Primary care doctors are no longer just in the physical health business: Americans are increasingly turning to them for mental health care, too, a new study finds. Looking at Americans’ primary care visits between 2006 and 2018, researchers found a 50% increase in the proportion of visits that addressed mental health concerns. That figure rose from just under 11% of visits, to 16% by the end of the study period. The reasons are unclear, experts said, but it’s not just a matter of mental health conditions becoming more common: During the same period, other studies show, the national rate of mental health disorders rose by about 18%. Instead, it seems primary care doctors are shouldering more responsibility for diagnosing and in some cases treating, mental health conditions. “I think this study really underscores the importance of primary care in our country,” said lead researcher Dr. Lisa Rotenstein, medical director of population health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. That also means primary care doctors need the resources to make sure patients diagnosed with mental health conditions get the best treatment, she said. The findings — published in the February issue of the journal Health Affairs — are based on an ongoing government survey that collects information on Americans’ office-based medical care. Rotenstein’s team analyzed records from nearly 110,000 primary care visits, representing roughly 3.9…  read on >  read on >

Electric cars are still in the minority on America’s roads, yet researchers are already seeing health benefits from reduced tailpipe pollution. In a new California study, neighborhoods with the most all-electric cars — called zero-emission vehicles — saw a decline in asthma-related emergency room visits. Researchers believe this was a result of lower levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. “Results from this study provide some of the first real-world evidence suggesting that switching to zero-emissions vehicles could be a win-win, both reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and potentially improving local air quality and health,” said study co-author Sandrah Eckel, an associate professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. The adoption of electric cars, however, was seen in areas with higher incomes and educational levels, she said. This might be due to their higher cost and the lack of charging facilities in rental properties. “We are concerned about environmental justice because the communities that stand to benefit the most from reductions in air pollution and asthma ER visits are the communities at risk of being left behind in the transition to electric,” Eckel said. “We need to overcome some of these barriers and make sure that the policies that are made can target the populations that stand to benefit the most…  read on >  read on >

If you are one of the millions of people distressed by low libido, help may be on the way in the form of a new hormone shot. Two new British studies suggest that injections of the hormone kisspeptin could boost sexual desire in men and women. When folks with low sexual desire received kisspeptin shots, areas of their brains charged with feeling sexual desire lit up on scans when they watched erotic videos. “It’s very nice to see something that works in women and men,” said co-senior study author Dr. Alexander Comninos, a consultant in endocrinology and diabetes and an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London. Kisspeptin may stimulate the release of other reproductive hormones, leading to enhanced desire. “Kisspeptin relieves the brake on true sexual arousal,” Comninos said. More studies in larger groups of people are needed to confirm the findings, and kisspeptin is still considered an investigational treatment. “We are in the early stages, but in five to 10 years, we may be able to use kisspeptin to treat distressing low sexual desire in men and women,” Comninos said. However, not everyone with low libido finds it distressing or concerning. In one study of 32 women aged 19 to 48 with low sexual desire, kisspeptin injections boosted brain activity in key brain parts responsible for arousal while…  read on >  read on >

People who live near traffic noise, especially when it continues at night, are more likely to develop the repetitive whistling or buzzing sounds in their ears known as tinnitus. Danish researchers found a link between the risk of developing the condition and traffic noise, with a vicious cycle of stress reactions and sleep disturbance as a potential cause. Living near a busy road may increase your stress and affect your sleep, they explained, and those who are sleeping poorly and have higher stress may be at greater risk for tinnitus. For the study, the researchers used data from 3.5 million Danes, finding more than 40,000 cases of tinnitus. For every 10 decibels more noise in people’s homes, the risk of developing tinnitus increased by 6%, said researcher Manuella Lech Cantuaria, an assistant professor at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney-Møller Institute and affiliated with the department of clinical research at the University of Southern Denmark. The need exists for more focus on the importance of traffic noise and human health, said researcher Jesper Hvass Schmidt, an associate professor in the department of clinical research and chief physician at Odense University Hospital. Schmidt thinks there are likely even more unreported cases of tinnitus not referred to a hearing clinic by doctors. Tinnitus is ringing, buzzing, whistling or humming sounds that don’t come from an external source. It can be…  read on >  read on >

Could asking teens a simple, but pointed, question about their mental health reveal whether they are at risk for suicide? It might, new research suggests. Since suicide is now the second leading cause of death among American teens, any strategy that could lower that risk may be worth trying. “The depression screening tool we used is not a suicide risk assessment tool, but it does include one question that asks [students] about thoughts of self-harm,” explained study lead author Dr. Deepa Sekhar, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine. The question is: “How often have you been bothered by… thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way?” Compared with those teens who were not asked that question, those who were “were seven times more likely to be identified at-risk for suicide, and four times as likely to initiate treatment,” Sekhar noted. To assess the potential benefit of asking teens about suicidal thoughts, the researchers worked with students at 14 Pennsylvania high schools. About 46% of the nearly 13,000 students in the study were girls, and 43% were Black or Hispanic. The researchers used a standardized health questionnaire. Its main goal was to screen for symptoms of major depression disorder. It comprised nine questions, the last of which touches on suicide and…  read on >  read on >

When Elizabeth R.’s husband passed away from bone cancer in 2016, she felt grateful that her employer offered generous bereavement leave. Now 40, she worked in the development department of a large nonprofit cancer group at the time and felt ready to go back when her leave was up. However, about two weeks into her return, she realized it was too much, too soon. “Every time I would hear a cancer survivor or caregiver story, I had a reaction,” she recalled. Elizabeth, who asked that her last name not be used, decided to resign and has since remarried and started a second career as a massage therapist in Grand Rapids, Mich. But not every widow or widower who works has these options, and those who don’t may face increased physical and mental health challenges, a new study suggests. People who returned to work within three months of losing a spouse had higher perceived stress levels and greater systemic inflammation than retirees who had lost their partner. The less these folks earned at their job, the worse the mental health effects, the study showed. “It is important to recognize that widows and widowers have twice as much to deal with as other people who work and are not grieving a spouse,” said study author Jensine Paoletti. She is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Biobehavioral Mechanisms…  read on >  read on >