The New York Times (8/31, Abelson) reports, “In general, under the” Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, “insurers are prohibited from offering plans that treat depression differently than, say, diabetes; no longer can they impose strict limits on treatment, or set up overly stringent pre-authorization policies or exclude categories of care,” such as “residential programs.” However, “the exemption afforded” state and local “governments for their employees is widely in use, particularly in strained economic times, maintaining a loophole some advocates have tried to close repeatedly.” In fact, “dozens of plans across the country have requested an exemption for the current coverage year,” a time when people have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, “according to the most recent list compiled by the federal government.”

Related Links:

— “Teachers, Police, Other Public Workers Left Out of Mental Health Coverage “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, August 31, 2021

Psychiatric News (8/31) reports, “People with disabilities appear to be significantly more likely to think about, plan, and/or attempt suicide than people without disabilities,” research indicated, with “individuals with multiple disabilities…at a particularly heightened risk of suicidal behavior.” Included in the study were “198,640 U.S. adults who had answered survey questions regarding the presence or absence of any suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts during the 12 months” and also “answered six questions about the presence or absence of functional disabilities.” The findings were published online Aug. 28 ahead of print in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “People With Disabilities at Elevated Risk of Suicidal Behavior, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, August 31, 2021

According to Psychiatric News (8/30), patients with cancer “undergoing chemotherapy who regularly attended a weekly integrative oncology program had lower levels of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems than patients who did not regularly attend the program,” researchers concluded in a study that examined “data from 439 adults who received personalized integrative oncology care while undergoing chemotherapy for localized cancer (stages 1-3).” The findings were published online Aug. 26 in the journal Psycho-Oncology.

Related Links:

— “Integrative Oncology Care May Reduce Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients, Psychiatric News, August 30, 2021

Healio (8/30, Miller) reports, “Although combined oral contraceptives improved overall premenstrual symptomatology in women with PMS or premenstrual dysphoric disorder [PMDD], the birth control pills did not improve premenstrual depressive symptoms,” investigators concluded in a study also revealing that “there was ‘no evidence for one combined oral contraceptive being more efficacious than any other’ for these conditions.” Researchers arrived at these conclusions after conducting “a meta-analysis of nine randomized trials that evaluated the effect of combined oral contraceptives in women with PMS or PMDD.” The findings(PDF) were published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Related Links:

— “‘Optimal’ treatment for premenstrual depressive symptoms remains elusive “Janel Miller, Healio, August 30, 2021

HealthDay (8/30, Mann) reports, “Fully half of all young adults with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “may also battle alcohol or drug abuse,” and people with AD/HD “who have a history of depression or anxiety are particularly vulnerable to substance abuse problems,” investigators found in a study that “included close to 6,900 Canadians aged 20 to 39 with and without” AD/HD. The findings were published online Aug. 3 in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Related Links:

— “Half of Adults With ADHD Have Struggled With Alcohol, Drug Use “Denise Mann, HealthDay, August 30, 2021

Cancer Network (8/27, Pelosci) reported, “Older men with prostate cancer did not experience a significant cognitive decline in attention, executive function, and global cognition, regardless of the therapy that they received, according to a study.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Prostate Cancer Treatment Was Not Associated With Cognitive Decline in Older Men “Ariana Pelosci, Cancer Network, August 27, 2021

Psychiatric News (8/27) reported, “Individuals experiencing a mental health crisis were less likely to be arrested following a 911 call if a police officer and mental health professional responded to the call together compared with if the police responded alone,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data collected as part of a co-response team…pilot in an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department from August 1 through December 31, 2017.” The findings of the 628-participant study were published online Aug. 26 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “People Experiencing Mental Crisis Less Likely to Face Arrest When Police Pair With MH Professionals, Psychiatric News , August 27, 2021

Healio (8/27, VanDewater) reported, “A history of childhood maltreatment and trauma was commonly found in adults with body dysmorphic disorder [BDD], and the severity of these events correlated with symptom severity,” investigators concluded in a study that “recruited 52 participants with BDD (56% women) and 57 matched participants (51% women) without mental illness through public and online ads and through BDD-specialized clinics.” The study revealed that “within the BDD group, more severe overall maltreatment correlated with more severe symptoms, suicidal ideation and anxiety symptoms; having more types of maltreatment correlated with more severe symptoms and increased risk for mental comorbidities,” whereas “in the control group, more severe overall maltreatment, emotional abuse and emotional neglect significantly corresponded with more severe stress and anxiety.” The findingswere published in the August issue of the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Childhood maltreatment, trauma common in body dysmorphic disorder “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, August 27, 2021

Healio (8/26, Schaffer) reports, “Melatonin may be a safe sleep aid for people with metabolic diseases and for healthy adults, and data suggest a beneficial glucose effect,” researchers concluded in a “systematic review and meta-analysis” that “assessed the effect of at least two weeks of daily treatment with melatonin on fasting glucose, insulin, insulin sensitivity and HbA1c levels across 11 randomized, placebo-controlled studies (n = 603).” The findings were published online in Clinical Endocrinology.

Related Links:

— “Melatonin safe sleep aid for adults with metabolic diseases “Regina Schaffer, Healio, August 26, 2021

Healio (8/26, VanDewater) reports, “Suicidal ideation in early adolescence predicted other symptoms of depression, while depressive symptoms in middle adolescence predicted suicidal ideation,” investigators concluded after assessing the “de-identified data of 4,208 adolescents (90% Hispanic; 56% girls) aged 11 to 17 years with previous depression diagnoses available in urban pediatric primary care records from 2015 to 2017.” For study purposes, “participants aged 11 to 13 years were categorized as early adolescents, and those aged 14 to 16 years were considered middle adolescents.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the October issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Suicidal thoughts predict depression symptoms more in early adolescence “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, August 26, 2021