SPOTLIGHT
History of Mental Illness Associated With Earlier Signs of Aging
Individuals with a history mental illness are more likely to show signs of aging by age 45—including cognitive decline and loss of motor coordination—than are people without such a history, according to a report published in JAMA Psychiatry.
The study may provide insights to the elevated mortality risk experience by individuals with mental illness. It presents a new perspective on early aging among individuals with mental disorders by looking at biological factors and cognitive functioning. It is already known that persons with mental illness die earlier than persons in the general population and that they die mainly due to suicide, however chronic diseases have also been found to be the underlying causes of death.
NRI recently investigated the mortality status of the persons served by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) from SFY 2008 thru SFY 2013 and the findings confirmed the excess mortality among the served population. Individuals served by the MDHHS had significantly lower age at death (59 years) than individuals in the Michigan general population (76 years). The casual relationship between mental disorders and the biological aspect of aging may be one possible link for the prevention of premature mortality among this population group. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
STATE AND FEDERAL
‘Nobody Has Openings’: Mental Health Providers Struggle to Meet Demand
With anxiety and depression on the rise during the pandemic, it has been challenging for people to get the help they need. Read more.
Behind the Mask: The Hidden Impact of COVID-19
In December 2020, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) announced a new awareness campaign titled “Behind the Mask” to promote mental health services for Mississippians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.
An Urgent Mental Health Crisis: Health Workers Facing Immense Psychological Toll From Pandemic
Experts say some doctors, nurses and other health workers on the frontlines will have to face a mental health reckoning after being in the trenches fighting the global pandemic. Read more.
A Record Number of People Have Died of Drug Overdoses During the Pandemic, CDC Says
More than 83,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending June 2020, the most ever recorded in a single year, according to data from the CDC. Read more.
Medicaid Financing for Behavioral Health Services: The Use of Flexibilities and Authorities
Research from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that of the four avenues available to states to receive federal Medicaid funds for IMD services, the Section 1115 waiver program dominates. Read more.
Dr. Michael Hogan Discusses National Funding Released for Crisis Systems
For the first time, federal funding will go to all 50 states to support development of mental health crisis systems. The funding, about $35M annually, was added to the Mental Health Block Grant, which is distributed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to all states via formula. Read more.
How CMS Medicaid Initiatives Can Help States Fund 988
States across the nation are scrambling to develop or strengthen their crisis care systems before 988—the nationwide three-digit number for behavioral health emergencies—becomes a reality on July 16, 2022. Read more.
NHSC and SAMHSA Release Toolkit on MAT Training and Loan Repayment
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC), within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS), released a new medication-assisted treatment (MAT) training and loan repayment toolkit. Learn more.
SAMHSA Releases Toolkit for Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently published a new toolkit that provides guidance related to counseling, referrals, and follow-up services that EAPs can offer employees whose substance misuse has affected the workplace environment. Learn more.
NASADAD Releases Updated SAPT Block Grant Fact Sheet
The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors announced the release of an updated Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant fact sheet. Learn more.
|
|
RESEARCH
Youth With ADHD May Have Increased Risk for Psychotic Disorders
Children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at increased risk for subsequent psychotic disorders, according to a report published in JAMA Psychiatry. Read more.
How Voice Analysis Technology Can Track the Psychological Impact of Covid
A professor at the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with colleagues and the tech company PST Inc., has developed a smartphone health app that analyzes vocal cord vibration. It's called Mind Monitoring Systems. MIMOSYS for short and they’re using it to track the pandemic's impact on app users in Japan. Read more.
Mental Illness, Substance Use Disorders Found Common Among Individuals Who Die Suddenly
More than half of individuals living in a large metropolitan county in North Carolina who died suddenly outside the hospital had at least one diagnosed mental illness or substance use disorder in the previous five years, and more than one-third had two or more, according to a report in Psychiatric Services in Advance. Read more.
Connecting With Older Adults By Phone May Reduce Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety During Pandemic
Older adults who received regular phone calls from a young adult a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic experienced greater improvements in loneliness, depression, and anxiety after four weeks compared with older adults who did not receive these calls. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. Read more.
Education, Outreach, and Firearm Restrictions Offer Effective and Scalable Suicide Prevention
Educating primary care physicians on depression management, increasing awareness about mental illness and suicide among high school students, and reaching out to previously hospitalized psychiatric patients after discharge represent several of the most effective and scalable approaches to suicide prevention, according to a review in AJP in Advance. Read more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
