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�鶹Ů�� Health News: US Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence ‘A Public Health Crisis’

Murthy, a physician, told �鶹Ů�� Health News he hoped to convey the broader toll of gun violence on the nation and the need for an urgent public health response. He cited soaring gun deaths among children and teens and noted that “the mental health toll of firearm violence is far more profound and pervasive than many of us recognize.” “Every day that passes we lose more kids to gun violence,” Murthy said, “the more children who are witnessing episodes of gun violence, the more children who are shot and survive that are dealing with a lifetime of physical and mental health impacts.” (Pradhan and Clasen-Kelly, 6/25)

Gun violence in the United States is an urgent public health crisis that demands the “collective commitment of the nation” to stop it, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says in a new advisory released Tuesday. It’s the first time a publication from the Office of the Surgeon General has focused on firearm violence and its “profound consequences” on survivors, communities, and mental health. (Christensen, 6/25)

Youth mental health has begun to improve after major pandemic dips, new data shows. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare students' struggles as well as a fractured system to help them navigate recovery. Some of the recovery, though, trails pre-pandemic mental health metrics. (Rubin, 6/25)

For many teenagers, digital tools such as programs that use artificial intelligence, or AI,   have become a go-to option for emotional support. As they learn to navigate and cope in a world where mental health care demands are high, AI is an easy and inexpensive choice. Venkatesh, who will be a senior at American High School in Fremont in the fall, said she always ends up convincing herself she doesn’t need therapy. “I would rather take a different approach than pay that price. The cost of therapy isn’t changing any time soon.” (Kaur, 6/24)

Middle-age and older adults with long-term loneliness are at higher risk of stroke than those who do not report being lonely, according to a new study published in the journal eClinicalMedicine on Monday. Researchers found the risk of stroke among lonely adults was higher regardless of co-existing depressive symptoms or feelings of social isolation. (Kumar, 6/25)

A new ketamine pill may help hard-to-treat depression with fewer side effects than other forms of the treatment, early research suggests. Technically, no form of ketamine has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat any psychiatric disorder, including depression. A derivative of ketamine, called esketamine, was approved in 2019 to treat depression. (Goodman, 6/24)

The gut microbiome -- the ecosystem of tiny organisms inside us all -- has emerged as fertile new territory for studying a range of psychiatric conditions and neurological diseases. Research has demonstrated the brain and gut are in constant communication and that changes in the microbiome are linked to mood and mental health. Now a study published this month in Nature Mental Health finds distinct biological signatures in the microbiomes of people who are highly resilient in the face of stressful events. (Stone, 6/24)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Therapists Learn How To Help Farmers Cope With Stress Before It’s Too Late

The farmers’ co-op here is a center of hope every spring. It’s where farmers buy seed and fertilizer for the summer’s crops, and where they seek tips to maximize their harvest of corn and soybeans. But on a recent morning, a dozen mental health professionals gathered at the Key Cooperative Agronomy Center to discuss why so many farmers quietly struggle with untreated anxiety and depression. (Leys, 6/25)