Homepage Round-Up: Dogs May Prevent Schizophrenia; More Teens Overdosing on Anxiety Meds; and More

By Rob Dillard - Last Updated: April 10, 2023

 In this week’s edition of the Homepage round-up: growing up with a dog may reduce the risk of developing schizophrenia; eating a heavy intake of ultra-processed foods increases the risk of type 2 diabetes; the number of teens overdosing from anxiety medications are growing; and patients admitted to the hospital for suicidal thoughts have a high risk of committing suicide in the year following discharge.

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Growing Up with a Dog Lowers Schizophrenia Risk: Study

People exposed to a pet dog at birth and during the first three years of their lives have a lower risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a study which appeared in PLoS One. In this study, researchers sought to investigate the relationship between exposure to a household pet cat or dog during the first 12 years of life and having a subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. According to the results of the study, exposure to a household pet dog was correlated with a notably decreased risk of having a schizophrenia diagnosis. “In our study population, exposure to a household pet dog at birth and during the first three years of life is associated with a significantly decreased hazard and relative risk of a subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia,” the study authors wrote in conclusion.

Ultra-processed Food Raises Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

A heavy intake of ultra-processed food (UPF) is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the findings of a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. A heavy intake of ultra-processed food (UPF) is associated with a higher risk of T2D, according to the findings of a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers wrote in a summation of their findings that: “In this large observational prospective study, a higher proportion of UPF in the diet was associated with a higher risk of T2D. Even though these results need to be confirmed in other populations and settings, they provide evidence to support efforts by public health authorities to recommend limiting UPF consumption.”

Teens Overdosing on Anxiety Medications

The number of teens overdosing from the commonly prescribed anxiety medications, benzodiazepines, has dramatically increased over the past decade, according to a recent study published in the journal Clinical Toxicology. In this retrospective database analysis, the researchers identified close to 300,000 pediatric benzodiazepine exposures in children ages 0 to 18 years old which were reported to participating United States poison centers from January 2000 through December 2015. “While benzodiazepine overdose by itself is typically not life-threatening, the findings of this study show an increase in teens taking one or more additional substances, which increases the severity of the effects, including death or life-threatening symptoms that can affect future health,” said one of the study authors.

Individuals Admitted for Nonfatal Self-Harm At Risk for Suicide 

The findings of a new study suggest that patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) for nonfatal deliberate harm or suicidal ideation have a high risk of suicide in the year following ED discharge. The study appeared in JAMA Network Open. In this retrospective cohort study, researchers evaluated 648,646 individuals who presented to a California-licensed ED at least 1 time from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2011, with deliberate self-harm, suicidal ideation but not self-harm, or neither. “These findings suggest that ED patients with deliberate self-harm or suicidal ideation are associated with substantially increased risk of suicide and other mortality during the year after ED presentation,” the research authors wrote in concluding their findings.

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