In a study published in Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, Frei et al employed an expert Delphi panel to address longstanding confusion over the terms “tardive dyskinesia” and “tardive syndrome.” The panel of neurologists and psychiatrists agreed that “tardive syndrome” should serve as the umbrella term for all persistent involuntary movements induced by dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), reserving “tardive dyskinesia” specifically for classic manifestations involving orobuccolingual stereotypy and chorea of the extremities. The study emphasized the importance of consistent terminology.

Related Links:

— “Tardive dyskinesia versus tardive syndrome. What is in a name?,” Karen Frei, et. al., Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, April, 2025

Psychiatric News (5/8) reports a study found that “individuals with serious mental illness who received assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) experienced improvements across a broad range of clinical outcomes, including adherence to treatment, symptoms, and self-reported quality of life.” Researchers saw patients who completed court-mandated AOT had their “appointment adherence increased by more than 24%, while medication adherence increased by 20%. Additionally, violent behavior was reduced by more than 19% and suicidal ideation by more than 24%. Illicit drug use and risk of homelessness also decreased following AOT completion.” Researchers noted that “the length of mandated treatment was also found to be important.” The study was published in Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice.

Related Links:

— “Patients Receiving Court-Mandated Outpatient Treatment Show Broad Improvements,” Psychiatric News, May 8, 2025

HealthDay (5/7, Gotkine ) reported a study found that the “prevalence of depressive symptoms increased among U.S. adults during the pandemic.” Researchers “examined changes in depressive symptoms among U.S. adults overall and across sociodemographic characteristics using 2013 to 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.” They found “the observed prevalence of depressive symptoms increased from 8.2 to 12.3 percent from 2013-2020 to 2021-2023.” In addition, “depressive symptom prevalence increased by 3.5 percentage points during the pandemic after adjustment and accounting for secular trends.” There was also “a significantly larger increase seen in the prevalence of depressive symptoms among adults aged 20 to 44 years versus those aged 65 years or older” between 2013-2020 and 2021-2023. The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Depressive Symptoms Increased for U.S. Adults During Pandemic,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, May 7, 2025

The AP (5/7, Seitz ) reports Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “announced a plan Wednesday to use medical data and records from people on Medicaid and Medicare to help study autism although experts say it’s unlikely to help reveal the condition’s root causes.” The program will consist of a data sharing agreement between the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. HHS explained researchers will use the data to “focus on autism diagnosis trends, health outcomes from medical or behavioral treatment, access to care based on demographics and geography as well [as] the economic burden of autism on families and health care systems.” An HHS statement said the agreement will be “consistent with applicable privacy laws to protect Americans’ sensitive health information.”

CNN (5/7, Owermohle ) reports that “early signals from health officials that they would build a database to track autism were met with swift rebuke from advocacy organizations and doctors.”

Also reporting is The Hill (5/7, Choi ).

Related Links:

— “US Health department will analyze data from autistic Medicare, Medicaid enrollees, RFK Jr. says,” Amanda Seitz, Associated Press, May 7, 2025

HealthDay (5/2, Thompson ) reported a study found that “people who increased their physical activity to meet recommended guidelines between ages 45 and 65 had less accumulation of amyloid beta, a toxic protein that forms plaques in the brains of” patients with Alzheimer’s. Researchers observed the link was dose-dependent, meaning that the “more people increased their activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid beta in their brains. Active people also showed less age-related shrinkage in brain regions associated with memory and Alzheimer’s.” Researchers concluded, “These findings reinforce the importance of promoting physical activity in middle age as a public health strategy for Alzheimer’s prevention.” The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Related Links:

— “Middle-Age Exercise Protects Brain Against Alzheimer’s,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, May 2, 2025

Managed Healthcare Executive (5/2, Contreras) reported a study found that “universal annual depression screening for young adults during primary care visits is cost-effective and could even save more if health systems improve access to telehealth, reduce treatment costs or enhance treatment effectiveness.” The study “compared four screening strategies: annual, every two years, once at age 12 and usual care – which includes low screening and treatment rates.” Data suggest that “annual screenings resulted in the greatest benefit – adding nearly 44,000 depression-free days and 57.4 QALYs per 1,000 young adults compared to usual care. While annual screening added about $3 million in costs, the cost-effectiveness ratio remained within the common and accepted thresholds.” The study was published in JAMA Health Forum.

