Healio (7/21, Gramigna) reports infection with SARS-CoV-2 “appeared associated with several acute neurological and psychiatric complications,” investigators concluded in a “surveillance study” that “developed an online network of rapid-response case report notification portals across the spectrum of major neuroscience bodies in the U.K. during the pandemic’s exponential phase.” The study revealed that “62% of patients presented with a cerebrovascular event, of whom 74% had an ischaemic stroke, 12% an intracerebral haemorrhage and 1% central nervous system vasculitis.” What’s more, “altered mental status occurred among 31% of patients, of whom 23% had unspecified encephalopathy and 18% encephalitis.” The remainder “(59%) with altered mental status met the clinical case definition for psychiatric diagnoses according to the notifying psychiatrist or neuropsychiatrist, and 92% of these were new diagnoses.” The findings were published online in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19 infection linked to acute neurological, psychiatric complications, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 21, 2020

TODAY (7/20, Holohan) reports on the impacts of racism on the mental health of Black women, as well as the barriers for Black women in seeking mental health treatment. Although “African Americans experience mental illness at the same rate as other Americans, they’re more likely to receive inadequate care or no care at all.” TODAY adds, “The American Psychiatric Association estimates that one out of every three Black people who need mental health treatment actually receives it.” TODAY says, “Black women are often underrepresented in research and wary of seeking mental health treatment,” and “the reasons behind both sometimes overlap.”

Related Links:

— “‘We’re looked at as superhuman’: How racism affects Black women’s mental health, “Meghan Holohan, TODAY, July 20, 2020

CNN (7/21, Rogers) reports, “Racial discrimination may increase stress, lead to health problems and hamper cognitive function for Black women, a new study finds.” CNN adds, “Black women who frequently experienced daily racism – including racial slurs, poor store service or forms of stereotyping – had 2.75 times the risk of poor subjective cognitive functioning than women who experienced lower levels of daily racism.” The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. Dr. Danielle Hairston, psychiatrist and “president of the Black Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association,” said, “The emotional experience of psychological trauma (like racism) can alter cognitive processes such as memory, attention, planning, and problem solving. … Racism is a source of stress and depression, so I would expect that racism can negatively impact cognitive functioning.”

Newsweek (7/21, Gander) reports the study “involved 17,320 participants of the Black Women’s Health Study, which explores variables including racism and subjective cognitive function (SCF), a measure of a person’s memory skills with a lower score meaning more problems.” Of the “participants, 60 percent were deemed to have good SCF, 28 percent moderate, and 12 percent poor.” Newsweek adds, “Depression and insomnia, which can both make cognition worse, may be mediating factors for the link, the team said.”

Related Links:

— “Racial discrimination may harm Black people’s cognitive health, study finds, “Kristen Rogers, CNN, July 21, 2020

HealthDay (7/17, Reinberg) reported, “The death of a twin, especially earlier in life, leaves the surviving twin at risk for psychiatric problems,” particularly in identical twins, investigators concluded. After analyzing data from Sweden, researchers “found people who had experienced the death of a co-twin between 1973 and 2013,” then compared “psychiatric diagnoses in these twins with their non-twin siblings and with more than 22,600 people whose twin was still alive.” The study revealed that the “risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder increased by 55% to 65% after the death of a co-twin.” The findings were published online July 15 in the journal e-Life.

Related Links:

— “Loss of a Twin Linked to Risk for Mental Illness, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, July 17, 2020

Healio (7/17, Monostra) reported, “Postmenopausal women who are prescribed antidepressants, beta-blockers and insulin are more likely to experience weight gain than those who do not use these medications,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data on BMI (n = 76,252) and waist circumference (n = 76,579) during a three-year period from postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative.” The findings were published online in the journal Menopause.

Related Links:

— “Certain drugs may promote unintentional weight gain in postmenopausal women, “Michael Monostra, Healio, July 17, 2020

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