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Latest News Around the Web

Pregnant Women Have Higher Postpartum Psychosis Risk If Sisters Have Same Condition, Study Finds

MedPage Today (5/20, Susman) reports a study found that “pregnant women have a higher risk of postpartum psychosis if their sisters had the same condition.” Researchers observed that the “relative recurrence risk of postpartum psychosis for siblings adjusted for birth year was 10.34, indicating that a woman is over 10 times more likely to develop postpartum psychosis if her sister had the condition compared with a woman whose sister did not have the condition.” Furthermore, they noted “the relative recurrence risk of postpartum psychosis in full siblings was 10.69 when adjusted for year of and age at childbirth.” They concluded, “Despite the higher familial risk of postpartum psychosis among full siblings, the absolute risk for women with an affected sibling was relatively low, estimated at 1.60% within the entire population.” The study was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry and presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Dementia Incidence Fell Among Medicare Beneficiaries From 2015 To 2021, But Prevalence Increased, Study Finds

MedPage Today (5/20, George ) reports a study of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries showed that “dementia incidence decreased in the U.S. from 2015 to 2021 but prevalence increased.” Researchers noted that “approximately 5 million cases of incident dementia were documented from 2015 to 2021.” They found that “age- and sex-standardized incidence rates fell from 3.5% in 2015 to 2.8% in 2021, but prevalence rose from 10.5% to 11.8%.” According to researchers, “incidence was highest in 2015 for Black beneficiaries (4.2%), followed by Hispanic beneficiaries (3.7%) and white beneficiaries (3.4%). In 2021, incidence was still highest for Black beneficiaries (3.1%), but for white beneficiaries, it was 2.8% and for Hispanic beneficiaries, it was 2.6%.” Overall, they said “those living in socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods had the highest incidence and prevalence.” The study was published in The BMJ.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Review Finds AAPI Sexual And Gender Minorities Are Neglected In Substance Abuse, Mental Health Research

MedPage Today (5/19, Susman ) reports a scoping review presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting suggested that “Asian American and Pacific Islander sexual and gender minority young adults are at increased risk of substance use and mental health issues, but research on this group is sparse.” Researchers found that “of 172 articles screened, only six met final inclusion criteria for U.S.-based studies on psychosocial factors – stigma, discrimination, and family and social support – influencing mental health and substance use outcomes among this population of patients.” Researchers noted that “suicide is the leading cause of death among Asian Americans ages 10-24, but they have the lowest use of mental health services among any racial or ethnic group.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

People Who Died By Suicide Frequently Visited Hospitals Within Prior Year, Study Finds

MedPage Today (5/19, Susman) reports research presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting found that “people who died by suicide frequently presented to hospitals within the previous year, indicating that these visits could be an opportunity for suicide risk assessment.” Researchers observed that “among 1,924 people who died by suicide, 57.5% had visited a hospital between >7 to <365 days of their death, with 45.9% of visits categorized as related to mental health.” They said “of these visits, 51.1% were related to substance abuse, 16.7% were related to suicidal ideation and substance abuse, and 12.3% were related to self-harm.” Researchers concluded, “Our findings suggest that visits with substance abuse-related concerns may present opportunities for delivery of novel suicide screenings and interventions in hospital settings, particularly in the emergency department environment.” Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Transient Ischemic Attacks Linked To Long-Term Cognitive Declines, Study Finds

The New York Times (5/17, Span ) reported a study found that “over five years, study participants’ performance on cognitive tests” after a transient ischemic attack “drops as steeply as it does among victims of a full-on stroke.” Researchers said, “If you have one stroke or one T.I.A., with no other event over time and no other change in your medical status, the rate of cognitive decline is the same.” They observed that “even if the symptoms resolve – typically within 15 minutes to an hour – T.I.A.s set people on a different cognitive slope later in life.” Furthermore, after a TIA, “neurologists put the risk of a subsequent stroke within 90 days at 5 percent to 20 percent, with half that risk occurring in the first 48 hours.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.

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— The New York Times (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.