SPOTLIGHT
Where Are the Psychiatric Beds in a Community?
In this week’s issue of Psychiatric News, the newsletter of the American Psychiatric Association, an article discusses how a subgroup of the APA Presidential Task Force on Assessment of Psychiatric Bed Needs in the United States is working on defining the various kinds of psychiatric beds in a community. The article is based on interviews with NRI's Senior Director of Government & Commercial Research, Ted Lutterman and Medical Director of Behavioral Health and Forensic Programs for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and a member of NRI's Mental Health/Criminal Justice Board Committee, Dr. Debra Pinals. Read more.
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STATE AND FEDERAL
September is Suicide Prevention Month
Suicide is a major public health concern. More than 48,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2018. Suicide is complicated and tragic, but it can be preventable. Knowing the warning signs for suicide, how to get help, and how to talk about suicide in a supportive way can help save lives. Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Mental Health are available to help educate your community about suicide prevention.
Brief Video Presentation Humanizing Schizophrenia Diminishes Stigma
People who watched a 90-second video of a young woman describing her experience with schizophrenia had a lower rate of stigma toward people with schizophrenia than those who did not watch this video. The findings were published in Schizophrenia Bulletin. Read more.
Racial Disparities in COVID-19: Key Findings from Available Data and Analysis
A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report on racial disparities in treating COVID-19 finds that, despite significant gaps and limitation in the collection of COVID-19 data by race and ethcnicity, it is still clear that racial miniorities are bearing a disproportionate number of cases, deaths, and hospitalizations from the coronavirus. Read more.
ASA Statement on the Use of Ketamine for a Non-medical Purpose
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) issued a public statement firmly opposing the use of ketamine or any other sedative/hypnotic agent to chemically incapacitate someone for a law enforcement purpose and not for a legitimate medical reason. Read more.
Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported August 14 in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that during June 24–30, 2020, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation. Read more.
HHS Releases Healthy People 2030 Plan, Includes Social Determinants of Health
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its Healthy People 2030 plan. The plan, which is the latest iteration of HHS's work first begun in 1980, includes 355 measurable objectives with associated 10-year targets. Learn more.
CDC Releases Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) titled, “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2019.” The report includes an MMWR Surveillance Supplement that features several articles related to interpersonal violence victimization, suicidal ideation and behaviors, transportation risk behaviors, prescription opioid misuse and use of alcohol and other substances, and trends in violence victimization and suicide risk by sexual identity. Learn more.
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RESEARCH
Social Services Staff Found to Experience Mental Health Problems a Year After Mass Shooting
In a neighborhood where a mass shooting had occurred less than a year before, one-third of social services staff screened positive for mental health disorders, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.
Two Scandinavian Nationwide Register Studies Find Clozapine to be the Only Antipsychotic to Reduce Risk of Suicide in Patients With Schizophrenia
The authors of two separate Scandinavian nationwide studies undertaken in Sweden and Finland whose joint findings are published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin have found that Clozapine is the only antipsychotic associated with a decreased risk of attempted or completed suicide among patients with schizophrenia. Read more.
Internet Searches for 'Anxiety' Soared in First Month of COVID Pandemic
The number of internet searches on Google for information about “anxiety” or “panic” skyrocketed in the period immediately after the declaration of a national emergency in response to COVID-19, according to a research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Read more.
Several Antihypertensive Medications Associated With Reduced Depression
Adults who take blood pressure medications are not at an increased risk of depression, according to a report published in Hypertension. In fact, nine of the 41 medications assessed in the study were associated with a decreased incidence of depression. Read more.
Digital CBT May Reduce Eating Disorder Symptoms in College Women
A digital cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention that includes personal coaching may help to reduce several symptoms of eating disorders in college women. Read more.
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