Medscape (7/16, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “A growing number of psychiatrists in the US no longer accept insurance and will only see patients who can pay upfront, out-of-pocket for office visits,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 2007-2016 from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.” The study revealed that “the percentage of self-paid psychiatrist office visits has trended upward (from 18.5% in 2007-2009 to 26.7% in 2014-2016).” In addition, “the percentage of psychiatrists who work in predominantly self-pay practices has also trended upward (from 16.4% in 2007-2009 to 26.4% in 2014-2016).” The findings were published online July 15 in a research letter in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (7/16) reports that on July 15, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) “and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)…issued recommendations for schools and communities as they move to safely reopen schools in the COVID-19 era.” Both organizations “urged schools and communities to keep” certain “precautions in mind when considering reopening,” such as “public health agencies” basing “recommendations on returning students, teachers, and staff to classrooms on scientific evidence and local community circumstances, not politics.” What’s more, “the return to school must include appropriate protections for all children, families, school personnel, and other members of the community.”

Related Links:

— “APA, AACAP Outline Plan for School Reopening That Emphasizes Safety, Optimizes Mental Health, Psychiatric News, July 16, 2020

MedPage Today (7/16, D’Ambrosio) reports, “One in five women that used prescription opioids during pregnancy reported misuse,” investigators from the CDC concluded after analyzing “2019 survey data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), covering 32 states, as well as survey data from two states that did not participate in PRAMS.” The study revealed that “of more than 1,400 women who used opioids during pregnancy, 21% self-reported misuse, stating that they received prescriptions from sources other than” clinicians, “or used opioids for non pain-related reasons,” The findings were published online July 17 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

According to USA Today (7/16, Bote), “months after announcing a proposal to implement a three-digit suicide prevention hotline, the FCC” has given its approval to 988. It will take two years to implement the number, “as telecom and voice service companies will be mandated to have a 988 hotline by July 16, 2022.”

CNN (7/16, Stracqualursi) reports that people who currently want to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have to dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255). But, “even after 988 is active, callers will still be able to reach the hotline through the original 10-digit number.”

Related Links:

— “FCC unanimously approves 988 as new three-digit suicide prevention hotline, “Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, July 16, 2020

The AP (7/15, Choi) reports, “If you decide to have an alcoholic drink, limiting yourself to one a day is best – whether you’re a man or woman.” This is “the new advice experts are recommending for the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are scheduled to be updated later this year for the first time in five years.” Currently, “the guidelines…say men should limit themselves to two drinks a day, and that women should limit themselves to one.”

Related Links:

— “Men should limit alcohol to 1 drink a day, experts say, “Candice Choi, AP, July 15, 2020

CNN (7/15, LaMotte) reports researchers surveyed caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and found that around a third of people with the disease “have access to a firearm in their home.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “One-third of caregivers say Alzheimer’s patients have access to guns at home, study finds, “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 15, 2020

Reuters (7/15, Caspani) reports, “Forty percent of young LGBTQ people in the United States say they have seriously considered suicide over the past 12 months,” and that “figure climbs to more than 50% for transgender and non-binary youth surveyed,” survey data indicated. The 40,000-respondent survey also revealed that 46 percent “of the 40,000 respondents said they wanted psychological or emotional counseling from a professional but were unable to receive it over the course of the past 12 months.” The survey was conducted by the Trevor Project, “a non-profit focused on suicide prevention among youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer including non-binary people, individuals whose gender identity or expression falls outside the categories of male and female.”

Related Links:

— “Survey finds 40% of U.S. LGBTQ youth considered suicide in past year, “Maria Caspani, Reuters, July 15, 2020

The AP (7/15, Johnson) reports according to preliminary data released by the CDC, “nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the COVID-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher.” The AP adds “the trend is driven by fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids, which accounted for 36,500 overdose deaths,” but “deaths involving cocaine and methamphetamine also are rising.”

Politico (7/15, Ehley) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “New peak of 71K US overdose deaths in 2019 dashes hopes, “Carla K. Johnson, AP, July 15, 2020

MD Magazine (7/14, Walter) reports, “While all signs point to esketamine as an effective medication for those suffering from treatment-resistant depression, the cost might be too high to really make a dent in this patient population,” investigators concluded in a study that “estimated the cost-effectiveness of esketamine to treat patients with treatment-resistant depression.” The modeling study revealed that “ultimately, it is unlikely that esketamine ends up as a cost-effective option to treat patients with treatment-resistant depression in the US unless prices for esketamine decrease by more than 40%.” The findings were published online July 7 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Esketamine Effective and Costly Treating Treatment-Resistant Depression, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, July 14, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (7/13, Smith, Subscription Publication) reports that mental-health professionals say that, among some Black Americans, perceptions of therapy are beginning to change, particularly for those in younger generations. Former APA deputy medical director Annelle Primm is quoted by the Journal.

Related Links:

— “For Some Black Americans, Therapy Is Gradually Losing Its Stigma, “Ray A. Smith, The Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2020