Healio (9/29, Oldt) reported, “Adults who used cannabis were significantly more likely to use nonmedical prescription opioids,” researchers found after analyzing “data from wave 1 (2001-2002) and wave 2 (2004-2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.” The findings were published online Sept. 26 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis use may increase risk for opioid abuse,” Olfson M, et al., Healio, September 29, 2017.

HealthDay (9/29, Preidt) reported, “Older adults who’ve lost their sense of smell appear to have an increased risk of dementia,” researchers concluded after conducting a “long-term study” that “included nearly 3,000 participants, aged 57 to 85, who were tested on their ability to identify five common odors.” The findings were published online Sept. 25 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Links:

— “Failing Sense of Smell Tied to Dementia Risk,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 29, 2017.

The NPR (10/1, Haelle) “Shots” blog reported, “Young adults on the autism spectrum” may be “more likely to also have been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition, such as depression, anxiety and” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “than are typically developing people or those with other developmental disabilities,” researchers found after examining data from two large “groups of young adults, ages 18-24, in Ontario, Canada.” The findings were published online Sept. 13 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Many Young Adults With Autism Also Have Mental Health Issues,” TARA HAELLE, NPR, October 1, 2017.

MedPage Today (9/28, Frieden) reports that at a Sept. 27 hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, “several senators said” that the “Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made good strides in reducing suicides among former military personnel, but much more still needs to be done.” For example, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said, “VA data suggest that approximately 20 veterans commit suicide every day,” but “on average, only six were enrolled in VA healthcare.” Hearing witness Craig Bryan, PsyD, executive director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, emphasized the importance of “treatment…done properly.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said, “What I am hearing…is that suicide rates are increasing among veterans who lack access, either because of geographic difficulties or because of less-than-honorable discharges.”

Related Links:

— “Much Work Remains to Reduce Veterans’ Suicide Rates,” Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today, September 28, 2017.

According to Healio (9/28, Oldt), “middle-aged adults had the highest increases in suicide death rates from 1999 to 2014 compared with other age groups,” Kathryn D. Piscopo, PhD, of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, found after analyzing “data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) Mortality file for adults aged 45 to 64 years.” The report is available here.

Related Links:

— “Suicide death more common in middle-aged adults,” Kathryn D . Piscopo , PhD, Healio, September 28, 2017.