TIME (4/10) reported that “a study published March 23 in the medical journal JAMA found that, among 1,257 healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients in China, 50.4% reported symptoms of depression, 44.6% symptoms of anxiety, 34% insomnia, and 71.5% reported distress.” Meanwhile, in interviews with TIME, many doctors and nurses said they’re “afraid of spreading the disease to their families, frustrated about a lack of adequate protective gear and a sense they can’t do enough for their patients, exhausted as hours have stretched longer without a clear end in sight, and, most of all, deeply sad for their dying patients, many of whom are slipping away without their loved ones at their side.” Dr. Albert Wu, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “says that evidence from the 2003 SARS outbreak suggests that failing to support healthcare workers in a crisis…can erode their ‘wellbeing and resilience,’ ultimately leading to chronic burnout.”

Related Links:

— “‘We Carry That Burden.’ Medical Workers Fighting COVID-19 Are Facing a Mental Health Crisis, “Tara Law, TIME, April 10, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (4/12, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reports that the coronavirus pandemic has been especially difficult for individuals suffering from depression and anxiety because of additional stress and isolation. According to a survey released by the American Psychiatric Association, over one-third of Americans say the pandemic is having a serious impact on their mental well-being.

Related Links:

— “The Struggle to Cope With Depression Amid Coronavirus, “Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2020

MD Magazine (4/9, Walter) reports, “Antidepressants could be beneficial in managing the symptoms of depression, while changing the behaviors of people who” also have overweight or obesity, researchers concluded after examining “electronic health records to identify adults who were either overweight or obese with incident depression, but no prior depression diagnosis in their records,” then following up with “each patient…between 2000-2019.” The findings of the 519,513-patient study were published online April 7 in the journal Obesity.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Could Address Depression and Obesity Behaviors, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, April 9, 2020

Healio (4/9, Gramigna) reports, “Cannabis withdrawal syndrome appeared common among regular cannabis users,” investigators concluded in “a systematic review and meta-analysis” encompassing “47 studies that included 23,518 participants.” The findings were published online April 9 in JAMA Network Open. MD Magazine (4/9, Rosenfeld) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis withdrawal syndrome may affect nearly 50% of regular users, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 9, 2020

NPR (4/9, Noguchi) reports many psychiatrists are using teletherapy to reach patients affected by the coronavirus pandemic. For example, Dr. Philip Muskin in New York City says he is reaching patients using the phone and many of them feel trapped having lost their livelihood or sense of safety to the pandemic. The pandemic has led “to a spike in anxiety, depression and addiction – not just among Muskin’s patients, but across the U.S.” and in response, psychiatrists are using the phone and newer technologies to reach out to patients and conduct teletherapy.

HealthDay (4/9, Gordon) reports that while the coronavirus pandemic has created additional barriers to receiving psychiatric treatment, some insurers are increasingly covering telehealth behavioral services and some related regulations have been relaxed. Dr. Shabana Khan, a member of the APA’s committee on telepsychiatry, says that telemedicine “can literally save lives,” and some psychiatrists “are surprised at how much patients are embracing the new technology.” However, the APA is also “concerned that not everyone who wants services can get them,” including those without “access to a computer or fast internet service,” so the APA has asked CMS “to ease requirements and allow telephone appointments.”

Coronavirus Pandemic Reportedly Poses Challenges For People Recovering From Addiction,.USA Today (4/9, Rodriguez) reports the coronavirus pandemic poses challenges for people recovering from addiction. For example, a 41-year-old man from Milwaukee who “has been clean from heroin for six months and completely sober for three months,” said, “It’s difficult to get yourself out of this mindset of thinking the world is going to hell, and I might as well use to make myself feel good.” USA Today describes how the pandemic and the restrictions aimed at stopping it can make it difficult for people recovering from addiction to start or continue treatment, including group therapy.

Expert Discusses Impact Of Coronavirus Pandemic On People With Severe Mental Illnesses And How To Address It. Medscape (4/9, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports Benjamin Druss, MD, MPH, of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, warns in a viewpoint article published in JAMA Pscyhiatry that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on patients with severe mental illnesses (SMI) needs to be addressed. Dr. Druss wrote that “disasters disproportionately affect poor and vulnerable populations, and patients with serious mental illness may be among the hardest hit,” but Dr. Druss also “says there are strategies that can help minimize the risk of exposure and transmission of the virus in” patients with SMI.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatrists Lean Hard On Teletherapy To Reach Isolated Patients In Emotional Pain, “Yuki Noguchi, NPR, April 9, 2020