The AP (6/18, Tanner) reports in health surveys in 2016-2017 of almost 500,000 women in the US “7% of pregnant women, or 1 in 14, said they used marijuana in the past month,” compared to “a little over 3% in 2002-03.” The findings were published in JAMA and presented at a medical conference.

Medscape (6/18, Haelle, Subscription Publication) reports in a second study, “Canadian research reveals that such use comes with greater risk of preterm birth and several other poor perinatal and neonatal outcomes.” The second study was also published in JAMA. Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, of Boston University School of Medicine, and two colleagues wrote in an accompanying editorial, “These two studies send a straightforward message: cannabis use in pregnancy is likely unsafe; with an increasing prevalence of use (presumably related to growing social acceptability and legalization in many states), its potential for harm may represent a public health problem.”

Related Links:

— “Marijuana use doubles in US pregnant women to 1 in 14, “Lindsey Tanner, AP, June 18, 2019

HealthDay (6/18, Reinberg) reports a study based on over one million California hospital records found nearly 20 percent of deaths among women who died within a year of giving birth were due to drug overdose or suicide from 2010 to 2012. The research also indicated “about 75% of those who died had visited an emergency department at least once after giving birth.” The research was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Related Links:

— “Drug Overdoses, Suicide Are Risk for New Mothers: Study, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, June 18, 2019

In a nearly 3,500-word piece, the AP (6/18) reports, “Suicide, long the leading cause of death in U.S. jails, hit a high of 50 deaths for every 100,000 inmates in 2014,” which was “the latest year for which the government has released data.” More and more, “troubling questions are being raised about the treatment of inmates in many jails, possible patterns of neglect – and whether better care could have stopped suicides.” Now, “a joint investigation by the Associated Press and the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service finds that scores of jails have been sued or investigated in recent years for allegedly refusing inmates medication, ignoring their cries for help, failing to monitor them despite warnings they might harm themselves or imposing such harsh conditions that the sick got sicker.”

Related Links:

— “Many US jails fail to stop inmate suicides, investigation reveals, AP, June 18, 2019

Reuters (6/18, Carroll) reports that since 2007, “suicide rates have been climbing among U.S. teens, with an especially pronounced increase in boys recently,” researchers concluded after examining data from “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Underlying Cause of Death database.” The study’s lead author “hopes the study will alert parents and other relatives to the increasing suicide rates so they will notice changes in teens and young adults that might suggest a risk for suicide.” The findings were published June 18 in a research letter in JAMA.

According to CNN (6/18, Howard), “overall in 2017, there were 6,241 suicides among young people aged 15 to 24, of whom 5,016 were young men and 1,225 were young women, the researchers found.” The study, however, “had some limitations, including that the causes of death in the data were based on death certificates, which can be subject to error, or it could suggest that the observed increase in suicide deaths may reflect more accurate reporting in certificates.” In addition, investigators “did not examine factors behind the increase in suicide rates.”

Also covering the story are The Hill (6/18, Budryk), MedPage Today (6/18, Hlavinka), HealthDay (6/18, Thompson), and Medical Daily (6/18).

Related Links:

— “U.S. teen suicides rising, especially among boys, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, June 18, 2019

Healio (6/17, Miller) reports that Sourav Sengupta, MD, MPH, director of the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program and assistant professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, “recently wrote an essay that appeared in JAMA where he discussed his struggles at balancing his professional workload and social and familial responsibilities and how he ultimately realized he needed professional help to overcome these difficulties.” Back in 1964, “researchers studied this ongoing battle, providing limited details in the” American Psychiatric Association’s journal the “American Journal of Psychiatry of a clinician who took multiple narcotics as he dealt with problems at home and work.” Dr. Sengupta provided “some advice to clinicians who may not think they need help or perhaps are afraid to,” saying, “Let’s face it: we’re not the best at assessing and addressing our own core emotional challenges. Getting some outside perspective and support and direction provides a map back to feeling well.”

Related Links:

— “Clinician who sought mental health help shares journey, “Janel Miller, Healio, June 17, 2019