In a 2,500-word story, Bloomberg (5/16, Koons, Tozzi) reports that “the U.S. is in the midst of a mental health crisis,” and while “the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a landmark law passed more than a decade ago, requires insurers to provide comparable coverage for mental health and medical treatments,” insurers are said to be “denying claims, limiting coverage, and finding other ways to avoid complying with the law.” Now, “Americans are taking to the courts to address what they see as an intrinsic unfairness.” Bloomberg breaks down its coverage of “America’s Mental Health Crisis” into five sections: The Lawmaker, Ghost Networks, The Advocate, Absent Enforcers, and The Determined Patient.

Related Links:

— “As Suicides Rise, Insurers Find Ways to Deny Mental Health Coverage, ” Cynthia Koons and John Tozzi, Bloomberg, May 16, 2019

Recent reports show a small but growing number of people are taking very high doses of loperamide, an anti-diarrheal medication, in an attempt to self-manage opioid withdrawal or to achieve a euphoric high. At high doses, these individuals may be at risk of severe or fatal cardiac events. Visit LoperamideSafety.org to learn the risks of using loperamide to manage withdrawal.

Related Links:

— “UNDERSTANDING LOPERAMIDE ABUSE

According to Healio (5/15, Demko), “substance-induced psychotic disorder occurred in people at high familial risk for drug and alcohol abuse and a moderate familial vulnerability to psychosis,” research indicated. The findings of the 7,606-participant study were published online May 6 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Substance-induced psychotic disorder may result from drug exposure, liability to psychosis, “Savannah Demko, Healio, May 15, 2019

According to Reuters (5/15, Carroll), after examining “the outcomes from more than 160,000 early pregnancies,” investigators “found that women taking benzodiazepines…were nearly twice as likely to miscarry.” The study revealed that “women who used benzodiazepines early in pregnancy were 1.85 times more likely than those who did not take the drugs to have a miscarriage.” The findings were published online May 15 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (5/15) reports, “Additional analysis revealed that the risk of miscarriage was similar among pregnant women exposed to short-acting benzodiazepines (defined as a half-life less than or equal to 24 hours), such as lorazepam, and long-acting benzodiazepines (defined as a half-life greater than 24 hours), such as diazepam.”

Also covering the story are MedPage Today (5/15, Hlavinka), HealthDay (5/15, Reinberg), and Healio(5/15, Demko).

Related Links:

— “Benzodiazepines in early pregnancy tied to heightened risk of miscarriage, “Linda Carroll, Reuter, May 15, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (5/14, Abbott, Subscription Publication) reports the World Health Organization released new guidelines on how to reduce the risk of dementia. The guidelines recommend that people reduce their risk for dementia or cognitive decline through exercise, reduced use of tobacco and alcohol, and other means.

The AP (5/14, Marchione) reports the WHO also said that while age is a top risk factor for dementia, the condition “is not a natural or inevitable consequence of aging.”

Also covering the story are Reuters (5/14, Miles), CNN(5/14, Hunt), and Healio (5/14, Demko).

Related Links:

— “WHO Recommends Steps to Limit Risk of Dementia, “Brianna Abbott, The Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2019