Healio (12/23, Downey) reported, “Traumatic brain injury, PTSD and the apolipoprotein E4 gene showed strong associations with Alzheimer’s disease” (AD) “and related dementias,” researchers concluded in a study that “evaluated the impact of APOE4, PTSD and TBI on AD and related dementias…prevalence in veteran cohorts of European and African ancestries.” The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Related Links:

— “Head trauma, PTSD linked to Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, December 23, 2022

According to the New York Times (12/27, Barry), research published online Dec. 27 in JAMA Pediatrics revealed “a surprising trend among adolescents who repeatedly visited the hospital” emergency department (ED) for mental health emergencies. After analyzing “more than 308,000 mental health visits at 38 hospitals between 2015 and 2020,” investigators found that “the patients most likely to reappear in” EDs “were not patients who harmed themselves, but rather those whose agitation and aggressive behavior proved too much for their caregivers to manage.” What’s more, “in many cases, repeat visitors had previously received sedatives or other drugs to restrain them when their behavior became disruptive.”

CNN (12/27, Howard) reports, “Between 2015 and 2020, mental health visits in pediatric emergency departments increased by 8% annually, with about 13% of those patients revisiting within six months,” while “all other emergency department visits increased by 1.5% annually,” the study also found. The study authors concluded that “identifying patients at high risk of revisit provides an opportunity for tailored interventions to improve mental health care delivery.”

Related Links:

— “Parents Often Bring Children to Psychiatric E.R.s to Subdue Them, Study Finds “Ellen Barry, The New York Times, December 27, 2022

Healio (12/22, Foster) reports, “Telehealth interventions were as effective as in-person treatment for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 17 grantees and 95 associated sites that were funded by the Evidence-Based Tele-Behavioral Health Network Program and the Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program.” The findings of the 1,514-patient study were published online Dec. 10 in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth effective for treating anxiety, depression “Melissa Foster, Healio, December 22, 2022

PatientEngagementHIT (12/21, Heath) reports “adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are increasingly recognized as influencing pediatric health and well-being into adulthood,” as study data “signals that organizations that screen for ACEs can more successfully connect kids with behavioral health services that might improve health.” Investigators “found that screening for ACEs improved receipt of behavioral health services from 4.33 percent to 32.48 percent.” The findings of the study that included “4,030 kids” who “screened positive for an ACE as part of the pilot” were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Screening Effective in Primary Care “Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT, December 21, 2022

The AP (12/21, Morga) reports, “The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time, but they can also be financially stressful.” And “with inflation easing but still high, 57% of Americans say it has been harder to afford the gifts they want to give, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.” Compared with “the height of the pandemic, ‘we’re having less stress navigating the things that bring us together during the holidays. What is different from last year is how much financial stress there is,’ said” APA President Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD. Experts offer recommendations “to reduce financial stress during the holidays.”

Related Links:

— “Holidays can bring financial stress, here’s how to reduce it ” Adriana Morga, AP, December 21, 2022

NBC News (12/21, Lovelace) reports, “More adults in the U.S. expect to be more stressed in 2023 than at this time last year, but they also say they’re more willing to take steps to tackle that stress,” according to survey findings released Dec. 21 from “the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds poll.” In the poll, which “surveyed more than 2,200 U.S. adults Dec. 7 and 8,” about “26% of the respondents reported that they expected to experience more stress in the New Year, up from 20% the previous year.” APA President Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD, stated, “The take-home message is really a very positive one, which is that more Americans are willing to talk about their mental health.”

Related Links:

— “Adults say they’re expecting more stress in 2023, survey finds “Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, December 21, 2022

The New York Times (12/20, Diaz) reports, “The Drug Enforcement Administration confiscated more than 379 million doses of fentanyl this year, the agency said, and it seized more than double the number of pills laced with the potent synthetic opioid than it seized last year.” In a Tuesday statement, the DEA “announced…that it had confiscated more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills in 2022, as well as more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.”

The Washington Post (12/20, Miroff) reports “more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses” in 2021, and “two-thirds of those deaths were caused by fentanyl, according to U.S. public health data.”

Related Links:

— “U.S. Drug Agency Doubles Its Catch of Fentanyl-Laced Pills in 2022 “Johnny Diaz, The New York Times, December 20, 2022

According to Reuters (12/20, Farge), on Dec. 20 at a press briefing, Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, “said…that 10 million people, or about a quarter of Ukraine’s population, may suffer from a mental health disorder in relation to the conflict there.” As the war continues, cases of PTSD “caused by distressing events” are rising, “prompting a separate U.N. agency to launch online support services.”

Related Links:

— “One in four Ukrainians at risk of mental disorder due to conflict – WHO, Reuters, December 20, 2022

Bloomberg Law (12/20, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “Suicide prevention, addiction treatment, mental health, and the Covid-19 pandemic are the subjects of significant focus in a proposed government spending package released Tuesday, teeing up the Biden administration’s health department to tackle major initiatives in the year ahead.” Overall, “$209.9 billion in base discretionary funding is included in the FY 2023 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill,” which is “a 7.1% increase over the 2022 level.”

Related Links:

— “Addiction, Mental Health, Covid Top HHS List in Spending Push “Ian Lopez , Bloomberg Law, December 20, 2022

The Washington Post (12/19, Rowan) reports “taking on a new hobby as one ages might provide an important defense against dementia, some experts say.” According to Pacific Brain Health Center Director and Geriatric Psychiatrist David Merrill, “activities that demand focus and industry are the whetstone to keeping cognition sharp.” He adds, “‘Use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biologic fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or our bones.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)