Healio (6/1, Miller) reports, “Most buprenorphine treatment provided in the U.S. was prescribed by a small proportion of clinicians,” researchers concluded in “an analysis of retail pharmacy records.” For the study, utilizing “information collected between January 2017 and December 2018 from the health information technology and clinical research firm IQVIA,” the study team “analyzed data on 50,509 clinicians who prescribed buprenorphine formulations for opioid use disorder at least once for 14,458,729 patient months of care.” Researchers found that “most of the clinicians were primary care physicians (43.8%), advanced practice practitioners (20.6%), pain specialists (8%) and psychiatrists (14.7%).” The study also revealed that “50% of all patient months of buprenorphine treatment were prescribed by 4.9% of the studied clinicians.” The findings were published in a research letter in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Small percentage of clinicians write most buprenorphine prescriptions “Janel Miller, Healio, June 1, 2021

Psychiatric News (6/1) reports, “U.S. youth appear more aware of the dangers of e-cigarettes than they were just five years ago,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data collected between 2015 and 2019 from the National Youth Tobacco Survey” which “is given to U.S. middle- and high-school students annually.” The study team posited that “efforts to educate adolescents about e-cigarettes may be working and point to groups of adolescents who may need additional support.” The findings were published online May 26 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “U.S. Youth Increasingly Aware of Dangers of E-Cigarettes, Psychiatric News, June 1, 2021

The Los Angeles Times (5/31, Newberry) reports, “The overwhelming stresses of the last 14 months have magnified a long-simmering crisis of mental health struggles among students.” As a result, many teachers are now facing classrooms filled with students with unaddressed mental health issues, and “relatively few teachers have been adequately trained to spot the signs of trauma and respond to it appropriately, mental health advocates say.”

Related Links:

— “Schools face mental health crisis among students as pandemic trauma remains “Laura Newberry, The Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2021

Healio (5/28, Gramigna) reported, “Youth with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures [PNES] experienced an increased risk for numerous psychiatric disorders compared with those with epilepsy and healthy controls,” researchers concluded in a study that “emphasized the importance of ‘a careful psychiatric evaluation’ for enhancing and individualizing treatment among those with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.” The study team arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “data from 384 children and adolescents with validated PNES, 1,152 with epilepsy and 1,920 with neither, termed healthy controls, all of whom were aged 5 to 17 years at time of diagnosis, between January 1996 and December 2014.” The findings were published online May 24 in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in youth warrant ‘repeated psychiatric assessment’ “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 28, 2021

Healio (5/28, Gramigna) reported, “Most Americans supported the expansion of telehealth, and a significant portion of the populations reported using telehealth services, according to results of a national opinion poll by the American Psychiatric Association” in which “more than 50%” of 1,000 respondents “aged 18 years and older” stated “they would use telehealth for mental health services.” The poll’s findings were published in a May 27 press release. Click here to see the actual poll questions.

Psychiatric News (5/28) quoted APA President Vivian Pender, MD, who stated, “The quick pivot to providing telehealth services at the start of the pandemic was vital to providing continued access to care, and this poll shows the important potential role for telehealth going forward.” Dr. Pender added, “Telepsychiatry especially helps those facing barriers such as lack of transportation, the inability to take time off work for appointments, or family responsibilities.” For his part, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “Continued access to telehealth during and after the pandemic is vital, and the poll indicates increasing public support for it.” Dr. Levin added, “As we continue to face the long tail of the pandemic, we have an opportunity to innovate and continue to improve access through telehealth.”

Related Links:

— “Poll: Most Americans support expanded telehealth, including for mental health care “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 28, 2021