HealthDay (10/13, Preidt) reports non-heterosexual adults are more likely to use illicit drugs or to have a mental illness than their heterosexual peers, and they are also more likely to seek treatment for drug use or mental illness than their heterosexual peers, according to a report from the US government based on data from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Kana Emoto, the deputy principal administrator at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminisration, said, “This report offers unprecedented insight into the behavioral health needs of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans – people critical to our community whose health concerns have often been overlooked.”Related Links:

— “Mixed News on Drug Abuse Among Lesbian, Gay Americans,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 13, 2016.

On its website, ABC News (10/13, Mohney) reports that natural disasters may cause “an increased risk of substance abuse,” researchers found after examining “data from New Orleans” on people who survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Investigators “found that the rate of hospitalizations for substance abuse increased approximately 30 percent, from 7.13 hospitalizations for 1,000 people to 9.65 hospitalizations for every 1,000 people.” The findings were published in Oct. 13 in the CDC’s Preventing Chronic Disease journal.

Related Links:

— “Natural Disasters May Increase Substance Abuse Risk, Study Finds,” GILLIAN MOHNEY, ABC News, October 13, 2016.

HCP Live (10/12, Lutz) reports, “Mental health treatment disparities exist for black and Hispanic children and youth with behavioral and psychiatric problems,” researchers found after reviewing data from “the 2006 to 2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys.” Investigators found that despite similar rates of mental health conditions, “black and Latino children made 37% and 49% fewer visits to psychiatrists, respectively, than white children.” The findings were published online Aug. 12 in the International Journal of Health Services.

Related Links:

— “Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Psychiatric Treatment Hard to Ignore,” Rachel Lutz, HCP Live, October 12, 2016.

Medscape (10/12, Harrison) reports, “A novel way of delivering healthcare services to” people with severe mental illness “may prevent the predictable downward spiral to homelessness, provided patients have a home where these services can be delivered and a family member who can provide psychosocial support,” researchers found. At the Institute of Psychiatric Services (IPS): The Mental Health Services 2016 Conference, investigators described the success of the Parachute NYC program, which is a “community-based mental health initiative that deploys mobile teams to treat” people with serious mental illnesses “in their homes.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HCP Live (10/12, Lutz) reports that “less than one-third of adults with depression receive treatment,” researchers found after analyzing “treatment data for approximately 46,000 adults between 2012 and 2013 to characterize the treatment of adult depression.” The findings were published in the October issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Few Adults with Depression Receive Treatment,” Rachel Lutz, HCP Live, October 12, 2016.