KFF Health News (4/11, Berger ) reported a study found that “psychiatric ‘boarding’ – when a patient waits in the emergency room after [healthcare professionals] decide to admit the person – has increased because of a rise in suicide attempts, among other mental health issues, and a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds” in hospitals. Researchers observed that “the number of cases in which children spent at least two days in pediatric hospitals before being transferred for psychiatric care also increased 66% from 2017 through 2023 to reach 16,962 instances.” They attribute the surge in behavioral health visits “to factors such as social media engagement, isolation caused by shutdowns during the covid-19 pandemic, and the political climate.” Over the past decade, “proposed psychiatric facilities for minors” in multiple states have faced local resistance over fears “it would worsen safety and lower property values.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “More Psych Hospital Beds Are Needed for Kids, but Neighbors Say Not Here,” Eric Berger, KFF Health News, April 11, 2025

HealthDay (4/10, Thompson ) reports a study found that individuals who “imbibe eight or more alcoholic drinks a week have an increased risk of hyaline arteriolosclerosis, or a thickening and narrowing of the small arteries that feed the brain.” This condition “appears as lesions, or areas of damaged tissue in the brain,” and is “associated with memory and thinking problems.” Researchers found that “heavy drinkers had 133% higher odds of having brain lesions than those who never drank.” Meanwhile, “former heavy drinkers had 89% higher odds of brain lesions, while moderate drinkers who imbibed seven or fewer drinks a week had a 60% increased risk. Heavy drinkers also had an increased risk of developing tau tangles, 41% higher than non-drinkers, results show.” The study was published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Heavy Drinking Linked To Brain Damage, Increased Risk Of Dementia,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, April 10, 2025

HealthDay (4/10, Gotkine ) reports that a research letter published in Annals of Internal Medicine says that “about one in 10 U.S. adults with substance use disorder (SUD) report past-year hospitalizations.” The researchers “identified 60 million U.S. adults with SUD, of whom 5.8 million (9.7 percent) reported past-year hospitalizations.” Among patients with SUD, “those with versus without past-year hospitalizations were more likely to be older and more likely to have two or more medical comorbid conditions.” In addition, hospitalized adults with alcohol use disorder, “cannabis use disorder, and tobacco use disorder were also more likely to have serious mental illness. Across all groups apart from AUD, hospitalized adults were less likely to be uninsured.” Further, hospitalized adults with opioid use disorder “were less likely to be non-Hispanic Black.”

Related Links:

— “One in 10 With Substance Use Disorder Report Past-Year Hospitalizations,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 10, 2025

Healio (4/10, Southall ) reports a study suggests that “blocking mobile internet on mobile devices for 2 weeks improved subjective well-being, as well as mental health and the ability to sustain attention.” Participants installed an app that “blocked all mobile internet access – including Wi-Fi and mobile data – from their smartphones for 2 weeks, but permitted text messages and phone calls.” Researchers measured “three overall outcomes: subjective well-being; overall mental health, which included symptoms of anxiety and depression; and attentional functioning, using both self-reported attentional awareness and objectively measured sustained attention.” They found 91% of participants “improved on at least one of the three outcomes” and noted that participants “spent more time socializing in person, exercising and being in nature.” The study was published in PNAS Nexus.

Related Links:

— “Blocking internet on mobile devices improves well-being, mental health,”Jennifer R. Southall, Healio, April 10, 2025

Medical Economics (4/9, Payerchin ) reports a study suggests that “workplace burnout is getting better over time for American physicians, but they still experience it more than other workers.” Researchers examined burnout levels in 2023 and “found 45.2% of all doctors reported at least one symptom of workplace burnout. That was lower than the 62.8% rate of 2021, and roughly comparable to rates found in similar surveys for 2020, 2017, 2014 and 2011.” They also observed that, “compared with 2021, mean scores for emotional exhaustion dropped 20.3% and mean scores for depersonalization dropped 29.6%.” Overall, 42.2% of physicians said they “were satisfied with their work-life integration,” up from 30.3% in 2021 but down from 48.5% in 2011. The study was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Related Links:

— “Physician burnout getting better, but still a major problem in U.S. health care,”Richard Payerchin, Medical Economics, April 9, 2025

