ABC News (6/3, Nissen) reported, “Amid the promising new data and enthusiasm of ketamine therapy, many of these clinics are now closing their doors due to financial concerns – leaving some patients unsure of their treatment options.” Physicians “who run ketamine clinics say that cash-only ketamine clinics face unique economic challenges.” While “patients pay cash, it may not always be enough to cover the extensive staffing and facility costs required to deliver high-quality care.”

Related Links:

— “Closures of ketamine clinics leave some patients scrambling for treatment,” Dr. Nicholas Nissen, ABC News, June 3, 2023

CNN (6/1, McPhillips) reports, “Millions of adults in the United States are not taking their medications as prescribed because of costs, according to a new report from the” CDC. CNN adds, “Most adults between the ages of 18 and 64 took at least one prescription medication in 2021.” However, “more than 8% of them – about 9.2 million people – said they tried to save money by skipping doses, taking less than prescribed or delaying a prescription fill, according to the CDC data.”

Related Links:

— “Drug costs lead millions in the US to not take medications as prescribed, according to CDC ” Deidre McPhillips, CNN, June 1, 2023

The New York Times (6/1, Ghorayshi) reports, “Studies of L.G.B.T.Q. people show they have high rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, factors that greatly increase the risk of suicide.” However, “because most death investigators do not collect data on sexuality or gender identity, no one knows how many gay and transgender people die by suicide each year in the” US. This “information vacuum makes it difficult to tailor suicide prevention efforts to meet the needs of the people most at risk, and to measure how well the programs work, researchers said.”

Related Links:

— “No One Knows How Many L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Die by Suicide “Azeen Ghorayshi, The New York Times, June 1, 2023

The Washington Post (5/31, Reynolds) reports, “Exercise can sharpen your thinking and keep your brain healthy as you age – even if you don’t start exercising until later in life,” investigators concluded in a study involving functional magnetic resonance imaging that “recruited 33 volunteers in their 70s and 80s, about half of whom were experiencing mild cognitive impairment, a loss of thinking skills that often precedes Alzheimer’s disease.” The study revealed that “previously sedentary 70- and 80-year-olds who started exercising, including some who had already experienced some cognitive decline, showed improvement in their brain function after workouts.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (5/31) reports, “Individuals who experience a myocardial infarction (heart attack) appear to have a faster cognitive decline over time than those who do not experience a myocardial infarction,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from six U.S. prospective cohort studies conducted from 1971 to 2019” that encompassed some 30,465 adults. The findings were published online May 30 in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Heart Attack Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline Over Time, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, May 31, 2023