Medscape (12/3, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Individuals with opioid use disorder are at high risk for overdose even after 18 months of treatment,” research indicated. In the study that “included 8996 adult Medicaid recipients who initiated buprenorphine therapy, continued on this treatment for a minimum of six months, and maintained Medicaid enrollment for at least six months after stopping their use of buprenorphine,” researchers “found that among patients who were treated with buprenorphine continuously for six to 18 months, about 5% were treated for an opioid overdose within six months of stopping the drug.” In all likelihood, “the true rate is…higher, inasmuch as the researchers were unable to take into account patients who overdosed but who did not present at the hospital for treatment.” The findings were published online Dec. 2 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Discontinuing Buprenorphine Too Soon ‘Life-Threatening’, “Pauline Anderson, Medscape, December 3, 2019

Reuters (12/2, Carroll) reports researchers found that “firearms are by far the most lethal suicide method, with nearly nine out of 10 attempts being fatal.” Andrew Conner, a medical student at Quinnipiac University and the study’s lead author, said, “A lot of the disparities we see in suicide rates – higher rates in males, older people and rural areas – can be explained by the type of methods people use. Certainly, the use of a firearm in a suicide attempt makes the likelihood of death higher than any other method.” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Firearms most lethal suicide method by far in the U.S., “Linda Carroll, Reuters, December 2, 2019

CNN (12/2, Rogers) reports, “High school students in states that require universal background checks on all prospective gun buyers are less likely to carry guns compared to students in states that require background checks only on sales through federally licensed firearms dealers,” research indicated. The study revealed that “on average, 5.8% of nearly 180,000 students who responded to the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported carrying a gun during the study period.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.

HealthDay (12/2, Reinberg) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Youth in states requiring universal background checks are less likely to carry guns to school, study says, “Kristen Rogers, CNN, December 2, 2019

Healio (11/27, Gramigna) reported, “Physicians who screen positive for depressive symptoms have an increased risk for medical errors,” investigators concluded in an 11-study, 21,517-physician “systematic review and meta-analysis published” online Nov. 27 in JAMA Network Open.

Providing similar coverage were MedPage Today (11/27, Hlavinka) and Medscape (11/27, Anderson, Subscription Publication).

Related Links:

— “Physicians with depression more likely to self-report medical errors, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 27, 2019

Newsweek (12/2, Gander) reports “suicide attempts linked to some non-opioid medications replacing [opioid prescriptions] have risen,” in the face of falling opioid prescriptions, research indicates. In a study examining gabapentin and baclofen, “over the period the drugs were studied, suicides attempts after people took just gabapentin rose by 80.5 percent, and by 43 percent for baclofen.” The study was published in Clinical Toxicology.

Related Links:

— “Drugs Used To Replace Opioids Linked With Increase In Suicide Attempts Across U.S., “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, December 2, 2019