Psychiatric News (8/29) reports research published online Aug. 27 in Schizophrenia Bulletin indicates that “people with schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder may remain at elevated risk of death from the” COVID-19 “virus compared with people without mental illness regardless of the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.” Included in the study were “48,912 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, 13,932 with bipolar disorder, 152,489 with major depressive disorder, and 773,734 without a history of mental illness.”

Related Links:

— “Risk of Death From COVID-19 Remains Higher Among People With Serious Mental Illness, Psychiatric News, August 29, 2022

MedPage Today (8/26, Firth) reported, “‘Addressing mental health concerns among young people, in particular Black youth, is urgently needed,’…said” Michael Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH, dean and professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work in New York City, during an online panel discussion that occurred Aug. 24 “hosted by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and sponsored by the Kristy Hammam Fund for Health Journalism.” What’s more, “suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people, said” Lindsey, who also pointed out that “from 2019 to 2020, hospitals saw a 31% increase in youth emergency department visits related to self-harm behaviors.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (8/27, A1, Richtel, Flanagan) reported on the common medical practice of “the simultaneous use of multiple heavy-duty psychiatric” medications among adolescents. While “psychiatrists and other clinicians emphasize that psychiatric” medicines, “properly prescribed, can be vital in stabilizing adolescents and saving the lives of” teens with suicidal ideation, experts caution, however, that “such medications are too readily doled out, often as an easy alternative to therapy that families cannot afford or find, or aren’t interested in.” The medicines, “generally intended for short-term use, are sometimes prescribed for years, even though they can have severe side effects,” and a number of psychiatric medications “commonly prescribed to adolescents are not approved for people under 18.”

Related Links:

— “This Teen Was Prescribed 10 Psychiatric Drugs. She’s Not Alone. “Matt Richtel, The New York Times, August 27, 2022

HealthDay (8/25, Reinberg) reports “the length of your monthly menstrual cycle may provide clues about the severity of symptoms you’ll experience during menopause and when it will start,” according to a studypublished in the journal Menopause. Investigators “found that women with short menstrual cycles (less than 25 days) during their reproductive years were likely to experience more menopause symptoms” and “were also more likely to start menopause earlier than women with normal menstrual cycles (26 to 34 days).” The study also found “women with short cycles…were more likely to have midlife sleep problems, heart discomfort and depressive symptoms.”

Related Links:

— “Shorter Menstrual Cycles May Affect Timing of Menopause “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, August 25, 2022

HealthPayerIntelligence (8/25, Bailey) reports “large employers plan to expand mental health and virtual care offerings in their 2023 employer-sponsored health plans, but concerns about healthcare costs and health equity persist, according to” Business Group on Health’s “2023 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey.” This survey found that about “half of the employers plan to continue to develop new health and wellbeing programs for remote employees and expand focus on social determinants of health.”

Related Links:

— “Employer Sponsored Health Plans Will Prioritize Mental Health in 2023 “Victoria Bailey, HealthPayerIntelligence , August 25, 2022