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Doctors might be overprescribing sedatives to stroke survivors, a new study warns. About 5% of people are prescribed a benzodiazepine following a stroke, to help calm anxiety and improve sleep, researchers found. Benzodiazepine meds include Valium, Ativan and Xanax. But these prescriptions often are for pills that last longer than a week, which could hamper a person’s recovery and increase their risk of addiction. “We found a pattern of potential oversupply with these initial benzodiazepine prescriptions, which would be enough for patients to become long-term users or possibly addicted,” said researcher Julianne Brooks, a data analytics manager at Massachusetts General Brigham in Boston. “The benzodiazepine prescriptions given under these circumstances may lead to dependence.” For the study, researchers analyzed a decade’s worth of Medicare claims data on first-time prescriptions for benzodiazepines among more than 120,000 stroke victims aged 65 and older. “For this older age group, guidelines recommend that benzodiazepine prescriptions should be avoided if possible,” Brooks said. These sedatives increase the risk of falls, broken bones, memory problems, confusion and other harmful effects, the researchers said. “However, there may be cases where benzodiazepines are prescribed to be used as needed,” Brooks noted. “For example, to treat breakthrough anxiety, a provider may prescribe a few pills and counsel the patient that the medication should only be used as needed.” Researchers found that about 5% of… read on > read on >

A young Israeli researcher who lost a sibling in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians said the tragedy has spurred her to study the unique aspects of grief at the sudden loss of a brother or sister. The research by Master of Arts student Masada Buchris, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, hasn’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and will become part of her thesis. But it’s already showing that grief over lost siblings differs from grief felt by the loss of a parent, partner or child. “This research is deeply personal for me,” Buchris said in a university news release. “Losing my sibling on October 7th was a life-altering event, and it became clear that many bereaved siblings face ‘unrecognized grief.’ This study is the first step towards understanding the profound consequences of such a loss and ensuring that siblings receive the support they need.” Buchris’ work focused on 444 people who lost a sibling in the Oct. 7 attacks, which killed over 1,200 people, according to the U.S. Department of State. The bereaved siblings averaged about 32 years of age, and just over two-thirds interviewed were women. Buchris said she used various standard psychological measurements to gauge each person’s “emotional distress, negative thoughts and coping mechanisms.” Her study so far has discovered that grief at the loss of a… read on > read on >

Obesity is a more powerful driver of breast cancer than previously thought, a new study suggests. About 40% of hormone-positive breast cancers in postmenopausal women might be linked to excess body fat, researchers reported Oct. 15 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. That’s significantly more than previous estimates that linked excess weight to 1 in 10 breast cancer cases, based on measures of women’s body-mass index (BMI), researchers said. The real-world impact of obesity on breast cancer risk likely has been underestimated because BMI isn’t a very accurate measure of body fat, the researchers argued. “The findings of this study highlight the importance of considering more accurate measures of body fat than BMI to estimate the cancer burden attributable to obesity in postmenopausal breast cancer,” concluded the research team led by Veronica Davila-Batista, an associate professor of epidemiology with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain. For this study, researchers compared BMI with a different measure of body fat called the CUN-BAE, an equation which accounts for gender and age in BMI measurements. The two measures were used to weigh 1,022 older Spanish women with breast cancer and another 1,143 matched women who didn’t have cancer. About 23% of breast cancer cases were linked to excess body weight as measured by BMI, researchers found. However, about 38% of breast cancers… read on > read on >

As with any new drug, parents and doctors may worry that the use of GLP-1 weight-loss meds by children and teens might raise psychiatric risks, including the risk for suicide and suicidal thoughts. But a new study involving more than 54,000 U.S. adolescents found no such link. In fact, obese kids who used the drugs had a 33% decline in their risk for thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts compared to adolescents who didn’t, Israeli researchers reported. There could be many reasons driving the boost in mental outlook that comes with the use of drugs like Wegovy (semaglutide), said a team led by Dr. Liya Kerem, of Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. One is pretty straightforward: “Obesity during adolescence, by itself, is associated with diminished quality of life and increased risk for psychiatric disorders,” the researchers noted. So, as GLP-1 medications help teens shed pounds, their risk for thoughts of suicide may recede. The findings were published Oct. 14 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Sales of GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Wegovy and Zepbound (tirzepatide) have boomed among adults, and with 1 in every 5 U.S. children now obese, the drugs’ uptake by adolescents is also surging. However, Kerem’s team said the data on whether or not GLP-1 meds might trigger depression and other psychiatric issues has been mixed. “Suicide is the second most prevalent… read on > read on >

Alison Burke wanted to be there for her daughter following the girl’s diagnosis with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Then she noticed that a lot of what she was learning about ADHD sounded awfully familiar. “As I took her through that process and learned more about it, it was definitely like a light bulb moment,” Burke recalled. “I thought, I think a lot of this sounds familiar.” Burke is one of a growing number of adults who suspect they might have undiagnosed ADHD. About 25% of adults think they have ADHD that hasn’t been detected by a doctor, according to a new national survey by Ohio State University. However, only 13% have shared their suspicions with a doctor, the survey found. Doctors are concerned that these folks are diagnosing themselves and seeking out ineffective or quack treatments for ADHD. “Anxiety, depression and ADHD — all these things can look a lot alike, but the wrong treatment can make things worse instead of helping that person feel better and improving their functioning,” said psychologist Justin Barterian, a clinical assistant professor in Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Burke believes that undiagnosed ADHD severely affected her self-worth. “I really struggled with feeling like I could be good at anything because it just felt like it took so much energy to get it accomplished,” Burke said in an… read on > read on >

