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Latest News Around the Web

More Adults Being Diagnosed With ADHD As Number Of People Seeking Evaluations Rises, Physicians Say

The AP (1/27, Stobbe ) reports, “More adults are being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.” Diagnoses have been increasing “for decades but seem to have accelerated in the last few years.” One study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “suggested that more than 15 million U.S. adults – roughly 1 in 17 – have been diagnosed with ADHD.” ADHD “always starts in childhood, but about half of adults with it are diagnosed when they are 18 or older.” Some physicians “say the number of people coming in for evaluation is skyrocketing.”

Related Links:

— “Rise in diagnoses is prompting more US adults to ask: ‘Do I have ADHD?’,”Mike Stobbe , AP, January 27, 2025

Women Experience More Severe Early PTSD Symptoms Than Men, Study Suggests

HCPlive (1/25, Derman) reported, “A new study found women experience more severe early PTSD symptoms than men, with re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms identified as the strongest and most interconnected symptom clusters.” The researchers said their “findings underscore the importance of understanding both gender similarities and possible differences in the development of early PTSD symptoms.” The investigators added, “Such understanding may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms driving later development of PTSD.” The findings were published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

Related Links:

— “Study Identifies Gender Differences in Early PTSD Symptoms,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, January 25, 2025

Health agency communications put on pause

The AP (1/22, Stobbe , Aleccia , Perrone ) reports, “federal health agency communications with the public” have been put on a freeze “through at least the end of the month.” According to the Associated Press, agency staff leaders were told in a Tuesday memo that “an ‘immediate pause’ had been ordered.” In addition to public communications, the pause “also applies to anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication.”

Related Links:

— “Trump administration freezes many health agency reports and online posts,”Mike Stobbe and Jonel Aleccia , AP, January 22, 2025

Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Mental Illness Among Women With MS, Research Indicates

HealthDay (1/23, Thompson ) reports research indicates that “pregnancy increases the risk of mental illness among women with multiple sclerosis (MS).” Investigators found that “pregnant MS patients have a higher risk of mental illness both during gestation and in the first years after they give birth, researchers” found. The data indicated that “overall, women with MS have a 26% increased risk of mental illness during pregnancy and a 33% increased risk after giving birth, compared to women without” MS. The research was published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Pregnancy Increases Mental Health Risk in MS Patients,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 23, 2025

Foundation News

Foundation Talks About New 9-8-8 Suicide Lifeline in PSA

Like the national emergency number 9-1-1, the US now has a new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number: 9-8-8. The Foundation says it is for anyone experiencing any acute mental health crisis, whether that be suicidal thoughts, a substance abuse problem, or any needed emotional support. The lifeline can be used by family and loved ones to call for help with someone they know how is having a crisis.

Dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention LifelineDial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, MP3, 1.2MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

Deepak Prabhakar, M.D. to Receive MFP Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award

Deepak Prabhakar, M.D. will be awarded the 2022 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for his Op-Ed column, “Biles is leading a new generation of athletes who prioritize mental health,” which was published in the August 2, 2021 print issue of The Baltimore Sun.  The MFP board of directors felt that it very effectively expressed important ideas such as that the best athletes with “steely” inner strength can nevertheless be vulnerable to mental ill-ness, that people should not feel ashamed to seek treatment when needed, and that everybody should routinely check on friends and family to make sure they are okay, and encourage them to seek professional help when needed.

The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award carries a $500 prize and will be formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on April 28.

The Foundation established this annual prize for a worthy media piece, preferably local or regional, that accomplishes one or more of the following:

  • Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
  • Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
  • Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.

Click here for information about past winners.

New Foundation PSA Examines Possible Silver Lining of the Pandemic

They say every dark cloud has a silver lining. Though the COVID pandemic has had many devastating impacts, there have been some positive consequences for mental health care.This PSA looks at the growth of TeleHealth to make and attend appointments online from the comfort of their own rooms. Unprecedented government funding for mental health was also mobilized. Listen to hear more developments.

Positive Consequences From the Pandemic For Mental Health CarePositive Consequences From the Pandemic For Mental Health Care, MP3, 1.2MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

Latest PSA From Foundation Examines Rise in Suicide Among Black People

The COVID pandemic has highlighted racial disparities in health and healthcare. Suicide has mistakenly been seen as a problem primarily for white people, but now upward trends have been seen among black people, particular black adolescent girls. This new PSA from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. examines the reasons for this and calls for further research.

Racial Disparities Seen in Suicide StudiesRacial Disparities Seen in Suicide Studies, MP3, 1.4MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

Seeking Nominations for 2022 Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award

The annual Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award recognizes a worthy piece published in a major newspaper that accomplishes one or more of the following:

  • Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
  • Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
  • Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.

A Maryland author and/or newspaper is preferred.  Click here for past winners and published articles.

The award carries a $500 prize, which is given at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting in April.  To nominate a piece to be considered for the 2022 award, email it to mfp@mdpsych.org no later than January 10, 2022.  The article should be published during the period from January 15, 2021 to January 10, 2022.