HCPlive (3/28, Derman) reported, “A new national survey reported that healthcare [professionals] prioritize quality of life, long-term symptom management, and treatment consistency for patients with bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia.” The survey of 127 psychiatrists and 126 nurse practitioners/physician assistants, conducted online by The Harris Poll, found that “medication adherence was a top concern for healthcare [professionals] when selecting treatments for bipolar I disorder (36%) and schizophrenia (41%). Other concerns included manic (32%) and depressive (31%) episodes for bipolar I disorder, and patients’ ability to take medication as prescribed (41%) and maintain independence and complete daily living activities (38%).” The survey “found that most [professionals] (97%) often look for treatment options that minimize the number of different treatments their patient needs at once.” In addition, “new treatments are more likely to be adopted if included in clinical guidelines and accessible through insurance, with [professionals] valuing strong clinical research and patient experiences.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: Providers Prioritize QoL, Long-Term Care in BPD, Schizophrenia,” Chelsie Derman, HCPLive, March 28, 2025

HealthDay (3/28, Thompson ) reported a study found that “about 40% of troubled 8- to 20-year-olds reported social media use that could be problematic, saying that they feel discontented, disconnected and upset when they can’t log on to their favorite sites.” Researchers found that “these young people also had higher levels of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, as well as poorer overall well-being, compared to peers in treatment who weren’t overly attached to social media.” In addition, “troubled young people hooked on social media had higher levels of substance abuse.” Researchers stated, “What we often see is that the characteristics of problematic use mirror those of addiction, with continued use even when wanting to stop, cravings, interference with daily tasks and activities, deceptive use, interpersonal disruptions and more.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Social Media Can Drag Down Troubled Young People,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 28, 2025

The AP (3/27, Seitz ) reports, “In a major overhaul, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.”

CNN (3/27, Tirrell , Luhby , Goodman , Gumbrecht ) reports, “In its announcement, HHS said it will consolidate from 28 to 15 divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America, and will reduce regional offices from 10 to five.”

Related Links:

— “Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring,” Amanda Seitz, Associated Press, March 27, 2025

Psychiatric News (3/27) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis shows that “nearly a quarter of referrals to psychiatric emergency departments (PEDs) in the United States are made by police, a rate dramatically higher than the global average.” According to the review, “patients referred to PEDs by police tended to be homeless males with a diagnosis of substance use and/or psychotic disorders and were more likely to display aggressive behavior.” On average, “13.7% of PED admissions globally were referred by police, compared with 22.8% in the United States. Compared with patients not referred by police, police-referred patients globally were more than four times as likely to show aggressive behavior, 1.84 times as likely to be homeless, and 1.33 times and 1.45 times as likely to have a diagnosis of a substance use or a psychotic disorder, respectively.” The review was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Individuals in U.S. More Likely to Be Referred to Psychiatric EDs by Police Than in Other Countries,” Psychiatric News, March 27, 2025

Medscape (3/27, Cotelo, Subscription Publication) reports a study found “the use of antidepressants has been linked to a 2% weight gain in patients who used this treatment at any point during a 6-year follow-up.” According to researchers, “the average weight gain after 6 years was 0.53 kg (1.01% of body weight), and 24.5% of participants gained more than 5% of their body weight.” They said the “data indicate that women, individuals under 55, and those with normal weight at the start of the study were more likely to experience” weight gain with antidepressant use. They concluded, “All individuals taking antidepressants had a higher likelihood of weight gain and developing obesity, with the risk increasing for those with continued use of these medications.” The study was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/26, Hornick ) reports, “Patients with COPD plus a depression/anxiety disorder had poorer scores related to disease burden and health-related quality of life, according to” research. Investigators came to this conclusion after assessing “220 patients with COPD who underwent the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview,” and then comparing “several measures of disease burden captured via questionnaires in patients with vs. without depression/anxiety disorders.” The findings were published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

Related Links:

— “Patients with COPD plus depression or anxiety experience greater disease burden,” Isabella Hornick, Healio, March 26, 2025

Medical Economics (3/26, Littrell) reports, “A recent study suggests that patients often prefer to wait for an appointment with their own primary care physician (PCP) – particularly for chronic condition management, mental health care and other sensitive issues. It’s when symptoms are acute or urgent that speed becomes the priority.” Researchers found 94.1% of surveyed patients reported seeing a PCP, and 71.4% said it was “extremely important” to have a personal physician. More than “half of patients expressed a strong preference to only see their own physician for follow-ups involving mental health (56.8%), chronic conditions (54.6%) or annual checkups (52.6%).” Researchers stated that “most patients are willing to wait three to four weeks to see their own PCP for certain types of visits.” But only “17.1% of respondents preferred to wait to see their own physician for a new symptom, and only 7.2% said they would wait for their PCP when experiencing an urgent concern.” The study was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Patients are willing to wait to see their own doctor,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, March 26, 2025

MedPage Today (3/26, Henderson ) reports a new survey suggests that “physicians remain concerned about the state of U.S. healthcare,” but “fewer are considering leaving the profession.” The survey of 750 primary care physicians and 251 specialists “found that the proportion of participants indicating optimism for the future of U.S. healthcare was down to 29% from a high of 48% in 2022.” However, just 28% of respondents “reported weighing – once a week or more – whether to leave the profession, down from 36% a year ago. Another 68% reported looking forward to coming to work, and 53% reported feeling they have a good work/life balance.” In addition, “optimism was rated higher among physicians who viewed artificial intelligence (AI) as helping to reduce administrative burden, according to the survey.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/25, Schaffer ) reports data show that “women with polycystic ovary syndrome and a diagnosis of depression are 56% more likely to develop metabolic syndrome compared with women without depression, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” Researchers said that the “findings suggest that all women with PCOS should be screened during a baseline visit for depression and anxiety, as recommended in the two most recent international PCOS guidelines.” They concluded, “We need to make all physicians aware that we need to screen women over time, because mental health is not static. If a woman has depression, then we might want to be more aggressive in managing their cardiometabolic risk.” The data were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Related Links:

— “PCOS with diagnosed depression may signal greater cardiometabolic risk,” Regina Schaffer, Healio, March 25, 2025

Healio (3/25, Buzby ) reports, “Psychosocial stress, especially financial stress, was associated with increased odds of experiencing intracerebral hemorrhage, with a particularly strong effect among Black and Hispanic patients, researchers” found. The data indicated that “hypertension mediated some of the relationship between stress and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but not all.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Related Links:

— “Psychosocial stress possibly tied to stroke subtype,” Scott Buzby, Healio, March 25, 2025