Medscape (4/6, Melville, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “patients who experience a rapid response to cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a greater likelihood of sustained improvement.” The study involved “136 veterans with PTSD” and the researchers found “that those who responded quickly to a 3-week CPT program were significantly more likely to report lower symptom scores 3 months post treatment compared with those participants who responded more slowly.” The findings were scheduled to be presented at this year’s Anxiety and Depression Association of America Conference, but “that conference was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

CNBC (4/6, Braverman) reports that as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, “more and more employees are dealing with stress, anxiety and isolation, and in the weeks or months ahead this may take a toll.” According to CNBC, “mental health experts agree that even after the immediate coronavirus crisis has passed, the impact on employees’ psyche could be lasting.” Darcy Gruttadaro, director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundations’ Center for Workplace Mental Health, said, “There is a real concern that we will see widespread anxiety, PTSD, depression, high suicide rates and a high incidence of substance abuse. We need to be ready for that, and we already have a fragile health-care system in this country.”

Related Links:

— “The coronavirus is taking a huge toll on workers’ mental health across America, “Beth Braverman, CNBC, April 6, 2020

Healio (4/3, Michael) reported, “Mothers who experienced symptoms of depression near the end of their pregnancy were more likely to have children with lowered immunity than mothers without depressive symptoms, according to a study recently published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy.” Specifically, the researchers “found that women who had elevated depressive symptoms in their third trimester that later declined had infants with significantly lower mean fecal sIgA concentrations compared with women with few depressive symptoms.” Moreover, “these women were twice as likely to have infants with concentrations of sIgA in the lowest quartile.”

Women Less Likely To Have More Children If They Develop Mental Health Problems Following Delivery Of First Child, Research Indicates. HealthDay (4/3, Priedt) reported “women who develop mental health problems after delivering their first child are much less likely to have more, a Danish study finds.” The researchers found that among women who “developed problems such as depression, anxiety, mania and schizophrenia within six months after” their first live birth, “sixty-nine percent of these women went on to have a second child, compared to 82% of mothers who had no mental health issues after their first live birth.” The findings (3/29) were reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

Related Links:

— “Maternal depression could lead to lowered immunity in infants, “Erin Michael, Healio, April 3, 2020

The Hill (4/3, Chalfant) reported the Trump Administration announced “the federal government will reimburse hospitals treating uninsured patients for the novel coronavirus.” President Trump said the funding will be provided by the economic relief package passed by Congress last month.

Related Links:

— “Administration says it will reimburse hospitals for treating uninsured coronavirus patients, ” Morgan Chalfan, The Hill, April 3, 2020

Psych News Alert (4/3) reported “inpatient psychiatric units all over the country are grappling with the need to continue treating patients in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.” The “APA and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare hosted a webinar” on Wednesday “with the leaders of three inpatient facilities so they could share their experiences so far.” The speakers emphasized “the importance of addressing COVID-19 in health systems in a way that does not limit people’s access to behavioral health care.”

Related Links:

— “Speakers Share Insights on Inpatient Psychiatric Care During COVID-19 Pandemic, Psych News Alert, April 3, 2020

USA Today (4/2, Stanglin) reports that as of Thursday, there are more than 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the world. However, the number was probably reached earlier, because of untested cases including “asymptomatic individuals; people who may have died of complications of the virus without anyone knowing it; and those whose symptoms were not serious enough to qualify for testing.”

The Hill (4/2, Klar) reports that the US “has more than 235,000 cases and 5,600 deaths,” while “Italy and Spain follow with more than 115,000 and 110,000 cases, respectively, and over 24,000 deaths between them.” Meanwhile, China has “reported more than 82,000 cases and 3,300 deaths from the virus, though U.S. intelligence agencies have reportedly concluded that Beijing has underreported both the total number of cases and confirmed deaths.”

Newsweek (4/2, Kim) reports that in the US, “New York continues to report the country’s highest number of cases, with more than 83,700 confirmed infections to date, including 47,439 cases in New York City, the office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed as of Wednesday.”

Related Links:

— “There are 1 million coronavirus cases worldwide. But there are probably many more people who have the disease., “Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY, April 2, 2020

Psychiatric News (3/25) reports that “In a letter…APA again urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow psychiatrists to provide psychiatric services to Medicare and Medicaid patients via the telephone without requiring a video component and to reimburse those services the same as an in-person visit.” In a news release about the letter, APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D., said, “Even if we can’t physically see our patients, we can provide medication management and psychotherapy.”

Related Links:

— “Five Strategies to Protect Patients, Staff in Psychiatric Inpatient Units From COVID-19, Psychiatric News, March 25, 2020

The Washington Post (4/2, Achenbach) reports that almost half of the people in the US “feel the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health, according to a survey” by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The article says that 45% of respondents reported that their mental health has been affected, and 19% reported it has a “major impact.” Joshua Morganstein, the chair of the APA’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster, said that it’s understandable people are feeling stressed during this time. He remarked, “It’s also important to remember that the vast majority of people, including all of us who are experiencing difficulties along the way, will ultimately do well. Finding and sharing creative solutions to the problems people are facing, taking care of ourselves and our families in the best way we are able, and staying connected to one another will remind us we are in this together and help us get through this difficult time.”

Related Links:

— “Coronavirus is harming the mental health of tens of millions of people in U.S., new poll finds, “Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post, April ,2 2020

The Hill (4/1, Deese) reports coronavirus is currently the third leading cause of death in the US, according to an analysis of CDC data conducted by Dr. Maria Danilychev of San Diego. The article says that deaths from coronavirus have surpassed those from Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease “with 748 deaths per day and rising.” The article adds that the two leading causes of death in the US, heart disease and cancer, are responsible for 1,774 deaths per day and 1,641 deaths per day, respectively.

Coronavirus Cases Reportedly Increasing Among Healthcare Workers In The US. NBC News (4/1, Przybyla, Fitzpatrick) reports there is a growing number of coronavirus cases among healthcare workers in the US as experts predict that the total number of coronavirus cases will continue to rise for weeks. While differences in testing and tracking among states make it difficult to ascertain the precise rate, Minnesota and Ohio are both “reporting that up to 20 percent of those infected are health care professionals, a number in line with Italy and other hard hit regions of the world.” Dr. Mindy Oshrain, a psychiatrist in North Carolina, “told NBC News that some doctors and nurses are traumatized because they have no control over their personal safety. Some have taken to calling the day-to-day anticipatory worry over working conditions ‘pre-TSD’ – pre-traumatic stress disorder.”

Related Links:

— “Analysis: Coronavirus now third-leading cause of death in US, “Kaelan Deese, The Hill, April 1, 2020

The AP (4/1, Johnson, Cano) reports those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction may face challenges in their recovery during the coronavirus pandemic. Physicians and therapists “are finding ways to work with patients in person or by phone and trying to keep them in treatment.” For instance, “in Olympia, Washington, a clinic for opioid addiction now meets patients outdoors and offers longer prescriptions of the treatment drug buprenorphine – four weeks, up from two – to reduce visits and the risk of infection,” according to one expert. In other areas, “federal health officials are allowing patients to take home methadone, another treatment drug.”

Related Links:

— “Virus outbreak creates new challenges for addiction recovery, ” Carla K. Johnson and Regina Garcia Cano, AP, April 1, 2020