HealthDay (2/20, Mundell ) reports, “Anorexia isn’t solely a disease that strikes women and girls, Canadian experts say, so they want to raise awareness that the illness can also be serious for boys and men.” Roughly “0.3% of males will receive a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, with some types of boys and men at higher risk.” These types include “gay, bisexual, trans, and queer people,” the researchers “said, as well as guys ‘involved in body- and strength-focused sports like cycling, running and wrestling.’” The experts’ article was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Related Links:

— “Anorexia Can Hit Boys and Men, Too,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, February 20, 2024

HealthDay (2/20, Mundell ) reports, “Americans addicted to opioids who need the anti-addiction med buprenorphine are far more likely to find it if they live in a predominantly white neighborhood, new research finds.” The study found that “compared to largely white urban areas, the most ethnically/racially diverse urban zip codes were between 45% to 55% less likely to have prescribers able to provide buprenorphine.” Meanwhile, “that gap rose to between 62% to 79% for rural parts of the United States.” The findings were published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

Related Links:

— “It’s Tougher for Non-White Americans to Get Opioid Addiction Drug,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, February 20, 2024

Healio (2/16, Herpen) reported, “Deficits in processing speed negatively affects memory in individuals with acquired brain injury, strongly suggesting lack of memory recall is associated with poor processing and information acquisition, data show.” The research “included 63 individuals aged 18 to 70 years,” all of whom “were living with a chronic” acquired brain injury, “were at least 1 year post-injury and had no diagnosis of alcohol or substance use disorders, schizophrenia or bipolar diagnosis and no current use of benzodiazepines or other psychostimulants.” The findings were published in Brain Injury.

Related Links:

— “Processing deficits negatively impact memory in adults with acquired brain injury,”Robert Herpen, Healio, February 16, 2024

HealthDay (2/19, Thompson ) reports, “Increased access to prescription opioids has driven up U.S. suicide rates by making it easier to women to end their lives, a new study claims.” The research “also blames a shrinking federal safety net during tough economic times for rising suicide rates.” This study, in which researchers analyzed “nearly 600,000 suicide deaths in the United States between 1990 and 2017,” was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Access to Opioids Could Be Boosting Suicide Rates,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, February 19, 2024

Healio (2/16, Feller ) reports, “More than three-quarters of people with mild COVID-19 reported experiencing insomnia after recovery, and it was more common among those with anxiety or depression, according to the results of a survey.” Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “a cross-sectional online survey of 1,056 people in Vietnam who had lab-confirmed COVID-19 in the previous 6 months and were not hospitalized.” The findings were published in Frontiers in Public Health.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 increases insomnia risk in people with anxiety, depression,”Stephen Feller, Healio , February 20, 2024