Reuters (9/2, Nebehay) reports, “More than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, a neurological disorder that robs them of their memory and costs the world $1.3 trillion a year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday” in a report. Aging populations mean “the number of sufferers is projected to rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050.”

The Hill (9/2, Mastrangelo) reports, “World health officials said they are on pace to fall short of projected goals agreed upon in 2015 to combat dementia,” while “a majority of patients are in low- or middle-income countries.”

Related Links:

— “Number of people with dementia set to jump 40% to 78 mln by 2030 -WHO “Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters, September 2, 2021

MedPage Today (9/1) reports, “For soldiers in the U.S. Army, the risk of suicide attempt was highest in the first 30 days after being diagnosed with suicidal ideation, a recent study found.” The findings show “those more likely to attempt suicide in the 30 days after suicidal ideation diagnosis were soldiers under the age of 21” and “those with 1-2 years of service.” The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (9/1) also reports on the study.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (9/1) reports, “Burnout, work exhaustion and disengagement are prevalent among physician assistants and may lead to anxiety, depression and medical errors, according to findings.” The researchers found “that depression influences feelings of professional fulfillment and medical errors, but these are also mediated by symptoms of burnout, specifically work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement.” The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Related Links:

— “Burnout among PAs contributes to medical errors, mental health problems “Maria Marabito, Healio, September 1, 2021

The Washington Post (8/31, Reiley) reports, “Childhood obesity rose significantly during the pandemic, according to a new study” published in Journal of the American Medical Association Network. Drawing on electronic health record data from nearly 200,000 children ages 5 to 17, the research “is considered one of the largest of its kind, experts said.” It “pointed to an increase in obesity among the youngest age group” – children between the ages of 5 and 11 – “during the pandemic year that was higher than the increase in this group over the past 20 years.” The Post adds, “Among 12- to 15-year-olds, the study showed a rise in obesity levels during the pandemic that matched the increase that had occurred over the past 20 years. And among 16- to 17-year-olds, the pandemic year weight gain was about half the rate of increase in obesity compared to what teenagers that age had shown over the past 20 years.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (8/31, Abelson) reports, “In general, under the” Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, “insurers are prohibited from offering plans that treat depression differently than, say, diabetes; no longer can they impose strict limits on treatment, or set up overly stringent pre-authorization policies or exclude categories of care,” such as “residential programs.” However, “the exemption afforded” state and local “governments for their employees is widely in use, particularly in strained economic times, maintaining a loophole some advocates have tried to close repeatedly.” In fact, “dozens of plans across the country have requested an exemption for the current coverage year,” a time when people have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, “according to the most recent list compiled by the federal government.”

Related Links:

— “Teachers, Police, Other Public Workers Left Out of Mental Health Coverage “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, August 31, 2021