Healio (7/29, Demko) reports research indicated “patients with PTSD were at greater risk for death in the year following co-prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines than patients newly prescribed opioids only, benzodiazepines only or neither medication class.” Investigators arrived at this finding after examining one-year “total and cause-specific mortality for 17,476 patients (adjusted for propensity score, age, baseline comorbidity and daily medication dose) using data from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse.” The findings were published online July 9 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Concurrent opioid, benzodiazepine use increases mortality risk in PTSD, “Savannah Demko, Healio, July 29, 2019

The Washington Post (7/26, Wan) reports that up until fairly recently, “the suicide prevention movement has been largely driven by family and friends of those who died.” In the past five years, however, “as suicide rates have climbed to historic levels, survivors of suicide attempts have been ‘coming out,’ determined to combat the problem even if it means speaking out about their own, often-hidden pasts.” This “has transformed the suicide prevention world.” For example, “researchers trying to understand suicide, who previously focused on post-mortem data and environmental factors, are starting to embrace the relatively new idea of reaching out to people who experienced it directly.” Meanwhile, mental health “advocates are harnessing those voices to raise awareness of suicide as a public health issue and win sorely needed funding and attention.”

Related Links:

— “Once they hid their stories. But now, survivors of suicide are ‘coming out’ to combat a national crisis., “William Wan, The Washington Post, July 26, 2019

Healio (7/26, Demko) reported, “Although benzodiazepine use during pregnancy did not seem to be linked to congenital or cardiac malformations, its use in combination with antidepressants may increase the risk for congenital malformations,” researchers concluded after analyzing data from eight studies. The review’s findings were published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Combination benzodiazepine, antidepressant use during pregnancy warrants caution, “Savannah Demko, Healio, July 26, 2019

Healio (7/26, Demko) reported, “Protection and restoration of tree canopy in urban green spaces appeared to promote community mental health,” researchers concluded after examining “whether total green space or specific types of green space were linked to better mental health in a sample of 46,786 city-dwelling participants aged 45 years and older from Sydney, Wollongong, and Newcastle, Australia.” Study “data were collected from 2006 through 2009 and follow-up was conducted from 2012 through 2015.” The findings were published online July 26 in JAMA Network Open. The author of an accompanying commentary observed, “Given this potential consequence, the relevance of green space offering peace and quiet for its mental health benefits seems an important topic for further investigation.”

Related Links:

— “Urban green spaces appear to offer mental health benefits, “Savannah Demko, Healio, July 26, 2019

On its “Weekend Edition Saturday” program, NPR (7/27, Axelrod, Balaban, Simon) delved into the topic of suicides among the elderly. NPR wrote, “Of the more than 47,000 suicides that took place in 2017, those 65 and up accounted for more than 8,500 of them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Men aged “65 and older face the highest risk of suicide, while adults 85 and older, regardless of gender, are the second most likely age group to die from suicide.” Mental health experts interviewed by NPR expressed concern about the trend. Studies have shown that “one out of four senior citizens that attempt suicide dies, compared to one out of 200 attempts for young adults.” Bereavement, loneliness, pain, and age-related diseases may all play a role in elders’ susceptibility to suicide.

Related Links:

— “Isolated And Struggling, Many Seniors Are Turning To Suicide, “Josh Axelrod, Samantha Balaban, Scott Simon, NPR, July 27, 2019