The New York Times (2/16, Richtel ) reported “growing numbers of children and adolescents are being prescribed multiple psychiatric drugs to take simultaneously, according to a” study published in a research letter in JAMA Network Open that “looked at the prescribing patterns among patients 17 or younger enrolled in Medicaid in Maryland from 2015 to 2020.” The study “found that in 2015, 4.2 percent of Medicaid enrollees under the age of 17 in Maryland had overlapping prescriptions of three or more different classes of psychiatric medications.” The “figure rose to 4.6 percent in 2020.” The data reveal that psychotropic polypharmacy “‘was significantly more likely among youths who were disabled or in foster care,’ the new study noted.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (2/16, Richtel ) reported “growing numbers of children and adolescents are being prescribed multiple psychiatric drugs to take simultaneously, according to a” study published in a research letter in JAMA Network Open that “looked at the prescribing patterns among patients 17 or younger enrolled in Medicaid in Maryland from 2015 to 2020.” The study “found that in 2015, 4.2% of Medicaid enrollees under the age of 17 in Maryland had overlapping prescriptions of three or more different classes of psychiatric medications.” The “figure rose to 4.6% in 2020.” The data reveal that psychotropic polypharmacy “‘was significantly more likely among youths who were disabled or in foster care,’ the new study noted.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

According to USA Today (2/15, Alltucker), a report from the Commonwealth Fund and the African American Research Collaborative found that “47% of U.S. health care workers” surveyed “said they witnessed discrimination against patients, and 52% said that racism against patients was a major problem.” Researchers found that “employees at health facilities with a higher percentage of Black or Latino patients witnessed higher rates of discrimination.” The survey found that “at hospitals with a majority of Black patients, 70% of workers said they witnessed discrimination against patients based on their race or ethnicity.” Meanwhile, “for hospitals with mostly Latino patients, that figure was 61%.”

Related Links:

— “Nearly half of health care workers have witnessed racism, discrimination, report shows,”Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, February 15, 2024

HealthDay (2/15, Miller) reports that research indicates “walking, jogging, yoga,” and “strength training…are the most effective exercises for easing depression.” Those “activities can be used on their own or combined with medication and psychotherapy, according to an evidence review.” Although “low-intensity activities like walking and yoga are OK, the more vigorous the activity, the bigger the benefits, the Australian-led team found.” The findings were published in the BMJ.

Related Links:

— “Walking, Jogging, Yoga Are All Good Medicine for Depression,”Carole Tanzer Miller, HealthDay, February 15, 2024

CNN (2/15, Christensen ) reports, “The percentage of overdose deaths linked to smoking drugs rose sharply in recent years, overtaking injection as the leading route of drug use involved in such deaths, according to a new report from the” CDC. Investigators “compared data on drug deaths from January to June 2020 with data from July to December 2022.” The data indicated that “the percentage of overdose deaths that involved smoking increased almost 74% – from 13.3% to 23.1% – between 2020 and 2022.” Over that “same time period, the percentage of overdose deaths involving injections fell from 22.7% to 16.1%.”

The AP (2/15, Stobbe ) reports, “The number and percentage of deaths with evidence of snorting also increased, though not as dramatically as smoking-related deaths, the study found.”

Related Links:

— “Smoking drugs now linked to more overdose deaths than injecting drugs, report finds,”Jen Christensen, CNN, February 15, 2024