Reduced income, unemployment and mental health issues are more common among people who live with a loved one diagnosed with depression, new research shows. “These findings indicate that the impact of depressive symptoms may extend beyond the affected individuals, imposing a burden on other adults in their households,” study lead author Paul Greenberg, of the Analysis Group, an economics consulting firm in Boston, said in a news release from the American Psychiatric Association. Reporting Dec. 27 in the Journal of Affective Disorders, Greenberg and his colleagues tracked the financial health and quality of life of nearly 17,000 U.S. adults. All completed a standard questionnaire with items on income, employment, health and other issues. About 1,700 of the participants lived with someone battling depression. The study showed that folks living with a depressed person had, on average, $4,720 less in total annual income, than people who didn’t. That’s an 11.3% average drop in income, Greenberg’s team calculated. Folks living with a person who was depressed also missed more workdays and were more likely to be unemployed. Their quality of life appeared to suffer, as well: Living with a depressed person was linked to lower scores on tests aimed at assessing mental and physical health, the study found. All of this, “further supports the value of adequate treatment to address depressive symptoms for adults and reduce the…  read on >  read on >

A popular asthma inhaler is being discontinued Jan. 1, fueling concerns that patients may have trouble getting insurance coverage for alternatives. GSK, maker of the branded inhaler Flovent, will make “an authorized generic” version of the drug, but without the same branding. While doctors say it will work just as well, it doesn’t appear to be as widely covered by insurance, according to CNN. As a result, patients may be forced to get new new prescriptions and iron out insurance coverage at the peak of respiratory virus season. “This medication has been the most commonly used inhaled medication for the past 25 or 30 years,” Dr. Robyn Cohen, director of the Pediatric Pulmonary and Allergy Clinic at Boston Medical Center, told CNN. “It’s the one that, overwhelmingly, pediatricians reach for when they decide that their patient needs a daily preventive medication. … The fact that it’s being discontinued is going to be a huge shock to the system for patients, for families and for doctors.” Doctors urge patients to make sure they’ve got medicine lined up as the calendar turns to 2024. A GSK spokeswoman told CNN the company is making the change “as part of our commitment to be ambitious for patients.”  She noted the company introduced the authorized generics of Flovent HFA, an inhalation aerosol, and Flovent Diskus, an inhalation powder, in 2022…  read on >  read on >

A class of sedatives called benzodiazepines, which include meds like Ativan, Valium and Xanax, could be linked to higher odds for miscarriage if taken during pregnancy, new research finds. The findings held even after accounting for possible confounding factors such as anxiety and insomnia, the Taiwanese research team said. Looking at data on about 3 million pregnancies, “we found that benzodiazepine use during pregnancy was associated with an approximately 70% increased risk of miscarriage,” wrote a team led by Fei-Yuan Hsiao at Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy. Based on the findings, they urge that doctors “meticulously balance” the risks and benefits of benzodiazepines whenever they consider prescribing the drugs to pregnant women who are dealing with insomnia or other psychiatric issues. In the new study, miscarriage was defined as loss of pregnancy between the first prenatal visit with a doctor (typically around the 8th week of gestation) and before the 20th week. Hsiao’s group looked at data from over 3 million pregnancies among Taiwanese women, out of which 4.4% resulted in a miscarriage. Focusing on the women’s prescription drug use during pregnancy, the study found that using a benzodiazepine boosted the odds for miscarriage by 69%. That number was “consistent” regardless of confounding factors and the duration of benzodiazepine use. The study was published Dec. 27 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Hsiao’s group…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27, 2023 (HealthDay news) — A rising tide of cannabis-related mental health problems is resulting from the widespread legalization of recreational weed in the United States, warns a new evidence review. Nearly one in five Americans aged 12 and older used marijuana in 2021, and more than 16 million meet the criteria for a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder, the researchers wrote. Further, nearly half of those with cannabis use disorder have another psychiatric condition like anxiety, major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, said review author Dr. David Gorelick, a professor of psychiatry the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. “There is a lot of misinformation in the public sphere about cannabis and its effects on psychological health, with many assuming that this drug is safe to use with no side effects,” Gorelick said in a university news release. “It is important for physicians and the public to understand that cannabis can have addictive effects and to recognize signs and symptoms in order to get properly diagnosed and treated,” he added. Weed use accounts for 10% of all drug-related ER visits in the United States, according to the review published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. There are seven recognized disorders related to cannabis use, the report noted. Some include cannabis-induced anxiety disorder, cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, cannabis-induced sleep disorder…  read on >  read on >

New Year’s resolutions often center on weight loss and personal lifestyle changes, but setting good parenting goals is also well worth the effort, pediatricians say. “This is a great time to take a step back, take a breath and look at how we as a family taking care of ourselves and each other,” pediatrician Dr. Steph Lee said. “What are we already doing right? Let’s celebrate that first. Then, let’s think about ways we can improve together and create a list of individual and shared family goals for the new year.” “Maybe this is the year you decide to join a parent’s group for support or maybe it’s time you said no to some things, if you’ve felt overextended in the past year,” Lee said in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release. “Your pediatrician can help you with your child’s health, but we care about parents, too… because when parents are feeling their best, they create a healthy environment for children to thrive.” Lee suggested the following eight goals that could help families thrive in 2024: Get recommended shots. Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself, your children and other loved ones from the flu, RSV and COVID. Call your pediatrician to make sure your children have all recommended immunizations, and remind your children that good hand hygiene habits help prevent the spread…  read on >  read on >

 Three-quarters of Americans plan to start the New Year with a resolution to be more healthy, including 28% who want to focus on improving their mental health, a new survey has found. These folks plan to exercise more (67%), meditate (49%), keep a diary (26%), or see a therapist (35%) or psychiatrist (21%), according to the results of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Healthy Minds monthly poll. “Many see the new year as a time for a new chance, or to try something different, which is great,” said APA President Dr. Petros Levounis. “At the same time, in mental health — just like physical health — maintenance and care matter,” Levounis added in an APA news release. “Preserve your healthy routines, maintain your relationships with loved ones and take good care of yourself, as well as the people around you.” Age played a part in how likely someone was to focus on improving their mental health. More than two in five (44%) young adults ages 18-34 plan to take on a New Year’s resolution related to mental health, compared to just 7% of seniors, the poll found. Other popular resolutions that could contribute to better mental health include focusing more on spirituality (40%), cutting back on social media (31%) or using a mental health app (21%), poll results show. About 6% chose “forest bathing” —…  read on >  read on >

Online gaming and vaping to the point of addiction have become widespread enough that most high school counselors regularly confront these behaviors in today’s teens, a new survey shows. Four out of five counselors say they’ve worked with at least one student during the past year who had struggled with problematic use of video games or e-cigarettes. However, few said they had the training necessary to adequately help their young charges, researchers found. “School counselors are aware this is an issue, but it doesn’t seem like we’re providing the training as a profession so that they can address it,” said principal investigator Amanda Giordano, an associate professor in the University of Georgia’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. “They’re seeking their own continuing education and self-study to learn how to meet these needs.” About 41% of teens say they’ve vaped nicotine at some point in their lives, while 26% say they have vaped marijuana, researchers said in background notes. “These are really distressing numbers because as a society, we’ve worked hard to curb adolescent smoking of combustible tobacco products,” said Giordano. “Now with vaping, we see those numbers going back up.” Gaming addiction is also a growing problem, marked by compulsive behavior, a loss of control and cravings, researchers said. It was officially recognized as a disorder by the World Health Organization in 2019. For the…  read on >  read on >