a survey” conducted by the Addiction Policy Forum. In the survey, 20 percent of respondents “said they or a family member have increased substance use since COVID-19 began.”

Related Links:

— “Substance use up amid pandemic: survey, “Jessie Hellmann, The Hill, June 9, 2020

Psychiatric News (6/9) reports, “Taking choline supplements during pregnancy may reduce the negative impact of viral respiratory infections on offspring,” investigators concluded after comparing “choline levels measured at 16 weeks’ gestation in 36 pregnant women who had developed moderate to severe respiratory infections by week 16 with 53 mothers who reported no” infections. The findings were published online ahead of print in the September issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Prenatal Choline Supplements May Protect Offspring if Mother Contracts Viral Infection, Psychiatric News, June 9, 2020

HealthDay (6/8, Norton) reports researchers found that visits to the emergency department at the Cleveland Clinic “for suicidal ideation dropped by over 60% in the month after [Ohio] instituted its stay-at-home order.” Dr. Baruch Fertel of the Cleveland Clinic, the study’s senior researcher, said, “The question is: Where are these patients now? Are they just brushing off their problems? Are they getting help through telemedicine instead?” The findings were published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Fewer Suicide-Related ER Visits in COVID Era, and That Has Experts Worried, ” Amy Norton, HealthDay, June 8, 2020

HealthDay (6/8, Preidt) reports researchers found that “alcohol and drug use is more common among older adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual than among their straight counterparts.” The researchers analyzed responses from older adults in a nationwide survey on alcohol and drug use and published their findings in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Older Gays, Lesbians at Higher Odds for Drug, Alcohol Abuse: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 8, 2020

HealthDay (6/8, Preidt) reports, “More than one in 10 middle and high school students in the United States used e-cigarettes within the last month,” investigators found after surveying “eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders in 580 U.S. public and private schools in 2015 and 2016.” The study also revealed that “the rate in some schools is as high as 60%.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Up to 60% of Teens in Some U.S. Schools Used E-Cigs: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 8, 2020