NBC News (5/23, Berger) reported, “When the Covid-19 pandemic forced behavioral health” clinicians “to stop seeing patients in person and instead hold therapy sessions remotely, the switch” resulted in fewer patients skipping appointments. Just nine “percent of psychiatrists reported that all patients kept their appointments before the pandemic, according to an American Psychiatric Association report,” but once clinicians “switched to telepsychiatry, that number increased to 32 percent.” What’s more, both patients and clinicians “say teletherapy has largely been an effective lifeline for people struggling with anxiety, depression and other psychological issues during an extraordinarily difficult time.” In addition, “virtual visits can…save patients money, because they might not need to travel, take time off work or pay for child care, said” Jay Shore, MD, MPH, “chairperson of the American Psychiatric Association’s telepsychiatry committee and a psychiatrist at the University of Colorado medical school.”

Related Links:

— “Remote therapy was a mental health lifeline during the pandemic. What happens now? “Eric Berger, NBC News, May 23, 2021

Healio (5/21) reported, “Over half of employees reported that their employers have become more accommodating to their mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the “results of a national public opinion poll by the American Psychiatric Association” conclude. That poll, which was an “online survey” that “received responses from 1,000 adults aged 18 years or older,” found, however, “that fewer employees feel comfortable talking openly about mental health at work compared with last year.” APA President Vivian Pender, MD, said, “What’s worrisome is that given this discussion, many people, particularly younger people, are still worried about retaliation if they take time off for mental health. This is stigma in action, and it has to stop.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, stated, “I encourage business and organizational leaders to visit the APA Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health, which has resources on ensuring employees’ mental well-being through COVID and beyond.”

Related Links:

— “Poll: Employers have accommodated worker mental health in pandemic, but problems remain “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 21, 2021

CNN (5/19, Woodyatt) reports, “There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health,” investigators concluded in “an observational study [pdf], which has not yet been peer-reviewed.” The study examined “the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans,” revealing that “the more people drank, the less the volume of their gray matter.” Researchers also found that “consuming any amount of alcohol was worse than not drinking it.”

Related Links:

— “Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain, study finds “Amy Woodyatt, CNN, May 19, 2021

HealthDay (5/20, Norton) reports “researchers found that older adults with healthy habits had a lower risk of developing dementia, versus the less health-conscious – even if a parent or sibling had suffered from the brain disease.” In the study, the researchers focused on six healthy habits: healthy eating, regular exercise, not smoking, drinking only in moderation, getting enough sleep, and avoiding obesity. The findings were scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association online meeting.

Related Links:

— “Healthy Living Helps Prevent Dementia, Even If It Runs in the Family “Amy Norton, HealthDay, May 20, 2021

Healio (5/20, Ernst) reports researchers found “patients with a higher household income received a dementia diagnosis earlier than individuals with a lower household income, indicating a ‘social inequality’ in dementia evaluations.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Higher income leads to earlier dementia diagnosis, less severe disease at diagnosis “Julia Ernst, Healio, May 20, 2021

Psychiatric News (5/20) reports, “Managed care organizations must use medical necessity criteria and assessment tools developed by nonprofit mental health and substance use disorder specialty organizations when making coverage-related determinations,” was what the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and “seven other medical organizations told the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a friend-of-the-court brief [PDF] filed yesterday in the case David Wit, et. al., v. United Behavioral Health (UBH).” That “brief is informed by a 2020 APA Position Statement on Level of Care Criteria for Acute Psychiatric Treatment.” In a press release, APA President Vivian Pender, MD, stated, “Standards of care should be based on the best treatment for patients, not the bottom line.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “APA calls upon courts, legislatures, and insurance commissioners to require insurance companies to deliver the care for which patients and employers have paid based upon evidence-based, objective, and patient-centered guidelines, rather than company profits.”

Related Links:

— “Court Ruling in Wit v. UBH Should be Upheld, Urges APA, Psychiatric News, May 20, 2021

According to Psychiatric News (5/19), on May 18, “the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…announced plans to establish a Behavioral Health Coordinating Council focused on collaboration and strategic planning across the department.” That “council will ‘ensure that millions of Americans receive prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery services for mental illness and substance use disorders,’ an APA news release stated.” For its part, “APA applauded the Biden-Harris administration for creating the council, which will be composed of senior leadership from across HHS.” In the news release, APA President Vivian Pender, MD, said, “In the wake of the pandemic an unprecedented, and as of yet untold, number of Americans are faced with mental health and substance use disorders, particularly in communities impacted by structural racism.” Dr. Pender added, “With the creation of this Council and this investment in mental health, the administration is taking a huge step forward.”

Related Links:

— “HHS to Establish Behavioral Health Coordinating Council, Distribute $3 Billion in MH, SUD Funding, Psychiatric News, May 19, 2021

Healio (5/19) reports, “Delivery of a psychological intervention during a patient’s antidepressant tapering may be an alternative long-term antidepressant use for treating recurrent depression,” researchers concluded in a four-trial meta-analysis encompassing 714 participants. The findings were published online May 19 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Psychological intervention during tapering an alternative to long-term antidepressant use “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 19, 2021

Healio (5/18, Gramigna) reports, “School-aged children with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and/or” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “were capable of face covering across activities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded after assessing “face covering behavior among 104 children aged 5 to 13 years (mean age, 8.9 years; 81% male) who took part in a summer treatment program at the University of Washington Autism Center in July 2020.” The findings of the “cohort study” were published online May 17 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Children with autism, ADHD capable of face covering during COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 18, 2021

Modern Healthcare (5/18, Brady, Subscription Publication) reports SAMHSA “will give states and territories $3 billion in block grants to support behavioral health.” Half of the funding “will help states and territories provide comprehensive community-based mental health services and improve existing services for people with severe mental health conditions,” and the other half “will go toward substance use disorder prevention and treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Modern Healthcare (Requires Subscription)