Many more Americans are turning to ketamine for kicks, a new study reports. Recreational use of the anesthetic drug among U.S. adults increased 40% between 2021 and 2022, researchers say. That follows a nearly 82% increase in ketamine use from 2015 to 2019, results show. The more recent increase occurred mainly among young adults 26 to 34, as well as in people with a college degree, researchers found. “These findings are consistent with other research indicating increased use among nightclub attendees in New York City along with increasing law enforcement seizures of illicit ketamine in the U.S.,” wrote the research team led by Dr. Kevin Yang, a third-year resident physician in psychiatry at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. Ketamine — also known as “Special K” or Super K” — is typically used an anesthetic for people and animals. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of a nasal spray ketamine derivative called esketamine (Spravato) to treat depression in adults, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Ketamine can cause changes in how people perceive reality, the NIDA says. Users might feel like they are floating outside their bodies or dissolving into their environment. “At higher doses, a person may experience extreme detachment from their body and reality, which is called being in a k-hole,” the…  read on >  read on >

Tourette syndrome is not being diagnosed promptly in women with the condition. Women with Tourette syndrome are less likely to receive a diagnosis for the disorder, researchers reported in a study published Jan. 15 in the journal Neurology. They also take longer to be diagnosed with the disorder, and typically are older than boys at time of diagnosis, researchers found. “These results suggest that health care professionals and parents should be screening female individuals with tics and seeking care for them to give them a better chance of managing tics over time,” lead researcher Dr. Marisela Dy-Hollins, a pediatric neurologist with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in a news release. Tourette causes people to suffer from tics — sudden and difficult-to-control repetitive movements and sounds. For example, people with Tourette might suffer the irresistible urge to blink their eyes, hum, shrug their shoulders, clear their throat, or blurt out unusual sounds or offensive words. Tourette syndrome is currently diagnosed about three times more frequently in boys than girls, researchers said in background notes. For the study, researchers analyzed data from a set of people recruited for genetics research into tic disorders. They identified more than 2,100 people with Tourette syndrome, and nearly 300 others with a separate condition called persistent motor or vocal tic disorder. About 61% of females in the group had been…  read on >  read on >

Stressed-out teenagers appear to be dragging down the U.S. economy, a new study says. Teenagers suffering from anxiety or depression are less likely to enter the workforce as young adults, and more likely to earn lower pay when they do, researchers reported in a study published today in the journal PLOS Medicine. The economic impact is so great that $52 billion in U.S. budget savings could occur over 10 years if efforts are made to help even 10% of teens at risk for stress, researchers estimate. “Our new research finds that, at the scale of the United States economy, improvements in adolescent mental health may bring many billions of dollars of federal budget benefits over ten years, potentially offsetting the costs of policy change that could cover critical services for young people,” lead researcher Nathaniel Counts, chief policy officer for The Kennedy Forum in Brigantine, NJ, said in a news release. For the new study, researchers analyzed data on more than 3,300 participants in an ongoing Bureau of Labor Statistics study that is following children as they progress into adulthood. The research team analyzed data gathered in 2000, when participants were 15 to 17, to check their mental health as teenagers. They looked specifically at questions that assessed anxiety and depression among the teens. Researchers then looked at data gathered a decade later, in 2010,…  read on >  read on >

Retirement is meant to be a person’s chance to take it easy and enjoy life. But for many, it’s a quick route to depression and boozing, researchers reported in a study published Jan. 10 in the journal Aging and Mental Health. Retirees are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression than folks who are still working. What’s more, heavy drinking might be making their symptoms worse, researchers found. “Providing alternative coping mechanisms to heavy alcohol consumption for retirees is crucial,” researcher Christina Sellers, an associate professor of social work at Simmons University in Boston, said in a news release. “Addressing the combination of depressive symptoms and alcohol use among older adults is crucial too, especially considering their increased vulnerability to the negative effects of alcohol and underlying health conditions,” Sellers added. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 27,500 U.S. residents 50 and older taking part in a long-time survey of health and retirement, in which they’re questioned about their lives every two years over an average of 14 years. Participants self-reported their drinking habits, and answered questions related to their symptoms of depression. Results show that retirees suffer more depressive symptoms than people who are still on the job, researchers said. Retirees who reported binge drinking also tended to have more symptoms of depression than non-drinkers, researchers found. Binge drinking is…  read on >  read on >

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are plagued by unwanted and distressing memories over which they have little to no control. Doctors now think they understand why PTSD patients and others aren’t able to keep troubling memories at bay. Sleep deprivation appears to interfere with people’s ability to restrict the retrieval of memories they’d rather suppress, according to a new study published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MRI scans show that well-rested people have more control over regions of the brain that manage memories, results show. “This is really important to our understanding of mental health issues as it is well documented that those who suffer with anxiety, depression or PTSD, also have difficulty with sleep,” senior researcher Scott Cairney, an associate professor of psychology with the University of York in England, said in a news release. For the study, researchers used MRI scans to observe the brain activity of 85 healthy adults. Half the participants got a good night’s sleep in a sleep lab, while the other half stayed awake all night. The research team then tested the participants’ ability to suppress memories. “We have previously shown that the brain’s ability to suppress such intrusive memories is contingent on obtaining restful sleep,” Cairney said. “Suppression is a very clever function of the brain as it weakens all of…  read on >  read on >

Simple neglect can be as damaging to a child’s social development as physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Children whose basic needs aren’t met can have lifelong damage done to their ability to form friendships and romantic relationships, researchers reported in a study published recently in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect. Neglect leads children to withdraw from others, avoid popularity, and become less likely to join groups, results show. “Maltreated children often feel shame and may have lower self-esteem and sense of belonging as a consequence of maltreatment, which precipitates withdrawal from their peers,” lead researcher Christina Kamis, an assistant professor of sociology with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said in a news release from the school. “Experiencing abuse or neglect may also cause children to anticipate rejection or victimization by their peers, making them less likely to reach out to others,” Kamis added. For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 9,200 participants in a long-term federal study tracking the health of teenagers into adulthood. Students were initially surveyed in grades 7-12, then followed as they became adults. Nearly 41% of the participants reported some form of maltreatment before age 12 or reaching the sixth grade, the study says. That included more than 10% who reported physical neglect, which can include a lack of housing, food, clothing, education, access to medical care, or emotional…  read on >  read on >