Healio (2/7, Herpen) reports, “As symptom severity for major depressive disorder [MDD] and treatment-resistant depression [TRD] increases, so do costs to health systems,” researchers concluded in a study including 24,534 patients with TRD and 17,628 patients with MDD. The study revealed that “patients with TRD incurred healthcare costs 1.23 times greater…than the MDD group on average within the 12 month follow-up.” In addition, “participants who reported more severe symptoms in both groups recorded higher mean costs.” The findings of the “retrospective cohort study” were published online Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Health care costs rise with symptom severity in patients with MDD, TRD “Robert Herpen, Healio, February 7, 2022

Healio (2/7, Gawel) reports, “Women should be screened and treated for bipolar disorder during pregnancy despite hesitations about pharmacologic treatment,” according to a presentation given at The Pregnancy Meeting by Emily S. Miller, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University. This is because “half of all women with postpartum psychosis have a history of bipolar disorder, Miller said.” Dr. Miller “added that there are tools available to OB/GYNs to screen patients for bipolar disorder,” such as the “Mood Disorder Questionnaire…which consists of 13 questions, takes about five minutes to complete, and is freely available online in multiple languages.”

Related Links:

— “‘Mental health is maternal health’: Screen, treat pregnant patients for bipolar disorder “Richard Gawel, Healio, February 7, 2022

MedPage Today (2/7) reports, “Pediatric mental health visits to physicians increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada,” investigators concluded in a “population-wide” study. Beginning “in July 2020, rates of visits to mental health services were consistently 6% to 15% above expected levels – based on prior years – and were sustained as of February 2021,” with “the largest increase in physician-based mental health visits…recorded for adolescent girls.” The findings were published online Feb. 7 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D., wrote in Crain’s Chicago Business (IL) (2/4), “The AMA has advocated against the culture of violence in America,” and “while not a new occurrence, the reported uptick in intimidation, threats and attacks toward people in the medical field has been on the rise for at least the last decade – and has become even more of an alarming phenomenon since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.” He continued, “The AMA is deeply concerned about this threatening behavior and how it has contributed to an increasingly hostile working environment across medicine, particularly for those on the front lines of our nation’s response to COVID-19.” Dr. Harmon wrote, “Our AMA is actively monitoring this situation to consider how we can better leverage our strengths and resources to promote the collective safety and security of all health care workers and organizations under attack for championing equity and justice for their patients and communities.” He concluded, “The steps we take today to create a safer and more inclusive environment for all physicians will, in turn, create a safer and more welcoming environment for our patients – and our best chance to advance equity and improve the health of the nation.”

Related Links:

— “Threats and intimidation against doctors and health care workers must end “Gerald E. Harmon, Crain’s Chicago Business, February 4, 2022

Oncology Nurse Advisor (2/4, Moore) reported, “Caregivers’ anxiety/depression symptoms may affect quality of life (QOL) for children with cancer, according to results of a study of caregivers of children with a cancer diagnosis.” The research was published in the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology.

Related Links:

— “Caregiver Anxiety/Mental Health Affects QOL for Children With Cancer “Vicki Moore, Oncology Nurse Advisor , February 4, 2022

MedPage Today (2/4, George) reported brains of patients with COVID-19 “had some of the same pathological changes seen in Alzheimer’s disease, which may explain the memory problems people with long COVID experience, a small study suggested.” This study, which was “based on autopsies of 10 people who died with COVID-19, linked the inflammatory response found in SARS-CoV-2 infection with pathways causing tau hyperphosphorylation typically associated with Alzheimer’s disease, reported” researchers. The findingspublished in Alzheimer’s & Dementia “also indicated a role for leaky ryanodine receptor 2…in the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the researchers wrote.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/3) reports, “The addition of the diagnostic category prolonged grief disorder to DSM-5-TRis timely and important given the COVID-19 pandemic’s enormous death toll, wrote Holly Prigerson, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine and colleagues in a Viewpoint” published online Feb. 2 in JAMA Psychiatry. The authors of the viewpoint wrote, “Because of the pandemic, the absolute number of [prolonged grief disorder] cases is likely to increase and the 7% to 10% prevalence rate among…bereaved people may rise.” They added, “Clinicians should learn how to accurately assess, to accurately and differentially diagnose, and to offer or refer patients for treatment.”

Related Links:

— “New Criteria Can Help Clinicians Diagnose, Treat Prolonged Grief Disorder, Psychiatric News, February 3, 2022

According to Healio (2/3, Gramigna), in an 81-study scoping review, investigators have “identified variables reported as significant in three or more randomized clinical trials with respect to adolescent depression outcomes.” Those variables included “age, sex/gender and baseline depression severity.” The findings were published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Network Open. “33 RCTs with results described across 81 publications, variable domains reported as significant in at least 3 RCTs with respect to depression outcomes included age, sex/gender, baseline depression severity, early response to treatment, sleep changes, parent-child conflict, overall psychopathology, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, functional impairment, attendance at psychotherapy sessions, and history of trauma”.

Related Links:

— “Researchers pinpoint variables linked to adolescent depression outcomes “Joe Gramigna, Healio, February 3, 2022

Healio (2/3, Gramigna) reports, “Several traits related to obsessive-compulsive personality disorder [OCPD] predicted post-pandemic adjustment difficulties,” investigators concluded after conducting “a survey of 438 adults from the general population during a temporary easing of lockdown in the U.K. between July 2020 and November 2020, which showed 25% of participants experienced readjustment difficulties.” The study revealed that people “with a history of mental disorder and obsessive-compulsive traits and symptoms, including rigidity determined via a neurocognitive test of attentional flexibility, had significant difficulties.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the April issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Obsessive-compulsive traits may affect post-pandemic adjustment “Joe Gramigna, Healio, February 3, 2022

HCPlive (2/2, Butera) reports, “A recent investigation into metal health resources for children and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic suggested a trend of increasing need for pediatric behavioral health services and treatment on an outpatient basis,” investigators concluded after examining “data from the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP).” In particular, the study team collected and then analyzed “data from the database on unique patient telephone and in-person encounters during fiscal years (FYs) from 2019 to 2021” on “a total of 2515 unique patients…at the MCPAP before the COVID-19 pandemic as well as 1700 patients with encounters during the pandemic.” The findings were published online Feb. 2 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 Pandemic Responsible for Increased Need for Pediatric Behavioral Health Services “Armand Butera, HCPlive, February 2, 2022