The New York Times (10/1, Flavelle) reports in 2020, “a year already filled with historic wildfires and hurricanes…Americans have spent far more time in emergency housing than in any year during the past decade.” Trauma resulting from natural disaster-related relocation to emergency shelters “can be particularly hard on vulnerable communities, including low-income families and minorities, according to Dr. Hector Colon-Rivera, president of the American Psychiatric Association’s Hispanic Caucus and medical director of a nonprofit organization for Hispanic communities.” Both “Hispanics and African-Americans tend to be at greater risk from disasters in the first place, Dr. Colon-Rivera said, because they’re more likely to live in areas with poor flood control, zoning or other protections against natural hazards.”

Related Links:

— “Fires and Storms Push Demand for Emergency Shelter to a New High “Christopher Flavelle, The New York Times, October 1, 2020

Healio (10/1, Weller) reports, “Patients with narcolepsy type 1 [NT1] frequently experienced depression, depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts and risk for suicide, especially those who have untreated narcolepsy,” investigators concluded in a study that “included 297 patients with NT1 (age, 39±17 years), 172 of whom were not taking medications, and 346 controls (age, 38±16 years).” The study also revealed that “treatment for” NT1 “improved depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts.” The findings were published online Sept. 22 in the journal Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Depression occurs often in narcolepsy, but improves with treatment of sleep disorder “Madison Weller, Healio, October 1, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (9/30, Mathews, Whelan, Subscription Publication) reports that physicians and hospitals say the complicated rules and differing approaches adopted by major health insurers in coverage or remote healthcare are creating confusion among healthcare professionals and a potentially increased financial burden for patients who opt for telehealth consultations.

Related Links:

— “As Covid-19 Cases Rise, Insurers Reduce Coverage for Virtual Doctors’ Visits “Anna Wilde Mathews and Robbie Whelan, The Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2020

Medical Daily (9/30, Nelson) reports many children who need mental healthcare appear not to be getting it, investigators concluded after reviewing “over 200,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance claims for kids aged 10 to 17.” The study revealed that “one in 10 had a claim related to mental health care between 2012 and 2018,” but “only 71% of those kids received follow-up treatment after the insurance claim.” The findings were published online Sept. 29 in PNAS.

Related Links:

— “Kids Need Mental Health Care, But They’re Not Getting It “Jennifer Nelson, Medical Daily, September 30, 2020

HealthDay (9/30, Thompson) reports, “People suffering from a psychiatric disorder could be more than twice as likely to die if they become infected with COVID-19,” investigators concluded after tracking “the health of 1,685 patients hospitalized at Yale New Haven Health, a five-hospital system in Connecticut, between February and April.”
        
MedPage Today (9/30, Hlavinka) reports, “the risk was higher among patients with a psychiatric diagnosis at two weeks after their index hospitalization (35.7% vs 14.7%), as well as at three weeks (40.9% vs 22.2%) and 4 weeks (44.8% vs 31.5%).” The findings were published online in a research letter published online Sept. 30 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Issues Double the Odds of Dying With COVID-19, Study Finds “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, September 30, 2020