HealthDay (1/3, Thompson ) reported, “Socially awkward young adults are more prone to regularly binge drink, but they back off their boozing bouts as they become older and more secure.” New research “shows that young adults who are more self-conscious appear to binge drink more often.” But, “these same self-conscious people had lower rates of binge drinking as they grew older, researchers discovered in a psychological experiment.” The findings were published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “Feeling Self-Conscious Is Linked to Teen Binge Drinking,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 3, 2025

HCPlive (1/4, Derman) reported, “A recent study found social determinants of suicide mortality include being involved in the justice system, exposure to parental and others’ suicide, firearm accessibility, divorce, experience in foster care, release from incarceration, and midlife unemployment (35 – 65 years).” Among these, people “released from [incarceration] demonstrated the greatest prevalence of suicide mortality.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Study Identifies Social Determinants of Suicide Mortality, Suicide Attempts,” Chelsie Derman

The Hill (12/28, Cochran) reported, “A new study has experts beaming with hope as it shows teen drug use at a record low, but they admit confusion as to why the trend is happening and how to ensure it continues.” The “Monitoring the Future survey found the use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes and e-cigarettes among high schoolers is at its lowest level since the study began.” Furthermore, “two-thirds of 12th graders in the survey, which included 24,000 students in total, said they haven’t used any of those substances in the last 30 days, and 90 percent of eighth graders and 80 percent of 10th graders said the same.”

Related Links:

— “Experts confused but delighted by low rates of teen drug use,” Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, December 28, 2024

Neurology Advisor (12/27, Nye) reported, “One in 6 women experienced symptoms of postpartum depression 2 months after cesarean delivery, according to study findings.” Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “an ancillary prespecified analysis of the Tranexamic Acid for Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage after Cesarean Delivery…trial in 27 maternity units in France between March 2018 and January 2020.” The research was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Related Links:

— “Postpartum Depression Is Prevalent Among Women Who Have a Cesarean Delivery,” Jessica Nye, PhD, Neurology Advisor, December 27, 2024

CNN (12/26, Hassan ) reports, “Food noise is incessant internal chatter about food that some people experience, which can make it hard for them to make healthy decisions about their nutrition.” The conversation around food noise “has grown, especially online, as more people taking popular weight-loss and diabetes medications realized the drugs seemed to turn off the noise.” While “there are varying theories about the root cause of food noise, and there isn’t a clear number of how many people experience it,” CNN adds that “most experts believe it’s real, even if awareness of it is only recently emerging.”

Related Links:

— “‘An insatiable itch’: Why some people are turning to weight-loss medications to help quiet food noise,” Carma Hassan, CNN, December 26, 2024