The Washington Post (8/31, Reiley) reports, “Childhood obesity rose significantly during the pandemic, according to a new study” published in Journal of the American Medical Association Network. Drawing on electronic health record data from nearly 200,000 children ages 5 to 17, the research “is considered one of the largest of its kind, experts said.” It “pointed to an increase in obesity among the youngest age group” – children between the ages of 5 and 11 – “during the pandemic year that was higher than the increase in this group over the past 20 years.” The Post adds, “Among 12- to 15-year-olds, the study showed a rise in obesity levels during the pandemic that matched the increase that had occurred over the past 20 years. And among 16- to 17-year-olds, the pandemic year weight gain was about half the rate of increase in obesity compared to what teenagers that age had shown over the past 20 years.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (8/31, Abelson) reports, “In general, under the” Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, “insurers are prohibited from offering plans that treat depression differently than, say, diabetes; no longer can they impose strict limits on treatment, or set up overly stringent pre-authorization policies or exclude categories of care,” such as “residential programs.” However, “the exemption afforded” state and local “governments for their employees is widely in use, particularly in strained economic times, maintaining a loophole some advocates have tried to close repeatedly.” In fact, “dozens of plans across the country have requested an exemption for the current coverage year,” a time when people have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, “according to the most recent list compiled by the federal government.”

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— “Teachers, Police, Other Public Workers Left Out of Mental Health Coverage “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, August 31, 2021

Psychiatric News (8/31) reports, “People with disabilities appear to be significantly more likely to think about, plan, and/or attempt suicide than people without disabilities,” research indicated, with “individuals with multiple disabilities…at a particularly heightened risk of suicidal behavior.” Included in the study were “198,640 U.S. adults who had answered survey questions regarding the presence or absence of any suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts during the 12 months” and also “answered six questions about the presence or absence of functional disabilities.” The findings were published online Aug. 28 ahead of print in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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— “People With Disabilities at Elevated Risk of Suicidal Behavior, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News, August 31, 2021

According to Psychiatric News (8/30), patients with cancer “undergoing chemotherapy who regularly attended a weekly integrative oncology program had lower levels of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems than patients who did not regularly attend the program,” researchers concluded in a study that examined “data from 439 adults who received personalized integrative oncology care while undergoing chemotherapy for localized cancer (stages 1-3).” The findings were published online Aug. 26 in the journal Psycho-Oncology.

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— “Integrative Oncology Care May Reduce Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients, Psychiatric News, August 30, 2021

Healio (8/30, Miller) reports, “Although combined oral contraceptives improved overall premenstrual symptomatology in women with PMS or premenstrual dysphoric disorder [PMDD], the birth control pills did not improve premenstrual depressive symptoms,” investigators concluded in a study also revealing that “there was ‘no evidence for one combined oral contraceptive being more efficacious than any other’ for these conditions.” Researchers arrived at these conclusions after conducting “a meta-analysis of nine randomized trials that evaluated the effect of combined oral contraceptives in women with PMS or PMDD.” The findings(PDF) were published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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— “‘Optimal’ treatment for premenstrual depressive symptoms remains elusive “Janel Miller, Healio, August 30, 2021