The American Journal of Managed Care (12/23, Rath) reports, “Alopecia areata has a greater impact on the mental health and work-related outcomes of non-White individuals compared with White individuals, according to a study.” Investigators found that “Greater risks of depressive episodes…recurrent major depressive disorder…and anxiety disorders…were linked to alopecia areata.” The data indicated that “participants of Black ethnicity had elevated rates of alopecia areata–associated risk of anxiety disorders.” Meanwhile, “mental health risks linked to alopecia areata were observed in urban areas but not rural regions.” The findings were published in British Journal of Dermatology.

Related Links:

— “Alopecia Areata Linked to Mental Health, Socioeconomic, Racial Disparities,” Cameron Santoro, American Journal of Managed Care, December 23, 2024

HealthDay (12/20, Thompson ) reported a study suggests that “seniors with an infection can take antibiotics without fear of harming their brain health.” Antibiotics do not “appear to increase the risk of cognitive decline or dementia in older adults, researchers report.” One investigator said, “Given that older adults are more frequently prescribed antibiotics and are also at higher risk for cognitive decline, these findings offer reassurance about using these medications.” The findings were published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Antibiotics Do Not Increase Risks for Cognitive Decline, Dementia in Older Adults, New Data Says,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 20, 2024

Bloomberg Law (12/20, Phengsitthy , Subscription Publication) reported, “The US government is going after drugmakers such as Bristol Myers Squibb Co., Johnson & Johnson, and Merck & Co. to pay rebates to Medicare if they raise the price of some of their drugs faster than inflation beginning in January.” A number of “Medicare enrollees will pay a lower coinsurance rate for 64 drugs treating cancer, osteoporosis, and substance use disorder between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2025, the US Department of Health and Human Services said Friday.” According to HHS, “over 853,000 people with Medicare use these drugs annually.” Beneficiaries who take these drugs “in the first quarter of 2025 may save between $1 and $10,818 per day, according to the agency.”

Related Links:

— “Medicare Imposes Savings on 64 Drugs Exceeding Inflation Rate,” Nyah Phengsitthy, Bloomberg Law, December 20, 2024

HealthLeaders Media (12/19, Wicklund ) reports, “Federal officials have launched a new behavioral health program aimed at creating care management programs for Medicare and Medicaid patients dealing with severe mental health conditions and substance abuse disorder (SUD).” The CMS “Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model seeks to bridge the gap between behavioral health and primary care by enabling specialty behavioral health practices, including community mental health centers, opioid treatment programs and private or public practices, to create interprofessional care teams to coordinate care.” The new program’s goal “is to improve care and outcomes for the estimated 25% of all Medicare patients experiencing mental illness and the 40% of Medicaid patients dealing with a mental illness or SUD.”

Related Links:

— “CMS LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH, OUD TREATMENT,” Eric Wickland, HealthLeaders Media, December19 , 2024

HealthDay (12/19, Thompson ) reports, “Teenagers who land in an ER with a mental health crisis can be effectively helped by a community-based program.” A new study “shows that troubled teens placed in such a program were significantly less likely to return to the ER or require inpatient psychiatric care due to a follow-up crisis.” The community-based “program did not reduce risk of a subsequent suicide attempt, but did reduce the risk of being hospitalized for a suicide attempt.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “New Youth Mental Health Program Shows Promise,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 19, 2024

The AP (12/18, Morga ) reports that although “the holidays are meant to be a time of celebration with family and friends…they can also bring pressure to spend money on gifts, gatherings and plane tickets home, exacerbated by brand emails, social media influencers and family expectations.” With credit card debt increasing “and prices for many items still high due to inflation, overspending during the holiday season can add to the financial stress many Americans are already experiencing, said Dr. Marketa Wills, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association.”

Wills said, “The idea that one is on the hook for buying gifts for all their friends and families adds an enormous amount of stress on someone trying to have a perfect holiday.” The AP offers “expert recommendations to avoid financial stress this holiday season,” including “setting expectations with your family,” making a budget, and “gifting experiences rather than things.”

Related Links:

— “How to avoid financial stress during the holiday season,” Adriana Morga, Associated Press, December 18, 2024

Healio (12/18, Jenkins ) reports, “Children and young adults who underwent surgical removal of tonsils or adenoids had a higher risk for stress-related disorders later in life vs. those who did not undergo either procedure, according to a study.” The investigators “noted that these associations were independent of sex, age at surgery, time since surgery, parental educational attainment or parental history of stress-related disorders.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Tonsil, adenoid removal in early life may up risk for stress-related disorders later on,” Cassandra Jenkins, Healio, December 18, 2024

HealthDay (12/17, Mundell ) reports, “There may be something special about team sports in childhood that helps sharpen a kid’s brain, new research shows.” Investigators found that “children who were on soccer or volleyball teams scored higher on tests of ‘executive function’ – thinking skills needed to organize, remember details, make decisions and stay focused – compared to kids who didn’t play sports or played individual sports only.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Team Sports Score Big Points for Your Child’s Brain, Study Finds,” , HealthDay, December17 , 2024

The AP (12/17, Stobbe ) reports, “Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday.” Roughly “two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days.” That is “the largest proportion abstaining since the annual survey started measuring abstinence in 2017.” The Monitoring the Future survey found that “among 10th graders, 80% said they hadn’t used any of those substances recently, another record.” Meanwhile, “among 8th graders, 90% didn’t use any of them, the same as was reported in the previous survey.”

Related Links:

— “Most US teens are abstaining from drinking, smoking and marijuana, survey says,” Mike Stobbe, Associated Press, December 17, 2024

Psychiatric News (12/16) reports a study “suggests that more than half of patients wish to be notified when AI is used in their health care.” The researchers said their “findings suggest that notification about AI will be necessary for ethical AI and should be a priority for organizations and policymakers.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “ Majority of Patients Want to Know if AI Is Used in Their Health Care ,” Psychiatric News, December 16, 2024