Related Links:

— “Yearly Depression Screening for Young Adults Is Worth the Cost,” Briana Contreras, Managed Healthcare Executive, May 2, 2025

Psychiatric News (5/2) reported a study found that “between 2018 and 2021, the proportion of adults receiving outpatient mental health care that was solely psychotherapy rose, while the proportion of those taking only psychotropic medications declined.” Researchers observed that “the percentage of patients who received psychotherapy without medications rose significantly from 11.5% in 2018 to 15.4% in 2021. The percentage of patients who received medications without psychotherapy dropped significantly from 67.6% in 2018 to 62.1% in 2021. The percentage of patients who received both medications and psychotherapy remained relatively stable (20.8% in 2018 and 22.5% in 2021).” They noted that the “largest single-year increase in the use of psychotherapy occurred between 2018 and 2019, so factors unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of telemedicine contributed to this trend.” The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “More Patients Receiving Psychotherapy Without Medication, Study Finds,” Psychiatric News, May 2, 2025

MedPage Today (5/5, Henderson ) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis found that “parental use of technology was negatively associated with cognitive and psychosocial outcomes as well as screen time in kids younger than age 5.” In the 21-study analysis, “there were significant associations between parents’ technology use while in their child’s presence and several of these outcomes.”

Researchers stated that technological devices can help parents “navigate the complexities of modern life,” but “when parent-child interactions are disrupted by their devices, it may foster a sense of being ignored or lead children to feel they must compete for their parent’s attention.” They added, “Such intrusions may disrupt the natural flow of interactions, which is particularly important as young children are acquiring critical social and language skills (and in parallel, motor, psychosocial, and cognitive skills) and establishing their movement behavior patterns (e.g., physical activity, sedentary screen time, and sleep).” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (5/5) reports a study found that while “youth with mental illness spend significantly more time on social media than those without,” only youth “with internalizing conditions such as depression or anxiety disorders were more likely to feel a lack of control about their social media use or engage in other unhealthy online behaviors.” Researchers observed that “youth who had a mental illness spent significantly more time on social media weekly than those without (average 2.8 hours versus 1.9 hours, respectively) and were also less satisfied on average with their number of online friends.” Furthermore, youth with an internalizing condition “spent more time online (around three hours weekly) and were less happy about their online friend count.” They also “engaged more frequently in online social comparisons, were more likely to say that social media feedback (e.g., number of likes) impacted their mood, and were more likely to feel lack of control about their time spent online.” The study was published in Nature Human Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Youth With Internalizing Conditions Spend More Time on Social Media, Feel Lack of Control Online,” Psychiatric News, May 5, 2025

American Journal of Managed Care (5/5, McCormick) reports a study found that “outpatient telepsychiatry care was associated with lower inpatient hospitalization rates and fewer emergency department admissions while maintaining comparable costs to Medicaid.” Researchers “conducted a cross-sectional analysis using 2022 Medicaid data to examine the costs and outcomes associated with timely outpatient telepsychiatry care delivered by Frontier Psychiatry in Billings, Montana, one of the largest psychiatric care organizations in the Intermountain West.” They found “lower hospitalization rates and emergency admissions for telepsychiatry patients, but similar readmission rates compared to controls.” Researchers concluded, “It is our hope that the findings we report here spur increased investment in, and access to, pragmatic and timely outpatient psychiatric treatment for some of our nation’s most vulnerable patients.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Telepsychiatry Services Cut Hospitalization Rates Without Raising Overall Costs,” , American Journal of Managed Care, May 5, 2025