CNN (8/2, Christensen ) reported exposure to wildfires “can increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance use disorders, and sleep problems, as well as mental health problems that could last years.” A study published in PLOS Climate on Friday that focused on California residents “said about half of the 24,000 Californians researchers spoke with had been affected by a climate event like a wildfire or flood, and of those, nearly 23% reported that their mental health was harmed.” People in rural areas were also “more likely to report that a climate event has had a negative impact on their mental health, in addition to people who were White, college-educated or female.” Dr. Steven Sugden, a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s committee for disaster psychiatry, emphasized the detriment of repeated exposure to natural disasters, stating, “If people have lived through those experiences before, then with each subsequent year, there are just more triggers.”

Related Links:

— “Repeated wildfires put pressure on residents, making it difficult to recover peace of mind,”Jen Christensen, CNN, August 2, 2024

The Washington Post (8/4, Blakemore) reports, “People living with chronic pain are more likely than their peers without pain to need mental health treatment, yet less likely to get it, a new analysis suggests.” Using “data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey,” researchers discovered that “43.2 percent of respondents with chronic pain had a mental health need compared with 17.4 percent of those not in pain.” Investigators also observed that “over 44 percent of those with chronic pain received mental health treatment, yet still had symptoms of unremitted depression or anxiety, unlike 71.5 percent of those without chronic pain.” The findings were published in PAIN.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Healio (7/31, Buzby) reports, “Risk for psychiatric disorder or suicide attempt is particularly high in the first year following hospitalization for heart disease, and patient support is important to lower such risk, researchers” found. The “analysis included 63,923 patients hospitalized for the first time with CVD between 1997 and 2020 and 127,845 matched individuals without a CVD hospitalization.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Related Links:

— “Mental health ‘crucial’ after first-time hospitalization for heart disease,”Scott Buzby, Healio, July 31, 2024

Psychiatric News (7/31) reports, “In a statement issued [Wednesday], APA denounced the July 7 police shooting of Sonya Massey by former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson in Springfield, Illinois, calling it ‘a disturbing and horrifying tragedy that should never have happened.’” The association “said that when visiting the home of anyone reported to have mental illness or substance use disorders, law enforcement should be prepared to respond with care and empathy, not violence and harm.” APA urged “law enforcement organizations to ensure that they prepare their workforce with both training in dealing with mental health issues and anti-bias training,” saying “the injustice of Ms. Massey’s killing lays bare the ways in which racial inequities can play out in our communities.”

Related Links:

— “APA Denounces Police Killing of Sonya Massey, Psychiatric News, July 31, 2024

Healio (8/1, Herpen) reports, “Among men who played American football, researchers found that exposure to the sport at a younger age was strongly associated with worse cognitive performance and resilience, particularly in those who lived to at least 60 years.” Analyzing “data from the UNITE Brain Bank within the CTE Center at” Boston University, researchers “found that in those aged 60 years or older at the time of donation, strong associations existed between younger [age of first exposure to football] and worse performance on the [Cognitive Difficulties Scale], [Meta Cognition Index] and overall worse scores for all three composites.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “Younger exposure to football linked to worse cognitive outcomes in later life,”Robert Herpen, Healio, August 1, 2024