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