According to the Washington Post (7/11, Solano), “parents are suffering from anxiety and depression at roughly the same rate as teens,” according to findings from a June 2023 report (PDF) based on surveys conducted late last year by Harvard University researchers. The surveys found that “18 percent of teens said they suffered from anxiety, while 20 percent of mothers and 15 percent of fathers did.” At the same time, “15 percent of teens reported to have depression, compared with 16 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers.”

The Hill (7/11, de Visé) reports, “Researchers estimate” in the report “that more than one-third of teens have a parent suffering from anxiety or depression,” while “two-fifths of teens voiced concern about a parent’s mental health.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The Intelligencer reports on the experience of Dr. Dan Hurley, an ear, nose, and throat physician with over 20 years of experience, with prior authorization requirements delaying his care in significant ways to illustrate the difficulties many have with the prior authorization process. The article summarizes the history of prior authorization from the 1960s to the present. AMA Immediate Past President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said that prior authorization has “really become a tool to clearly delay and deny care for our patients.” Resneck added, “In the meantime, the patients aren’t getting treated, and we know that a significant portion of those patients give you up. So their diabetes, their depression, their hypertension, or whatever it is just gets worse.”

Related Links:

— “The Two Words That Can Make Health Care a Nightmare Prior authorization buries doctors in paperwork and delays care, sometimes with disastrous results.,”Chris Stanton, Intelligencer, July 10, 2023

CNN (7/10, LaMotte) reports, “As little as 20 minutes of moderate activity a day for five days a week can significantly lower the risk of depressive symptoms for people over 50 who have conditions often linked to depression, such as diabetes, heart disease and chronic pain,” investigators concluded in findings published online July 10 in JAMA Network Open. The study “followed more than 4,000 Irish adults with an average age of 61 for 10 years.”

Psychiatric News (7/10) reports, “Adults who performed vigorous activity…had a 20% lower rate of depressive symptoms and 44% lower odds of major depression compared with the low physical activity group.”

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— “Certain conditions can impact how much exercise you need to ease depression, study finds,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 10, 2023

HealthDay (7/10, Mozes) reports, “Even slow walking can help improve…mental and physical health, say the British researchers who tracked more than 1,400 adults age 60 and up.” In contrast, “shifting to more sedentary habits after age 60 significantly hurt seniors’ quality of life,” the study revealed. The findings of the 1,433-older adult study were published online in the journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes.

Related Links:

— “Want a Healthier, Happier Old Age? Get Moving,”Alan Mozes, HealthDay, July 10, 2023

Healio (7/10, Herpen) reports, “Children and adolescents diagnosed with anxiety, depression or both had greater headache-related disability compared with those without,” investigators concluded in a study that “included more than 8,000 individuals aged six to 17…asked to complete an outpatient neurology visit questionnaire relating to behavioral health, the pedMIDAS scale regarding headache-related disability, as well as a range of headache characteristics.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Headache Society annual meeting.

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— “Anxiety, depression linked to greater headache-related disability in pediatric population,”Robert Herpen, Healio, July 10, 2023

HealthDay (7/7, Murez) reported, “The use of antipsychotic medication in children is continuing to plummet, likely because of better policies and education,” investigators concluded after examining “Medicaid claims data between 2008 and 2016, looking at the off-label usage of these medications.” The study revealed “a 43% drop in antipsychotic prescriptions for Medicaid-enrolled children in 45 states, a stark contrast from the sharp rise in the 2000s.” The study authors concluded, “The decline we observed likely reflects the convergence of multiple state safer-use policies along with educational initiatives and the implementation of quality metrics for safe antipsychotic prescribing.” The findings were published in the July issue of the journal Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Fewer Kids Are Being Prescribed Antipsychotic Meds,”Cara Murez, HealthDay, July 7, 2023

Healio (7/7, Weldon) reported, “There was a ‘psychiatric boarding crisis’ in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, as psychiatric services were not prepared to support the number of youths needing care,” investigators concluded after cataloging “7,625 psychiatric emergency services encounters of patients aged four to 20 years who attended one of five mobile clinics operated by the Boston Emergency Services Team in Massachusetts.” The study suggested that “pediatric mental health services were not prepared for the number of youths needing care during the COVID-19 pandemic,” with “a lack of beds and staff” possibly having “contributed to the hardship.” The findings were published online July 6 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “US had ‘psychiatric boarding crisis’ during COVID-19 pandemic,”Rose Weldon, Healio, July 7, 2023

HealthDay (7/7, Murez) reported, “Americans who engage in creative activities – from crafting to playing the piano to painting — report better mental health, according to” findings from a 2,202-adult Healthy Minds Monthly Poll conducted in June by the American Psychiatric Association and announced in a July 6 news release. In that release, APA President Petros Levounis, MD, MA, stated, “Creative activities aren’t just for fun, they can help us take a step back from the daily grind, use our brains differently, and relax,” and “picking up that paintbrush or solving a tricky puzzle can truly move us to a different mindset.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “APA is pleased to call attention to these positive actions as part of the public discussion on mental health.”

Related Links:

— “Expressing Yourself Creatively Gives Mental Health Boost, Poll Finds,”Cara Murez, HealthDay, July 7, 2023

According to the New York Times (7/9, Span), “as baby boomers have turned 65, the age at which they typically qualify for Medicare, substance use disorders among the older population have climbed steeply.” For instance, “a study of opioid use disorder in people over 65 enrolled in traditional Medicare” published in a research brief in the June 2021 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, “showed a threefold increase in just five years – to 15.7 cases per 1,000 in 2018 from 4.6 cases per 1,000 in 2013.” Additionally, “fatal overdoses have…soared among seniors,” according to the findings of a research letter published online March 29 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Substance Abuse Is Climbing Among Seniors,”Paula Span, The New York Times, July 9, 2023

The New York Times (7/6, Belluck) reports the FDA granted “full approval to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi (lecanemab), and Medicare said it would cover much of its high cost, laying the foundation for widespread use of a medication that can modestly slow cognitive decline in the early stages of the disease but also carries significant safety risks.” The agency’s “decision marks the first time in two decades that a drug for Alzheimer’s has received full approval, meaning that the agency concluded there is solid evidence of potential benefit.” However, the FDA “also added a so-called black-box warning…stating that in rare cases the drug can cause ‘serious and life-threatening events.’”

Reuters (7/6, Beasley, Steenhuysen) reports the drug, “which is given intravenously, has a U.S. list price of $26,500 per year.” The “new label explains the need to monitor patients for potentially dangerous brain swelling and bleeding associated with amyloid-lowering antibodies.” Additionally, “the drug’s new label includes data showing that the use of certain anti-coagulants with Leqembi has been linked to a risk of brain hemorrhage.”

Related Links:

— “New Federal Decisions Make Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi Widely Accessible,”Pam Belluck, The New York Times , July 6, 2023