HealthDay (5/24) reports, “Americans with drinking problems are rarely referred for treatment, even though most say a” physician “has asked about their alcohol use,” investigators concluded in a study that “is not the first to uncover low rates of treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs).”

Healio (5/24, Weller) reports researchers “used data from the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to determine the prevalence of” AUDs among US “adults as well as the proportion of adults with AUDs who used health care services in the previous 12 months; were screened for alcohol use; received a brief intervention for alcohol misuse; received information about treatment; and received treatment for AUD.” The study authors wrote that they “advocate for increased engagement of this high-risk population by implementing evidence-based treatment in the primary care setting.” The findings were published online May 16 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “Just 1 in 10 People With Alcohol Problems Get Treatment “Amy Norton, HealthDay , May 24, 2021

Psychiatric News (5/24) reports research indicates that “over 99% of prescriptions for the anticonvulsant gabapentin are off label, including many prescriptions for psychiatric disorders.” What’s more, “nearly 60% of the patients prescribed gabapentin were also found to be taking central nervous system depressants…such as benzodiazepines,” investigators concluded in a study that “specifically focused on data gathered from 2011 to 2016, which included 205,417 office visits involving patients aged 18 and older.” Of these visits, 5,732 involved a gabapentin prescription. The findings were published online May 21 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Off-Label Psychiatric Use of Gabapentin Found to Be Frequent, Risky, Psychiatric News, May 24, 2021

The AP (5/22, Tanner) reported, “The pandemic created treacherous conditions for eating disorders, leading to a surge of new cases and relapses that is not abating as restrictions are loosened and COVID-19 cases subside in many places, doctors and other specialists say.” Jennifer Wildes, “an associate psychiatry professor and director of an outpatient eating disorders program at the University of Chicago Medicine, said: ‘We are absolutely seeing massive increases.’” The Emily Program, “a University of Minnesota-affiliated eating disorders treatment program, is experiencing the same thing.”

Related Links:

— “Pandemic has fueled eating disorder surge in teens, adults “Lindsey Tanner, AP, May 22, 2021

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