Healio (7/6, Gramigna) reports, “Physicians appeared more likely to exhibit resilience than the general U.S. working population,” investigators concluded after conducting “a cross-sectional national survey study of 5,445 U.S. physicians and a probability-based sample of 5198 individuals in the U.S. working population.” Researchers also “observed an inverse association with burnout symptoms; however, even among the most resilient physicians, burnout rates were substantial.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Physicians resilient, but still suffer burnout, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 6, 2020

Medwire News (7/6, McDermid) reports researchers analyzed “data from the AGES-Reykjavik Study” and identified “accumulating cerebral small vessel disease as a contributing factor to the increased risk for depression in people with” T2D. The findings of the 2,135-participant study were published online in Diabetes Care.

Related Links:

— “Vascular depression hypothesis upheld in type 2 diabetes, “Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, July 6, 2020

Psychiatric News (7/6) reports that in a viewpoint published online July 1 in JAMA Psychiatry, Lewei (Allison) Lin, MD, MS, of the Veteran Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, in Ann Arbor, MI, makes the case that “telehealth urgently needs to be adapted for the treatment of people with substance use disorders (SUDs) in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

Related Links:

— “Changes Urged to Facilitate Telehealth in Treatment of Patients With Substance Use Disorders, Psychiatric News, July 6, 2020

Healio (7/2, Gramigna) reported, “Sleep problems during early childhood may be associated with the onset of psychosis and borderline personality disorder, or BPD, in adolescence,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data of 13,488 participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort who had data available for more than 13 years.” The findings of the “cohort study” were published online June 30 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Childhood sleep problems linked to adolescent psychosis, borderline personality disorder, “Joe Gramigna , Healio, July 2, 2020

HealthDay (7/3, Preidt) reported, “Having multiple surgeries for cleft lip and palate doesn’t appear to have a major impact on children’s mental health,” investigators concluded. The 55-teen study, however, did reveal there could be “one three-year period” between ages eight to ten “that ups the odds for anxiety and depression.” The findings were published in the July issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Related Links:

— “Multiple Surgeries for Cleft Lip, Palate Won’t Cause Major Psychological Damage, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 3, 2020

The Washington Post (7/1, Wan, Long) reports, “Nationwide, federal and local officials are reporting alarming spikes in drug overdoses – a hidden epidemic within the coronavirus pandemic.” Now, “emerging evidence suggests that the continued isolation, economic devastation and disruptions to the drug trade in recent months are fueling the surge.” Due to “how slowly the government collects data, it could be five to six months before definitive numbers exist on the change in overdoses during the pandemic,” but the “data obtained by The Washington Post from a real-time tracker of drug-related emergency calls and interviews with coroners suggest that overdoses have not just increased since the pandemic began but are accelerating as it persists.” Recently, “the American Medical Association…issued a warning, citing reports from officials in 34 states of rising overdoses and the increased spread of…synthetic drugs.”

Related Links:

— “‘Cries for help’: Drug overdoses are soaring during the coronavirus pandemic, ”
William Wan and Heather Long, The Washington Post, July 1, 2020

PatientEngagementHIT (7/1, Heath) reports a survey of 1,000 patients conducted by Wakefield Research shows that “nearly three-quarters of patients accessed their first-ever telehealth visit during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most of them [75%] reported high patient satisfaction with the experience.” Of those who accessed telehealth, 41% used it “for a wellness visit and 30 percent for chronic disease management,” while 20% used it for “acute care needs or mental health” and 14% used it “to check in on COVID-19 symptoms.” In addition, the survey shows that “patients expect telehealth to become a standard part of healthcare,” and 50% “would be willing to switch healthcare providers if it meant they would be able to continue accessing telehealth regularly.” Furthermore, 21% said they would use it “on a limited basis even if their insurance did not cover it, while 28 percent said they would whenever possible.”

Related Links:

— “Telehealth Patient Satisfaction High, Paves Path for Future Access, “Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT, July 1, 2020

Medscape (7/1, Davenport, Subscription Publication) reports, “Community-based services that tap into local environments not only reduce the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) but also provide improved long-term outcomes for patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP),” investigators concluded in two studies. In one study, researchers “developed a program to reduce DUP to complement their first-episode service,” finding that they were “able to nearly halve the time from diagnosis to initiation of antipsychotic treatment.” The second study, which included more than 400 patients with FEP, found that early intervention services “significantly improved both symptoms and quality of life and reduced inpatient days in comparison with standard care.” The findings of both studies were scheduled for presentation “at the Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society…2020, but the meeting was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Related Links:

— “Community Programs Improve Psychosis Outcomes, “Liam Davenport, Medscape, July 1, 2020

Psychiatric News (6/30) reports that “during a virtual U.S. House subcommittee hearing” conducted on June 30, American Psychiatric Association (APA) President Jeffrey Geller, MD, MPH, “urged Congress to take action to curb the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Speaking before the US House Committee on Energy & Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health, Dr. Geller stated, “We expect that, even after the infectious aspect of this pandemic is over, we’re going to have a mental health pandemic that could go on for quite some time.” During the hearing, Dr. Geller voiced his support for a number of pending bills that would promote mental health.

MedPage Today (6/30) also reports Dr. Geller’s testimony.

Related Links:

— “Geller Testifies on Mental Health Needs During Pandemic and Beyond, Psychiatric News, June 30, 2020

The Washington Post (6/29, Chang) reports that Joshua Morganstein, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster, said that the US is facing “three disasters superimposed on top of one another” referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, its economic consequences, and “civil unrest.” Morganstein said, “Certainly, one way of responding, and a common way of responding, is anger.” The Post offers “strategies to curb anger” including, according to Morganstein, “basic self-care.” Morganstein also suggested “more media breaks, more time walking outside, seeing our neighbors, saying hello, exchanging problem-solving and reminding each other that we’re in this together.” Morganstein further said, “One of the things that can feel very overwhelming and paralyzing for people is to sit in a passive mode,” and suggested that helping someone else shows “we are not helpless, we are not powerless, and there are things we can do to effect change.”

Related Links:

— “Americans are living in a big ‘anger incubator.’ Experts have tips for regulating our rage., “Elizabeth Chang, The Washington Post, June 29, 2020