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More InfoLatest News Around the Web
CDC Report Says US Depression Rates Are Increasing, But Most People With Depression Are Not Receiving Therapy
CNN (4/16, McPhillips , Christensen ) reports new datapublished Wednesday by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics indicate that “more than 1 in 8 people ages 12 and up in the US have been depressed in recent years.” This suggests that “depression prevalence has nearly doubled, from 7.3% in 2015-16 to more than 13% in 2021-23.” The data show “women are more likely than men to have depression, and prevalence tends to decrease with age and greater wealth. Overall, about 16% of women and 10% of men had depression during the 2021-23 survey period. But more than 1 in 4 adolescent girls between ages 12 and 19 had depression,” higher than any other demographic group. The report shows “only about 40% of adults and adolescents with depression received counseling or therapy,” and that “adult women are also more than twice as likely as adult men to take medication for depression, according to another CDC report published Wednesday.”
Related Links:
— “As depression becomes more common in the US, treatment rates vary, CDC reports show,” Deidre McPhillips and Jen Christensen, CNN, April 16, 2025
CDC Report Finds Small Increase In Autism Rates In US Children
The Washington Post (4/15, Nirappil ) reports that on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report finding that “one in 31 8-year-olds had autism,” according to a CDC survey, “a small increase from previous years.”
The AP (4/15, Stobbe ) reports the previous CDC estimate from 2020 found that one in 36 US children have autism. According to the report, “boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black.” Health officials “largely attribute growing autism numbers to better recognition of cases through wide screening and better diagnosis.”
CNN (4/15, McPhillips ) reports the study is “based on surveillance data from 16 areas that participate in the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. The data are not nationally representative and encompass a different set of sites than the last report with data from 2020, which only captured data from 11 sites.” Improvements in early identification of autism “have been apparent,” the authors of the CDC report wrote, and “differences in the prevalence of children identified with [autism spectrum disorder] across communities might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.”
Related Links:
— “Autism rates in US rise again to 1 in 31 kids, CDC says,” Mike Strobbe, Associated Press, April 15, 2025
ADHD Medications Generally Have Small Effect On Heart Health, Review Finds
HealthDay (4/14, Thompson ) reports a review of 102 previous clinical trials found that “ADHD medications generally have just a small effect on a person’s blood pressure, heart rate and heart electrical activity.” Researchers observed that “there were no significant differences between stimulant ADHD meds like methylphenidate and amphetamine and non-stimulant drugs like atomoxetine and viloxazine.” Only guanfacine “led to decreased blood pressure and heart rate, results showed.” Nevertheless, “the findings also reinforce that doctors should keep an eye on blood pressure and heart rate in people taking ADHD medications, whether or not the drugs are stimulants.” Researchers concluded, “Overall, the risk-benefit ratio is reassuring for people taking ADHD medications.” The review was published in The Lancet Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “ADHD Drugs Generally Safe For Heart Health, Review Says,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, April 14, 2025
Emergency Care For Cannabis Use Tied To Higher Dementia Risk Within Five Years Among Patients 45 Or Older With No History Of Dementia, Study Suggests
MedPage Today (4/14, George ) reports a study suggests that “people that required emergency department (ED) or acute hospital care for cannabis use may have an increased risk of a subsequent dementia diagnosis.” Researchers found that “among adults ages 45 years and older with no history of dementia, those who needed acute care due to cannabis use had a 1.5 times higher risk of a new dementia diagnosis within 5 years compared with patients who had an all-cause acute care encounter.” Notably, the “risk of a new dementia diagnosis for people who needed acute care due to cannabis use was 3.9 times higher than that of the general population.” Researchers stated that “the findings do not show that cannabis use causes dementia.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.
Related Links:
— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)
Generative AI Chatbot Reduces Clinical-Level Mental Health Symptoms In Patients, But Supervision Is Needed, Study Finds
Healio (4/10) reported a study found that “adults showed a significant reduction in their clinical-level mental health symptoms with unrestricted access to a generative AI-powered chatbot designed for mental health treatment.” Study researchers “evaluated Therabot’s ability to treat symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or high risk for feeding and eating disorders (CHR-FED) among 210 adults aged 18 years or older.” The results suggest that “Therabot users experienced greater reductions in their respective symptoms compared with the control group.” In addition, “the intervention group reported a therapeutic alliance with Therabot comparable to what patients report with in-person providers.” Nevertheless, researchers concluded, “While these results are very promising, no generative AI agent is ready to operate fully autonomously in mental health where there is a very wide range of high-risk scenarios it might encounter.” The study was published in NEJM AI.
Related Links:
— “Generative AI chatbot ‘promising’ for mental health treatment, but supervision needed,”Moira Mahoney, Healio, April 10, 2025
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.
Special Virtual Film Presentation May 28th by Maryland Psychiatric Society and MedChi
The Maryland Psychiatric Society & MedChi The Maryland State Medical Society present a special film event:
The Impact of Gun Violence on Patients & Communities: What Can We Do About It?
Thursday, May 28th, 2020
7-8:30 pm
A Virtual Meeting
3.25 CME/CEU Hours
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.