HealthDay (10/7, Norton) reports, “Americans are increasingly viewing people with mental illnesses as a violent threat, despite scientific evidence to the contrary,” research indicated. Investigators “found that compared with 10 to 20 years ago, more Americans today believe that people with schizophrenia are a violent threat toward others.” Specifically, “by 2018, over 60% of study respondents held that view – and a similar percentage thought people with the disorder should be forced into hospitalization.” The researchers’ conclusions “are based on a national survey conducted in three waves – 1996, 2006 and 2018,” in which “there were about 1,100 to 1,500 participants in each wave.” The findings were published online Oct. 7 in the journal Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Spurred by Mass Shootings, More Americans View Mentally Ill as Violent, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, October 7, 2019

Reuters (10/7, Rapaport) reports, “Young people who attempt suicide by poisoning often use antidepressants or over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin,” researchers concluded after examining “U.S. Poison Center data from 2000-2018 on 1.68 million suspected cases of suicide by self-poisoning among people ages 10 to 25.” The findings were published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Toxicology. HealthDay (10/7, Gordon) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Youth suicide attempts often involve over-the-counter painkillers, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, October 7, 2019

Healio (10/7, Gramigna) reports, “Current evidence does not support claims of adverse health outcomes associated with antidepressant use, and such claims are likely exaggerated by confounding by indication,” investigators concluded in an umbrella review that included “45 meta-analyses of observational studies and 252 full-text articles.” The findings were published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants not associated with adverse health outcomes, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, October 7, 2019

Recent reports show a small but growing number of people are taking very high doses of loperamide, an anti-diarrheal medication, in an attempt to self-manage opioid withdrawal or to achieve a euphoric high. These individuals may be at risk of severe or fatal cardiac events. Download resources on loperamide misuse to share with your colleagues and patients.

Related Links:

— Prevent Loperamide Abuse

Newsweek (10/4, Gander) reported, “Transgender people who have gender-affirming surgery are less likely to need mental health treatment,” researchers concluded after examining “data collected between 2005 and 2015 from a Swedish population register linked to a national healthcare database,” then assessing “the available information on the 2,679 individuals diagnosed with gender incongruence.” The findings were published online Oct. 4 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Transgender People Who Have Gender-Affirming Surgery Less Likely To Need Mental Health Treatment, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, October 4, 2019