ABC News (3/24, Rothman, Jain) reports, “After two mass shootings in less than one week, mental health experts say the effects these horrific events have on the American public are amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Dr. Ronald Acierno, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School, said, “When there’s something about the case that resonates with you and that you identify with, it’s going to have a pretty significant impact. In this case, it was in a store where everybody goes. It’s such a common daily activity that’s so much a part of us that it’s particularly frightening for people.” Dr. Acierno added that trauma can cause people to develop PTSD, general anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or other conditions, “And that’s only when you give it a name.” The APA “outlines common reactions following a disaster, including changes in sleep, mood changes, decreased energy, changes in appetite, problems concentrating.

Related Links:

— “Mass shootings add to mental health issues already affected by COVID-19 “Dr. Samuel Rothman andDr. Tarun Jain, ABC News, March 24, 2021

Medscape (3/22, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Older patients recently diagnosed with dementia are at a significantly increased risk for suicide compared to their peers without dementia,” investigators concluded after using “Medicare claims linked to the National Death Index. The researchers collected data on adults aged 65 years and older who received a dementia diagnosis within the previous year.” The study revealed that people “who were diagnosed with dementia had a 54% increased risk for suicide within the first year after diagnosis,” with “the risk…particularly high among those aged 74 years and younger.” The findings were presented at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2021 virtual meeting.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (3/22, Liu) reports that over the past year, “the number of hate incidents against Asians has surged and has left the community feeling under siege. And in the face of cultural as well as systemic barriers, many Asian Americans and Asian immigrants are struggling with the constant emotional onslaught.” Furthermore, they “face some traditions that discourage speaking up and turning to mental health resources.” The Post says that “although the numbers of Asians experiencing anxiety and depression is rising, Asians in the United States access mental health care at half the rate of other racial groups, according to a 2019 study published by the American Psychiatric Association.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

In a special piece for Healio, Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS, discusses how healthcare professionals can suffer from “severe eating disorders.” What’s more, “COVID-19 and its attendant stressors appear to be exacerbating these issues in some” clinicians, “who have either recovered from an eating disorder or are living with one now,” Dr. Mehler writes. In his career, Dr. Mehler has “cared for more than 100 [healthcare professionals] with severe eating disorders.”

Related Links:

— “Anorexia nervosa: Our health care colleagues are starving amid COVID-19 pandemic “Philip S. Mehler, Healio, March 22, 2021

The New York Times (3/22, A1, Belluck) reports some physicians have reported cases of “psychotic symptoms emerging weeks after coronavirus infection in some people with no previous mental illness.” Physicians “say such symptoms may be one manifestation of brain-related aftereffects of Covid-19.” The New York Times adds, “Along with more common issues like brain fog, memory loss and neurological problems, ‘new onset’ psychosis may result from an immune response, vascular issues or inflammation from the disease process, experts hypothesize.”

Related Links:

— “First Covid, Then Psychosis: ‘The Most Terrifying Thing I’ve Ever Experienced’ “Pam Belluck, The New York Times, March 22, 2021

HealthDay (3/19, Preidt) reported that “the pandemic is turning what should be a joyful time for pregnant women into a stress-filled experience,” and “fears that their infants might catch COVID-19 is one of the main reasons anxiety levels are soaring, a new survey finds.” The survey results, published recently in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, “showed that 52% of pregnant women and 49% of postpartum women worried about their babies contracting COVID-19, and 46% had sought additional information about COVID-19 protocols from the hospital where they planned to deliver, or had delivered, their babies.”

Related Links:

— “Pandemic Has Pregnant Women ‘Really Stressed,’ Survey Shows “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 19, 2021

HealthDay (3/19, Thompson) reported, “Preschoolers who spend a lot of time watching movies and shows on TVs and other screens are more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems by age five,” but “despite their reputation, video games did not appear to promote any emotional problems in youngsters, researchers concluded” in a study that “examined data on nearly 700 children participating in a long-term pediatric health study in Finland.” The study revealed that “high levels of screen time at the age of 1.5 years is related to peer problems at five years, and that high levels of screen time is related to more psychosocial problems at five years, including emotional and behavioral symptoms as well as attention difficulties and hyperactivity.” The findings were published March 17 in the journal BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— “Does Too Much ‘Screen Time’ Have Your Preschooler Acting Out? “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 19, 2021

HealthDay (3/19, Murez) reported, “Among those who are facing fear, isolation and loss during the pandemic are people who experience eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, according to recent research from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England.” Researchers “reconnected with participants from a 2019 study on body dysmorphia, exercise addiction and eating disorders, to find out how COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 may have impacted their eating disorders.” Participants answered questions that were “part of the eating attitudes test, called EAT-26,” and their “scores significantly increased in 2020, post-lockdown, compared to 2019. This suggested higher levels of eating behaviors such as anorexia and bulimia, according to the study authors.” The findings were published in the April issue of the journal Psychiatry Research.

Related Links:

— “Lockdowns Are Putting People With Eating Disorders in Crisis “Cara Murez, HealthDay, March 19, 2021

Healio (3/19, Gramigna) reports, “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected daily stressors, coping and suicidal ideation among psychiatrically hospitalized youth, according to a presentation at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America annual conference.” Alexandra H. Bettis, PhD, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said, “Suddenly, some of the things that kids might typically do to manage stress might be restricted or no longer available to them, so COVID-19 could have pretty dramatic impacts on how kids are able to access different skills that maybe they typically would use in the face of stress.”

Related Links:

— “Emphasizing coping methods may help at-risk youth navigate COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, March 19, 2021

HCPlive (3/18, Walter) reports, “Traumatic events that yield post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might also increase the risk of ischemic heart disease…for women” veterans, investigators concluded in a study that included “132,923 individuals…with PTSD and 265,846 never diagnosed with PTSD.” The findings were published online in JAMA Cardiology.

Related Links:

— “PTSD Linked to Increased Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease in Women Veterans “Kenny Walter, HCPlive, March 18, 2021