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Latest News Around the Web

Becoming Food Insecure Can Trigger Symptoms Of Anxiety, Depression Within One Month, Research Suggests

The American Journal of Managed Care (7/16, Grossi) reports, “Becoming food insecure can trigger symptoms of anxiety and depression within just one month, and regaining food security can reverse those symptoms just as quickly, according to new research that offers compelling evidence of a direct, causal link between food access and mental health.” The research “tracked nearly 500 adults, showing food insecurity as a significant predictor of mental health issues.” The findings were published in PLOS Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Causal Link Found Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health Symptoms in New Data,”Giuliana Grossi, American Journal of Managed Care , July 16, 2025

States, Mental Health Organizations Brace For Closure Of 988 Service For LGBTQ Youth

The Hill (7/16, Migdon ) reports, “States and mental health organizations are bracing for the closure of a specialized service within 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, for LGBTQ youth on Thursday under orders from the Trump administration amid its broader spending cuts and the dismantling of programs dedicated to diversity and inclusion.” The Trevor Project “launched an ‘emergency lifeline campaign’ following the announcement from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration last month that 988 would ‘no longer silo’ LGBTQ youth services beginning July 17.” Money “raised through the campaign will help the Trevor Project continue ‘to protect and support LGBTQ+ young people in the face of significant funding losses,’ according to the group’s website.”

Related Links:

— “LGBTQ advocates brace for Thursday closure of 988 lifeline service,” Brooke Migdon, The Hill, July 16, 2025

Vaping Improved Smoking Cessation Rates Better Than Nicotine Replacement Therapies Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adults, Trial Shows

MedPage Today (7/14, Phend ) reports, “Vaping improved smoking cessation rates better than nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults, a randomized trial from Australia showed.” Investigators found that “breath test-verified continuous smoking abstinence after 6 months nearly tripled with use of vaporized nicotine products compared with NRT during a quit attempt, with rates of 28.4% compared with 9.6%, a significant difference that Bayesian analysis suggested was 99% certain for superiority.” Additionally, “vaping was…better across subanalyses by age, sex, nicotine dependence, and mental illness and resulted in fewer patient-reported adverse events.” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Low-income patients are more likely to face health insurance claims denials

Medical Economics (7/15, Shryock ) reports, “Low-income patients are more likely to have their health insurance claims denied and less likely to successfully challenge those denials than higher-income individuals, according to a study.” Investigators “found that patients from households earning less than $50,000 a year — as well as the health care providers who serve them — are significantly less likely to contest denied claims than those with higher incomes.” Moreover, “when they do challenge these denials, they are less successful in reversing them.” The findings were published in Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Low-income patients face uphill battle when fighting health insurance denials, Umass research finds,”Todd Shryock, Medical Economics, July 15, 2025

ED visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome among adolescents increased more than 10-fold

MedPage Today (7/14, Henderson) reports a study found that U.S. “emergency department (ED) visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) among adolescents increased more than 10-fold in recent years, with increases observed regardless of states’ recreational cannabis legalization (RCL) status.” Researchers said that “from 2016 through 2023, CHS encounters among 13- to 21-year-olds increased by 49% per year, from 160.4 per million ED visits in 2016 to 1,968.3 per million in 2023.” Further, “CHS encounters increased by 32.5% per million ED encounters per year in states with RCL and by 49.3% per million per year in states without RCL.” They noted the “overall rate per million ED encounters for CHS was 1,909.5 in states with RCL and 834 in states without RCL.” The study was discussed in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Foundation News

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.

New Radio Ad Explores Racial Inequities and Mental Health in Current Crises

Institutional and structural racism are major factors in these times of pandemic and civil unrest. The African American community is particularly hit hard by the coronavirus, police brutality, and the economic burdens that come with them. The ad explains how there is hope and help available.

Racial Inequities and Current Crises in AmericaRacial Inequities and Current Crises in America, MP3, 712KB

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.

The Foundation Strongly Condemns All Forms of Racism

A Message from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry Board of Directors:

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry strongly condemns all forms of racism.  The Foundation calls on all Americans and all levels of government to actively oppose racism, and all related violence and brutality. The Foundation recognizes that there are wide disparities in treatment of mental illness and access to care related to race. Consistent with our mission to fight stigma associated with mental illness and to promote awareness and access to care for all individuals regardless of race, the Foundation pledges to support programs which combat racism.

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry stands in solidarity with the agendas of the American Psychiatric Association, Maryland Psychiatric Society, and the Black Psychiatrists of America.  We endorse the following action items outlined by the Black Psychiatrists of America:

• Declare racism a public health problem and establish national goals for addressing this as a health equity issue. Give priority to addressing the issues of health care disparities including the mental health needs of historically marginalized communities across the US.
 
• Provide adequate funding for the clinical care, training, and research needed to eliminate health disparities and require racism impact statements for all government funded services and research. 
 
• Establish a governmental multidisciplinary and ethnically diverse commission with representatives from the major health care professional associations in medicine, nursing, psychiatry, public health, psychology, social work, etc., and the faith-based community to provide recommendations to Congress regarding policies on how best to improve the health and well-being of our nation’s Black citizens.
 
• Declare “Civic Mental Health” a national priority and incorporate it into the educational curriculum from K-college, as well as in the training of local, state and national officials, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system. 
 
• Establish police community review boards with power to take action in areas of police misconduct pending formal review by the appropriate authorities. This will offer a level of empowerment when communities feel they have a voice that can be heard. 
 
• Assure adequate insurance coverage for mental disorders and emotional distress that are the outgrowth of racism, police brutality, discrimination of all kinds and violence. 

The Maryland Psychiatric Society has also put out a statement on their website.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) also condemns racism and has published their statement, too.

New Radio Ad Explores Mental Health in the Wake of the Coronavirus

A recent poll shows that more than half the people in the United States are feeling extremely worried by the coronavirus. They find they aren’t sleeping properly, are distracted, or being driven into depression. The ad explains how there is hope and help available.

The Coronavirus and Your State of MindThe Coronavirus and Your State of Mind, MP3, 721KB

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.