Reuters (2/8, Banerjee) reports a new study suggests that “youth suicides happen more often in U.S. states with high rates of household gun ownership.” Specifically, data show that “in the 10 states with the highest youth suicide rates, 53 percent of households owned guns.” In contrast, results show that “in the 10 states with the lowest youth suicide rates, only 20 percent of households owned guns.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “More youth suicides seen in states with high gun ownership rates, “Ankur Banerjee, Reuters, February 8, 2019

Medscape (2/8, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reported that a study suggests that people “with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are at high risk for premature death from suicide as well as other causes.” Researchers followed nearly “300 patients with BPD and 72 comparison patients who had other personality disorders (PDs).” Over the 24-year “follow-up period, almost 6% of BPD patients died by suicide, vs only 1.4% of comparison patients; 14% of BPD patients died by causes other than suicide, compared to only 5.5% of comparison participants.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (2/7, Jacobs) reports that on Thursday, Instagram announced “it would no longer allow graphic images of self-harm, such as cutting, on its platform,” a change which seems to come “in response to public attention to how the social network might have influenced a 14-year-old’s suicide.” Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, issued a statement explaining the change, noting “a distinction between graphic images about self-harm and nongraphic images, such as photos of healed scars,” which will still be allowed but will be “more difficult to find.”

Related Links:

— “Instagram Bans Graphic Images of Self-Harm After Teenager’s Suicide, “Julia Jacobs, The New York Times, February 7, 2019

Medscape (2/7, Hackethal, Subscription Publication) reports, “Having chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) may increase the risk for depression and/or anxiety compared with not having the condition,” researchers concluded in a study involving 16,224 adults with CRS and 32,448 without CRS. The findings were published online Feb. 7 in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The NPR (2/6, Lambert) “Shots” blog reports certain “antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management,” research suggests.

Healio (2/6, Demko) reports, “Using a machine learning approach,” investigators “found that patients on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] who were prescribed prodrug opioids had more pain after leaving the hospital than those prescribed active form opioids.” The findings of the 4,306-patient study were published online Feb. 6 in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids, “Jonathan Lambert, NPR, February 6, 2019