The Hill (11/8, Choi) reports, “A group of medical organizations on Monday warned President Biden that hospital emergency departments were reaching a ‘breaking point’ as they deal with influxes of patients seeking beds that are not available.” The organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, “cautioned that the issue of ‘boarding,’ keeping admitted patients in emergency departments due to lack of space, has been brought to a ‘crisis point’ by staffing shortages.” The groups in a letter to Biden “stated that the issue is driving an ‘exodus of excellent physicians, nurses and other health care professionals.’”

Related Links:

— “Biden warned staffing shortages sparking exodus of emergency room physicians, nurses “Joseph Choi, The Hill, November 8, 2022

Healio (11/8, Welsh) reports, “For individuals, a change in depressive symptoms was associated with change in body weight, and the association was stronger for those with overweight or obesity than those with a normal BMI,” researchers concluded in a study that “collected data monthly on mental health and body weight from August 2020 to April 2021 for 2,133 U.K. adults.” Next, “using random intercepts regression models, researchers assessed associations of depression, anxiety and stress with weight.” The findings were presented at Obesity Week 2022.

Related Links:

— “Change in depressive symptoms may predict change in BMI “Erin T. Welsh, Healio, November 8, 2022

CNN (11/7, Howard) reports on research finding that though a smaller percentage of teens use e-cigarettes, “those who do vape are starting younger and they’re using e-cigarettes more intensely.” According to the study, among teens who “only use e-cigarettes, the percentage who used the products within the first five minutes of waking up in a day was less than 1% between the years 2014 and 2017, but that shifted to 10.3% from 2017 through 2021.” Additionally, “among adolescents who currently use any type of tobacco product, the proportion whose first-ever use of a product at a young age was an e-cigarette increased from 27.2% in 2014 to 78.3% in 2019, and remained at 77% in 2021.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “More adolescent e-cigarette users report vaping within five minutes of waking up, new study finds “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, November 7, 2022

MedPage Today (11/7, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “Women’s group sessions conducted at a single psychiatric unit improved participants’ understanding and comfort discussing topics related to reproductive health, according to survey data from a small trial program.” Following “13 sessions, all of the 32 participants said they better understood the contraceptive options available to them and reported feeling better prepared to seek the contraceptive methods that were most appropriate for them, noted” researchers in a presentation during the 2022 Neuroscience Education Institute Congress.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (11/7, DePeau-Wilson) reports, “Using long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic therapies rather than oral agents for schizophrenia was tied to demographic and clinical factors, a single-center retrospective cohort study suggested.” Younger age “predicted which patients received LAI antipsychotic treatment,” and “length of first admission also predicted LAI use…said” one researcher. The findings of the 246-patient study were presented at the 2022 Neuroscience Education Institute Congress.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

According to HCPlive (11/8, Walter), adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “are more likely to have comorbid psychiatric conditions like mood and personality disorders than the general population,” researchers concluded in the findings of a 32-study systematic literature review, the findings of which were published online Nov. 4 in the journal PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Comorbid Psychiatric Conditions Common for Adults With ADHD “Kenny Walter, HCPlive , November 8, 2022

mHealth Intelligence (11/4, Melchionna) reported, “Based on an analysis of patient experience surveys, a…study published in the Patient Experience Journal found that patient satisfaction with telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic did not fall short of the satisfaction patients felt with in-person care.” As investigators “reviewed patient ratings, they did not discover high variability in satisfaction levels between in-person and telehealth visits” between “July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021,” according to the findings.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth Patient Satisfaction On Par with In-Person Care During Pandemic ” Mark Melchionna, mHealth Intelligence, November 4, 2022

Healio (11/4, VanDewater) reported, “During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with endometriosis reported worse symptoms and negative effects on their mental health, according to survey results” published in the journal Reproduction and Fertility. The 4,717-respondent survey found that “compared with 6 months prior, 39.3% of respondents reported worse endometriosis-associated pain…and 49.9% reported more tiredness or fatigue.” Also, “38.6% of participants reported worse mental health compared with 6 months prior.”

Related Links:

— “Endometriosis symptoms, mental health worsened with pandemic stress “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, November 4, 2022

Psychiatric News (11/4) reported, “Declining mood affects 38% of Americans in the winter, APA’s November Healthy Minds Monthly Poll” reveals. The poll, which was “conducted online by Morning Consult from October 19 to October 21, asked 2,211 adults about the state of their mental health during the winter.” Additionally, the poll “examined awareness of seasonal affective disorder.” In a statement, APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, MD, JD, said, “Cold, dark weather can have a real impact on our mood,” so “it’s important to keep tabs on our mood and to seek help if sadness or other symptoms become overwhelming.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, stated, “Seasonal affective disorder is more than just the winter blues, and people need to be aware that if they’re having depression symptoms specifically during these months, it’s a medical disorder for which they can get help.”

Related Links:

— “Nearly 4 in 10 Americans Experience Declining Mood in Winter, APA Poll Finds, Psychiatric News, November 4, 2022

The New York Times (11/3, Abelson, Sanger-Katz) reports companies selling Medicare Advantage “plans to older adults have posed as the Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies, misled customers about the size of their networks and preyed on vulnerable people with dementia and cognitive impairment, according to a new investigation of deceptive marketing practices in the industry released Thursday by the Senate Finance Committee.” The investigation “catalogs complaints from 14 states, and a multitude of marketing materials generated by the insurers and the companies they hire to help sell the private plans.” The Senate committee “says people both in traditional Medicare and those already in a private plan have been inappropriately switched.”

Related Links:

— “Private Medicare Plans Misled Customers Into Signing Up, Senate Report Says, The New York Times, November 3, 2022