The Wall Street Journal (3/25, Reddy, Subscription Publication) reports research suggests that some youngsters who receive an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis may actually outgrow the condition. The findings of the 569-child study were published online March 12 in the Journal of Child Neurology. As for why some children appear to outgrow ASD, Stephen Blumberg, of the National Center for Health Statistics, believes that almost all of the kids who supposedly outgrew ASD really had other developmental issues, most likely attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and never had an ASD at all. Michael Kogan, of the Health and Human Services Department’s Health Resources and Services Administration, believes physicians have been diagnosing youngsters with ASD along with other comorbidities just to help get services for these children.

Related Links:

— “The Autism Diagnosis That Isn’t Always Permanent, “Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2019

USA Today (3/22, May) said that a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates an “increasing number of African Americans are dying from fentanyl overdoses – what has long been pegged as a problem primarily for white communities.” The report found fentanyl overdoses “claimed 18,335 lives in 2016, up drastically from 1,663 in 2011,” and that while non-Hispanic “white people remain most affected by overall fentanyl overdoses…African Americans saw the sharpest increase in deaths, rising 140.6 percent each year. Hispanics experienced a jump of 118.3 percent annually.”

Related Links:

— “African-American, Hispanic deaths by fentanyl overdose rising sharply, “Ashley May, USA Today, March 22, 2019

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (3/22, Pirani) reported the US CDC has found that the US “experienced a nearly 30 percent increase in suicide rates between 1999-2016,” according to new data. The piece added that a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine “found that increases in state minimum wages in recent years have been associated with decreases in suicide rates.” The piece also said the research is the “first study the authors believe examines the effect of minimum wage changes on suicide rates” and that previous research from the CDC and from the National Institutes of Health shows “individuals with significant debt are generally more likely to report physical health challenges.”

Related Links:

— “Could increasing minimum wage help reduce the suicide rate?, “Fiza Pirani, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , March 22, 2019

Reuters (3/22, Rapaport) reported that a review suggests children “with school attendance or truancy problems might be suffering from anxiety.” Investigators came to this conclusion after reviewing “eight previously published studies with a total of almost 26,000 young students from Europe, North America and Asia.” The findings were published online Feb. 27 in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Childhood anxiety tied to school absences, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, March 22, 2019

Reuters (3/21, Carroll) reports, “People who are terrified of heights may be able to conquer their phobia using a virtual reality [VR] app and an inexpensive set of cardboard VR goggles,” research indicated.

Healio (3/21, Demko) reports there were 193 participants in the randomized study. The findings were published online March 20 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (3/21) reports, “The strong symptom improvements were maintained at a follow-up assessment three months later.”

Related Links:

— “Phone app may help conquer fear of heights, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, March 21, 2019