The Wall Street Journal (10/30, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reports on the difficulties faced by families of children diagnosed with mental illness in getting needed treatment resources
Related Links:
— “More Kids Are Being Screened for Anxiety, Depression. But Then What? ” Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, October 29, 2022
The New York Times (10/29, Caron) reported, “A number of mental health” clinicians “say that they are seeing an uptick in teenagers and young adults who are diagnosing themselves with mental illnesses…after learning more about the conditions online.” Should teens come “to their parents to discuss something they’ve seen on TikTok or another social media platform, it’s best to remain open and curious, experts say.” Anish Dube, MD, Chairman of the Council on Children, Adolescents and Their Families at the American Psychiatric Association, stated, “Take that as an opportunity to engage them and find out more about your teenager and some of the challenges and struggles that your teenager is going through.” Because “the information presented on social media can be inaccurate or overly simplistic…Dr. Dube also recommended pointing kids toward reliable sources like the A.P.A.’s directory of mental health topics.”
Related Links:
— “Teens Turn to TikTok in Search of a Mental Health Diagnosis “Christina Caron, The New York Times, October 29, 2022
Healio (10/27, Herpen) reports, “Pain, sleep and mood disorders were the most commonly found comorbidities among those with narcolepsy, with chronic pain being more than twice as likely to occur compared with matched controls,” researchers concluded after conducting “an electronic health record search between 2000 and 2020 to identify 2,057 individuals…who sought initial treatment for narcolepsy.” Also included in the study was a “separate control cohort of 2,057 participants” that “was propensity-score matched by birth year, age at initial treatment, sex, race, ICD code and mortality.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Neurological Association’s annual meeting.
Related Links:
— “Pain, sleep, mood disorders most common comorbidities in patients with narcolepsy “Robert Herpen, Healio, October 27, 2022
Kaiser Health News (10/27, Andrews) reports, “Almost three years after the” COVID-19 “pandemic upended workplaces, mental health coverage remains a priority for employers, according to an annual employer surveyfielded by KFF” that revealed that almost “half of surveyed large employers – those with at least 200 workers – reported that a growing share of their workers were using mental health services.” Nevertheless, nearly “a third of that group said their health plan’s network didn’t have enough behavioral” healthcare professionals “for employees to have timely access to the care they need.”
Related Links:
— “Employers Are Concerned About Covering Workers’ Mental Health Needs, Survey Finds “Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News , October 27, 2022
Healio (10/26, VanDewater) reports, “Midlife women with a history of infertility or involuntary childlessness had more depressive symptoms, particularly before menopause, and anxiety after menopause, compared with women without infertility,” according to researchers who “analyzed 16 years of follow-up data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN).” The study findings were presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress & Expo.
MedPage Today (10/26, D’Ambrosio) reports the findings also showed “a history of infertility or involuntary childlessness was not associated with increased vasomotor or vaginal symptoms during the menopausal transition.”
Related Links:
— “Infertility, involuntary childlessness linked to midlife depressive, anxiety symptom “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, October 26, 2022
MedPage Today (10/26, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “Young women with autism had a higher risk for psychiatric disorders than young men with autism,” investigators concluded. The study revealed that “between the ages of 16 and 25, 77 of 100” women with autism “and 62 of 100” men with autism “received at least one psychiatric diagnosis.” Compared with men, women with autism “had statistically significant standardized risk differences for any psychiatric disorder…which was larger for anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.” The findings were published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)
Healio (10/26) reports, “According to a recent poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association” and announced in an Oct. 17 press release, “75% of Americans said mental health support should be provided to incarcerated persons.” The survey data were derived “from the latest Healthy Minds Monthly poll commissioned by the APA” and “included 2,111 adults, who responded between Sep. 30 and Oct. 2.” In the release, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, stated, “Lawmakers should heed this information and take action.”
Related Links:
— “Poll: 75% of Americans believe incarcerated persons should get mental health support “Shenaz Bagha, Healio, October 26, 2022
ABC News (10/25, Yegiants) reports, “As temperatures continue to increase worldwide, so do profound impacts on our health, including our mental health, according to a major reportby almost 100 experts, including the World Health Organization, recently published” online in The Lancet Countdown. The report revealed that “severe temperature increases, and heat waves have been associated with a decline in mental health and increased suicidality.” As the climate changes, “young people in particular have been more susceptible to depression, anxiety, substance use and issues with sleep, the report said.” Elizabeth Haase, MD, who chairs American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Climate Change and Mental Health, told ABC News, “Eighty-four percent of young people, are moderately to extremely anxious about climate change.”
Related Links:
— “Increasingly warming planet jeopardizes human health, major report warns “Dr. Anna Yegiants, ABC News, October 25, 2022
Psychiatric News (10/25) reports, “About one in 15 children and adolescents hospitalized for COVID-19 experiences neurologic complications,” investigators concluded after analyzing data on a “total of 15,137 children and adolescents hospitalized for COVID-19.” Those complications included “an increased risk of admission to the intensive care unit…hospital readmissions, and death.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.
Related Links:
— “Neurological Complications Associated With Worse Outcomes in Youth Hospitalized for COVID-19, Psychiatric News, October 25, 2022
Healio (10/25, Liptak) reports, “Antidepressants desvenlafaxine, paroxetine, venlafaxine and vortioxetine were found to have reasonable acceptability, efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of adults with stable major depressive disorder [MDD],” investigators concluded in a systematic review and meta-analysis that included “34 double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trials involving 9,384 patients with MDD.” The findings were published online Oct. 17 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Select antidepressants show balance in efficacy, acceptability in adults with MDD “Holly Liptak, Healio, October 25, 2022