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Four times as many children have been diagnosed with autism in the past two decades amid improved awareness and screening and evolving definitions. A new study suggests diagnoses have increased at a faster clip among younger adults over the past decade. Autism spectrum disorder spiked 175% among people in the U.S. from 2.3 per 1,000 in 2011 to 6.3 per 1,000 in 2022, researchers found. Diagnosis rates climbed at a faster rate among adults in their mid-20s to mid-30s in that period, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. (Alltucker, 10/30)

Teens getting four or more hours of screen time each day are more likely to experience anxiety and depression, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics. In a brief shared by the agency Wednesday, data showed about half of teenagers aged 12 to 17 had 4 hour or more of daily screen time between July 2021 and December 2023. 22.8% had 3 hours of daily screen time, 17.8% had 2 hours, 6.1% had 1 hour, and only 3% had less than 1 hour. (Moniuszko, 10/30)

While most people in the United States get ready to mark the end of daylight saving time for 2024 by turning their clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, a group based in the western suburbs is working to put an end to daylight saving time altogether. The Coalition for Permanent Standard Time in Darien is advocating for the abolition of daylight saving time in favor of year-round standard time. The coalition of eight organizations insists that getting rid of daylight saving time would improve public health, safety, and overall well-being. (Fieldman, 10/29)

As winter approaches and daylight hours grow shorter, people prone to seasonal depression can feel it in their bodies and brains. “It’s a feeling of panic, fear, anxiety and dread all in one,” said Germaine Pataki, 63, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She’s among the millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Her coping strategies include yoga, walking and an antidepressant medication. She’s also part of a Facebook group for people with SAD. (Johnson, 10/30)

The rate of firearms deaths in several U.S. states is similar to places around the world that are battling civil unrest or bloody gang wars, a new report shows. The report, published Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group, found that the overall rate of firearms deaths in Mississippi was nearly twice that of Haiti, an impoverished Caribbean nation where violent gangs control large swaths of the country and whose president was assassinated by gunmen in 2021. (Pannett, 10/31)

Drug overdoses are already a leading cause of death for pregnant women in the U.S. Research shows as many as 1 in 20 women use addictive substances at some point during their pregnancies. A study by the National Institutes of Health found "substance use during pregnancy is prevalent." Opioid use by pregnant women had already quadrupled before fentanyl hit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, public health experts warn that xylazine poses a fast-growing threat to women, their fetuses and newborns. (Mann, 10/31)

Vapes with screens first began to hit the market late last year, and only recently have become widely accessible. Online retailers sell vapes with screens that display what appear to be planets, rockets, and cars driving in outer space. The screens are small—just a few inches wide at most—and they are cheap: These products run as little as $25, and can last for several months. ... I could see how adults like me might be enticed by the nostalgia of it all. The problem is that these vapes might also appeal to kids. (Florko, 10/30)