HealthDay (6/11, Gotkine ) reports a research letter published in JAMA Network Open says “opportunities remain to increase use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.” The researchers calculated that “between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024, 988 was contacted 16,333,707 times nationally, with 11.0 percent of contacts rerouted to the Veterans Crisis Line.” Over the 30-month period, “the national lifetime 988 contact incidence rate was 48.9 per 1,000 population,” and the “estimated lifetime 988 use prevalence was 2.4 percent. The corresponding past-year contact incidence rate and past-year prevalence was 23.7 per 1,000 population and 1.6 percent.” They concluded, “The past-year 988 contact rate of 23.7 per 1,000 is less than half that of the rate of adult emergency department visits that include a mental health diagnosis (53.0 per 1,000 population), [suggesting] that although 988 has been contacted more than 16 million times since its launch, there remains opportunity to increase 988 use.”

Related Links:

— “988 Contacted More Than 16 Million Times From Its Launch to December 2024,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, June 11, 2025

American Journal of Managed Care (6/10, Shaw ) reports a study suggests that “in the process of recovering from COVID-like symptoms, mental health and well-being took close to 3 times as long to recover compared with physical health.” Data show that “although physical health tends to bounce back by 3 months after symptoms became apparent, mental well-being can take up to 9 months to reach a comparable level of recovery.” Researchers found that “up to 1 year after infection, close to 20% of patients continued to report a reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL) vs before their self-reported COVID-like symptoms.” Furthermore, they noted there “is potential for underestimation of other illnesses because of this; among their study population, health recovery recovered to a higher level for those who reported COVID-like symptoms vs those who tested negative.” The study was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Related Links:

— “Prolonged Mental Health Recovery Linked to Long COVID,” Maggie L. Shaw, American Journal of Managed Care, June 10, 2025

Healio (6/10, Herpen) reports a study found that “therapy for anxiety and depression after stroke was associated with improved recovery, with early treatment leading to better outcomes than delayed treatment.”

Study results indicate that patients “who commenced psychological services 12 months or more after stroke had 20% lower odds for reliable recovery from symptoms of anxiety or depression compared with those who began attending within 6 months of their stroke. Both groups demonstrated moderate reductions in depression and large reductions in anxiety symptoms.” Yet data show “that patients who started treatment earlier consistently recorded lower” PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores.

Researchers concluded, “It is essential for general practitioners and other clinicians working with stroke survivors to screen for depression and anxiety symptoms and refer patients for psychological therapy as early as possible.” The study was published in Nature Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Earlier counseling after stroke linked to improved anxiety, depression,” Robert Herpen, MA, Healio, June 10, 2025

Psychiatric News (6/9) reports a study found that “people who work in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and the media have a higher prevalence of frequent mental distress than those in other fields.” Researchers examined three measures of mental health among participants: diagnosis of lifetime depression; number of self-reported mentally unhealthy days (MUDs) in the past month; and frequent mental distress, “defined as a MUD score of 14 or higher.” They found that “overall, 14.2% of participants reported lifetime depression and 9.6% reported frequent mental distress.” When compared with workers in a reference group, “workers in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media had 1.32 times the prevalence of frequent mental distress.” Meanwhile, employees “in food preparation and serving (1.20 times), health care support (1.19 times), and sales and related occupations (1.13 times) also had statistically higher prevalence of frequent mental distress compared with the reference group.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Frequent Mental Distress Varies by Occupation, Psychiatric News, June 9, 2025

HealthDay (6/9, Thompson ) reports a study found that “the percentage of people in treatment for cannabis use disorder declined from 19% in 2003 to 13% in 2019.” Researchers noted the decline “occurred even though millions of Americans could be diagnosed with cannabis use disorder,” due in part to marijuana now being legal for recreational use in 24 states plus DC. According to the CDC, “about 3 in 10 people who use marijuana are believed to have cannabis use disorder.” Researchers said in background notes that “more than 16 million people 12 and older now meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder.” They concluded, “Our findings highlight an urgent and growing need for targeted outreach and improved education about available treatment options for cannabis use disorder.” The study was published in Substance Use & Misuse.

Related Links:

— “Fewer People Seeking Treatment For Cannabis Use Disorder,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 9, 2025