Publications on Mental Health Topics

Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids, by Jonathan Lambert, NPR, Feb 6 2019.

“Antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management according to research findings published Wednesday. The researchers suggest physicians should consider alternative pain management strategies for patients on antidepressants. ”

Telemedicine's challenge: Getting patients to click the app, by Tom Murphy, Associated Press, Feb 6 2019.

“Widespread smartphone use, looser regulations and employer enthusiasm are helping to expand access to telemedicine, where patients interact with doctors and nurses from afar, often through a secure video connection. Supporters say virtual visits make it easier for patients to see a therapist or quickly find help for ailments that aren’t emergencies. But many still fall back to going to the doctor’s office when they’re sick. Health care experts have long said that changing behavior can be hard. In telemedicine’s case, patients might learn about it from their employer and then forget about it by the time they need care a few months later. Plus emotions can complicate health care decisions, said Mercer’s Beth Umland. “My little kid is sick, I want them to have the best of care right away, and for some people that might not register as a telemedicine call,” she said. ”

Chronic pain most common reason U.S. patients get medical marijuana, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Feb 6 2019.

“Almost two-thirds of patients in the U.S. who get medical marijuana are using it as a treatment for chronic pain, a new study suggests. That’s in line with the large number of Americans who suffer chronic pain and the strong scientific evidence that marijuana is an effective pain treatment, the authors report in Health Affairs. ”

As concern about kids' mental health and social media use grows, authorities take action, by Jack Guy, CNN, Feb 5 2019.

“Concern over children's use of social media and its effect on their mental health has increased markedly in recent years, and now official action on the issue is also stepping up. In the UK, government ministers are considering imposing new rules on social media companies, while a trial introducing mindfulness exercises will be extended to up to 370 English schools. The response comes as separate surveys have revealed feelings of "overwhelming pressure" and inadequacy among young social media users, as well as the prevalence of online bullying. ”

If You're Often Angry Or Irritable, You May Be Depressed, by Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, Feb 4 2019.

“Many people — including physicians — associate depression with feelings of hopelessness, sadness and a lack of motivation or concentration, but not anger. Some researchers say that's a problem, given that there appears to be a strong link between irritability and depression. If you pick up what is often called the "bible of psychiatry," the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, you'll find that the list of core symptoms for major depression doesn't include anger.   "It's not included at all in the adult classification of depression," says Dr. Maurizio Fava, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. But he points out that irritability — a reduced control over one's temper that results in angry outbursts — is listed as a core symptom of depression for children and adolescents. It has never made sense to him that it's not included for adults. "Why would someone who happens to be irritable and angry when depressed as an adolescent suddenly stop being angry at age 18?" he asks. ”

The digital drug: Internet addiction spawns U.S. treatment programs, by Gabriella Borter, Reuters, Jan 27 2019.

“Psychiatrists say internet addiction, characterized by a loss of control over internet use and disregard for the consequences of it, affects up to 8 percent of Americans and is becoming more common around the world. “We’re all mildly addicted. I think that’s obvious to see in our behavior,” said psychiatrist Kimberly Young, who has led the field of research since founding the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995. “It becomes a public health concern obviously as health is influenced by the behavior.” ”

LGBT Navajos Discover Unexpected Champions: Their Grandparents, by Laurel Morales, NPR, Jan 26 2019.

“Nationwide, the share of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens who attempt suicide is high — 23 percent. For Navajo LGBTQ youth, the rate is 70 percent, according to the Navajo Nation's Diné Policy Institute. [...] It's not unusual that Navajo grandparents are accepting of being LGBT while parents are not. Historians say federally run boarding schools and other assimilation tactics taught a generation of Navajos that same-sex relationships are wrong. ”

Steep Climb In Benzodiazepine Prescribing By Primary Care Doctors, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Jan 25 2019.

