Forbes (7/22, Disalvo) reports that “one of the main findings from a group of recent studies” is that “a significant part of the drug crisis can be traced back to our homes, where prescription drugs are found and misused by other family members and friends, often adolescents and older teens.” One study published in Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and a second study published in the same journal, indicate that “about 11% of high school seniors reported misusing a prescription med in the last year,” and “of that group, nearly half said they had multiple sources for the drugs, including family members, friends with prescriptions, and other sources that lead back to prescription drugs in the home.” Further, “about 30% of adolescents misusing prescription drugs took leftover meds still in the medicine cabinet.”

Related Links:

— “Prescription Drugs In The Home Are Fueling The Addiction Crisis Among Kids And Teens, Warns New Research, “David DiSalvo, Forbes, July 22, 2019

The AP (7/21, Zimmerman) reports that under legislation signed into law last month, Oregon will now “allow students to take ‘mental health days’ just as they would sick days, expanding the reasons for excused school absences to include mental or behavioral health under a new law that experts say is one of the first of its kind in the U.S.” The aim of the law is “to change the stigma around mental health in a state that has some of the United States’ highest suicide rates.”

Florida Public Schools To Be Required To Teach Students About Mental Health The AP (7/19) reported that public schools in Florida “will now be required to teach students about mental health under a new mandate passed by the state board of education” unanimously on July 17. The board voted “to require that students from sixth through 12th grade take at least five hours of mental health instruction.”

Related Links:

— “Correction: Mental Health Day story, “Sarah Zimmerman, AP, July 21, 2019

Psychiatric News (7/19) reported, “Medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (AD/HD) “may help lower the risk of unintentional injuries in children and adolescents with” the disorder, researchers concluded after analyzing “prescription and health data from more than 1.9 million children and adolescents aged six to 19 years who had either been diagnosed with” AD/HD “or received a prescription for” AD/HD “medication between 2005 and 2014.” The findings were published online July 11 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Medication For AD/HD May Help Lower Risk Of Unintentional Injuries In Kids And Teens With The Disorder, Study Indicates, Psychiatric News, July 19, 2019

The New York Times (7/18, Hotz) reports the organization Tea With Strangers is working to combat loneliness by inviting strangers “to chat for about two hours over tea.” The group now has 450 volunteer hosts in 15 cities. Users “can find local teatimes online and sign up for one of five slots.” Then, hosts “email those users with an introduction, location details and an emphatic ask not to flake.”

Related Links:

— “Feeling Lonely? Perhaps You’d Like to Talk to Some Strangers, “Julia Hotz, The New York Times, July 18, 2019

Kaiser Health News (7/18, Graham) reports on the risks of anticholinergic drugs for seniors. For example, the article highlights a case of an older woman who was taking so many anticholinergic drugs that she was suspected of having dementia, but her physician suspected the combination of drugs might be having a negative impact so the patient was gradually switched over to alternative medications and her dementia-like symptoms resolved. The article also mentions that studies have found links between anticholinergic drugs and dementia.

Related Links:

— “Common Medications Can Masquerade As Dementia In Seniors, “Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News, July 18, 2019