Week of November 11–15, 2024

Youth Mental Health

You’re probably not worried about the role that Strava is playing in the teen mental health crisis, but you should be. Strava seems extremely benign — especially compared to an app like Instagram or TikTok. It simply “lets you track your running and riding with GPS, join challenges, share photos from your activities, and follow friends,” in the company’s own words. Yet, we recently heard a high school track coach point to Strava as an example of how tech can contribute to the pressure teens face. Read more here.

Veterans’ Mental Health

Boston University School of Public Health research suggests that virtual mental health care may significantly reduce suicide-related events (SREs) among veterans recently released from service. For every 1% increase in virtual mental health visits, there was a 2.5% decrease in SREs. Mental health care has long been a critical component of veteran support, particularly given the rising rates of suicide in the United States, where suicide rates rose by 35% from 2000 to 2018. Read more here.

Suicides increased among U.S. military personnel last year, an ongoing trend Pentagon officials say they plan to address with a $125 million investment in prevention and mental health programs next year. The rate for active-duty personnel rose to 28.2 per 100,000 members in 2023, from 25.1 per 100,000 members during the previous year, according to new data released by the Pentagon. That year-to-year increase is not statistically significant, but when compared with the past 12 years, it shows long-term "real change," defense officials said. Read more here.

The Opioid Crisis and Addiction Issues

Illinois will receive a $40 million share of a $1.4 billion bipartisan national settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain’s role in the opioid crisis, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced. The settlement is the latest contribution to the 2021 Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement steered by Raoul and state’s attorneys. “This settlement ensures Kroger is held accountable and allows resources to reach communities hardest hit by this ongoing opioid crisis that continues to affect all corners of America,” Raoul said in a Nov. 4 statement announcing the settlement. Read more here.

Just as substance use experts celebrated a somewhat mysterious drop in drug overdose deaths across North Carolina, Hurricane Helene blew through the western part of the state, causing death and widespread property damage. In the storm’s aftermath, many residents found themselves without homes and businesses and facing an uncertain future. For harm reductionists like Hill Brown, the southern director of Faith in Harm Reduction, Helene’s impact raised serious concerns. Brown knew that the disruption to the local drug supply, coupled with the stress of losing housing, could lead to an uptick in overdoses in the coming months. Read more here.