A child’s risk of asthma can be cut by nearly half if their mother regularly works out while expecting, a new study says. Exercising three or more times a week while pregnant reduces a child’s risk of asthma by about 46%, researchers reported Oct. 9 in the journal Med. This level of protection is akin to an expecting mother or father quitting smoking while she’s pregnant, thus reducing her exposure to cigarette smoke, researchers noted. The results jibe with earlier studies that showed newborns have stronger lung function if their mothers regularly exercised during pregnancy, researchers noted. “This is the first time we are observing an association between maternal exercise and the development of asthma in the child,” said lead investigator Emma-Reetta Musakka, a doctoral student with the University of Eastern Finland. For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 1,000 mother-child pairs in Finland. The mothers were asked whether they’d exercised during pregnancy, and how often they worked out. The most common exercises were walking (34%), jogging (32%), strength training (29%) and group exercise classes or working out at home (22%). Mothers whose kids developed asthma tended to work out fewer than three times a week, results showed. The lower asthma risk associated with regular exercise held even after researchers accounted for other factors like a mom’s weight, stress or illness; family exercise habits… read on > read on >

Friendships forged during a person’s turbulent teenage years lay the essential foundation for their happiness later in life, a new study suggests. Being broadly accepted by peers in early adolescence and forming close connections as an older teen both predict how well-adjusted a person will be in adulthood, researchers found. “Friendships during the teenage years provide youth with one of their first forays into intimate consensual relationships,” said researcher David Szwedo, an associate professor of clinical and school psychology at James Madison University. “Because friends may come and go, friendships are a context in which teens must develop skills to maintain and grow the friendship or risk its loss,” he added in a news release. “These skills are likely to be subsequently helpful for forming future friendships and longer-term romantic relationships.” For the study, researchers interviewed 184 U.S. students at 13 and 14 and 17 and 18 years of age to measure the quality of their friendships and social acceptance. The team then caught up with the group at 28 to 30 years of age, asking about their health, careers and personal lives. Adults who thought their peers liked them as teens reported lower levels of anxiety and aggression, better physical health, more social connection, and higher satisfaction in their professional and romantic lives. The study also found that different types of friendship benefitted people… read on > read on >

More than 15.5 million U.S. adults have been diagnosed with ADHD, and nearly three-quarters of those taking medication to treat it say drug shortages are hampering their ability to get help, a new report finds. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a national survey conducted last fall found that 6% of adults have a current diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and just over half (about 56%) received that diagnosis in adulthood. Many aren’t receiving treatment to control the inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity that characterize the condition. “Approximately one half of adults (50.4%) with ADHD were prescribed medications to treat their ADHD during the previous 12 months,” noted a team led by Brooke Staley of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The vast majority of drug treatments involved stimulant medications such as Ritalin, Vyvanse, Concerta or Adderall. However, recent shortages of these meds are affecting most adult ADHD patients, the study also found. “Among adults who reported taking a stimulant medication, 71.5% reported difficulty getting their ADHD prescription filled during the previous 12 months because their medication was not available,” the CDC team said. That can lead to real problems for patients, because proper medication is tied to “reduced social and emotional impairment, unintentional injuries, substance use disorders, and the risk of death to unnatural… read on > read on >

A new study finds persistent loneliness taking a toll on aging brains and significantly raising a person’s odds for dementia. Research funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health tracked self-reports of loneliness and the neurological health of more than 600,000 people worldwide. The study found loneliness was linked to a 31% rise in the likelihood that a person would go on to develop any form of dementia. Loneliness also raised the chances of cognitive impairment in people by 15%. According to study co-author Dr Páraic Ó Súilleabháin, of the University of Limerick, in Ireland, “These are very important findings and indicate that loneliness is a critically important risk factor in the future development of dementia.” The study was published Oct. 9 in the journal Nature Mental Health. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy published a report on loneliness and isolation among Americans, labeling it an “epidemic.” The effects of loneliness on physical and mental health are already well known. “Our laboratory has found that loneliness is critical to future health in a variety of different ways, including our longevity — i.e. how long we live,” noted Ó Súilleabháin, who directs the Personality, Individual Differences and Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at the Irish university. “Loneliness is critically important for cognitive health, in that loneliness leads to the future development of dementia, vascular dementia,… read on > read on >

A study tracking almost 10,000 9- and 10-year olds for two years finds a link between time spent watching TV and other screens with a higher odds for ADHD and depression. “Screen use may replace time spent engaging in physical activity, sleep, socializing in-person and other behaviors that reduce depression and anxiety,” reasoned study lead author Dr. Jason Nagata, of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). HIs team published its findings Oct. 7 in the journal BMC Public Health. As Nagata’s group noted, mental health issues have been on the rise among adolescents. “Adolescents are 50% more likely to experience a major depressive episode and 30% more likely to commit suicide today than they were 20 years ago,” according to a UCSF news release. At the same time, the average U.S. tween spends 5.5 hours per day looking at a screen, the researchers said, and that rises to 8.5 hours for teenagers. Could there be a link? To find out, Nagata’s team tracked data for 2016 through 2018 for 9,538 adolescents ages 9 and 10 enrolled in a major child brain development study. The children’s daily screen time and their rate of diagnoses for conduct disorders, depression, ADHD and other mental health issues were monitored. The study couldn’t prove cause-and-effect, but the team did find small but significant associations. “Higher total screen time was associated with… read on > read on >