Kaiser Health News (6/7, Dangor) reports many mental health patients “struggle to get insurance coverage” for treatments “even though two federal laws were designed to bring parity between mental and physical health care coverage.” The Affordable Care Act, for example, “required small-group and individual health plans sold on the insurance marketplaces to cover mental health services, and do so at levels comparable with medical services.” However, recent research “and a legal case suggest serious disparities remain.” The piece adds that according to the National Institute Of Mental Health, fewer “than 1 in 5 people with substance use disorder are treated, a national survey suggests, and, overall, nearly 6 in 10 people with mental illness get no treatment or medication.”

Related Links:

— “‘Mental Health Parity’ Is Still An Elusive Goal In U.S. Insurance Coverage, “Graison Dangor, Kaiser Health News, June 7, 2019

HealthDay (6/4, Gordon) reports researchers found that “almost one-third of teens and young adults who reported seeing self-harm posts on Instagram said they had performed the same or similar self-harming behavior afterwards.” The findings were published in New Media and Society.

Related Links:

— “Instagram ‘Self-Harm’ Posts Give Rise to Copycat Behavior, ” Serena Gordon, HealthDay, June 4, 2019

Healio (6/4, Demko) reports researchers found that “parental prescription opioid use appeared associated with greater risk for suicide attempt among offspring.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Parental opioid use increases risk for child suicide attempt, “Savannah Demko, Healio, June 4, 2019

HealthDay (6/3, Mozes) reports, “An alarming number of teens practice self-harm, but lesbian, gay and bisexual teens may be more than twice as likely as their straight peers to cut, hit or bruise themselves,” research indicated. After examining the “self-injury risk among more than 21,000 high schoolers in the state of Massachusetts between 2005 and 2017,” investigators found that “38% to 53% of lesbian, gay and bisexual teens” engaged in these behaviors, compared to “between 10% and 20% of heterosexual teens.” The findings were published online June 3 in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Lesbian, Gay Youth at Higher Risk for Self-Harm, “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, June 3, 2019

MedPage Today (6/3, Hlavinka) reports that “teens with mental health problems were more likely to take up cigarettes, both electronic and regular, according to a longitudinal study” published in Pediatrics. Youth aged “12-17 with at least four externalizing symptoms – such as impulsive or disruptive conduct and substance use – were more likely to start using e-cigarettes (adjusted relative risk ratio 2.78, 95% CI 1.76–4.40), combustible cigarettes (aRRR 5.59, 95% CI 2.63–11.90), or both (aRRR 2.23, 95% CI, 1.15–4.31), compared to teens with low externalizing behaviors, reported” the researchers.

Related Links:

— “Poor Mental Health Ups Risk for Teen E-Cigarette Use, “Elizabeth Hlavinka, MedPage Today, June 3, 2019