Psychiatric News (12/23) reported, “Black patients continue to be at greater risk of physical or chemical restraint during an emergency psychiatric evaluation than white patients,” researchers concluded after analyzing data from “electronic medical records of adults 18 years and older who received an emergency psychiatric evaluation at Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., over a six-year period.” Included in the study were “a total of 12,977 unique emergency psychiatric encounters.” The findings were published online Dec. 21 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Black Patients More Likely to Be Restrained During Emergency Psychiatric Evaluation, Psychiatric News, December 23, 2021

Healio (12/27, Gramigna) reports, “People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders appeared to have increased risk for perpetrating violent outcomes compared with community control individuals,” investigators concluded in a 24-study, 51,309-participant systematic review and meta-analysis, the findings of which were published online Dec. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Schizophrenia spectrum disorders tied to increased risk for perpetrating violence “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 27, 2021

Healio (12/23, Herpen) reported, “Use of antipsychotic medication in psychiatric patients led to decreases in assault risk against personnel within emergency settings,” researches concluded after analyzing data on medication orders “as well as assault incident reports…culled from electronic health records based on 17,056 total visits by 9,870 individual patients to urban psychiatric emergency locations over more than 1.3 million hours during a five-year period from January 2014 to December 2019.” The findings were published online Dec. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Antipsychotics linked to decreased assault risk for emergency personnel “Robert Herpen, Healio, December 23, 2021

The Washington Post (12/24, A1, Iati) reported, “Nearly two years into a pandemic coexistent with several national crises, many Americans are profoundly tense.” Americans are “snapping at each other more frequently, suffering from physical symptoms of stress and seeking methods of self-care.” In the most extreme cases, they are “acting out their anger in public – bringing their internal struggles to bear on interactions with strangers, mental health experts said.” Some of those behaviors “appear to be the result of living through a long-lasting public emergency with no clear endpoint, the experts said.” American Psychiatric Association Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster chair Joshua Morganstein said, “When people are presented with situations that seem overwhelming, they are more apt to give up in a sense and lock more tightly to a single perspective and approach, because the work that’s necessary to hold on to all this different information is just too much.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (12/22) reports, “More than 1 in 4 respondents to an APA poll said that improving their mental health is on their minds for 2022.” According to the poll [pdf], “just over one-third of respondents (37%) said they are anxious about their mental health going into the new year,” and “among those making resolutions focused on mental health, 53% will meditate, 37% plan to see a therapist, 35% will take a break from social media, 32% will journal, 26% will use a mental health app, and 20% plan to see a psychiatrist specifically.” These “findings are from APA’s Healthy Minds Monthly, a poll conducted by Morning Consult.” APA President Vivian Pender, M.D., said, “The new calendar year for many symbolizes a time for renewal, for trying new things, and, for some, new beginnings.” She added, “To see 1 in 4 Americans focusing on their mental health in this moment is important and encouraging. What is worrisome, although not unexpected, is the level of variation among demographic groups on their overall level of mental health, and we as psychiatrists need to understand those trends.”

Related Links:

— “1 in 4 Americans Wants to Improve Their Mental Health in 2022, Psychiatric News, December 22, 2021