Psychiatric News (3/25) reports that “In a letter…APA again urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow psychiatrists to provide psychiatric services to Medicare and Medicaid patients via the telephone without requiring a video component and to reimburse those services the same as an in-person visit.” In a news release about the letter, APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D., said, “Even if we can’t physically see our patients, we can provide medication management and psychotherapy.”

Related Links:

— “Five Strategies to Protect Patients, Staff in Psychiatric Inpatient Units From COVID-19, Psychiatric News, March 25, 2020

The Washington Post (4/2, Achenbach) reports that almost half of the people in the US “feel the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health, according to a survey” by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The article says that 45% of respondents reported that their mental health has been affected, and 19% reported it has a “major impact.” Joshua Morganstein, the chair of the APA’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster, said that it’s understandable people are feeling stressed during this time. He remarked, “It’s also important to remember that the vast majority of people, including all of us who are experiencing difficulties along the way, will ultimately do well. Finding and sharing creative solutions to the problems people are facing, taking care of ourselves and our families in the best way we are able, and staying connected to one another will remind us we are in this together and help us get through this difficult time.”

Related Links:

— “Coronavirus is harming the mental health of tens of millions of people in U.S., new poll finds, “Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post, April ,2 2020

The Hill (4/1, Deese) reports coronavirus is currently the third leading cause of death in the US, according to an analysis of CDC data conducted by Dr. Maria Danilychev of San Diego. The article says that deaths from coronavirus have surpassed those from Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease “with 748 deaths per day and rising.” The article adds that the two leading causes of death in the US, heart disease and cancer, are responsible for 1,774 deaths per day and 1,641 deaths per day, respectively.

Coronavirus Cases Reportedly Increasing Among Healthcare Workers In The US. NBC News (4/1, Przybyla, Fitzpatrick) reports there is a growing number of coronavirus cases among healthcare workers in the US as experts predict that the total number of coronavirus cases will continue to rise for weeks. While differences in testing and tracking among states make it difficult to ascertain the precise rate, Minnesota and Ohio are both “reporting that up to 20 percent of those infected are health care professionals, a number in line with Italy and other hard hit regions of the world.” Dr. Mindy Oshrain, a psychiatrist in North Carolina, “told NBC News that some doctors and nurses are traumatized because they have no control over their personal safety. Some have taken to calling the day-to-day anticipatory worry over working conditions ‘pre-TSD’ – pre-traumatic stress disorder.”

Related Links:

— “Analysis: Coronavirus now third-leading cause of death in US, “Kaelan Deese, The Hill, April 1, 2020

The AP (4/1, Johnson, Cano) reports those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction may face challenges in their recovery during the coronavirus pandemic. Physicians and therapists “are finding ways to work with patients in person or by phone and trying to keep them in treatment.” For instance, “in Olympia, Washington, a clinic for opioid addiction now meets patients outdoors and offers longer prescriptions of the treatment drug buprenorphine – four weeks, up from two – to reduce visits and the risk of infection,” according to one expert. In other areas, “federal health officials are allowing patients to take home methadone, another treatment drug.”

Related Links:

— “Virus outbreak creates new challenges for addiction recovery, ” Carla K. Johnson and Regina Garcia Cano, AP, April 1, 2020

Healio (4/1, Gramigna) reports, “Psychosocial stressors at work were linked to a higher risk for sickness absence among workers because of a mental disorder,” researchers concluded. Among the study’s conclusions was that “exposure to high psychological demands combined with low job control causes job strain, which can lead to health problems.” The findings of the 23-study “systematic review and meta-analysis” were published online April 1 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “On-the-job psychosocial stressors increase risk for sickness absence due to mental disorders, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 1, 2020