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Latest News Around the Web

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

Study Finds Diagnoses Of Sedative, Hypnotic, Anxiolytic Use Disorders Increased Between 2001 And 2019 For Adolescents, Young Adults

HCPlive (1/23, Derman) reports, “A recent study reported that sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic use disorders diagnoses increased 3- to 5-fold between 2001 and 2019 for adolescents and young adults.” Researchers found that “the prevalence of these diagnoses was low in adolescents.” The findings were published in Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Sedative, Hypnotic, Anxiolytic Use Disorders Rose from 2001 to 2019 in Young Adults,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, January 23, 2025

IED Linked To Multiple Classes Of Comorbidities, Analysis Suggests

MedPage Today (1/22, Smyth) reports, “Intermittent explosive disorder (IED), characterized by impulsive aggression and poorly regulated emotional control, was associated with multiple classes of comorbidities, an analysis of 117.7 million healthcare records showed.” Out “of 30,000 individuals with an IED diagnosis during their lifetime, 95.7% had at least one other psychiatric diagnosis.” Researchers found that “all psychiatric subcategories and 92% of psychiatric diagnoses were significantly associated with IED, with hazard ratios ranging from 2.1 for substance use disorder to 76.6 for disorders of adult personality and behavior.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Almost half of Americans plan to drink less alcohol in 2025, survey finds

USA Today (1/21, Snider ) reports, “Nearly half of Americans (49%) say they plan to drink less [alcohol] in 2025 – up from 41% who said that was their plan in 2024, according to a new survey, released Tuesday, commissioned by advertising and sales measurement technology firm NCSolutions.” The survey found that Generation Z, made up of “adults ages 18 to 28,” is “leading the way,” as almost two-thirds of them “(65%) say they plan to drink less in 2025.” Almost “four out of 10 in Gen Z (39%) said they will adopt a dry lifestyle in 2025.” Additionally, Gen Z and millennials “are more likely to try alternatives to alcohol such as THC drinks, marijuana and edibles.”

Related Links:

— “What will we be drinking in 2025? Americans are chasing moderation,”Mike Snider, USA Today, January 21, 2025

Foundation News

New PSA Examines Anxiety as Pandemic Improves

As the pandemic improves and restrictions and shutdowns are lifted, many people may be experiencing anxiety at returning to the world and being amongst people. This new PSA from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. examines fears people may have as they try to navigate uncertainty about going outside as well as deal with conflicting messages about how to stay safe and healthy.

Post-Pandemic AnxietyPost Pandemic Anxiety, MP3, 1.3MB

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.

Jamie and Sarah Raskin Recognized with Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award

Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin were awarded the Foundation’s 2021 Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for the tribute about their son, Tommy, posted on January 4, 2021. The MFP board of directors felt that it was very effective in conveying what a wonderful and gifted person their son was, that depression did not detract from this, and how painful and sad his loss and the loss of others suffering from depression can be. The board also greatly admired their courage in writing about him in such a forthright manner. The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award was formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on April 22.

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.

Psychiatrist Weighs Taking The COVID Vaccine in New Radio Ad

Psychiatrists aren’t necessarily on the front lines treating COVID patients in a hospital, so should they take or not take a COVID vaccine? In this new ad from The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc., one psychiatrist goes trough his thoughts as he decided whether to take it. He examines the science, the risks, possible complications, and what his decision means to his patients as well as to mental health in general.

COVID Vaccination — Why You Should Take ItCOVID Vaccination — Why You Should Take It , MP3, 1.3MB

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.

Political Anxiety PSA is Timely Again

As this election cycle nears election day, there is no guarantee we will know the results very soon. A combination of many factors, including a pandemic that brings its own anxiety and has seen record numbers use absentee voting and early voting to avoid crowds on election day, could cause delays in vote counts and that can add to the stress and anxiety of many people. We are featuring our PSA from 2017 which examines the wide variety of feelings people experience after a particularly divisive political campaign and things that can be done to help, ranging from breaks from Facebook and Twitter and similar sites to seeking actual help from professionals.

Listen to the PSA on our home page or on our PSA collection here, where you can listen to or download other advice given in past PSAs, also.

Schuster to Receive Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award

Janice Lynch Schuster will be awarded the 2020 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for her op-ed, “People are not defined by their diseases” in the October 14, 2019 Baltimore Sun. The MFP Board unanimously felt that her article very effectively portrayed not only how hurtful stigma can be, but that health care providers themselves may be the culprits thoughtlessly participating in stigmatizing people – particularly when people are abusing drugs. Her statement inspires others to seek and give help, and to reframe substance abuse as a disease that must be treated scientifically and empathically.

The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award, which carries a $500 prize, will be formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on October 8.

The Foundation established this annual prize for a worthy piece published in a major newspaper (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.