Healio (10/5, Rhoades) reports, “High psychological distress, including anxiety, worry and depression, before SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a risk factor for developing post-COVID-19 symptoms,” researchers concluded in a study that “examined data on 54,960 participants from three ongoing longitudinal studies beginning in April 2020.” The findings were published online Sept. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Preexisting psychological distress may be risk factor for long COVID “Andrew Rhoades, , October 5, 2022

CNN (10/5, McPhillips) reports, “An overwhelming majority of people in the United States think the country is experiencing a mental health crisis,” findings from “a new survey [PDF] from CNN in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation” indicate. Survey data revealed that “nine out of 10 adults said they believed that there’s a mental health crisis in the US today.” Captured by the survey were “the perceptions of a nationally representative sample of about 2,000 adults over the summer – 2½ years into the Covid-19 pandemic and amid ongoing public health threats including racism and gun violence.”

Related Links:

— “90% of US adults say the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis, CNN/KFF poll finds “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, October 5, 2022

Healthcare Finance News (10/4, Lagasse) reports, “According to the newly released J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, a growing majority of consumers now say they prefer telehealth over in-person visits for a wide range of routine care, including prescription refills, reviews of medication options and to discuss medical results.” Furthermore, “almost all – 94% – of telehealth users say they would use the technology to receive medical services in the future.” And “another 57% of patients say they prefer telehealth for regular mental health visits.”

Related Links:

— “Telehealth patients flocking to virtual appointments for some routine care “Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare Finance News, October 4, 2022

Psychiatric News (10/3) reports, “Children who were exposed to antidepressants in the womb do not appear to have an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders,” investigators concluded in a study that “included over 145,000 women who took an antidepressant during the second half of pregnancy and over three million who did not,” and then tracked “the children of these women…from birth until they were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, died, disenrolled, or reached age 14.” The findings were published online Oct. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Not Associated With Neurodevelopmental Risk in Children, Psychiatric News, October 3, 2022

Kaiser Health News (10/3, Leys, Zionts) reports, “For years, many cities have sent social workers, medics, trained outreach workers, or mental health professionals to” respond to some calls previously handled by police officers. In rural areas, however, “crisis response teams have been slower to catch on…even though mental illness is just as prevalent” in those areas as in cities. Meanwhile, Iowa now funds a program that dispatches crisis teams “via the statewide crisis line or the new national 988 mental health crisis line.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Crisis Teams Aren’t Just for Cities Anymore “Tony Leys and Arielle Zionts, Kaiser Health News, October 3, 2022