Kaiser Health News (8/11, Pattani) reports, “Some advocates and people who had experiences with the mental health system took to social media to voice concerns about” the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline after it launched in July. Some people expressed concern about potential police involvement in the 988 response process, but “988 was created as an alternative to 911,” according to Vibrant Emotional Health Vice President John Draper. After noting that Vibrant administers the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Kaiser Health News reports, “Starting this fall, Draper said, 988 will update its policies to require supervisors to review all calls that result in the use of emergency services.” Meanwhile, 988 counselors will get additional training that relates to police concerns people may have when considering whether they should call 988.

Related Links:

— “Social Media Posts Criticize the 988 Suicide Hotline for Calling Police. Here’s What You Need to Know. ” Aneri Pattani, Kaiser Health News, August 11, 2022

Healio (8/11, Downey) reports, “Leisure activities, such as reading a book, doing yoga and spending time with family and friends, were associated with a decreased risk for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, researchers” concluded in a 38-study systematic review and meta-analysis that included “2,154,818 participants at baseline who were monitored for at least three years.” The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Leisure activities may lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, dementia “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, August 11, 2022

According to Healio (8/11), in a July 27 news release, “the American Psychiatric Association Foundation [APAF] has announced a multiyear grant for $20,000 to U.S.-based nonprofit Languages of Care for its Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund.” These “funds will specifically support Languages of Care’s work to translate and provide mental health-related resources and supports in Ukraine.” In the news release, APAF Executive Director Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., said, “We are honored to support Languages of Care through our Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund.” Andrews added, “It is crucial that we provide valuable, accessible mental health resources to those who need them most in times of conflict and crisis.”

Related Links:

— “APA Foundation awards $20K to nonprofit for Ukraine mental health aid “Shenaz Bagha, Healio, August 11, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/11) reports, “An overwhelming majority of American adults agree that schools should play a key role in students’ mental health, including educating students about mental health and referring children to the appropriate professional if they notice signs of a mental health issue,” according to the APA’s Healthy Minds Monthly Poll conducted online “by Morning Consult on July 21 and 22 with a sample of 2,210 adults.” In an Aug. 11 news release, APA President Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD, stated, “The overwhelming support for mental health programming in schools is so important for our next generation, as we face an unprecedented mental health crisis for adolescents and youth.” Dr. Brendel added, “We must continue to support evidence-based practices that help children when they need it most.”

Related Links:

— “Majority of Adults Favor Mental Health Resources in Schools, Worry About Gun Violence, Psychiatric News, August 11, 2022

mHealth Intelligence (8/10, Melchionna) reports, “For the second month in a row, the FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker reported an increase in telehealth use at the national level and in all US census regions.” Use rose 10.2% in May, and “the share of telehealth-related medical claim lines rose from 4.9percent in April to 5.4 percent in May.” Also, “COVID-19 rose to second place on the national top five telehealth diagnoses list.” During the months February to May, 2022, the number one telehealth procedure code stayed the same nationally and in every region: one-hour psychotherapy.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth Use Shot Up 10.2% Nationally in May “Mark Melchionna, mHealth Intelligence, August 10, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/10) reports, “Physicians training to be psychiatrists should be encouraged to seek psychotherapy for themselves, not only for the sake of their own mental health, but because it will make them better, more empathic psychiatrists, according to a Viewpoint” authored by Megan E. Pruette, MD, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and published online Aug. 9 in the American Journal of Psychotherapy, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Residency Directors Should Encourage, Support Personal Psychotherapy as Part of Training, Psychiatric News, August 10, 2022

MedPage Today (8/10, Lopilato) reports, “Children who started using tobacco by age 10 had significantly inferior cognitive performance and smaller brain structures after a 2-year follow-up period, a cohort studyreported.” Children “reporting ever using tobacco products had significantly lower scores in the Picture Vocabulary Test of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery both at baseline and at 2-year follow-up compared with never-users,” and “structural MRI revealed that whole-brain measures in cortical areas were significantly lower among ever-users at baseline, whereas cortical volumes were reduced in ever-users at baseline and at 2 years…reported” researchers in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (8/9) reports, “Nontherapeutic nicotine gums, tablets, or gummies are popular among adolescents,” investigators concluded in a survey study involving 3,516 high school students in Southern California. The study revealed that “use of such oral nicotine products was second only to e-cigarettes among 9th and 10th graders.” The findings were published online Aug. 8 in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Addressing Adolescent Use of Nontobacco Oral Nicotine Products Said to be Public Health Priority, Psychiatric News, August 9, 2022

The Hill (8/8, Melillo) reports a survey study “found more teenagers of certain racial or ethnic, sexual or gender minority groups are using flavored nontobacco oral nicotine products like lozenges and gummies.” The “survey, conducted among 3,516 ninth and 10th graders in California, found e-cigarette use is still the most prevalent form of nicotine consumption among this age group.” But, “among the entire sample, 3.4% reported ever using non-tobacco nicotine oral products, and 1.7% had used these products within the past six months,” according to the results published in Pediatrics.

Healio (8/8, Weldon) reports the researchers “found that students who were Hispanic, identified as female or a gender-minority identity or a sexual minority identity were more likely to report using nontobacco nicotine products.”

Related Links:

— “Flavored nicotine products grow in popularity among teens “Gianna Melillo, The Hill, August 8, 2022

Healio (8/8, Herpen) reports, “Associations between cognitive ability in childhood and cognitive state in older age are moderated by how active and enriching one’s lifestyle remains through the middle years, according to a study” of “a cohort of U.K. residents aged 69 years.” The findings were published online in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Midlife engagement moderates cognitive difference between childhood, older adulthood “Robert Herpen, Healio, August 8, 2022