The Washington Post (1/23, Morris) reports, “Practicing mindfulness to relieve anxiety can be just as effective as medication,” research indicates. The findings of a 276-participant study published online Nov. 9, 2022 in JAMA Psychiatry “showed that people who received eight weeks of mindfulness-based interventions experienced a decrease in anxiety that matched those who were prescribed escitalopram.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (1/23) reports, “When it comes to the risk of metabolic side effects, not all antipsychotics are equal,” investigators concluded in a 137-study network meta-analysis encompassing “35,007 participants who had taken 31 different antipsychotics (both oral and injectable) that are available in the United States and/or Europe.” After comparing “the effects of these medications on body weight as well as fasting glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels,” the study team found that “patients with schizophrenia who took chlorpromazine or clozapine for more than 13 weeks experienced the most weight gain on average compared with those taking placebo.” The findings were published online Jan. 14 in the journal World Psychiatry.

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— “Metabolic Side Effects of Antipsychotics Vary, Meta-Analysis Finds, Psychiatric News, January 23, 2023

The Washington Post (1/22, A1, Nirappil) reports that across the U.S., “the RSV wave has receded,” influenza “cases have rapidly dwindled,” and COVID-19 “hospitalizations rose briefly after Christmas, only to fall again.” The “early waves of respiratory syncytial virus and influenza peaked before the new year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” and “the expected winter uptick of coronavirus is nowhere close to overwhelming hospitals.” Still, “experts caution the country could see additional increases in flu, which sometimes has two peaks, and another RSV season in spring,” and warn the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 could continue to spread.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

According to Kaiser Health News (1/20, Kreidler), the NFL “is working its way toward the kind of mental health support for its players, coaches, and staff in which a range of counseling is standard and readily accessible.” In 2019, the league “implemented a formal program to manage its employees’ mental health needs,” a program that “mandates that each team have a licensed behavioral health clinician on staff.” The “individual franchises,” however, “still have great latitude in implementing that directive.” Meanwhile, “the NFL’s best chance to make big strides in its mental health coverage, clinicians say, may derive from the simple fact that it is continually drafting and developing new talent,” and younger players are “more open to the idea of dealing with their mental health.”

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— “NFL Has Been Slow to Embrace Mental Health Support for Players “Mark Kreidler, Kaiser Health News, January 20, 2023

Psychiatric News (1/20) reported, “Telehealth options may help increase the likelihood that veterans with substance use disorder (SUD) will initiate and stay in treatment,” researchers concluded after analyzing “electronic health record data from 373 veterans between 21 and 87 years old who were referred to an outpatient alcohol and substance treatment clinic at a VA hospital.” The study team “compared treatment initiation and retention among veterans with SUD who received telehealth referrals during the COVID-19 pandemic with that of veterans who were only referred for in-person treatment before the pandemic lockdowns began.” The findings were published online Jan. 16 in the American Journal on Addictions.

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— “Telehealth Options May Boost Number of Veterans Who Begin Treatment for Substance Use, Psychiatric News, January 20, 2023