Priya E. Mammen M.D., M.P.H., an emergency physician and public health specialist, and J. Corey Feist, chief executive officer of the University of Virginia Physicians Group, wrote at Fox News (7/30), “It sometimes takes a professional athlete to bring attention to a lesser-known cause and make it relevant to the nation. Simone Biles’ courageous decision…to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics has brought the mental health of athletes to the world’s center stage.” They continued, “It is about time we eliminate the stigma of admitting our mental health needs,” arguing that “emergency physicians, in particular, don’t often ask for help. We are trained and taught to push through any barrier or limitation for the sake of our patients.” But “mental health and wellness are fundamental to each of us doing our jobs to the best of our abilities.”

Related Links:

— “Dr. Mammen, Feist: Simone Biles’ courageous actions will have lasting effect on medical profession, more ” Dr. Priya E. Mammen, MPH , J. Corey Feist, Fox News, July 30, 2021

According to Psychiatric News (7/30), on July 29, “the U.S. House of Representatives approved significant funding increases for key mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) programs included in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bills.” This “legislation increases funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) by $3.16 billion, an increase of nearly 50% over FY 2021, to $9.16 billion.” In response, the American Psychiatric Association “issued a statement thanking House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and the committee for leading the effort to provide the funding in the legislation.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “This week’s action by the House is step one in an appropriations process that needs to go through the legislative process.” Dr. Levin added, “But the best way to position funding for psychiatry and mental health, including substance use, for success is for the APA administration and our members to be aggressive advocates at every step in the process. So spread the word. Our advocacy matters and is making a difference.”

Related Links:

— “House Passes Bills to Boost Funding for Mental Health, Substance Use Programs, Psychiatric News, July 30, 2021

Healio (7/30, Gramigna) reported, “Approximately 50% of women experiencing homelessness or unstable housing during the COVID-19 pandemic had depression or anxiety symptoms,” researchers concluded after conducting “a cross-sectional study between July 2020 and December 2020 among 128 women (40% Black; median age, 56 years) in San Francisco, whom they recruited from homeless shelters, street encampments, free meal programs and low-income hotels.” The findings were published online July 14 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Half of women without stable or any housing during pandemic report depression, anxiety “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 30, 2021

MedPage Today (7/29, Hamza) reports, “The number of alcoholic hepatitis patients getting liver transplant more than tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded in a “difference-in-difference analysis from June 2020 to February 2021.” That analysis revealed that “liver transplants for acute alcohol-associated hepatitis more than tripled (268.5% increase) compared with expected trends, while the rate of patients with acute alcohol-associated hepatitis added to the transplant waiting list more than quadrupled (325% increase).” The findings were published online in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (7/29, Gramigna) reports, “Total sugar intake may affect cognitive function over time, with higher amounts potentially increasing risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data of 837 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project to assess the association between sugar intake and cognition.” The study revealed “an inverse relationship between continuous quintile of sugar intake and global cognition, episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory and perceptual speed in adjusted linear random effect models.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “High sugar intake may increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease “Joe Gramigna, Healio, July 29, 2021