Psychiatric News (2/6) reports, “Black adults who have been exposed to gun violence at any point in their lives may have a higher risk of suicidal ideation, planning a suicide, or attempting a suicide, a study…has found.” More than 3,000 Black adults in the US were surveyed. Investigators found that “overall, 56% of participants reported being exposed to at least one type of gun violence, and 12% reported being exposed to at least three types of gun violence.” The researchers found that “participants who were exposed to one or two types of gun violence had 1.69 times the odds of reporting lifetime suicidal ideation, whereas those who were exposed to three or more types of gun violence had 2.27 times the odds of reporting lifetime suicidal ideation.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Exposure to Gun Violence Increases Risk of Suicidality in Black Adults, Psychiatric News, February 6, 2024

HCP Live (2/6, Derman) reports, “Lurasidone is linked to improving social functioning in patients with schizophrenia, a new study found.” The researchers “leveraged data from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group 6-week JEWEL study which started in May 2016 and ended in November 2018, as well as a subsequent 12-week open-label extension study to evaluate longer-term changes.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Lurasidone Linked to Improving Social Functioning for Schizophrenia,”Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, February 6, 2024

MedPage Today (2/2, Firth ) reports that as a “part of a broader overdose prevention strategy, the Biden administration announced changes to decades-old federal rules, which aim to simplify and expand access to addiction treatment in order to save more lives.” Specifically, a new rule issued by HHS “makes permanent pandemic-era flexibilities that allow eligible patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD) to receive take-home methadone doses.” In a statement, Bobby Mukkamala, MD, chair of the AMA’s Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force, called the rule a “step in the right direction in the fight against the worsening overdose epidemic.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/2) reported, “Playing a musical instrument and/or singing in a group may improve brain health later in life,” research shows. Published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study“found that playing a musical instrument, singing, and overall musical ability was associated with significantly better performance in working memory and executive function.”

Related Links:

— “Playing Music, Singing Linked to Better Brain Health Later in Life, Study Shows, Psychiatric News, February 2, 2024

HCPlive (2/2, Derman) reported that a “new study found antidepressants in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class did not increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke or other serious bleeding events in most ischemic stroke survivors.” Lead investigator Kent P. Simmonds, DO, PhD., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said, “Our results should reassure clinicians that for most stroke survivors, it is safe to prescribe SSRI and/or SNRI antidepressants early after stroke to treat post-stroke depression and anxiety, which may help optimize their patients’ recovery.” The study was published in Stroke and presented at the International Stroke Conference.

Related Links:

— “Masturbation abstinence is popular online. Doctors and therapists are worried,”Lisa Hagen, NPR , February 2, 2024