KFF Health News (8/14, Rayasam) reports, “A national shortage of mental” healthcare clinicians, “and the search for affordable care, has exacerbated strain on parents, often the primary caregivers who maintain the health and well-being of their children,” a “day-to-day struggle” that “has led to its own health crisis, say psychologists, researchers, and advocates for families.” Even “as parents navigate the mental health care system’s shortcomings, stress can start to take a physical and mental health toll that disrupts their ability to continue providing care, said Christine Crawford, the associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy group that helps families find care.” Parents focus their energies into helping their children, “often at the expense of their own health, Crawford said.”

Related Links:

— “Parents See Own Health Spiral as Their Kids’ Mental Illnesses Worsen,”Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News, August 14, 2023

Psychiatric News (8/11) reported, “Taking lithium may significantly reduce the risk of psychiatric hospitalization for people who have major depressive disorder” (MDD) “or bipolar disorder” (BD), according to the findings of a 260-patient study published online ahead of print in the November issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Lithium May Reduce Psychiatric Hospitalizations in People With Bipolar, Major Depressive Disorder, Psychiatric News, August 11, 2023

According to Bloomberg Law (8/11, Subscription Publication), HHS “has awarded over $88 million to grant programs to develop school-based mental health programs and to increase access to substance use disorder treatments,” the department announced on Aug. 11.

Related Links:

— “HHS Allocates Over $88 Million to Youth Mental Health Programs, Bloomberg Law, August 11, 2023

HCPlive (8/10, Kunzmann) reports, “Patients with irritable bowel disease (IBD) who experience symptoms of anxiety or depression are at an increased risk of poorer disease outcomes including resistance to steroid therapy.” The study, which included 325 patients with IBD, was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Depression, Anxiety Symptoms Linked to Poor IBD Outcomes and Steroid Response,”Kevin Kunzmann, HCPlive, August 10, 2023

HealthDay (8/10, Collins) reports, “People with autism are over three times more likely than their peers without the developmental disorder to experience self-injury, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or death by suicide, new research shows.” Investigators came to this conclusion after looking at data on “nearly 380,000 individuals for incidence of self-harm and almost 335,000 individuals for death by suicide.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “People With Autism Face Much Higher Risk for Self-Harm, Suicide,”Sarah D. Collins, HealthDay, August 10, 2023