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Latest News Around the Web

Mental Health Crises Are Big Factor Behind Rising Rates Of Maternal Deaths During, Around Pregnancy In US, Study Finds

HealthDay (2/26, Mundell ) reports that data “from dozens of studies supports the notion that mental health crises are a big factor behind rising rates of maternal deaths during and around pregnancy in the United States,” according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers “looked at data from 30 recent studies and 15 historical references,” and found that the period in and around pregnancy is “associated with elevated risk for new-onset or relapse of maternal psychiatric disorders.” The team also found that a growing number of American women are living in “maternity care deserts,” which is preventing pregnant women from being screened for health issues during their pregnancies.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Issues a Prime Driver of Deaths for New Moms: Study,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay , February 26, 2024

Calls To US Poison Centers Involving Youth Or Young Adults Who Took Psilocybin Have Risen Sharply, Study Finds

Psychiatric News (2/26) reports, “Since 2019, calls to U.S. poison centers involving youth or young adults who took the psychedelic psilocybin have risen sharply, according to a study.” Investigators “examined all cases of psilocybin exposure between 2013 and 2022 involving young people aged 13 to 25.” During “the 10-year period, the researchers identified 4,055 calls for psilocybin exposure, of which about 66% involved psilocybin alone.” The article adds, “The timing is notable as 2019 was the start of a psilocybin decriminalizatio n movement across numerous states and cities.” The findings were published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “Calls to Poison Centers Involving Psilocybin on the Rise Among Young People, Psychiatric News, February 26, 2024

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome at increased risk for attempting suicide

Healio (2/5, Rhoades) reports, “Women with polycystic ovary syndrome were at a more than eightfold risk for attempting suicide, with young adults particularly susceptible to risk, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.” In the study, “researchers found that, overall, participants with PCOS had an 8.47-fold (95% CI, 7.54-9.51) increased risk for suicide attempts vs. the control group, even after adjusting for demographics, psychiatric comorbid conditions and all-cause clinical visits.”

MedPage Today (2/5, Monaco ) reports, “Incidence of suicide attempts for women with PCOS was 3.0%, compared with 0.3% among matched controls, the researchers reported.

Related Links:

— “Study: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome face increased risk for suicide attempts,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades, Healio, February 5, 2024

Study finds police violence against unarmed Black people contributes to sleep disparities

The New York Times (2/5, Baumgaertner ) says, “Black people in the United States are more likely than white people to report that they do not sleep much, research shows.” In general, “they live in louder neighborhoods, work longer hours and pick up more late-night shifts – concerning to public health experts, since sleep deprivation is linked to chronic health issues and early death.” However, “a group of public-health researchers from multiple universities and the National Institutes of Health wondered whether unequal exposure to police violence could also be contributing to racial sleep disparities, since those events are known to increase hypervigilance, worry and post-traumatic stress.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Cognitive Function Was Better For Older Adults With Healthy Lifestyles Even If They Had Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia-Related Pathologies, Data Show

MedPage Today (2/5, George ) reports, “Cognitive function was better for older adults with healthy lifestyles even if they had Alzheimer’s or other dementia-related pathologies, autopsy data showed.” Investigators found that “a 1-point increase in a healthy lifestyle score was associated with better cognitive performance proximate to death.” Meanwhile, “after adjusting for beta-amyloid load, healthy lifestyle scores remained independently associated with cognition.” The findings were published in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Foundation News

John Plaskon Wins 2011 Outstanding Merit Award

At the MPS annual meeting in April, the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry presented its 2011 Outstanding Merit Award to John Plaskon, executive director of Crossroads Community, Inc. in Centreville, for his vision and leadership in opening a new mental health clinic in rural Queen Anne’s County during the height of the recession.

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry established the annual Outstanding Merit Award for a worthy program in Maryland that accomplishes one or more of the following:

  • Increases public awareness and understanding of mental illness
  • Enhances the quality of care for psychiatric illness
  • Reduces the stigma of mental illness

The award, open to the entire Maryland community, carries a prize of $500. Find information on nominating for the 2012 award here.

2012 Outstanding Merit Award Entries Open Now

Nominations are now being accepted for the Foundation’s 2012 Outstanding Merit Award.

The annual Outstanding Merit Award is given for a worthy endeavor in Maryland that accomplishes one or more of the following:

  • Increases public awareness and understanding of mental illness

  • Enhances the quality of care for psychiatric illness

  • Reduces the stigma of mental illness

Nominations for this award of $500 are being invited from the entire Maryland community. A short nomination form must be submitted with a cover letter by March 1, 2012, to the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, 1101 Saint. Paul Street, Suite 305, Baltimore, MD 21202-6405. The form is available as PDF or Word document.

Foundation’s Latest Radio Spot Examines Disaster and Crisis

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. recently began airing a new public service announcement on local Maryland radio stations. It focuses on the psychological effects of disasters such as the recent tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as the toll personal crises can take on the mind.

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

Adolescent Depression Awareness Program Wins 2010 Outstanding Merit Award

At the MPS annual meeting in April, the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry presented its 2010 Outstanding Merit Award to the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins.

The Board was particularly impressed with this outstanding program, which through student, parent and teacher education seeks to increase awareness of adolescent depression and bipolar disorder while reducing the stigma associated with these illnesses.

In addition, the foundation awarded Honorable Mentions to the Southern Maryland Community Network in Prince Frederick, which offers essential services to persons with severe and persistent mental illness, and to Helping Other People through Empowerment, Inc. Wellness and Recovery Center in Baltimore, which assists adults with mental illness in becoming empowered to rejoin mainstream society by increasing awareness of available resources through peer support.

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry established the annual Outstanding Merit Award for a worthy program in Maryland that accomplishes one or more of the following:

  • Increases public awareness and understanding of mental illness
  • Enhances the quality of care for psychiatric illness
  • Reduces the stigma of mental illness

The award, open to the entire Maryland community, carries a prize of $500.

Related Links:

– Johns Hopkins Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP)
– Southern Maryland Community Network
– Helping Other People through Empowerment

Honorary Director Dr. Eugene Brody Passes

Eugene B Brody, M.D., honorary director of the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, passed away on Saturday, March 13, 2010. As noted in the Baltimore Sun, Dr. Brody was “a globally known mental health figure who had been chairman of the department of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and later was dean for social and behavioral studies.”

A more complete obituary from LexisNexis can be found at AllBusiness.Com which chronicles his postgraduate work at Yale University School of Medicine and the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, his work during World War II as a captain in the Army Medical Corps serving as chief of the neuropsychiatric service in hospitals of the European command, through his work with America’s inner cities and much much more. He served as psychiatric consultant to the international military tribunal that conducted the war-crime trials of former Nazi military and civilian officials at Nuremberg.

Related Links:

– Eugene Brody Obituary, Baltimore Sun, March 17, 2010.