According to Psychiatric News (12/23), a commentary published online Dec. 14 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry posited that “physicians’ responsibilities in addressing racism and racial violence toward Black Americans range from examining and taking steps to counter our own implicit and explicit biases to addressing policies and procedures that reproduce inequities within mental health delivery systems.” After “drawing from literature and their personal experience, the authors” of the commentary “offered…recommendations for the field of medicine, as it relates” to educators, clinicians, and medical administrators.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatrists Outline Strategies to Achieve Antiracism in Medicine, Psychiatric News, December 23, 2020

According to Psychiatric News (12/22), on Dec. 21, Congress “passed the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act (HR 7539), a bipartisan bill based on APA’s model legislation for improving compliance with the federal mental health parity law.” The measure “was passed as part of a year-end funding package that combined annual appropriations legislation for federal agencies and a $900 billion COVID-relief package.” It is anticipated that President Trump will sign the proposed legislation into law “later this week.” Commenting on the bill, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “This act is a good example of how Congress can work in a bipartisan manner to keep Americans’ mental health needs on their radars and invest in programs that help us navigate the pandemic.”

Related Links:

— “Congress Passes Legislative Package Including APA Model Parity Enforcement Bill, Psychiatric News, December 22, 2020

Kaiser Health News (12/22, Reardon) reports that “in a typical year, Native American youth die by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their white peers in the” US, but “experts worry that the isolation and shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could make things worse.” The article adds that social distancing has isolated people who in other times could seek help from others.

Related Links:

— “Health Officials Fear Pandemic-Related Suicide Spike Among Native Youth ” Sara Reardon, Kaiser Health News, December 22, 2020

Healio (12/22, Gramigna) reports, “Anxiety and depression levels during the COVID-19 pandemic reached their peak at its early stages then declined rapidly, likely because people adapted to circumstances,” investigators concluded after assessing “the trajectories of depression and anxiety over the 20 weeks following announcement of widespread lockdowns in England,” analyzing “data of 36,520 participants with three follow-up measures and no missing values who were included in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study. Weekly U.K. data from March 21 on anxiety were available from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder assessment and on depressive symptoms from the Patient Health Questionnaire.” The findings were published online Dec. 9 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Anxiety, depression highest during COVID-19 pandemic’s early stages, decreased since “Joe Gramigna, Healio, December 22, 2020

Psychiatric News (12/21) reports, “Adults with no history of unhealthy alcohol use who undergo bariatric surgery to promote weight loss may be more likely to develop unhealthy alcohol use compared with adults who do not receive surgery,” investigators concluded after analyzing “electronic health record data from 2,608 veterans (75% male) who underwent a bariatric surgical procedure between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2016.” The findings were published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Bariatric Surgery May Increase Risk of Unhealthy Alcohol Use, Psychiatric News, December 21, 2020