Healio (1/11, Swain) reports, “Among patients with cardiac disease, nearly 20% used psychotropic medications, and psychotropic medication use was linked to elevated risk for one-year mortality, researchers” concluded in a study that “analyzed 12,913 patients hospitalized for ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, HF or valvular heart disease who were included in the DenHeart Survey.” The study revealed that “18% of the cohort used psychotropic medications within six months before hospitalization, 32% reported symptoms of anxiety and 3% died within one year of hospitalization.” The findings were published online in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. HCPlive (1/11, Iapoce) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Psychotropic medication use tied to 1-year mortality in patients with heart disease “Erik Swain, Healio, January 11, 2022

PatientEngagementHIT (1/10, Heath) reports that “more than half of low-income parents said they delayed or went without some type of healthcare within the past 12 months, largely because of social determinants of health carving out steep income-based health disparities, according to” an Urban Institute report. The article adds, “The report, comprised of data from an April 2021 survey, showed that 61.5 percent of parents making less than $30,000 – an income at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) – went without care because of cost, challenges taking time off work, challenges arranging childcare, or transportation barriers.”

Related Links:

— “Income-Based Health Disparities Impact Health of Parents ” Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT, January 10, 2022

According to USA Today (1/8, Groppe, Elbeshbishi), a new USA Today/Suffolk University poll reveals that an “overwhelming majority of Americans believe the U.S. is in the grips of a full-blown mental health crisis.” The poll shows that nearly “two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought a rise in depression, anxiety, stress, addiction and other challenges, almost nine in ten registered voters believe there’s a ‘mental health crisis’ in the nation.” The poll also found that a “majority of those surveyed also said poor mental health is primarily responsible for mass shootings, alcohol and drug addiction, and suicides.”

Related Links:

— “Exclusive poll: Overwhelming majority says the US faces a mental health crisis “Maureen Groppe and Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, January 8, 2022

The AP (1/8, Kelleher) reported, “The current explosion of Omicron-fueled coronavirus infections in the U.S. is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services – the latest illustration of how COVID-19 keeps upending life more than two years into the pandemic.” According to the AP, “First responders, hospitals, schools and government agencies have employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep the public safe, but they are worried how much longer they can keep it up.”

Related Links:

— “Omicron explosion spurs nationwide breakdown of services “Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Terry Tang, AP, January 8, 2022

Healio (1/6, Herpen) reports, “Using polygenic risk scores to determine likelihood of parental bipolar disorder [BD] passing to offspring is promising but unproven,” researchers concluded after collecting and analyzing “data from 745 participants (336 parents, 409 children) enrolled in the Pittsburgh Biological Offspring Study, which included parents with BD I/II and their offspring, as well as parents without BD and their offspring.” The findings of the “community-based case-control longitudinal study” were published online Dec. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Polygenic risk scores may be useful in finding bipolar disorder link in adults, offspring “Robert Herpen, Healio, January 6, 2022

Healio (1/6, Herpen) reports, “Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the U.S. adult population arise due to several factors, including geography, demographics, socioeconomic status and cultural setting,” CDC researchers concluded after culling “data from 254,767 responses on the mental health section of the” National Survey on Drug Use and Health from persons “18 and older from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.” The findings were published in the Jan. 7 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “CDC: Geographic, socioeconomic factors linked to suicidal behaviors in adults “Robert Herpen, Healio, January 6, 2022

Psychiatric News (1/5) reports, “Older individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who have depressive, hyperactive, and/or psychotic symptoms are at higher risk of developing dementia than are older people with MCI with mild or no neuropsychiatric symptoms,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data on neuropsychiatric symptoms…among 7,971 patients (average age: 73 years) diagnosed with MCI who were enrolled in the National Institutes of Health’s Alzheimer’s Disease Centers between June 2005 and December 2019.” The findings were published online Jan. 2 ahead of print in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Some Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Increase Dementia Risk for Those With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Psychiatric News, January 5, 2022

HCPlive (1/5, Kunzmann) reports, “Prescription” medication “misuse…is prevalent among nearly half of all US adults, according to data from a 26,000-plus person assessment that spanned 32 years,” researchers found in a study that included 26,575 people followed up from age 18 to age 50. Furthermore, “the risk of substance abuse disorder is significantly greater in adults misusing prescriptions than the general population.” The findings were published online Jan. 4 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Study: Half of US Adults Report Prescription Drug Misuse “Kevin Kunzmann, HCPlive, January 5, 2022

Healio (1/4, Weldon) reports, “Support from parents and other important adults was crucial in staving off depression and anxiety among students during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded in “a sample of more than 14,000 students in grades 6 through 12 from 49 schools during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The study revealed that “overall, rates of clinically significant depression and anxiety were lower during distance learning in 2020 compared with parallel rates documented during 2019.” The findings were published online Dec. 20 in a “Social Policy Report from the Society for Research in Child Development.”

Related Links:

— “Adult support crucial to student mental health in pandemic, study finds “Rose Weldon, Healio, January 4, 2022

Psychiatric News (1/4) reports, “Developing tailored strategies that encourage staff at oncology clinics to routinely screen patients with breast cancer for depression can help increase the number of patients connected with behavioral health services, suggests a” new study. The findings were published in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Breast Cancer Patients Benefit From Tailored Approach to Depression Screening, Psychiatric News, January 4, 2022