The Washington Post (8/21, Cunningham) “The Health 202” blog reports “a new government survey shows opioid abuse is declining by double digits – welcome data to public health advocates and policymakers who are wrestling with an epidemic that has crippled communities across the nation.” The survey, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Tuesday, indicated that 11 percent “fewer Americans reported pain reliever misuse in 2018 compared with the year prior,” and that heroin use was down by approximately 15 percent.

In 2016, Americans Spent $145 Billion On Cannabis, Cocaine, Heroin And Methamphetamine , Report Finds Healio (8/21) reports research indicates that “in 2016, Americans spent $145 billion on cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine,” with “most spending…attributed to those who use drugs on a daily or almost daily basis.” Investigators arrived at these conclusions after using “multiple databases to collect information on illicit drug users and amounts of drugs purchased, including Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services.” The report’s findings were published on the RAND Corporation website.

Related Links:

— “The Health 202: Fewer Americans are abusing opioids. But the improvements vary dramatically by state., ” Paige Winfield Cunningham, The Washington Post, August 21, 2019

Healio (8/21, Demko) reports research indicated that “clinically meaningful improvement in PTSD symptoms compared with less than clinically meaningful or no improvement was linked to a 49% lower risk for incident type 2 diabetes [T2D].” The findings of the 1,598-patient study were published online Aug. 21 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Improvement in PTSD symptoms linked to lower risk for diabetes, “Savannah Demko, Healio, August 21, 2019

Business Insider (8/20, Akhtar) reports that nurses “are more likely to take their own lives,” researchers found in “what they said is the first nationwide investigation into nurse suicides in more than 20 years.” The study, published in Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, “found a suicide incidence of 11.97 per 100,000 people among women who are nurses, versus 7.58 per 100,000 for American women in general,” and “39.8 per 100,000 people, versus 28.2 per 100,000” for men.

Related Links:

— “Suicides among nurses are on the rise. Here’s why one of America’s fastest-growing jobs is facing a major crisis, “Allana Akhtar, Business Insider, August 20, 2019

Psychiatric News (8/20) reports, “Mitral valve prolapse…is significantly more common in patients with panic disorder/agoraphobia,” researchers concluded in a 14-study meta-analysis that included some 1,146 patients. The findings were published in the July/August issue of Psychosomatics.

Related Links:

— “Mitral Valve Prolapse More Prevalent in Patients With Panic Disorder, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, August 20, 2019

Patients taking very high doses of loperamide, an antidiarrheal medication, in an attempt to self-manage opioid withdrawal or to achieve a euphoric high may be at risk of severe or fatal cardiac events. Loperamide will not appear in a standard toxicology screen, and there is no urine test to screen for it. Learn the signs of loperamide misuse at: Understanding Loperamide Abuse