ABC News (3/24, Rothman, Jain) reports, “After two mass shootings in less than one week, mental health experts say the effects these horrific events have on the American public are amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Dr. Ronald Acierno, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School, said, “When there’s something about the case that resonates with you and that you identify with, it’s going to have a pretty significant impact. In this case, it was in a store where everybody goes. It’s such a common daily activity that’s so much a part of us that it’s particularly frightening for people.” Dr. Acierno added that trauma can cause people to develop PTSD, general anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or other conditions, “And that’s only when you give it a name.” The APA “outlines common reactions following a disaster, including changes in sleep, mood changes, decreased energy, changes in appetite, problems concentrating.

Related Links:

— “Mass shootings add to mental health issues already affected by COVID-19 “Dr. Samuel Rothman andDr. Tarun Jain, ABC News, March 24, 2021

Medscape (3/22, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Older patients recently diagnosed with dementia are at a significantly increased risk for suicide compared to their peers without dementia,” investigators concluded after using “Medicare claims linked to the National Death Index. The researchers collected data on adults aged 65 years and older who received a dementia diagnosis within the previous year.” The study revealed that people “who were diagnosed with dementia had a 54% increased risk for suicide within the first year after diagnosis,” with “the risk…particularly high among those aged 74 years and younger.” The findings were presented at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2021 virtual meeting.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (3/22, Liu) reports that over the past year, “the number of hate incidents against Asians has surged and has left the community feeling under siege. And in the face of cultural as well as systemic barriers, many Asian Americans and Asian immigrants are struggling with the constant emotional onslaught.” Furthermore, they “face some traditions that discourage speaking up and turning to mental health resources.” The Post says that “although the numbers of Asians experiencing anxiety and depression is rising, Asians in the United States access mental health care at half the rate of other racial groups, according to a 2019 study published by the American Psychiatric Association.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

In a special piece for Healio, Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS, discusses how healthcare professionals can suffer from “severe eating disorders.” What’s more, “COVID-19 and its attendant stressors appear to be exacerbating these issues in some” clinicians, “who have either recovered from an eating disorder or are living with one now,” Dr. Mehler writes. In his career, Dr. Mehler has “cared for more than 100 [healthcare professionals] with severe eating disorders.”

Related Links:

— “Anorexia nervosa: Our health care colleagues are starving amid COVID-19 pandemic “Philip S. Mehler, Healio, March 22, 2021

The New York Times (3/22, A1, Belluck) reports some physicians have reported cases of “psychotic symptoms emerging weeks after coronavirus infection in some people with no previous mental illness.” Physicians “say such symptoms may be one manifestation of brain-related aftereffects of Covid-19.” The New York Times adds, “Along with more common issues like brain fog, memory loss and neurological problems, ‘new onset’ psychosis may result from an immune response, vascular issues or inflammation from the disease process, experts hypothesize.”

Related Links:

— “First Covid, Then Psychosis: ‘The Most Terrifying Thing I’ve Ever Experienced’ “Pam Belluck, The New York Times, March 22, 2021