New Canadian study confirms the excess mortality associated with eating disorders

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In her debut blog, Anna Paspala summarises a new study published today in The British Journal of Psychiatry, which suggests that in Ontario, Canada, mortality rates in people with eating disorders were 5-7 times higher than the general population.

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Opioid Agonist Treatment associated with 50% lower risk of mortality, but political epiphany still needed to reduce drug-related deaths

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Ian Hamilton appraises a systematic review and meta-analysis on the association of opioid agonist treatment with all-cause mortality and specific causes of death among people with opioid dependence.

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Death from COVID-19: should we be prioritising people with schizophrenia for vaccination?

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In her debut blog, Aneta Zarska reviews a cohort study which looks at the links between death from COVID-19 and a range of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.

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Oral hygiene for critically ill patients

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This Cochrane review updated assessing the impact of oral health measures on the incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation in intensive care includes 40 RCTs and suggests that Chlorhexidine mouthwash or gel, as part of oral health measures, probably reduces the incidence of developing VAP.

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Suicide risk in young people who self-harm and visit emergency departments

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Katerina Kavalidou reviews a prospective observational cohort study on mortality and suicide risk in young people after they present to hospital emergency departments following episodes of self-harm.

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Antipsychotics for schizophrenia: do they provide a longer, healthier life?

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Paul Heron from the Closing the Gap Network writes his debut blog about a 20‐year cohort study of physical morbidity and mortality in relationship to antipsychotic treatment in a huge group of people with schizophrenia in Finland.

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Life after leaving hospital: when does a duty of care end?

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Sally McManus writes her debut elf blog on a recent national cohort study of multiple adverse outcomes following first discharge from psychiatric care, which finds that mental health inpatients are more likely to experience all types of adversity after leaving hospital.

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Prescription drug misuse in women: US review inconclusive

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Rob Poole writes his debut elf blog on a recent systematic review of trends in prescription drug misuse among women, which finds a mixed and complex picture with few conclusive findings.

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Oral care for nursing home residents

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This Cochrane review of the effects of oral care on prevention of nursing home acquired pneumonia included 4 RCTs providing low quality evidence that oral care may reduce mortality.

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The US opioid crisis: quantifying the impact

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Emma Wincup examines a recent US cross-sectional study that measures the burden of opioid-related mortality in the United States, which suggests that opioids (prescribed and illicit) could kill nearly half a million people across America over the next decade.

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