Healio (7/26, Herpen) reports, “Roughly 53 million Americans live with a mental, emotional or behavioral health disorder, but not all are diagnosed and treated at the same rate, according to a” July 20 press release from AmeriHealth Caritas. In the press release, “AmeriHealth cited the American Psychiatric Association, which stated Black adults are less likely to be offered either evidence-based medication therapy or psychotherapy compared to the general population,” and are “also less likely to receive guideline-consistent care and less frequently included in mental health research, compared with whites.”

Related Links:

— “Bias, cultural barriers impede mental health diagnosis, treatment “Robert Herpen, Healio, July 26, 2022

HCPlive (7/25, Walter) reports, “Medicinal cannabis use for young patients in Canada is leading to some negative outcomes, including illicit drug use, tobacco use, and poor physical and mental health,” investigators concluded in a study that “drew data from the 2017 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey for individuals aged 15-24 years who reported past-year cannabis use,” and then “also compared youth reporting only nonmedicinal cannabis use (n = 2082) to youth reporting medicinal cannabis use for physical health conditions (n = 227), mental health conditions (n = 271), or insomnia (n = 98).” The findings were published online July 19 in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Related Links:

— “
Medicinal Cannabis Use Causing Problems Among Young Patients “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, July 26, 2022

Healio (7/25) reports, “Deaths associated with alcohol, drugs, and suicide took the lives of 186,763 Americans in 2020, a 20% one-year increase in the combined death rate…a report by Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust” concluded. In addition, 2020 “logged the highest number of substance misuse deaths ever recorded for a single year.” The report’s findings were announced in a May 24 press release from the Well Being Trust.

Related Links:

— “Substance misuse deaths up 20% in 2020 – highest ever, report finds “Shenaz Bagha, Healio, July 25, 2022

CNN (7/25, LaMotte) reports a systematic review found that “higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC – the part of the marijuana plant that makes you high – are causing more people to become addicted in many parts of the world.” Researchers found that “compared with people who use lower-potency products (typically 5 to 10 milligrams per gram of THC), those who use higher-potency cannabis are more likely to experience addiction and mental health outcomes, according to the study published” in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Highly potent weed creating marijuana addicts worldwide, study says “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 25, 2022

Psychiatric News (7/22) reported, “American service members whose anger causes them significant distress and decreased function (problematic anger) during their transition to civilian life may have a higher risk of mental health conditions such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder,” investigators concluded after examining data from “3,448 participants in two waves of the Millennium Cohort Study.” The study also revealed that “service members who have problematic anger during the transition are more likely to have difficulty in their relationships and experience financial instability.” The findings were published online July 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Anger Issues as Veterans Leave Military May Point to Future Mental Health Problems, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, July 22, 2022

The Hill (7/22, Migdon) reported, “Transgender children are at least three times as likely as their cisgender peers to experience depression, anxiety and neurodevelopmental disorders,” investigators concluded after examining “responses from more than 7,000 nine- to 10-year-olds in the U.S., including 58 transgender youth, that understood the question ‘are you transgender?’” The findings were published online July 22 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Transgender children are more likely to face mental health challenges, study says “Brooke Migdon, The Hill, July 22, 2022

Medscape (7/22, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reported, “There is no convincing evidence that low serotonin levels are the primary cause of depression,” investigators concluded in a 17-study systematic umbrella review, the findings of which were published online July 20 in Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Hill (7/22, Folmar) reported, “Calls to the national suicide hotline increased by 45 percent during the week after it switched to 988 from a longer number,” after “the hotline received approximately 30,000 more calls, texts and chats.” In fact, “from July 14 through Wednesday, called ‘transition week’ by the 988 Lifeline, the hotline received over 96,000 communications, including calls and texts.”

Related Links:

— “Calls increased by 45 percent after suicide hotline number switch “Chloe Folmar, The Hill, July 22, 2022

The New York Times (7/21, Hassan) reports that “in just eight weeks, the Omicron subvariant known as BA.5 has gone from a blip in United States case counts to the dominant version of the coronavirus in the country.” BA.5, “perhaps the most transmissible subvariant yet…is driving increases in positive tests, hospitalizations and intensive care admissions across the country.”

The Hill (7/21, Choi) reports, “About 78% of coronavirus cases in the U.S. are caused by the BA.5 subvariant, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
In addition, CNN (7/21, Goodman) reports that more reinfections are occurring amid the current wave, “but on average, these reinfections do not seem to be happening more rapidly, according to a new analysis from…Helix.”

Related Links:

— “The risk from the coronavirus is rising in much of the United States. “Adeel Hassan, The New York Times, July 21, 2022

HealthDay (7/21, Mann) reports, “Women, but not men, had greater cognitive reserves if they exercised regularly and took classes, read or played games,” while “taking part in more mental activities improved thinking speed for both women and men,” investigators concluded in a brain scan study that “included 758 people (average age, 76).” The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Exercise, Puzzles, Games: They Help Men’s, Women’s Brains Differently “Denise Mann, HealthDay, July 21, 2022