Nearly 50% Of Patients With Incident Mild Cognitive Impairment Diagnoses Considered Cognitively Normal At Follow-Up, Study Finds

Healio (12/6) reports, “Nearly 50% of individuals with incident mild cognitive impairment diagnoses were considered cognitively normal at follow-up, according to results of a community-based cohort study.” The findings were published in Neurology.

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— “Many mild cognitive impairment cases appear to resolve over time “Joe Gramigna, Healio , December 6, 2021

Cataract Surgery May Be Tied To A Nearly 30% Lower Risk Of Dementia In Older Adults, Researchers Posit

MedPage Today (12/6, George) reports, “Cataract surgery was linked to a nearly 30% lower risk of dementia in older adults,” researchers concluded in a 3,038-patient study. The study’s lead author posited, “One possible mechanism by which cataract surgery could decrease the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease is by enabling higher quality sensory input to the retina and therefore improving stimuli to the brain.” The findings were published online in JAMA Internal Medicine. Psychiatric News (12/6) also covers the study.

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Mental Health Conditions Remain Top Telehealth Diagnoses Nationwide, Report Suggests

Modern Healthcare (12/6, Devereaux, Subscription Publication) reports, “Since the start of the pandemic, mental health conditions have remained the top diagnosis seen in telehealth nationwide, recently reaching 61.2% of all virtual care claims,” according to “FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.” Meanwhile, FAIR Health also found that “in August, COVID-19 accounted for between 1.5% and 3.5% of claims in every region except the Northeast, and in September, the virus dropped out of the top five diagnoses seen nationwide in telehealth.”

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— “Mental health continues to dominate telehealth diagnoses “Mari Devereaux, Modern Healthcare, December 6, 2021

Marijuana Use Climbed Over Last Decade Both In Pregnancy And During Postpartum Period, Research Suggests

MedPage Today (12/3, D’Ambrosio) reported, “Among pregnant people living with HIV, marijuana use climbed over the last decade both in pregnancy and during the postpartum period,” researchers concluded in a study that “analyzed nearly 3,000 pregnancies from 2,300 people living with HIV.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

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Survivors Of Childhood Cancer Had Increased Risk For Long-Term Psychiatric Disorders Compared With Siblings Or Peers, Study Finds

Healio (12/3, Herpen) reported, “Survivors of childhood cancer had increased risk for long-term psychiatric disorders compared with their siblings or peers, according to a register-based cohort study.” The findingswere published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

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— “Survivors of pediatric cancer at increased risk for psychiatric disorders “Robert Herpen, Healio, December 3, 2021

APA-Commissioned Poll Reveals 41% Of American Say Their Stress Level Increases During The Holidays

Psychiatric News (12/2) reports the American Psychiatric Association (APA) commissioned “a nationwide poll[PDF]” revealing that 41% “of Americans said their level of stress increases during the holidays, compared with just 7% percent who said it diminishes.” Respondents were concerned about “contracting COVID-19 during gatherings (38%) and finding (40%) and affording (46%) gifts.” The poll, which was “conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of APA, was fielded between November 17 to 21 among a nationally representative sample of 2,119 adults.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, stated, “While we are pleased to be rejoining our families and friends, depending on who you are or where you work, stress may be a bigger factor.”

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— “APA Poll Reveals COVID-19 and Other Worries During Holiday Festivities, Psychiatric News, December 2, 2021

Healthcare Professionals Experienced Fear Of Infection, Short Staffing, Inadequate Protective Equipment During Pandemic In 2020, Resulting In Emotional Distress, Researchers Say

Healio (12/1, Gramigna) reports, “Healthcare professionals experienced fear of infection, short staffing and inadequate protective equipment during the pandemic in 2020, resulting in emotional distress,” researchers concluded in a study that “recruited healthcare professionals to answer a survey in two phases of five weeks each: April 24, 2020, to May 30, 2020 (phase one; n = 335; 86% women), and October 24, 2020, to Nov. 30, 2020 (phase two; n = 1,009; 90.5% women),” receiving “responses from 1,831 individuals on demographic questions and assessments for moral injury, intrinsic religiosity and burnout.” The findings were published online Nov. 24 in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Health care workers faced moral injury during pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 1, 2021

Patients With Schizophrenia May Be More Likely To Die From COVID-19 Than Those Without The Disorder, EHR Data Reveal

Psychiatric News (12/1) reports, “Patients with schizophrenia are significantly more likely to die from COVID-19 than those without the disorder, even though they appear to have lower rates of infection,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the electronic health records (EHRs) of more than 2.5 million patients in the Optum COVID-19 Electronic Health Record database.” Additionally, the study revealed that “while patients with mood disorders and anxiety were found less likely to die from COVID-19 than those with schizophrenia, they still died at higher rates from the virus than those without mental disorders.” The findings were published online Nov. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

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— “COVID-19 Most Deadly for Patients With Schizophrenia, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, December 1, 2021

In Small Study, Pediatric Cancer Survivors, Particularly Those With Cognitive Problems, Appear To Have Higher Risk Of Suicidal Thoughts

Psychiatric News (11/30) reports, “Child and adolescent survivors of cancer – particularly those experiencing cognitive problems – may be at higher risk of suicidal thoughts than other youth their age,” researchers concluded in a study recruiting “youth who had been diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 6 and 19 and were receiving care at a pediatric neuropsychology clinic.” Researchers found that 17.5% “of the 166 pediatric cancer patients in the analysis…had experienced suicidal ideation.” The findings were published online Nov. 19 in the journal Psycho-Oncology.

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— “Young Cancer Survivors May Experience Cognitive Problems, Suicidal Thoughts, Psychiatric News, November 30, 2021

Umbrella Review Reveals Increased Prevalence Of T2D Among Individuals With Psychiatric Disorders

HealthDay (11/30, Preidt) reports research indicates that “people with psychiatric disorders often have to deal with…higher rates of type 2 diabetes [T2D] than the general population,” researchers concluded in an umbrella review encompassing “32 reviews based on 245 studies that included people with 11 categories of psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, substance use disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorder, intellectual disability, psychosis, sleep disorder, dementia and a mixed group with different types of disorders.”

Medwire News (11/30, Cowen) reports, “The prevalence of” T2D “in people with psychiatric disorder…often substantially exceeds global population-based estimates of 6% to 9%,” the umbrella review revealed. For example, “people with schizophrenia had a” T2D “prevalence of 10.1%, while the rates were 10.0%, 9.1%, and 8.1% in those with a mixed group of psychiatric disorders, depression, and an intellectual disability, respectively.” The findings were published online Nov. 29 in the journal Diabetologia.

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— “Psychiatric Disorders and Type 2 Diabetes Often Go Together “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 30, 2021