According to the New York Times (8/22, A1, Dewan), “America’s mass killers fit no single profile and certainly no pattern of insanity – many, if not most, had never been diagnosed with a serious psychiatric disorder.” Rather, “many experts have come to focus on warning signs that occur whether or not actual mental illness is present, including marked changes in behavior, demeanor or appearance, uncharacteristic fights or arguments, and telling others of plans for violence, a phenomenon known as ‘leakage.’” This “warning signs approach has benefits: It can work even when the mental health system does not, and it sidesteps the complaint that blaming mass shootings on mental illness increases negative attitudes and stigma toward those who suffer from it.”

Related Links:

— “What Are the Real Warning Signs of a Mass Shooting? “Shaila Dewan, The New York Times, August 22, 2022

The New York Times (8/22, Richtel, Flanagan) reports, “A yearlong series of articles by The Times” has delved into “the major risks to adolescents” that “have shifted sharply in recent decades, from drinking, drugs and teen pregnancy to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.” Although “the decline in adolescent mental health was underway before the pandemic; now it is a full-blown crisis, affecting young people across economic, racial and gender lines.” What’s more, this “trend has coincided with teenagers spending a growing amount of time online, and social media is commonly blamed for the crisis.”

Related Links:

— “A Teen’s Journey Into the Internet’s Darkness and Back Again “Matt Richtel, The New York Times, August 22, 2022

Healio (8/19, Downey) reported, “More than 5.5 million American adults aged 18 years and older, including more than three million aged 26 years and older, use hallucinogens, researchers estimated” in findingspublished online Aug. 17 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “More than 5.5 million American adults use hallucinogens “Ken Downey Jr., Healio , August 19, 2022

Healio (8/19, Downey) reported, “More than 5.5 million American adults aged 18 years and older, including more than three million aged 26 years and older, use hallucinogens, researchers estimated” in findings published online Aug. 17 in the journal Addiction.

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— “More than 5.5 million American adults use hallucinogens “Ken Downey Jr., Healio , August 19, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/19) reported, “Patients of color – particularly patients who identify as Black, multiracial, or another race – are significantly more likely than white patients to be subjected to involuntary psychiatric hospitalization,” investigators concluded in a study that “examined data from 4,393 patients whose initial admission to a psychiatric unit at a large hospital in Boston occurred between 2012 and 2018.” The findingswere published online Aug. 12 in the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Patients of Color Disproportionately Subjected to Involuntary Admission to Psychiatric Hospitals, Psychiatric News, August 19, 2022

Healthcare Finance News (8/18, Lagasse) reports, “Overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans has increased this year, thanks largely to improvements in billing and payments, cost and provider choice.” However, according to the “J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study, some concerning trends are brewing beneath the surface of those positive numbers.” Specifically, “a majority of Medicare Advantage plan members are saying they don’t have enough coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services.”

Related Links:

— “Medicare Advantage lacking for mental health coverage “Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare Finance News, August 18, 2022

Bloomberg Law (8/18, Subscription Publication) reports, “About $12.4 million in federal funding will go to grants for 99 new coalitions for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program…announced” White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta. These “coalitions will provide education on illicit fentanyl and counterfeit pills as well as prescription drugs, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol, the ONDCP said in a Thursday news release.”

Related Links:

— “White House to Fund $12.4 Million in Drug-Free Community Grants, Bloomberg Law, August 18, 2022

Medscape (8/18, Crist, Subscription Publication) reports, “Siblings of children with chronic health conditions could be at an increased risk for depression,” researchers concluded in a 34-study systematic review and meta-analysis, the findings of which were published online July 7 ahead of print in the Journal of Pediatrics.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

mHealth Intelligence (8/17, Melchionna) reports, “While exploring methods for virtually treating older and underserved patients, a study…found that audio-only telehealth produced similar benefits and was not inferior to video-based telehealth.” For the study published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, “researchers gathered a diverse group of participants; 43% were Black, and 68% were women,” and “they also considered factors such as age and insurance status when drawing conclusions.”

Related Links:

— “Audio-Only Telehealth Effective in Treating Underserved Patients “Mark Melchionna, mHealth Intelligence, August 17, 2022

MedPage Today (8/17, George) reports, “Up to 2 years after infection, people who had COVID-19 continued to face increased risks of neurologic and psychiatric sequelae compared with people who had other respiratory infections, a retrospective study showed.” The “health records of nearly 1.3 million people…showed that risks of cognitive deficit (brain fog), dementia, psychotic disorders, and epilepsy or seizures were increased at 2 years for adults who had COVID, reported” researchers online in The Lancet Psychiatry. Also, “children who had COVID…were more likely to be diagnosed with neurologic and psychiatric sequelae than their matched counterparts, but their likelihood of most diagnoses was lower than that of adults.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)