HealthDay (4/10) reported that a Chinese study published in JAMA Neurology “finds that strokes, altered consciousness and other neurological issues are relatively common in more serious cases of COVID-19.” After looking at 214 cases of severe coronavirus illness treated “during the early phase of the global pandemic, doctors reported that 36.4% of patients displayed neurological symptoms.” Researchers says that “sometimes these symptoms appeared in the relative absence of ‘typical’ symptoms of COVID-19.” The team said that “in such cases, doctors should consider coronavirus infection as a potential cause of the problem ‘to avoid delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.’”

Related Links:

— “Brain, Nervous System Affected in 1 in 3 Cases of Severe COVID-19, “E.J. Mundell, HealthDay, April 10, 2020

TIME (4/10) reported that “a study published March 23 in the medical journal JAMA found that, among 1,257 healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients in China, 50.4% reported symptoms of depression, 44.6% symptoms of anxiety, 34% insomnia, and 71.5% reported distress.” Meanwhile, in interviews with TIME, many doctors and nurses said they’re “afraid of spreading the disease to their families, frustrated about a lack of adequate protective gear and a sense they can’t do enough for their patients, exhausted as hours have stretched longer without a clear end in sight, and, most of all, deeply sad for their dying patients, many of whom are slipping away without their loved ones at their side.” Dr. Albert Wu, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “says that evidence from the 2003 SARS outbreak suggests that failing to support healthcare workers in a crisis…can erode their ‘wellbeing and resilience,’ ultimately leading to chronic burnout.”

Related Links:

— “‘We Carry That Burden.’ Medical Workers Fighting COVID-19 Are Facing a Mental Health Crisis, “Tara Law, TIME, April 10, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (4/12, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reports that the coronavirus pandemic has been especially difficult for individuals suffering from depression and anxiety because of additional stress and isolation. According to a survey released by the American Psychiatric Association, over one-third of Americans say the pandemic is having a serious impact on their mental well-being.

Related Links:

— “The Struggle to Cope With Depression Amid Coronavirus, “Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2020

MD Magazine (4/9, Walter) reports, “Antidepressants could be beneficial in managing the symptoms of depression, while changing the behaviors of people who” also have overweight or obesity, researchers concluded after examining “electronic health records to identify adults who were either overweight or obese with incident depression, but no prior depression diagnosis in their records,” then following up with “each patient…between 2000-2019.” The findings of the 519,513-patient study were published online April 7 in the journal Obesity.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Could Address Depression and Obesity Behaviors, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, April 9, 2020

Healio (4/9, Gramigna) reports, “Cannabis withdrawal syndrome appeared common among regular cannabis users,” investigators concluded in “a systematic review and meta-analysis” encompassing “47 studies that included 23,518 participants.” The findings were published online April 9 in JAMA Network Open. MD Magazine (4/9, Rosenfeld) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis withdrawal syndrome may affect nearly 50% of regular users, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 9, 2020

NPR (4/9, Noguchi) reports many psychiatrists are using teletherapy to reach patients affected by the coronavirus pandemic. For example, Dr. Philip Muskin in New York City says he is reaching patients using the phone and many of them feel trapped having lost their livelihood or sense of safety to the pandemic. The pandemic has led “to a spike in anxiety, depression and addiction – not just among Muskin’s patients, but across the U.S.” and in response, psychiatrists are using the phone and newer technologies to reach out to patients and conduct teletherapy.

HealthDay (4/9, Gordon) reports that while the coronavirus pandemic has created additional barriers to receiving psychiatric treatment, some insurers are increasingly covering telehealth behavioral services and some related regulations have been relaxed. Dr. Shabana Khan, a member of the APA’s committee on telepsychiatry, says that telemedicine “can literally save lives,” and some psychiatrists “are surprised at how much patients are embracing the new technology.” However, the APA is also “concerned that not everyone who wants services can get them,” including those without “access to a computer or fast internet service,” so the APA has asked CMS “to ease requirements and allow telephone appointments.”