“The percentage of outpatient medical visits that led to a benzodiazepine prescription doubled from 2003 to 2015, according to a study published Friday. And about half those prescriptions came from primary care physicians. This class of drugs includes the commonly used medications Valium, Ativan and Xanax. While benzodiazepines are mostly prescribed for anxiety, insomnia and seizures, the study found that the biggest rise in prescriptions during this time period was for back pain and other types of chronic pain. ”

U.S. substance abuse helpline largely unknown, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Jan 14 2019.

“The U.S. government’s toll-free substance abuse helpline, which provides free referral services to those looking for treatment, gets little publicity, a new study finds. By contrast, suicide helplines are regularly publicized, the research team points out. When the researchers compared how often the addiction helpline was mentioned in news stories and social media after Demi Lovato’s overdose to how often the suicide helpline was noted after Anthony Bourdain killed himself, they found a huge disparity. They hope their study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, will help change that. ”

Parents often don't know when teens have suicidal thoughts, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Jan 14 2019.

“Three in four parents are unaware when their teens have recurrent thoughts about suicide, and a big part of the problem may be that adolescents often deny feeling this way, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers interviewed 5,137 adolescents, ages 11 to 17, along with one parent or stepparent. Most teens in the study didn’t report suicidal thoughts. But when they did, half of their parents were unaware these teens had thoughts of killing themselves and 76 percent of parents didn’t know when teens regularly thought about death, researchers report in Pediatrics. ”

Report: Americans Are Now More Likely To Die Of An Opioid Overdose Than On The Road, by Ian Stewart, NPR, Jan 14 2019.

“For the first time in U.S. history, a leading cause of deaths — vehicle crashes — has been surpassed in likelihood by opioid overdoses, according to a new report on preventable deaths from the National Safety Council. Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to the council's analysis of 2017 data on accidental death. The probability of dying in a motor vehicle crash is 1 in 103. ”

When your child vapes, what's a parent to do?, by Michael Nedelman, CNN, Jan 11 2019.

“Health experts say parents whose kids are vaping often don't know what to do or where to turn for help. While federal authorities grapple with how to regulate e-cigarettes on a broad scale and while leading tobacco company Altria invests billions in e-cigarette maker Juul, parents are scrambling at home to deal with nicotine dependence -- or to prevent their kids from getting hooked on something that's ubiquitous at many schools. Some are even approaching addiction rehab programs in hopes of weaning their kids off these products. ”

Link between social media and depression stronger in teen girls than boys, study says, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Jan 3 2019.

“There appears to be a connection between social media use and depressive symptoms in 14-year-olds, and that connection may be much stronger for girls than boys, according to a study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine on Thursday...Among teens who use social media the most -- more than five hours a day -- the study showed a 50% increase in depressive symptoms among girls versus 35% among boys, when their symptoms were compared with those who use social media for only one to three hours daily. ”

ER visits for physical ailments tied to self-harm risk, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Dec 20 2018.

“Teens and young adults who visit emergency rooms for injuries or physical illnesses may be more likely to harm themselves afterward, a U.S. study suggests. Emergency room (ER) visits for mental health disorders or substance misuse have long been linked to an increased risk for self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among teens and young adults. The current study focused on teens and young adults, ages 15 to 29, who visited an ER for more common reasons: physical illnesses and injuries. It found that these individuals were much more likely to harm themselves after being treated for a wide range of conditions including epilepsy, back pain, headaches and dental problems. ”

Pre-deployment insomnia linked to increased risk of PTSD for soldiers, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Dec 20 2018.

“Soldiers who have insomnia before deployment may be more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or experience suicidal thoughts than service members who don’t struggle to sleep before they deploy, a U.S. study suggests. For the study, researchers surveyed U.S. Army soldiers one to two months before they deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, right after they returned from deployment, and again three months and nine months later. Soldiers who experienced insomnia in the 30 days prior to deployment were more than three times more likely to experience PTSD and more than twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts after their return than peers who didn’t have sleep difficulties at the start of the study. ”