HealthDay (8/22) reports, “Peer worker-facilitated psychiatric advance directives (PW-PAD) are effective for decreasing compulsory hospital admissions among people with mental disorders,” investigators concluded in a 394-patient study that enrolled “adults with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, or schizoaffective disorder who had a compulsory admission in the past 12 months.” The findings were published online June 6 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric Advance Directives Effective for Mental Disorders, HealthDay, August 22, 2022

According to the New York Times (8/22, A1, Dewan), “America’s mass killers fit no single profile and certainly no pattern of insanity – many, if not most, had never been diagnosed with a serious psychiatric disorder.” Rather, “many experts have come to focus on warning signs that occur whether or not actual mental illness is present, including marked changes in behavior, demeanor or appearance, uncharacteristic fights or arguments, and telling others of plans for violence, a phenomenon known as ‘leakage.’” This “warning signs approach has benefits: It can work even when the mental health system does not, and it sidesteps the complaint that blaming mass shootings on mental illness increases negative attitudes and stigma toward those who suffer from it.”

Related Links:

— “What Are the Real Warning Signs of a Mass Shooting? “Shaila Dewan, The New York Times, August 22, 2022

The New York Times (8/22, Richtel, Flanagan) reports, “A yearlong series of articles by The Times” has delved into “the major risks to adolescents” that “have shifted sharply in recent decades, from drinking, drugs and teen pregnancy to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.” Although “the decline in adolescent mental health was underway before the pandemic; now it is a full-blown crisis, affecting young people across economic, racial and gender lines.” What’s more, this “trend has coincided with teenagers spending a growing amount of time online, and social media is commonly blamed for the crisis.”

Related Links:

— “A Teen’s Journey Into the Internet’s Darkness and Back Again “Matt Richtel, The New York Times, August 22, 2022

Healio (8/19, Downey) reported, “More than 5.5 million American adults aged 18 years and older, including more than three million aged 26 years and older, use hallucinogens, researchers estimated” in findingspublished online Aug. 17 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “More than 5.5 million American adults use hallucinogens “Ken Downey Jr., Healio , August 19, 2022

Healio (8/19, Downey) reported, “More than 5.5 million American adults aged 18 years and older, including more than three million aged 26 years and older, use hallucinogens, researchers estimated” in findings published online Aug. 17 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “More than 5.5 million American adults use hallucinogens “Ken Downey Jr., Healio , August 19, 2022