Healio (12/28, Herpen) reports, “Factors for risk for rehospitalization for those with psychiatric disorders included suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, previous hospitalization and longer stay in hospital,” investigators concluded in a “retrospective study” that “included 1,001 adult participants.” The findings were published online Dec. 22 in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicidality, prior hospitalization length risk factors for psychiatric re-hospitalization “Robert Herpen, MA, Healio, December 28, 2022

Healio (12/23, Downey) reported, “Traumatic brain injury, PTSD and the apolipoprotein E4 gene showed strong associations with Alzheimer’s disease” (AD) “and related dementias,” researchers concluded in a study that “evaluated the impact of APOE4, PTSD and TBI on AD and related dementias…prevalence in veteran cohorts of European and African ancestries.” The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Related Links:

— “Head trauma, PTSD linked to Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, December 23, 2022

According to the New York Times (12/27, Barry), research published online Dec. 27 in JAMA Pediatrics revealed “a surprising trend among adolescents who repeatedly visited the hospital” emergency department (ED) for mental health emergencies. After analyzing “more than 308,000 mental health visits at 38 hospitals between 2015 and 2020,” investigators found that “the patients most likely to reappear in” EDs “were not patients who harmed themselves, but rather those whose agitation and aggressive behavior proved too much for their caregivers to manage.” What’s more, “in many cases, repeat visitors had previously received sedatives or other drugs to restrain them when their behavior became disruptive.”

CNN (12/27, Howard) reports, “Between 2015 and 2020, mental health visits in pediatric emergency departments increased by 8% annually, with about 13% of those patients revisiting within six months,” while “all other emergency department visits increased by 1.5% annually,” the study also found. The study authors concluded that “identifying patients at high risk of revisit provides an opportunity for tailored interventions to improve mental health care delivery.”

Related Links:

— “Parents Often Bring Children to Psychiatric E.R.s to Subdue Them, Study Finds “Ellen Barry, The New York Times, December 27, 2022

Healio (12/22, Foster) reports, “Telehealth interventions were as effective as in-person treatment for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 17 grantees and 95 associated sites that were funded by the Evidence-Based Tele-Behavioral Health Network Program and the Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program.” The findings of the 1,514-patient study were published online Dec. 10 in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Telehealth effective for treating anxiety, depression “Melissa Foster, Healio, December 22, 2022

PatientEngagementHIT (12/21, Heath) reports “adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are increasingly recognized as influencing pediatric health and well-being into adulthood,” as study data “signals that organizations that screen for ACEs can more successfully connect kids with behavioral health services that might improve health.” Investigators “found that screening for ACEs improved receipt of behavioral health services from 4.33 percent to 32.48 percent.” The findings of the study that included “4,030 kids” who “screened positive for an ACE as part of the pilot” were published online in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Screening Effective in Primary Care “Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT, December 21, 2022