Psychiatric News (8/16) reported, “Military personnel who have firearms at home and a history of thoughts of death or self-harm are less likely to store their firearms in a safe manner than those with no such history,” researchers concluded after examining “the firearm storage practices of 1,652 active-duty military personnel who were seen in military primary care clinics between July 2015 and August 2018.” The findings of the 1,652-participant study were published online Aug. 16 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Military Personnel With Suicidal Ideation Less Likely to Store Firearms Safely at Home, Psychiatric News, August 16, 2019

TIME (8/15, Ducharme) reports that one-third of U.S. adults “are so stressed by the prospect of mass shootings that they avoid visiting certain places or attending certain events, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Harris Poll.” The survey, “released shortly after a pair of mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas left 31 people dead in the course of one weekend, found that an overwhelming majority of American adults – 79% – experience some amount of stress related to mass shootings. A third of the 2,000 respondents said that fear was so great they avoid going to certain places or events, and almost a quarter said they’ve changed their lives due to fear of mass shootings.”

Related Links:

— “A Third of Americans Avoid Certain Places Because They Fear Mass Shootings, “JAMIE DUCHARME, TIME, August 15, 2019

The AP (8/15, Stobbe) reports, “As many as 50 people in at least six states have come down with breathing illnesses that may be linked to e-cigarettes or other vaping products.” So far, “no deaths have been reported, but at least a few have come close.” Physicians “say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the body apparently reacting to a caustic substance that someone breathed in.”

The NBC News (8/15, Edwards) website reports that physicians who spoke with NBC News explained that “most patients are otherwise healthy teenagers or young adults who come to the hospital with symptoms of a bad respiratory infection: shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue and coughing.” Symptoms rapidly worsen, and many of these patients “need to go on ventilators.” So far, no one has been able to “pinpoint any specific device, brand or ingredient tying the cases together.”

Related Links:

— “Doctors suspect vaping behind dozens of lung illnesses in US, “Mike Stobbe, AP, August 15, 2019

Healio (8/15, Demko) reports research indicates that “combined use of opioids and cannabis was linked to greater symptoms of anxiety, depression and substance use problems compared with opioid use alone in adults with chronic pain.” The findings of the 450-patient study were published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Mixing opioids, cannabis tied to greater anxiety, depression symptoms, “Savannah Demko, Healio, August 15, 2019

HealthDay (8/15, Preidt) reports, “Nearly half of U.S. patients don’t tell their physicians about potentially life-threatening risks such as domestic violence, sexual assault, depression or thoughts of suicide,” researchers concluded after analyzing “the responses of more than 4,500 people who took part in two national online surveys.” The study revealed that “40%-47.5% of the respondents did not tell their” healthcare professional “about one of the four health threats.” What’s more, “more than 70% said the reason for withholding the information was embarrassment or fear of being judged or lectured.” The findings were published online Aug. 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Nearly Half of U.S. Patients Keep Vital Secrets From Their Doctors, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 15, 2019