Newsweek (11/3, Dodge) reported that “according to an article published” in the November 2018 issue of the journal Frontiers of Psychiatry, methamphetamine “can induce a psychosis similar to presentations of schizophrenia.” Recreational use of methamphetamine “has been associated [with] both auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions and disorganized speech.” These triggered symptoms are “not exactly a far cry from some of the most common markers of schizophrenic episodes like distortions in perceptions, false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking and disorganized speech, according to the authors.” The study abstract disclosed that 554 current users of methamphetamine were included in the study.

Related Links:

— “Amid Meth Resurgence, Police Often Can’t Tell The Difference Between Trips And Mental Illness: Report
, “Blake Dodge, Newsweek, November 3, 2019

CBS News (11/1, Cerullo) reported on its website, “Construction workers and miners are used to physically demanding, often dangerous work. Yet these jobs may also expose hard-hats to another risk: substance abuse.” The piece continued, “A recent study found that workers in these industries are more likely than other workers to use opioids and cocaine. A little over 3% of those employed in the construction trade and extraction industry had used non-prescription opioids over the past month, compared to 2% of other types of workers, according to the research, which was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.”

Related Links:

— “Construction workers and miners are the most likely to use opioids, “Megan Cerullo, CBS News, November 1, 2019

Psychiatric News (11/1) reported, “People who are homosexual, bisexual, or unsure of their sexual orientation have both a higher risk and a higher rate of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder than people who are heterosexual,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), a survey of roughly 36,000 U.S. adults.” According to Psychiatric News, “the NESARC-III determined if participants had eating disorders based on whether their responses suggested that they met the DSM-5 criteria for eating disorders.” The findings were published online Oct. 31 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders

Related Links:

— “Sexual Minorities Found to Be at Elevated Risk for Eating Disorders, Psychiatric News, November 1, 2019

HealthDay (11/1, Reinberg) reported, “How the media reports on celebrity suicides may increase the risk for copycats,” researchers indicated, “but following guidelines on the reporting of these suicides can reduce the risk of others following suit,” investigators concluded after using “14 variables from recommendations by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on how to report on suicide, which include not sensationalizing the death and framing the report as a public health issue.” In particular, “the researchers looked at how the guidelines were used after the suicides of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain.” The findingswere published online Nov. 1 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Media Reports on Celeb Suicides Could Trigger Copycats, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, November 1, 2019

Modern Healthcare (10/31, Meyer, Subscription Publication) reports a federal lawsuit, seeking class-action status, filed against Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) claims the insurer “is unlawfully denying behavioral health benefits to members in violation of generally accepted medical standards.” The complaint claims HCSC, which “runs Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in five states,” unlawfully denied coverage “to a young Chicago-area woman suffering from depression, substance use disorder, and borderline personality based on faulty guidelines issued by MCG Health in Seattle” last year. The article says that MCG’s guidelines used by HCSC are “much more restrictive than generally accepted medical standards issued by the American Psychiatric Association,” according to the lawsuit.

Related Links:

— “Major Blues insurer sued for denying behavioral health claims, “HARRIS MEYER, Modern Healthcare, October 31, 2019