Healio (4/29, Herpen) reported, “Those hospitalized for psychiatric illness were less likely to be tested for COVID-19 and had lower confirmed infection rates but higher risk for COVID-19-related mortality than the general population,” researchers concluded in an “epidemiological study” utilizing “several national databases to include a nationwide cohort of 125,273 persons, 28 years and older, who had ever been hospitalized with a psychiatric disorder before March 1, 2020, along with reported rates of testing, infection, hospitalization, mortality and vaccinations between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.” The findings were published online April 22 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Those with psychiatric illness less likely to be tested, vaccinated than general population “Robert Herpen, Healio, April 29, 2022

mHealth Intelligence (4/28, Melchionna) reports “a study published in JAMA Network Open found that telehealth appointments for acute conditions resulted in a higher likelihood of multiple follow-up visits than in-person appointments.” For instance, “the odds ratio of a follow-up encounter following” a virtual encounter for acute bronchitis “was 1.23 as compared to 1 for those who had an in-person visit.” Between 2019 and 2020, “the COVID-19 pandemic sharply increased the percentage of telehealth encounters as a proportion of all ambulatory encounters, from 0.6% in 2019 to 14.1% in 2020.”

Related Links:

— “Telehealth More Likely to Prompt Follow-up for Acute Conditions ” Mark Melchionna, mHealth Intelligence, April 28, 2022

According to HealthDay (4/28, Preidt), the success of depression treatment may be affected by “race, income, job status and education,” investigators concluded in a study that “looked at 665 patients who had equal access to depression treatment.” Following adjustment “for sex, age and treatment type after 12 weeks of antidepressant medication, the researchers found that non-white patients had 11.3% less improvement in their depression compared to white patients,” and “patients who were non-white and unemployed, didn’t have a college degree and had incomes in the bottom quarter had 26% less improvement than those who were white and had jobs, a degree and income in the highest quarter.” The findings were published online March 31 in the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Race, Income Can Be Roadblocks to Recovery From Depression ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 28, 2022

Forbes (4/28, Gordon) says that according to a survey “from the COVID States Project, nearly half (49%) of respondents reported symptoms of depression, with 26% reporting moderate symptoms or worse.” The survey – conducted between March and April 2022 – found “rates of depression varied dramatically by age,” noting that “fully half of young adults aged 18 to 24 reported moderate or severe symptoms of depression and another 23% reported mild symptoms.” The survey also noted “gender and racial differences,” with rates of depression highest among women and “Hispanic respondents and respondents identified as ‘other race.’”

Related Links:

— “50% Of Young Adults Report Symptoms Of Depression, New Covid-19 Survey Shows “Deb Gordon, Forbes, April 28, 2022

Psychiatric News (4/28) reports, “The rate of suicide among women living in previously handgun-free homes increased substantially when a cohabitant acquired a handgun,” researchers concluded after conducting “an observational cohort study involving 9.5 million adult women (average age, 41.6 years) in California who did not own guns.” The findings were published online April 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Rate Among Women Increases When Gun Added to Home, Psychiatric News, April 28, 2022