Rates of youth suicides at the county level increased as mental health professional shortages increased, based on data from more than 5,000 youth suicides across all counties in the United States. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States, and shortages of pediatric mental health providers are well known, … Read more
Visits to emergency departments (EDs) following sexual assault increased 15-fold from 2006 through 2019, as determined from a national database of visits to hospitals in the United States. Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) show an increase in reported rapes and sexual assaults (SAs) since 2006, and studies of victims show an increased … Read more
Listening to birdsong appears to have a positive and significant impact on mental health and mood, new research suggests. Investigators found that people who listened to recordings of birds singing experienced a significant reduction in anxiety and paranoia. In contrast, the researchers also found that recordings of traffic noises, including car engines, sirens, and construction, … Read more
Race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status are closely associated with visual impairments in adolescents in the United States, researchers have found. The study showed that adolescents who identified as Black, Mexican-American, of low-income, or as non-US citizens were two to three times more likely than White adolescents to report vision problems and to perform worse on … Read more
Long-awaited global transgender care guidelines have dropped, with no recommendations regarding age limits for treatment and surgery in teenagers but acknowledging the complexity of dealing with such adolescents amid lack of longitudinal research on the impact of transitioning gender. The World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) published its latest standards of care (SOC) 8 … Read more
Getting close to nature has a positive impact on brain regions involved in stress processing. In a study of healthy adults, researchers observed a decrease in activity in the amygdala after a 1-hour walk in the forest, but not after a stroll on a busy city street. “The results support the previously assumed positive relationship … Read more
At the risk of losing a digit or two I am going to dip my toes into the murky waters of gender-affirming care, sometimes referred to as trans care. Recently, Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, released two statements, one in the Aug. 22, 2022, Wall Street Journal, the other … Read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will establish a new court program to steer — even force — homeless people with severe mental disorders into treatment after lawmakers on Wednesday gave final approval to a proposal pitched in March by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Senate unanimously agreed to changes approved in the Assembly late Tuesday, … Read more
Prompted by the “unprecedented” increase in the occurrence of infective endocarditis cases among people who inject drug, the American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a scientific statement devoted to this challenging patient population. The statement provides a more in-depth focus on the management of infective endocarditis (IE) among this unique population than what has been … Read more
“Doomscrolling” or “doomsurfing” the news is fairly common and raises the risk for poor mental health as well as poor physical health, new research suggests. The past 2 years have been filled with worrisome global events, from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine, large-scale protests, mass shootings, and devastating wildfires. The 24-hour media coverage … Read more