HealthDay (4/9, Thompson ) reports a study found that “brain diseases like stroke, dementia and depression share common risk factors, and changing any can lower a person’s risk of all three conditions.” Researchers said that “at least 60% of strokes, 40% of dementia cases, and 35% of late-life depression diagnoses are linked to lifestyle-related risk factors.” They explained that addressing 17 modifiable risk factors “as varied as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, physical activity, sleep, stress, alcohol consumption and smoking can significantly reduce risk of the three age-related brain diseases.” They concluded, “Because they share these overlapping risk factors, preventive efforts could lead to a reduction in the incidence of more than one of these diseases, which provides an opportunity to simultaneously reduce the burden of age-related brain diseases.” The study was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Stroke, Dementia, Depression Share Many Risk Factors,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, April 9, 2025

Healio (4/9, Kellner ) reports a study found that “most Medicaid managed care plans cover at least one FDA-approved medication for alcohol use disorder, but less than half covered all four.” Researchers investigated “which Medicaid managed care plans cover AUD medications – including acamprosate, disulfiram, oral naltrexone and injectable naltrexone (Vivitrol, Alkermes) – based on 2021 benefit data for 241 managed care plans.” They determined that “217 (90%) plans covered at least one AUD medication, and 103 (42.7%) covered all four.” Although most plans did not require prior authorizations for the oral medications, “nearly half (42.8%) of those that covered injectable naltrexone required it.” Researchers also noted that “less than half of enrollees in 19 states were covered by a plan that covered all AUD medications, and 12 states had no plans that covered all four.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Only 43% of Medicaid managed care plans cover all medications for alcohol use disorder,”Sara Kellner, Healio, April 9, 2025

Bloomberg Law (4/8, Anne Pazanowski , Subscription Publication) reports the Department of Health and Human Services said it will follow a federal judge’s order and block plans to cease $11 billion in public healthcare grants to 23 states and Washington, DC. On April 3, US Judge Mary S. McElroy “granted the mostly Democratic-led states’ motion for a temporary restraining order in the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island.” Although HHS filed a notice of compliance Monday, “saying it would notify all its departments, employees, and contractors of the order,” the agency also “filed an emergency motion for reconsideration the same day, saying McElroy should have considered whether she had jurisdiction under the Administrative Procedure Act before entering the TRO.” McElroy explained in an April 5 opinion “that the states were likely to win on the merits of their challenge because HHS didn’t reasonably end the grants or provide a reasonable explanation for doing so.”

Related Links:

— “HHS to Restore States’ Public Health Funds to Comply With Order,”Mary Anne Pazanowski, Bloomberg Law, April 8, 2025

Psychiatric News (4/8) reports a study suggests that providing comprehensive care “increases the likelihood that inpatients with opioid use disorder (OUD) will not only initiate medications for OUD during hospitalization but connect with OUD care after discharge.” Researchers analyzed data from a clinical trial of the Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Team (START) addiction consult service, which is a “collaborative care model in which an addiction medicine specialist and a case management team provide a tailored intervention based on motivational interviewing, addiction-focused discharge planning, and one month of follow-up calls.” They found that “57.3% of patients receiving START initiated medications for OUD while they were hospitalized, compared with 26.7% of those who received usual care. In addition, 72% of START participants attended at least one OUD-related care visit within 30 days of discharge, compared with 48.1% of those who received usual care.” The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Comprehensive Care Improves Chances of Hospitalized Patients Starting OUD Medications, Psychiatric News, April 8, 2025

Neurology Advisor (4/7, Lopez) reports, “Greater physical activity levels and less sedentary behavior protect against the risk of developing neuropsychiatric diseases, according to study results presented at the 2025 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting.” Researchers found that “moderate to vigorous physical activity energy expenditure had a protective effect against neuropsychiatric diseases, while increased sedentary behavior was a risk factor.” Specifically, they noted that “proteomic and metabolic analyses confirmed the significant effect of physical activity on the peripheral biomarkers, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and integrin alpha V (ITGAV) proteins. Inflammation and metabolic processes were shown to mediate the relationship between physical activity and risk of neuropsychiatric diseases.”

Related Links:

— “Greater Physical Activity May Lower Risk for Neuropsychiatric Diseases,”Maria Arini Lopez, Neurology Advisor, April 7, 2025