MedPage Today (6/29, George) reports, “A higher level of early-life cognitive enrichment – such as learning a foreign language, reading and being read to, and playing games like checkers – was tied to a slower rate of late-life cognitive decline,” investigators concluded after evaluating “813 autopsied brains from the Rush Memory and Aging Project to explore whether early-life experiences were associated with Alzheimer’s pathology.” The study authors posited that the “effect occurred partly through an association with lower levels of Alzheimer’s pathology changes.” The findings were published online in JAMA Neurology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healthcare IT News (6/29, Jercich) reports according to the Commonwealth Fund, there has been a “plateau” in telemedicine appointments, which still make up “a relatively small percentage of rebounding ambulatory care services.” The study also shows “that telemedicine visits have actually been declining since April.” The study was based on data from “a sample of practices accounting for approximately 5 percent of ambulatory visits in the U.S.” In addition, “overall visits to ambulatory practices are still 10% below baseline numbers from the week of March 1.” The study shows that telemedicine visits rose from 0.1% of visits in the week of March 8 to 14% of visits in mid-April, but have since been declining as a percentage to 7.4% of visits in the week of June 14.

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— “After initial spike, telehealth visits are on the decline, report finds, “Kat Jercich, Healthcare IT News, June 29, 2020

The AP (6/29, Nasir) reports that “racial trauma – the distress experienced because of the accumulation of racial discrimination, racial violence or institutional racism,” may “affect anyone who faces repeated prejudice,” but “in this moment, its impact on Black people is drawing particular attention.” According to the AP, “The unfortunate irony is that the very tool that may be helping to make more people aware of the racism and violence that Black and other people of color face is also helping to fuel their trauma.” In the weeks following the death of George Floyd, “the spread of the video that captured it has been a major catalyst for protests demanding a reckoning with racism – attended by people of all races, many of whom never before participated in such activism.” Past American Psychiatric Association president Dr. Altha Stewart said, “If you are in a situation where the danger seems ever-present, whether you’re seeing a bird watcher in Central Park being harassed, or someone falling asleep in their car in a parking lot … there is that constant physical presence of danger and the psychological awareness that danger is just around the corner.”

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— “Images of brutality against Black people spur racial trauma, “Noreen Nasir, AP, June 29, 2020

Psychiatric News (6/26) reported that researchers found that “the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a psychological toll on health care professionals who work in large, urban medical centers.” The study was based on data from the “COVID-19 Healthcare Provider Study, an ongoing survey of health care workers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.” Researchers found that 74% of respondents “reported great distress over fears of transmitting the virus to their family and friends; 71% reported sleep disturbances and getting less than six hours of sleep per night; 65% reported feeling lonely at least several days a week; and more than 60% reported concerns over the health of their family and friends, maintaining social distancing from family, and uncertainty over their colleagues’ COVID-19 status. However, 61% reported feeling a greater sense of meaning or purpose.” The findings were published in General Hospital Psychiatry.

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— “COVID-19 Takes Toll on Mental Health of Hospital Health Professionals, Psychiatric News , June 26, 2020

Medscape (6/25, Davenport, Subscription Publication) reports, “Patients with schizophrenia appear to prefer long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics compared with oral versions of these medications primarily because injectables are more convenient and give individuals more control over their lives,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data on 1429 patients with schizophrenia who were participants in a double-blind, randomized, noninferiority study of paliperidone palmitate taken monthly vs once every three months.” The study also revealed that patients “prefer injections once every three months to monthly injections, citing the need for fewer” visits to physicians and less pain. The findings had been slated for presentation at the Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society 2020, but that meeting was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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— “Injectable vs Oral Antipsychotics: Which Do Patients Prefer?, “Liam Davenport, Medscape, June 25, 2020

NPR (6/25) reports on the lack of African American physicians in the US, where blacks make up 13% of the population but just 5% of physicians. NPR’s Yuki Noguchi “reports on the experience of young African American physicians about where they see challenges for those in training now.” Her interviewees include Altha Stewart, who became the first black president of the American Psychiatric Association two years ago.

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— “What It Is Like To Be A Young Black Doctor, “Yuki Noguchi, NPR, June 25, 2020

NPR (6/25, Noguchi) reports that now more than ever, “the need for mental health support is more evident,” particularly “among Black Americans, say people who study and experience the burden of racism.” Unfortunately, “the economic barriers to accessing mental health care have only increased.” For many patients of color, “access to mental health treatment often comes in places of last resort: Jails, schools, emergency” departments. Currently, “the scarcity of Black mental health professionals in the U.S. is now an acute problem, says” psychiatrist Altha Stewart, MD, “who became the first Black president of the American Psychiatric Association two years ago.”

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— “‘Bear Our Pain’: The Plea For More Black Mental Health Workers, “Yuki Noguchi, NPR, June 25, 2020

Psychiatric News (6/25) reports, “The price of antipsychotic medications varies significantly between pharmacies, sometimes by differences of over $1,000,” investigators concluded after “calling 281 pharmacies in the Kansas City area and requesting the cash price of a 30-day supply of six generically available antipsychotic medications.” The study revealed that “compared with independent pharmacies, chain pharmacies had the highest prices for most medications,” while “prices at grocery store pharmacies and independent pharmacies averaged $180 and $415 lower than those at chain pharmacies, respectively.” The findings were published online June 24 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

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— “Price of Antipsychotics Varies Significantly Between Pharmacies, Study Finds, Psychiatric News, June 25, 2020

Healio (6/24, Amorosi) reports researchers found that almost a fifth “of patients who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) develop symptoms of PTSD within 6 months.” The findings were presented during the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program.

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— “Many patients develop clinically significant PTSD symptoms early after HSCT, “Drew Amorosi, Healio, June 24, 2020

Cancer Network (6/24, Slater) reports researchers found in a population-based study that adult cancer survivors were more likely to have mental health problems than the general population. The study’s authors wrote, “These findings provide implications for future programs and policies aimed at effectively preventing and detecting mental illness and reducing unmet [mental health] treatment needs for this vulnerable population.” The study was published in Cancer.

Related Links:

— “Elevated Mental Health Problems Observed Among Cancer Survivors, “Hannah Slater, Cancer Network, June 24, 2020