HealthDay (6/28, Norton) reported, “Children exposed to opioids in the womb may have heightened risks of long-term mental and physical health issues,” researchers concluded after examining data “on more than 8,500 mothers who gave birth at Boston Medical Center between 1998 and 2016.” The study revealed that “on average…children exposed to opioids in the womb had roughly twice the risk of being diagnosed with conduct disorder, emotional disturbances or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.” Then, “as preschoolers, those children were also more likely to show slower-than-normal physical development,” the study found. The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

MedPage Today (6/28, Hlavinka) reported that “because the issues faced by women with opioid use disorder are complex, postpartum interventions that address employment, financial security, and safe housing need to be considered in addition to pregnancy care, wrote” the author of an accompanying editorial.

Related Links:

— “Prenatal Opioid Exposure Could Bring Long-Term Harm to Kids, “Amy Norton, HealthDay , June 28, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (6/30, Reddy, Subscription Publication) reported on the safety and effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment of severe depression that is resistant to treatment.

Related Links:

— “New Thinking Challenges the Stigma Around ‘Shock Therapy’, ” Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2019

In a nearly 1,500-word article, the New York Times (6/27, Southall) reports that in the last five years, “an average of five New York City police officers have taken their own lives each year, according to the Police Department.” Just in the last six months, “six have died by suicide.” Research indicates that “police officers are at a higher risk of suicide than people in other jobs, a consequence of the intense stress of their work, peer pressure to keep their emotions hidden, and easy access to firearms.” In a message to 36,000 police officers given on June 14, Commissioner James P. O’Neill declared “a mental-health crisis and” directed “officers to seek help,” saying, “Accepting help is never a sign of weakness – in fact, it’s a sign of great strength.” For many police officers, however, “emotional vulnerability is incompatible with their desire to be seen as heroes.”

Related Links:

— “4 Officer Suicides in 3 Weeks: N.Y.P.D. Struggles to Dispel Mental Health Stigma, ” Ashley Southall, The New York Times, June 27, 2019

MedPage Today (6/26, Hlavinka) reports, “Certain antidepressants may function by mediating connectivity in areas of the brain associated with pain,” investigators concluded. The research, which involved MRI scans, revealed that “in a group of 66 patients on serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) – either duloxetine (Cymbalta) or desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – both drugs demonstrated reduced connectivity in the thalamo-cortico-periaqueductal network of the brain, also known as the ‘neurologic signature of physical pain,’ versus placebo.” The findings were published online June 24 in The Lancet Psychiatry. The authors of an accompanying editorial wrote, “[This study] promises to move the field of [functional] MRI network study forward in the prediction of treatment response.”

Meanwhile, Psychiatric News (6/26) reports, “The effectiveness of tramadol, a frequently prescribed opiate” analgesic, “may be significantly diminished when patients are also taking certain, commonly prescribed antidepressants, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin), fluoxetine (Prozac), or paroxetine (Paxil),” researchers concluded. The findings of the 152-patient study were published in the June issue of Pharmacotherapy.

Related Links:

— “The ‘Pain Network’: New Target for Antidepressants?, “Elizabeth Hlavinka, MedPage Today, June 26, 2019

HealthDay (6/26, Preidt) reports, “Suicide deaths among black females aged 13 to 19 rose 182% between 2001 and 2017, while the rate among black teen males rose 60% during that same period,” research indicated. The study also revealed that “the methods black teens used most often in suicide attempts – firearms and strangulation – are among the most lethal.” The findings were published online May 17 in the Journal of Community Health.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Rates Soaring Among Black Teens, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 26, 2019