Read article – Quotes John Naslund, a PhD student in health policy at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about how young adults with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can also find social support via social media. “It’s definitely real that there’s hostility online,” Naslund said. “But we’ve found that comments related to mental health are overwhelmingly positive. People can learn how to cope with symptoms and how to find the right support.”

Read article – Cites comments by Lisa Schwartz, professor of medicine, community and family medicine, and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about how overzealous screening for cancers of the thyroid, prostate, breast and skin, leads many older people to undergo treatments unlikely to extend their lives, but which can cause needless pain and suffering.

Read article – Quotes Stewart Tepper, professor of neurology, about how neuromodulation devices work by turning down brain activity, not stimulating it. “Neuromodulation devices can be electrical, temperature-altering, or magnetic,” says Tepper, adding that there are some devices which require surgical implant. “Right now there are three [non-surgical] neuromodulation devices that have been approved by the FDA and are no longer considered experimental.”

Read article – Lisa Marsch, director of the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health and professor of psychiatry and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, is quoted in an article about New Hampshire’s high opioid death rate. “It’s a terrible combination of factors,” including the types of drugs that permeate the state, geography and limited addiction resources, says Marsch. “My hope is that we can think of a more coordinated and multifaceted approach where we can reduce barriers” to treatment, instead of the “siloed responses that we’re seeing.”

Read article – Features research conducted by Glyn Elwyn, professor and senior scientist at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about how patients may be recording doctors office visits. “Patients are beginning to understand that they have a legitimate right to request a recording,” says Elwyn.

Read article – Melissa Masaracchia, assistant professor of anesthesiology, is quoted about an extensive quality assurance investigation at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center that subsequently revealed that multiple patients would not repeat a regional nerve block for post-op pain control if additional surgery was needed. According to Masaracchia, this quality assurance gap prompted an interdisciplinary improvement project comprising nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists.

Read article – Alan Budney, professor of psychiatry, is quoted in an article about new research that suggests that “long-term exposure” to the active compound in marijuana could affect the way brain cells are implicated in addiction. “We’ve known marijuana can lead to an addiction in some people, and we know that it happens because marijuana stimulates dopamine production and makes you feel good,” says Budney. “In terms of demonstrating that it can be addictive, we’re beyond that already.”

Read article – Gilbert Fanciullo, an active emeritus professor of anesthesiology who is also board certified in pain medicine and hospice and palliative care, is quoted about the positive effects that marijuana can have for people suffering from pain. In particular, Fanciullo noted the value medical marijuana can have as a substitute for opioids.

Read article – A feature story about medical student and athlete Luke Mayer ’20, who was diagnosed a rare type of eye cancer and has his right eye removed as a child. Meyer was recently selected to play for Team Louisville Slugger at the Men’s Senior Baseball League’s World Series in Arizona. The team’s roster is comprised of players with physical disabilities.

Read article – Quotes Brian Sites, professor of anesthesiology and of orthopaedics, about a study he coauthored that found that Americans suffering from mental health disorders—16 percent of the population—are receiving more than half of all prescribed opioids.