The Los Angeles Times (5/31, Newberry) reports, “The overwhelming stresses of the last 14 months have magnified a long-simmering crisis of mental health struggles among students.” As a result, many teachers are now facing classrooms filled with students with unaddressed mental health issues, and “relatively few teachers have been adequately trained to spot the signs of trauma and respond to it appropriately, mental health advocates say.”

Related Links:

— “Schools face mental health crisis among students as pandemic trauma remains “Laura Newberry, The Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2021

Healio (5/28, Gramigna) reported, “Youth with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures [PNES] experienced an increased risk for numerous psychiatric disorders compared with those with epilepsy and healthy controls,” researchers concluded in a study that “emphasized the importance of ‘a careful psychiatric evaluation’ for enhancing and individualizing treatment among those with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.” The study team arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “data from 384 children and adolescents with validated PNES, 1,152 with epilepsy and 1,920 with neither, termed healthy controls, all of whom were aged 5 to 17 years at time of diagnosis, between January 1996 and December 2014.” The findings were published online May 24 in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in youth warrant ‘repeated psychiatric assessment’ “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 28, 2021

Healio (5/28, Gramigna) reported, “Most Americans supported the expansion of telehealth, and a significant portion of the populations reported using telehealth services, according to results of a national opinion poll by the American Psychiatric Association” in which “more than 50%” of 1,000 respondents “aged 18 years and older” stated “they would use telehealth for mental health services.” The poll’s findings were published in a May 27 press release. Click here to see the actual poll questions.

Psychiatric News (5/28) quoted APA President Vivian Pender, MD, who stated, “The quick pivot to providing telehealth services at the start of the pandemic was vital to providing continued access to care, and this poll shows the important potential role for telehealth going forward.” Dr. Pender added, “Telepsychiatry especially helps those facing barriers such as lack of transportation, the inability to take time off work for appointments, or family responsibilities.” For his part, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “Continued access to telehealth during and after the pandemic is vital, and the poll indicates increasing public support for it.” Dr. Levin added, “As we continue to face the long tail of the pandemic, we have an opportunity to innovate and continue to improve access through telehealth.”

Related Links:

— “Poll: Most Americans support expanded telehealth, including for mental health care “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 28, 2021

Healio (5/27, Vecchione) reports, “Anxiety and depression are associated with less ideal CV health in young adults,” researchers concluded after analyzing data on “134 participants aged 18 to 34 years from the Emory Healthy Aging Study, 15.2% of whom had moderate to severe anxiety and 15% of whom had moderate to severe depression.” The study revealed that “compared with those without anxiety, participants with moderate to severe anxiety were less likely to meet ideal levels of physical activity…smoking,” and body mass index. (What’s more, these “associations appeared strongest in adults aged 26 to 34 years.” The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s virtual Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions.

“‘Interventions to address mood disorders in this age group should consider targeting CV health behaviors such as physical activity and weight management to improve both mood and CV health,’ the researchers wrote in an abstract.”

Related Links:

— “Depression, anxiety confer lower levels of CV health in younger adults “Anthony Vecchione, Healio, May 27, 2021

Healio (5/27, Gramigna) reports, “Bereaved adults with prolonged grief disorder commonly experienced bereavement-related posttraumatic stress symptoms,” which “appeared common in the context of both violent and nonviolent death and were linked to poorer functioning,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data of 395 adults with prolonged grief disorder, defined as an Inventory of Complicated Grief score of 30 or higher plus confirmation via structured clinical interview.” The findings were published online April 20 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Healio adds, “‘Prolonged grief disorder has only recently been recognized as a diagnosis in the psychiatric nomenclature with formal criteria included in ICD-11 and recently approved by the American Psychiatric Association for inclusion in an update to the DSM-5,’ Naomi Simon, MD, MSc, professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of the Anxiety, Stress and Prolonged Grief Program at NYU Langone Health, told Healio Psychiatry.” Dr. Simon is the study’s lead author.

Related Links:

— “Posttraumatic stress symptoms common among bereaved adults with prolonged grief disorder “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 27, 2021