Psychiatric News (1/17) reports, “An individual’s personal income appears to play a role in the amount of time between the onset of psychosis and receipt of services to treat first-episode psychosis…suggests a study.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from patients enrolled in two first-episode treatment programs—the Program for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis…in New Haven, Conn., and the Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis…in Boston.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services. “Lower personal income was significantly associated with younger age, fewer years of education, Black race, and longer Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP). Personal income predicted DUP beyond the effects of age, race, and early psychosis detection.”

Related Links:

— “Lower Income Associated With Greater Treatment Delays for People With First-Episode Psychosis,” Psychiatric News, January 17, 2024

The Washington Post (1/17, Meckler , Natanson ) reports, “In the year following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the number of school resource officers fell as districts responded to calls for limits on police, according to data released…by the U.S. Education Department.” Additionally, “the report found that the overwhelming majority of schools increased social and emotional supports for students affected by the coronavirus, but fewer schools provided treatment and diagnosis of mental health disorders.” The new report examined “the state of safety and security on campuses in 2021-22.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/16, Thompson ) reports there is “no link at all between weed use and a person’s use of illicit opioids, one way or the other, a new review concludes.” The research found that cannabis is not “a gateway drug that can spark a person’s desire to try narcotics.” The study also found marijuana is not “effective in helping wean” people with substance use disorder off opioids. The findings were published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Related Links:

— “Marijuana Has No Role in Taking Up or Quitting Opioids: Study,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 16, 2024

mHealth Intelligence (1/16, Vaidya ) reports, “Though telehealth can help expand mental healthcare access, United States counties where mental health resources are low tend to also lack broadband internet access, hampering telehealth use, according to recent research.”

The study found that “US counties with low broadband access had reduced densities of mental health services, with an average of 3.63 mental healthcare physicians, 2.86 non-physician mental health practitioners, 1.33 psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, 0.94 inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities, and 11.28 outpatient facilities available per 100,000 members of the population.” The findings were published in Nature Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Counties with Urgent Mental Healthcare Needs Face Telehealth Barriers,” Anuja Vaidya, mHealth Intelligence, January 16, 2024

Healio (1/16, Rhoades) reports “reduced drug use was linked to lower levels of craving, depression and other drug-related problems among individuals with stimulant use disorder, even if they did not achieve abstinence, according to a study.” The researchers involved in the study “said they also observed improvements in the severity of drug-related symptoms and psychosocial functioning.” The findings were published in Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Reducing drug use improves clinical outcomes in patients with stimulant use disorder,” Andrew Rhodes, Healio, January 16, 2024