USA Today (1/24) columnist Steven Petrow writes that mental health mobile apps are a great idea that could potentially help many people with mental health problems get the treatment they need, but that many of the apps still have problems. Petrow shares his experience with one such app, Talkspace, and explains why he is concerned about the therapists on the app, and also whether the app does enough to protect patients’ privacy. Petrow mentions that the American Psychiatric Association has developed a model for evaluating such apps.

Related Links:

— “Text-based therapy is not ready for prime time,”Steven Petrow, USA Today, January 24, 2017.

In a greater than 1,200-word piece, Scientific American (1/24) reports, “As many as 46 states have now enacted measures for” assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), “and these policies have garnered support from organizations including the American Psychiatric Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.” Nevertheless, “these laws are often underutilized,” partly due to a lack of “trained personnel and underfunding, but fierce opposition to AOT plays a part.” Some critics of AOT contend that the treatment “infringes on patients’ rights and harkens [sic] back to the days of asylums.”

Related Links:

— “How Community Mental Health Care Can Make a Major Difference,”Nathaniel P. Morris, Scientific American, January 24, 2017.

HealthDay (1/23, Preidt) reports, “Gestational diabetes and a previous bout of depression can increase a first-time mother’s risk of postpartum depression,” researchers found after analyzing “data from more than 700,000 women in Sweden.” The findings were published online Jan. 18 in the journal Depression and Anxiety.

Related Links:

— “Gestational Diabetes a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression: Study,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay , January 23, 2017.

HealthDay (1/23, Thompson) reports that research suggests “the stress of managing breast cancer care provokes symptoms of anxiety in more than 42 percent of partners and caregivers.” Investigators found that “this stress-induced anxiety can last years after their loved one’s illness.” Investigators came to these conclusions after surveying “289 partners of patients diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger.” The findings are scheduled to be presented at a meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

Related Links:

— “When Loved One Has Breast Cancer, Partner Suffers, Too,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 23, 2017.

In a 2,000-word piece, the Washington Post (1/21, Itkowitz) reported on how certain community-based programs are helping give people with severe mental illness “a chance to lead a meaningful life.” For example, the Way Station program, “which serves more than 5,000 people across Maryland,” is making a big difference in the lives of individuals with mental illnesses by using “social support systems to integrate people with mental illnesses into their communities.”

Related Links:

— “His mental illness left him homeless. Then a unique program gave him his life back,”Colby Itkowitz, The Washington Post, January 21, 2017.

Reuters (1/20, Lehman) reported that a study suggests that infertile women “who are depressed are less likely to proceed with fertility treatments.” Researchers found that of the 416 women studied, “41 percent screened positive for depression.” The study’s lead author told Reuters Health in an email, “Our study revealed that women who have a screening test correlating with depression were less likely to proceed with infertility treatments, likely making it harder to achieve the ultimate goal of pregnancy.” The findings were published online Jan. 9 in the journal Human Reproduction.

Related Links:

— “Depression may prevent infertile women from seeking treatment,”Shereen Lehman, Reuters, January 20, 2017.

HealthDay (1/20, Preidt) reported, “More Americans with mental illness and substance abuse disorders got health insurance after the Affordable Care Act was introduced,” researchers found after reviewing “data from nearly 30,000 adults, aged 18 to 64, with mental illness and more than 19,000 with substance use disorders.” Investigators focused on “two time periods: 2011 to 2013, and in 2014.” The findings were published online Jan. 17 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. Healio(1/20, Oldt) also covered the study.

Related Links:

— “Obamacare Covered More People With Mental Illness, Addictions,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay, January 20, 2017.

In an opinion piece for The Hill (1/19), psychiatrist Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, the founding president of the Child Mind Institute, writes in wake of the Fort Lauderdale, FL airport shootings by a National Guard veteran that “the mental health burden placed on our veterans is immense, and that the system is not up to the task.” He asserts, “Stigma and lack of access to care for mental health disorders are serious public health issues for all Americans; this problem is compounded for young veterans.” Dr. Koplewicz concludes, “If we are serious about keeping the public safe, we need to be equally serious about the public health crisis of mental health care in our military and our country at large.”

Related Links:

— “Airport shooter shows need for better VA mental health care,”Harold S. Koplewicz, The Hill , January 19, 2017.

Medscape (1/19, Ault) reports, “Millions of Americans gained health insurance coverage for mental illness and substance use disorders under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but this did not translate into an increase in treatment,” researchers found after analyzing “cross-sectional data on 70,000 individuals aged 18 to 64 years who were participants in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” Specifically, the study revealed “only very minimal increases in treatment of mental health disorders and no increase in treatment of substance use disorders after the ACA was passed.” The findings were published online Jan. 17 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/18, Preidt) reports, “Hospitalization-related delirium may speed mental decline in patients with dementia,” researchers concluded after examining medical records and “brain samples from nearly 1,000 people” who “were 65 and older when they died.” The findings were published online Jan. 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Hospital-Related Delirium May Help Worsen Dementia,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay, January 18, 2017.