CNN (6/7, Howard) reports, “When asked serious public health questions related to abuse, suicide or other medical crises, the online chatbot tool ChatGPT provided critical resources – such as what 1-800 lifeline number to call for help – only about 22% of the time,” researchers concluded in findings published online June 7 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open. For the study, investigators “examined…how ChatGPT responded to 23 questions related to addiction, interpersonal violence, mental health and physical health crises.” The study’s conclusion “suggests that public health agencies could help AI companies ensure that such resources are incorporated into how an artificial intelligence system like ChatGPT responds to health inquiries“.

Related Links:

— “ChatGPT’s responses to suicide, addiction, sexual assault crises raise questions in new study,” Jacqueline Howard, CNN, June 7, 2023

Psychiatric News (6/7) reports, “Veterans who received outpatient care from a clinic that provided psychiatric services after being discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) for severe COVID-19-related illness showed significant mental health improvements in the months following their discharge,” according to the findings of a 77-patient study published in the May/June issue of the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “MH Symptoms of Survivors of Severe COVID-19 Improve With Follow-Up Care,” Psychiatric News, June 7, 2023

NBC News (6/7, Edwards) reports, “If children and teenagers receive any help for an anxiety disorder, it’s usually medication, not counseling,” according to findings published online June 7 in the journal Pediatrics. After examining “data representing 46.4 million pediatric office visits from 2006 through 2018” broken down “in chunks of time: 2006-2009, 2010-2013 and 2014-2018,” the study team found “an inverse relationship between the need for therapy and what has been given over more than a decade.” In other words, “as the number of youth with anxiety disorders has risen continually since 2006, the number of children receiving psychotherapy has decreased.” CNN (6/7, Holcombe) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Children with anxiety are prescribed medications but little therapy,” Erika Edwards, NBC News, June 7, 2023

The New York Times (6/6, Rojas, Ghorayshi) reports U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida Judge Robert Hinkle “issued a scathing assessment on Tuesday of the state’s ban on gender transition care for minors” and “issued a preliminary injunction in response to an emergency request by the families of” three children. Hinkle “ruled specifically that three transgender children can be prescribed puberty blockers despite the new state law, which also adds new hurdles for adults who seek similar care.” The injunction “does not apply to other aspects of the far-reaching legislation, which also bars gender-transition surgery for minors, alters child custody statutes to treat transition care as equivalent to child abuse, and forbids the use of state funds to pay for transition care.”

Related Links:

— “Judge Sides With Families Fighting Florida’s Ban on Gender Care for Minors,” , The New York Times Rick Rojas and Azeen Ghorayshi, June 6, 2023

NPR (6/6, Neuman) reports, “Gun deaths in the United States reached an all-time high in 2021 for the second year in a row, with firearms violence the single leading cause of death for children and young adults, according to” findings (PDF) from research “released by Johns Hopkins University.” The study, which “relies on data from the” CDC, “reported a total of 48,830 Americans lost their lives to gun violence in 2021. The latest data works out to one gun death every 11 minutes.” Additionally, “the report found 26,328 suicides involving a firearm took place in 2021 and 20,958 homicides.” The Hill(6/6, Fortinsky) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Gun deaths hit their highest level ever in 2021, with 1 person dead every 11 minutes,” Scott Neuman, NPR, June 6, 2023

Healio (6/6, Adams) reports, “In a survey of psychiatrically hospitalized youth, more than half of participants reported their most recent suicide attempt occurred in the evening and night,” leading researchers to conclude that “the diurnal variation in suicidal ideation points to the need for increased support in the later hours of the day to decrease youth suicide risk.” Included in the study were a sample of “61 participants with a mean age of 13 years who were recruited mostly from a partial hospital setting” and another sample of “165 youth with a mean age of 14 years who were on the inpatient units of the psychiatric hospital.” The findings were presented at the SLEEP meeting. Medscape (6/6, Brooks, Subscription Publication) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “,” Healio, June 6, 2023

The AP (6/6, Schoenbaum) reports the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) “declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. on Tuesday and released a guidebook pointing to laws it deems discriminatory in each state, along with ‘know your rights’ information and resources to help people relocate to states with stronger LGBTQ+ protections.” The “nation’s largest organization devoted to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans said travel advisories aren’t enough to help people already living in states where lawmakers have targeted LGBTQ+ people.”

The Hill (6/6, Migdon) reports, “At least 525 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced this year in 41 states, [HRC] said in its warning, including more than 220 pieces of legislation that explicitly target transgender people.” Over “76 anti-LGBTQ bills have become law this year by HRC’s count, more than doubling last year’s number, which was previously the worst year on record.”

Related Links:

— “LGBTQ+ Americans are under attack, Human Rights Campaign declares in state of emergency warning,” Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press, June 6, 2023

— “Human Rights Campaign declares national state of emergency for LGBTQ people,” Brooke Migdon, The Hill, June 6, 2023

According to HealthDay (6/5, Murez), despite the fact that “U.S. gun deaths and injuries in children have risen at astronomical rates,” research indicates that “among kids on Medicaid, only about two of every five children who get shot receive mental healthcare within six months of these traumatic incidents.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “Medicaid data on more than 2,600 kids, aged five to 17, who suffered a nonfatal firearm injury between 2010 and 2018.” The study revealed that “just 37% had received mental health services within six months after the injury.” The findings were published online June 5 in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Many Kids Wait Too Long for Mental Health Care After Gun Injury,” Cara Murez, HealthDay, June , 2023

MedPage Today (6/5, Putka) reports, “Of all mental health facilities that serve youth in the U.S., only 28% offered LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer)-specific mental health services in 2020, a small increase from 25% in 2014, according to data from the National Mental Health Services Survey” published online June 5 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

The survey data revealed that “per capita, all 50 states had fewer than 10 youth-serving facilities with LGBTQ-specific services per 100,000 children, with services more available in coastal states and less available in rural ones.”

Additionally, “for-profit facility status was associated with higher odds of offering LGBTQ-specific services compared with nonprofit status…while public facility status was associated with lower odds.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Bloomberg (6/3, Yee, Subscription Publication) reported, “An ‘unprecedented’ mental health crisis is overwhelming US cities, which lack adequate resources to address growing challenges, according to a new report released…by the US Conference of Mayors.” The “survey of mayors of 117 cities in 39 states” indicated that “in recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health issues, particularly involving substance abuse.” The survey found that “97% of mayors said requests for mental health services increased in their city in the past two years, but 88% lack resources to address the crisis.”

Related Links:

— “ “Amy Yee, Bloomberg, June 3, 2023