NBC News (5/23, Berger) reported, “When the Covid-19 pandemic forced behavioral health” clinicians “to stop seeing patients in person and instead hold therapy sessions remotely, the switch” resulted in fewer patients skipping appointments. Just nine “percent of psychiatrists reported that all patients kept their appointments before the pandemic, according to an American Psychiatric Association report,” but once clinicians “switched to telepsychiatry, that number increased to 32 percent.” What’s more, both patients and clinicians “say teletherapy has largely been an effective lifeline for people struggling with anxiety, depression and other psychological issues during an extraordinarily difficult time.” In addition, “virtual visits can…save patients money, because they might not need to travel, take time off work or pay for child care, said” Jay Shore, MD, MPH, “chairperson of the American Psychiatric Association’s telepsychiatry committee and a psychiatrist at the University of Colorado medical school.”

Related Links:

— “Remote therapy was a mental health lifeline during the pandemic. What happens now? “Eric Berger, NBC News, May 23, 2021

Healio (5/21) reported, “Over half of employees reported that their employers have become more accommodating to their mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the “results of a national public opinion poll by the American Psychiatric Association” conclude. That poll, which was an “online survey” that “received responses from 1,000 adults aged 18 years or older,” found, however, “that fewer employees feel comfortable talking openly about mental health at work compared with last year.” APA President Vivian Pender, MD, said, “What’s worrisome is that given this discussion, many people, particularly younger people, are still worried about retaliation if they take time off for mental health. This is stigma in action, and it has to stop.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, stated, “I encourage business and organizational leaders to visit the APA Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health, which has resources on ensuring employees’ mental well-being through COVID and beyond.”

Related Links:

— “Poll: Employers have accommodated worker mental health in pandemic, but problems remain “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 21, 2021

CNN (5/19, Woodyatt) reports, “There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health,” investigators concluded in “an observational study [pdf], which has not yet been peer-reviewed.” The study examined “the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans,” revealing that “the more people drank, the less the volume of their gray matter.” Researchers also found that “consuming any amount of alcohol was worse than not drinking it.”

Related Links:

— “Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain, study finds “Amy Woodyatt, CNN, May 19, 2021

HealthDay (5/20, Norton) reports “researchers found that older adults with healthy habits had a lower risk of developing dementia, versus the less health-conscious – even if a parent or sibling had suffered from the brain disease.” In the study, the researchers focused on six healthy habits: healthy eating, regular exercise, not smoking, drinking only in moderation, getting enough sleep, and avoiding obesity. The findings were scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association online meeting.

Related Links:

— “Healthy Living Helps Prevent Dementia, Even If It Runs in the Family “Amy Norton, HealthDay, May 20, 2021

Healio (5/20, Ernst) reports researchers found “patients with a higher household income received a dementia diagnosis earlier than individuals with a lower household income, indicating a ‘social inequality’ in dementia evaluations.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Higher income leads to earlier dementia diagnosis, less severe disease at diagnosis “Julia Ernst, Healio, May 20, 2021