Kaiser Health News (6/7, Dangor) reports many mental health patients “struggle to get insurance coverage” for treatments “even though two federal laws were designed to bring parity between mental and physical health care coverage.” The Affordable Care Act, for example, “required small-group and individual health plans sold on the insurance marketplaces to cover mental health services, and do so at levels comparable with medical services.” However, recent research “and a legal case suggest serious disparities remain.” The piece adds that according to the National Institute Of Mental Health, fewer “than 1 in 5 people with substance use disorder are treated, a national survey suggests, and, overall, nearly 6 in 10 people with mental illness get no treatment or medication.”

Related Links:

— “‘Mental Health Parity’ Is Still An Elusive Goal In U.S. Insurance Coverage, “Graison Dangor, Kaiser Health News, June 7, 2019

HealthDay (6/4, Gordon) reports researchers found that “almost one-third of teens and young adults who reported seeing self-harm posts on Instagram said they had performed the same or similar self-harming behavior afterwards.” The findings were published in New Media and Society.

Related Links:

— “Instagram ‘Self-Harm’ Posts Give Rise to Copycat Behavior, ” Serena Gordon, HealthDay, June 4, 2019

Healio (6/4, Demko) reports researchers found that “parental prescription opioid use appeared associated with greater risk for suicide attempt among offspring.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Parental opioid use increases risk for child suicide attempt, “Savannah Demko, Healio, June 4, 2019

HealthDay (6/3, Mozes) reports, “An alarming number of teens practice self-harm, but lesbian, gay and bisexual teens may be more than twice as likely as their straight peers to cut, hit or bruise themselves,” research indicated. After examining the “self-injury risk among more than 21,000 high schoolers in the state of Massachusetts between 2005 and 2017,” investigators found that “38% to 53% of lesbian, gay and bisexual teens” engaged in these behaviors, compared to “between 10% and 20% of heterosexual teens.” The findings were published online June 3 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Lesbian, Gay Youth at Higher Risk for Self-Harm, “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, June 3, 2019

MedPage Today (6/3, Hlavinka) reports that “teens with mental health problems were more likely to take up cigarettes, both electronic and regular, according to a longitudinal study” published in Pediatrics. Youth aged “12-17 with at least four externalizing symptoms – such as impulsive or disruptive conduct and substance use – were more likely to start using e-cigarettes (adjusted relative risk ratio 2.78, 95% CI 1.76–4.40), combustible cigarettes (aRRR 5.59, 95% CI 2.63–11.90), or both (aRRR 2.23, 95% CI, 1.15–4.31), compared to teens with low externalizing behaviors, reported” the researchers.

Related Links:

— “Poor Mental Health Ups Risk for Teen E-Cigarette Use, “Elizabeth Hlavinka, MedPage Today, June 3, 2019

Medscape (6/3, Lowry, Subscription Publication) reports that after examining survey responses from 256 women, researchers “found that rates of suicidal ideation concurrent with” premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) “ranged from 11% to 32% for passive and from 9% to 23% for active suicidal ideation.” Currently, “suicidal ideation (SI) is not included in the fifth edition of the” American Psychiatric Association’s “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for PMDD,” Medscape adds. The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2019 annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Suicidal Thoughts Common in Women With PMDD, “Fran Lowry, Medscape, June 3, 2019

In a video segment for Healio (6/3) recorded at the American Psychiatric Association’s recent annual meeting, Rashi Aggarwal, MD, “associate professor and program director of residency training, department of psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, discussed” the importance of resilience, happiness, and well-being in the prevention of burnout in physicians and medical students. Dr. Aggarwal emphasized, “Physician burnout is a widespread, systemic problem that needs a systemic organizational response to solve.” While “resiliency and well-being is not yoga and broccoli alone, and it is not a solution to burnout…it is definitely something we should all know more about,” she said.

Related Links:

— “Resiliency, well-being alone are not solutions to burnout, Healio, June 3, 2019

The San Diego Union-Tribune (5/31, Fikes) reported a new study conducted by Scripps Research found that drug rebates may be contributing to “soaring” drug prices. Researchers who “used proprietary data from Blue Cross/Blue Shield on insurance claims by more than 35 million Americans” found that the “median price of 49 top-selling brand name drugs rose 76 percent over six years,” and 48 increased in price. The study indicates the “lack of transparency on actual drug prices, along with American patent law, enable these price increases,” and while rebates “give the appearance of price reductions, they are based on ever-increasing list prices.” The findings appear “in JAMA Network Open, published by the American Medical Association.”

Related Links:

— “Price of top prescription drugs rises 76% over 6 years, Scripps Research study finds, “Bradley J. Fikes, The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 31, 2019

Reuters (5/31, Crist) reported that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “may be more common in elite athletes,” researchers concluded after conducting a medical literature review. The findings were published online May 16 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Related Links:

— “ADHD may be more common among elite athletes, “Carolyn Crist, Reuters, May 31, 2019

Reuters (5/30, Carroll) reports researchers found that “seniors with declining vision are more likely than peers with good eyesight to experience discrimination as well as depression that may result from this bias.” The findings of the 7,677-adult study were published online in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Related Links:

— “Seniors with vision loss experience discrimination, depression, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, May 31, 2019