Coronavirus Pandemic Reportedly Poses Challenges For People Recovering From Addiction,.USA Today (4/9, Rodriguez) reports the coronavirus pandemic poses challenges for people recovering from addiction. For example, a 41-year-old man from Milwaukee who “has been clean from heroin for six months and completely sober for three months,” said, “It’s difficult to get yourself out of this mindset of thinking the world is going to hell, and I might as well use to make myself feel good.” USA Today describes how the pandemic and the restrictions aimed at stopping it can make it difficult for people recovering from addiction to start or continue treatment, including group therapy.

Expert Discusses Impact Of Coronavirus Pandemic On People With Severe Mental Illnesses And How To Address It. Medscape (4/9, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports Benjamin Druss, MD, MPH, of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, warns in a viewpoint article published in JAMA Pscyhiatry that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on patients with severe mental illnesses (SMI) needs to be addressed. Dr. Druss wrote that “disasters disproportionately affect poor and vulnerable populations, and patients with serious mental illness may be among the hardest hit,” but Dr. Druss also “says there are strategies that can help minimize the risk of exposure and transmission of the virus in” patients with SMI.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatrists Lean Hard On Teletherapy To Reach Isolated Patients In Emotional Pain, “Yuki Noguchi, NPR, April 9, 2020

CNN (4/8, Hunt) reports that a recent study indicates that “the younger people were when they started smoking, the more likely they were to be smoking daily in their 20s and less likely to have quit by their 40s.” Moreover, “even children who only experimented with smoking a few cigarettes were more likely to end up smoking daily as an adult, the study found.”

Healio (4/8, Buzby) reports the findings from the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study found that, specifically of the “participants who reported trying cigarettes from age 6 to 12 years, 50.4% became daily smokers as adults.” The research also demonstrates the “association declined as the age of trying first cigarettes rose.”

Related Links:

— “Teen smokers less likely to give up the habit as adults, study finds, “Katie Hunt, CNN, April 8, 2020

CNN (4/8, Hunt) reports that a recent study indicates that “the younger people were when they started smoking, the more likely they were to be smoking daily in their 20s and less likely to have quit by their 40s.” Moreover, “even children who only experimented with smoking a few cigarettes were more likely to end up smoking daily as an adult, the study found.”

Healio (4/8, Buzby) reports the findings from the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study found that, specifically of the “participants who reported trying cigarettes from age 6 to 12 years, 50.4% became daily smokers as adults.” The research also demonstrates the “association declined as the age of trying first cigarettes rose.”

Related Links:

— “Teen smokers less likely to give up the habit as adults, study finds, “Katie Hunt, CNN, April 8, 2020

Psychiatric News (4/8) reports that “navigating the critical need for social distancing and the enduring human need for social contact” may be “especially trying” for seniors, who are “at heightened risk of serious complications from COVID-19, yet also susceptible to the adverse effects of loneliness and social isolation.” Mental health professionals and psychiatrists “can assist seniors during this time by drawing on their strengths of experience and resilience as well as resources available in the community.” Yeates Conwell, M.D., director of the University of Rochester Medical Center Office for Aging Research and Health Services, provides a list of “recommendations for health professionals working with older patients,” including advising seniors to be creative in their use of technology to maintain regular contact with others.

Related Links:

— “Expert Offers Guidance on Helping Seniors Handle COVID-19 Stresses, Psychiatric News, April 8, 2020

CNN (4/8, Howard) reports the suicide rate in the US increased 35% from 1999 to 2018, according to a report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The report “showed that the suicide rate climbed from 10.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in 1999 to a rate of 14.2 in 2018 – increasing on average by about 0.8% each year from 1999 to 2006 and then by 2.1% per year thereafter.”

HealthDay (4/8, Reinberg) reports that “while the suicide rate rose for both men and women, it soared 55% among females compared with a 28% climb among males,” but “men are nearly four times more likely to take their own lives.” The report also showed that “the highest suicide rate among women was among those 45 to 64 years old,” while “the rate was highest for those 75 and over” among men. In addition, the report also found that “in 2018, men and women in rural areas were more likely to die by suicide than city dwellers.”

Related Links:

— “US suicide rate climbs 35% since 1999, new report finds, “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, April 8, 2020